Page 42 of Marked

“It’s not a pleasant sensation.”

“Don’t be a hero. Take the meds, Lanie.” Duncan sat the orange prescription bottle in front of me along with a bottle of water, which magically appeared. I rolled my eyes as I popped one of the small white pills in my mouth, then swallowed a mouthful of water.

“That’s two, Little Lamb.” Noah said in that deep voice which made me wish we were alone and naked.

I was playing with fire, yet I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Grinning wide, I lit the match. “Two what?”

“Keep it up and you’ll find out.” He winked.

Frustrated andaching in more ways than one, I shifted my focus.

“What’s your idea, Koen?” His eyes flashed to Noah, like he was seeking permission. “Uh-uh. Talk to me, not him.”

“Fine. We’re working off the assumption Jill Benson is behind the shots fired in the woods, right?”

I nodded my agreement. “If it’s not the Russians, she’s the only one who would make sense. Jill blames me for Beth’s death.”

“Then you should confront her. Get her to admit what she did.”

Dropping my head back on my shoulders, I closed my eyes and tried to reconcile the sweet woman who taught me how to bake snickerdoodle cookies alongside her daughter with the hateful human she’d turned into. Even with my gut telling me it was true, I desperately wanted to believe Beth’s mom wasn’t capable of committing the crimes we were accusing her of. One way or another, I guess we’d find out soon enough.

Scrubbing my hands down my face, I blew out a stuttered breath, then asked the person I respected above all others. “Waverly? What do you think?”

If I knew my boss the way I thought I did, she had a very clear opinion, despite the fact she’d kept quiet the whole time. Whether I’d like or agree with it was another story altogether.

“I wasn’t the one who was shot”—her emerald-green eyes went from me to Noah—“or shot at. This isn’t about whether or not you should confront Jill, because everyone in this room knows it’s going to happen. The real question is how you’ll handle the truth when it comes out.”

“What do you mean?”

“There were two reasons I made certain the FBI seized control of this case. The first is obvious. You’remyagents,myresponsibility. Not to mention you mean more to me than my actual dysfunctional family. The second, well, it teeters the line between being legal and not-quite-illegal. Let’s just say I wanted to make sure you had options.”

“What options?” I asked.

“We’ll discuss those when the time comes.”

For a straight shooter, she was being all kinds of cryptic. It was unnerving. Noah and Koen must’ve felt the same if the look they exchanged meant anything. Whatever Waverly had up her sleeve, I was grateful she was on our side.

So far, we’d left my family in the dark about our suspicions; however, the last thing I wanted was to blindside them when shit went south. Jill was their friend, which placed them in a very precarious position.

“We need to sit down with your parents.” Noah leaned in, kissing my temple.

“You read my mind.”

While my team planned the op, my mind wandered to Beth. She was the real victim in all of this. The people who took her from us may have been brought to justice, but they never found a trace of the guy she communicated with online.

“I want to look into Beth’s case.”

The chatter around me stopped immediately.

“What’s that, Darlin’?”

“When we get back to Huntington, after all the hit man bullshit is sorted, I’d like permission to find the guy who set Beth up to be taken.”

“Granted.” Waverly nodded. “So long as there aren’t more pressing matters piling up on your desks. The government still signs your paychecks.”

“Excuse me.” Lee appeared in the doorway. “Could I have a minute with my sister?”

The kitchen cleared out instantly, except for Noah, whotook his time making sure I was comfortable. The stare down he gave my brother as he exited was intense and full of meaning, even though no words were exchanged. It was hot as fuck and such an alpha thing to do. Or maybe it was a Dom thing. I’d have to remember to ask him later.

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