Chapter Fifteen #3
“Hello, Dominic,” I whispered as he got settled in the corner, back against the wall, hands in his pockets, ankles crossed.
His indigo eyes flicked up to mine, but only for a fraction of a second. “Margo,” he greeted, his voice like silk.
Hayes and Grayson were at the head of the table, talking in low voices, and judging by how tight Hayes’ shoulders were, I knew it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. A twinge of guilt settled over me. That last thing I wanted was to be a burden, especially for Red Snake.
“You okay?” Ash asked from his seat next to mine.
I turned to face him. “I hate that I’m causing you guys so much trouble.”
“What the hell are you talking about? This isn’t trouble, sweetheart. It's our duty. Besides, like I said last night, you’re family.”
My lips parted as I gaped at him.
There was that damn word again.
Out of the corner of my eye, Jake walked into the conference room, his laptop and a notebook tucked under his bicep.
He didn’t see me—or he just didn’t want to, I couldn’t be too sure—but when his focus landed on Hayes, he stopped in tracks and his eyes nearly popped out of his head behind his glasses.
His question was like a gunshot. “Motherfucker, are you chewing gum?”
I looked at Hayes, watching his jaw work for a moment before blowing a bubble. The sound of the pop echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls. Ash stiffened in his chair beside me and Dominic just looked to the floor, his mouth in a tight, grim line.
I cleared my throat. “What’s wrong with that?” I asked. “Hayes has been chewing gum all morning.”
Was Hayes not allowed to chew gum?
Was this some bad habit he was supposed to break?
Ash chuckled, the sound filled with a sickening darkness that had the hairs on my arms rising. “Oh, I bet he has, sweetheart.”
“What the fuck?”
My neck twisted and I leaned back into my chair.
Jake was looking at me now, and I wished he hadn’t given me the time of day.
His stuff was now discarded on the table, his hands planted on top, and he was leaning forward, his huge body vibrating with fury.
His upper lip curled, shifting his auburn facial hair.
“I’m going to kill the son of bitch who laid his fucking hands on you,” he growled, scanning my bruise.
I blinked, holding my breath. I’d known these guys for more than a year, and Jake had never looked the way he did now. He was the shy, quiet one. The kind one. Right now, Jake wasn’t in front of me. Instead, a stranger stood in his place, violence radiating from him.
“Get in line.”
This came from Dominic. A secondary chill swept down my spine.
“Steady,” Gray rumbled from his place. Out of the corner of my eye, Hayes moved away from Grayson’s chair, coming back to me. I felt his heat at my side as he pulled out his chair but he didn’t take a seat.
“Murphy, whatever you’re feeling, I need you to get a lock on it,” he said, his voice low. My eyes darted back and forth between the two men.
Jake ignored him, looking at me. His eyes were no longer brown. All I saw was red. “Who put their hands on you?” he asked, his chest heaving.
Oh, dear God.
“Jake,” I whispered. “I’m okay.”
“Steady,” Grayson ordered again, rising from his seat.
The air in the room became charged with something then. To my right, Ash was getting up, leaning over the table. “Murphy,” he called. “Lock it down.”
Jake’s now-red eyes never left mine as he rasped, “Someone hurt you. Fuck, Margo, someone hurt you.”
I jerked, the weight of not his words but the pain behind them hitting me like a runaway train, leveling me completely.
Hayes’ hand came to my shoulder, the tips of his fingers grazing the skin of my collarbone.
“And we’re going to take care of them,” he promised.
“But we can’t do that without you, Murphy. Lock it down and focus.”
“Please, Jake,” I begged, reaching across the table, putting my hand on top of his.
His hand flipped over, squeezing mine as he nodded.
Then I gave them the carefully crafted truth, keeping my walls intact. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but when I was done, Grayson only had one question. And it wasn’t for me.
“You said she’s under your protection, correct?”
I stiffened.
“Affirmative,” Hayes replied, his hand now at the back of my neck, his thumb drawing soothing circles at the base of it.
Jake looked at Ash and then twisted in his chair to look at Dominic, all three of them silently communicating something. “You marking her?” Ash asked, leaning back in his chair.
I looked at him, confusion no doubt covering my face. “Excuse me?”
“Yes,” Hayes answered, all of them ignoring me.
Turning my chair, I looked at Grayson, who was also leaning back in his chair with an ankle resting on one knee. “What the hell is a mark?” I demanded.
“It’s code,” Dominic answered.
I waited for him to elaborate, and when he didn’t, I looked up at Hayes. “Code for what? For who?”
“The FBI.”
“Why—why would the FBI need a code?” I stammered, my pulse jumping.
“Sometimes, our cases involve the feds,” Jake explained, but I didn’t take my eyes off Hayes.
His hand came to the back of my neck again, resting there as he added, “By marking you, it notifies the Bureau that you’re connected with one of us.”
I looked at Grayson. “Was Carrie marked?”
“She still is.”
“It’s protection, Margo,” Dominic said smoothly. “That’s all.”
Hayes’ thumb moved, sweeping back and forth across the edge of my butterfly wing. Slowly, I nodded, remembering Hayes’ words from last night. “Okay.”
“Jake, I need everything on Marcus Bennett and Gordon Samson,” Hayes ordered.
“On it.” Then he was gone.
Ash rose from his seat and gave me a reassuring wink. “We’ll get this taken care of.”
Grayson’s cell began to ring, and he started making his way to the door, stopping in front of me. He looked at me for a few rings; pain etched into his rugged features. Then his eyes cut up to Hayes.
The only one who hadn’t moved from his place was Dominic, and he didn’t look up from the floor as Hayes led me to his office. “Bye, Dominic,” I called.
He was too lost in his own thoughts to respond.