Page 59 of Marked

“Hell no. We bet on whether he’d give up. You’re vicious in the ring.”

“No more vicious than the rest of you.”

“I hate to interrupt playtime, but Mac has to be going soon.”

Waverly’s reminder was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. Brutal, yet effective. Spending the rest of the day sitting in the dentist chair sounded better than listening to whatever else the man had to say. It wasn’t his fault he’d hit the mother of all nerves. He was simply the bearer of the news.

Noah hooked me around the neck. “Come on, slugger. Let’s get this over with.”

No one realized the extent of the Los Tredos involvement until every slip of paper in Mac’s file was laid out in front of us. Their operation may have started in California, however it spread rapidly to Nevada, Colorado, then finally West Virginia. We’d also underestimated the length of time Brandon had been involved with the ruthless gang. If our timelines were correct, Brandon was recruited at twelve years old as a drug mule, then worked his way up to more serious crimes. Beth’s rejection of him is what Mac believes led to his ultimate betrayal. I wholeheartedly agreed.

Mac departed a little before noon, leaving his file behind. There would be no arrest, no trial, no conviction. Justice, in a manner of speaking, had already been served. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel about any of it. Part of me was relieved to finally have the answers, while another part, somewhere deep down in my soul, wished Brandon had suffered longer. It was about so much more than Beth. Thirty-five women had been found in that mass grave; thirty-five daughters, sisters…best friends.

To Los Tredos, those women were nothing more than skin to be traded for the almighty dollar. It was why I was adamant about joining the FBI. Someone had to stand up for the victims who’d been discovered and fight for the countless others who were desperately waiting to be found. They needed a voice and mine was just as good as any.

After making myself another cup of coffee, I went back to my desk and checked my cell. Five unread text messages. It was strange. I hadn’t really thought about being disconnected from the rest of the world when we were away, but now that we were back, I couldn’t go longer than thirty minutes without checking it.

Henley: Girls’ night tonight?

Jade: I’m game.

Henley: Lanie?

Henley: Hello?

Jade: Give her more than two minutes. She’s working.

Me: Yes to girls’ night, but we’ll have to stay in.

Henley: These Russians are really putting a damper on my social life.

Jade: What social life? It’s not like you’re going out clubbing. You’re baking a baby, for Pete’s sake.

Henley: Who is Pete anyway?

Henley: Forget that. My pregnancy brain is going haywire.

I laughed to myself. These two were the reason for my new cell phone addiction. They played a vital role in my life and when I wasn’t able to talk to them multiple times a day, it felt like I was missing a limb.

Me: What’s your excuse going to be in a couple of weeks when the baby is here?

Henley: Sleep deprivation.

Me: Good point.

Me: You know girls’ night is going to be invaded by the guys, right?

Henley: Ugh…

Jade: We could do a barbecue at my house. The guys can man the grill while we relax inside.

Me: Perfect. See you both later. XO

Ending my messages with hugs and kisses was something new. I wasn’t overly sentimental, in fact, some would call me a little rough around the edges. However, if recent events had taught me anything, it was this.

Tomorrow wasn’t a guarantee.

Noah

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