Page 26 of Marked

“Taller than him?” I ask, pointing to Jack’s 6’3 frame. When he shakes his head, I point to myself. “What about me?” I force myself to my feet and wince at the instant pain it brings me.

Josh’s eyes slither up and down my body, making me sneer at him in disgust. “Eh, I’d say around your height, I guess. I think his hair was light, but it’s hard to tell with the lights.”

I perk up at the sound of a car pulling into the lot and grin at the cruiser. “The cavalry is here to take you to the station.” I tell Josh, who pales and starts thrashing again.

“What the fuck? I answered your questions!” He protests as two uniformed officers pick him up off the ground.

“You ran from law enforcement, harmed an officer, and admitted to dealing drugs,” Jack tells him with a lifted brow. “What did you think was going to happen?”

“This is bullshit.” Josh pouts as he’s taken away to the squad car after being read his Miranda Rights.

“What do you think about the guy he mentioned?” I turn to Jack, but he’s staring down at my bare feet with a glare. “Jack?”

He snaps his head up at my use of his name, surprise on his face before it morphs to anger again. “Your feet.”

I look down at them and grimace at all the blood and dirt. “Did I mention I ran through glass?”

“Unbelievable,” he mutters before sweeping me up into his arms. He doesn’t give me a single second to fight him. “Don’t even try to fight me on this, Valkyrie. You’re in no position to walk without damaging your feet further. Only the gods know if you already contracted something from this filthy parking lot.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“I gather that you don’t put your health first most of the time.” He shoots me a half smile. “As your partner, I guess I’m just going to have to do it for you then, aren’t I?”

Gods, that stupid fucking smile does stupid shit to my stupid fucking insides. What have I gotten myself into with him?

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