Page 52 of Marked

Once she had Bella in her arms, no one would care how she’d been found. Least of all Bart. Kenneth might have some questions, but she’d prepare herself and make up a damn good story. She’d have to if she expected to fool anyone.

“Everything okay?” The rumble of Cole’s voice brought her attention back to the vehicle, where everything was quiet yet amplified.

“Fine. Just Bart.”

He nodded.

She glanced at Cole. His arm was stretched out casually over the wheel, as if he were utterly relaxed, but the muscle bulging at his jaw showed his tension.

She swiveled her head toward the back seat. Dallas sat with his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze intently ahead.

Neither of them appeared too impressed. She knotted her hands on her lap. “I just want to say I appreciate both of you guys doing this... All of you, I mean. Without your help—”

Cole reached for her and covered both her hands in one of his. “Don’t mention it.”

“Yeah. I just want to get ahold of their fucking necks and break shit.” Dallas’s declaration raised the hair on the back of Sophia’s neck.

So they weren’t irked about being caught in the middle of rescuing Bella but eager to get to the kidnappers. Huh. She’d read that wrong. “I don’t want you to kill anyone on my account.”

Dallas snorted. “No offense, but this is for personal satisfaction.”

Cole let out a gruff laugh but didn’t let go of her hands. And damn it to hell and back, she didn’t want him to. Even though he and his brother were discussing cold-blooded murder right in front of her.

She studied the black stubble on Cole’s jaw. Why’d a killer have to go and be so handsome? It was almost a sin that he was born with such deadly skill wrapped up in a gloriously male package.

The worst kind of temptation.

“Well. I’d prefer you all make it out in one piece, please.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Cole countered. “But after tonight, Lionsgate’s trafficking ring will be sorely understaffed. Mark my words.”

A shudder touched her shoulders. She squeezed her arms closer to her body to fight the chill that cascaded over her flesh even though the AC was on low.

For the first time in her career, she was living on the other side of the law. Neck-deep in felonies that would guarantee she never wore a badge again. Yet, her morality stood in a gray zone. Knowing perverts and child abusers had Bella in their custody made her see red with violent fury.

If it weren’t for Dallas and Cole promising to kill the perpetrators, she’d be tempted to do it herself.

“We’re almost there.” Cole’s thumb stroked her knuckles, and she relaxed her muscles.

Maybe he wasn’t the monster she thought he was.

She fought the urge to fist her hand into her hair. It didn’t matter if Cole turned out to be noble. He was still a murderer—still someone the police were after.

Shifting her attention out the window again, she noticed that dusk had settled over the sky, which was now a pinky orange. “How much farther?”

“About fifteen minutes, but then we’ll need to get into position. Dare said there’s a trail that will fit the width of a vehicle. We can take that to get closer to the property.”

“How far will you have to go on foot?”

Dallas leaned forward between Sophia’s and Cole’s seats. “Just under two miles.”

“Oh, yikes. That’s far.”

“We’ll walk fast. I don’t see why we can’t make it in under thirty minutes. And we’ll probably run most of the way back.”

Her heart ached. The image of Bella running through the woods, terrified, with strange men...

She’d told Cole she’d wait at the vehicles with Lexi, but that might be an impossible feat.

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