Page 21 of Marked

The four of us had just finished dinner—Leland having left to eat elsewhere—when there was a knock on the front door. Apparently, two of Iris and Percy’s friends from a similar community a few towns over were here for a short visit. While her father showed their guests to the room upstairs, Lanie commenced arguing with her mother overshe and I staying in another home somewhere out back. Honestly, I didn’t see what the big deal was.

“Can’t they stay there?”

Lanie took the last plate from her mother, rinsing the round dish before placing it in the drying rack alongside the others. She then joined me where I had remained seated at the kitchen table, at Iris’s insistence.

“They could, but they’re not going to.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but do they share the same beliefs in optional clothing?” The question earned me an eye roll from Lanie and a chuckle from Iris, but I was very much interested in the answer.

“Yes, they do.”

Spinning sideways in the chair, I faced Lanie, praying to God she read the plea I tried to convey with my wide eyes. When that didn’t seem to work, I mumbled quietly so only she could hear me. “Can we please keep all the naked people under one roof?”

After a head shake and a second roll of her gorgeous hazel eyes, she acquiesced.

“Fine. We’ll take the yurt.”

Wait. What?

“Yurt?” I blurted. “What the hell is a yurt?”

“Think of it like camping, except with indoor plumbing. Sort of.” She patted me on the cheek, then burst out laughing.

I’d never been camping a day in my life. Yes, I technically owned a cabin in the woods. Mainly because of the privacy it afforded me. Also, I’d spent an ungodly amount of money and muscle updating the hell out of it. I was never going to be the kind of man who suddenly had the urge to become one with nature. Bugs and the great outdoors were not my idea of a good time.

Thankfully, my dad had been of the same mindset. We both enjoyed modern technology too much to even consider the alternative. Hell, he hadn’t even taken me fishing as a boy.

It was as Lanie led me by the hand around the back of the house, using only the waning light from the setting sun to guide the way, I knew I was in trouble. When she stopped in front of what I could only describe as a fancy, oversized circular tent…trouble changed to fucked. And not in a good way.

5MINE

Lanie

There was no way of containing the amusement in my voice when I peered over my shoulder and announced, “Welcome home.” The look of absolute panic plastered across Noah’s face told me everything I needed to know. My normally composed federal agent was so far outside of his comfort zone, he’d landed on a distant planet yet to be discovered.

I knew this place would rock his foundation and—truth be told—I was excited to watch it happen. Noah needed someone to push his buttons, to blur the boundaries of his meticulously put together existence. And that someone was going to be me.

A week ago, I’d given in quickly when Noah demanded to come with me. Partly because I wasn’t arrogant enough to think I could hide from the Bratva without backup. My other reasons, well, they were a tad more complicated.

While working undercover, I discovered two very important things. First, Noah’s caveman routine pissed me the hell off. He stomped around the warehouse where ourbase of operations was located, grunting and shouting demands as if I didn’t have a clue how to do my job. Secondly, Noah’s caveman routine was hot-as-fuck, which in turn, pissed me the hell off. They were confusing times.

It was why he’d gotten the cold shoulder from me for six months after the arrests were made. In my mind, I had to be sure his behavior wasn’t strictly due to the level of danger I was in. He had to be all in, or I wasn’t letting him anywhere near my bruised heart.

“Is this a joke?” He dug his feet in, refusing to move as I tried to pull him up the rickety set of stairs.

“Think of it as an adventure,” I offered.

“Am I going to get malaria on this adventure?”

“Lighten up, Agent Anderson,” I teased. This time when I tugged on his hand, he took one tentative step.Progress.“It’s perfectly safe. Trust me.”

“Oh, I trust you, Lanie. Implicitly. But that”—he flung his arm out, pointing to the yurt—“is where I draw the line. A strong breeze will knock it over.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I lived here for a year before I left.”

Giving up, I dropped his hand and walked up the three steps leading to the entryway. He could either follow or sleep in the SUV. The choice was his to make. When I heard the first stomp of his heavy boots against the wood behind me, I knew he’d made his decision. But it wasn’t until he took my hand again and muttered, “I swear to God if you lied about the indoor plumbing, I will spank your ass,” that I smiled.

Unlocking the door, a musty smell whacked me in the face; the stale, acrid scent of something that hadn’t been cleaned in quite a while. Once I spun around the space, I found the source. Dust, a half an inch thick, covered almostevery surface which hadn’t been blanketed by sheets or tarps.

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