Page 83 of Marked

Sophia’s throat clenched. The van... the white one Bella had been forced into. A slew of curses stung her tongue. She was so damn close.

“I need a name, Markie. This isn’t helpful unless I’ve got more.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You know they’re still looking for the mole? If I go around asking questions, I’m gonna be suspect number fucking one.”

“Please. A name.”

Another frustrated breath followed. “All right, but you fucking owe me. I want out after this. Deal? One name and I’m done. Witness protection or whatever.”

“Deal.” She’d agree to anything right now.

She already had Kenneth questioning her judgment—how much more could another misstep hurt?

“’Kay. I’ll try and get the information tonight.” He disconnected.

Sophia let out a sigh and brought her fist to rest on her forehead. Before she could decompress, her phone went off.

As she glanced down at the screen, her heart pitter-pattered.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Cole’s smooth voice coated the line and eased the angst soaring through her core. “I’m all done meeting with my brother. Get this. They found six other kids last night and brought them to the hospital. They’ve all been reunited with their families.”

Sophia brought her hand to her chest. “Ohmigod.” Tears filled her eyes and relief spread through her body.

Having Bella home made all the extremes she’d gone through worth it... but knowing other children had been rescued reaffirmed that they’d done the right thing.

“So you can put that conscience of yours to rest. Had we followed the rules those kids might not have made it out of there.”

She swallowed down the thickness in her throat. “I know. I’m just so relieved that those babies are safe.” She sucked in a shuddering breath.

“Me too.” Cole’s voice came out gruff and she had no doubt he wished he could have been there to kill the men and bring home the children.

“How’d it go with Bella’s dad?” he asked.

She brought her hand to her bare bicep and rubbed the skin below the sleeve of her t-shirt. “About as well as expected. He’s a little outraged by how I handled things, bringing you on, but—”

“You told him about me?” Cole asked sharply.

“No. God, no,” she assured him. Telling Bart an assassin had rescued her daughter? No way. Her ex would have lost it. “I told him that I had help from friends... outside the law. I didn’t give any details, and I told him I wouldn’t under any circumstances. He’ll keep quiet.”

“Mmm.” Cole’s grunt told her he didn’t have as much faith in Bart as she did. “Can you come back to my place? I’ve got an angle we can work.”

“I was just about to head there.” She turned over the ignition and said goodbye then pulled away from the curb.

Her gaze slid to the clock on the dash. Time was running out. She needed Markie to pull through or she’d have to look at alternative plans for her and Bella’s safety.

CHAPTER 21

“You did what?” Cole struggled to keep the indignation out of his voice.

One of Sophia’s perfectly shaped dark eyebrows arched over one golden eye. “I did my job, Cole. That’s what I did.” She drummed her fingers on the kitchen table where they sat, laptops out.

He sank his teeth into the side of his tongue to bite back any remarks that might send that hiked eyebrow into a frenzy. Then he brought his hand to his forehead and squeezed his temples between his thumb and middle finger.

“Is there a problem?”

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