Page 56 of Lethal Weakness

The spot is swollen, and the skin is faintly stained red around a puncture point. But it’s not from a stinger. Someone put a needle in this baby’s hand.

“Does it hurt?” I ask softly, running the pad of my thumb over the spot.

She shakes her head but flinches when I palpate the skin.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” I whisper, turning her arms over to check her other vein points. Nothing notable is catching my eye, but my gut tells me this is wrong.

Linden walks outside just as I’m tipping Avery’s face upward and checking her pupils.

“What are you doing?”

“She said she got stung by a bee.”

“Yeah, I guess they were playing in the garden. She said she didn’t see what kind of bee it was, though.” Linden is looking at me quizzically because I’m examining the lymph nodes in her daughter’s neck.

“I was just making sure she wasn’t showing any signs of an allergic reaction. She’s so young; anaphylaxis can come out of nowhere.”

“Oh, right. I have baby Benadryl inside if she needs it.”

“I think she’ll be okay. It’s probably been long enough since it happened. Did your grandparents see you get stung?”

“Grandma did. I was scared.”

“I bet. But you’re brave, huh?” I ask through a tight throat.

“Yeah,” she agrees, skipping away without a care in the world.

I, on the other hand, want to kill someone with my bare hands right now.

“Jack, you okay?” Linden steps in front of me, where I’m still kneeling with one knee on the ground.

I could destroy this op right now. I could go over to that mansion on the hill and kill every single person who is complicit in the Scotts’ illegal trade and get it over with.

I don’t give a fuck about collecting more intel on other players right now.

I want to dismember Merrill Scott piece by piece like she does her victims. But I want to do it for marring that little girl’s skin.

“Jack?” Linden’s fingers kiss my jaw, and my eyes close. “Are you okay?”

She tries to pull away, but my fingers intertwine hers, keeping her connected to me. When I finally blink up at her, her gaze is heavy with worry, and something else.

“Jack…” She whispers, and I know I can’t lie to her.

I keep her hand linked in mine as I stand, glancing to make sure Avery can’t hear us. “Linden, do you trust me?”

“Yes,” she answers without hesitation. And it partially guts me because I’m still hiding so much from her.

“That is not a bee sting on her hand.”

“What?” She chuckles, not understanding until she sees how serious I am. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a needle mark.”

Linden’s entire body jerks, but I keep her hand trapped in mine. “What the fuck are you talking about, Jack?”

“They put a needle in her vein.”

“You can’t know that,” she scoffs.