Page 179 of Red Marked

“Sleep well,” Rift tells her.

“Night.” I nod.

Atlas is telling me about a human female he met on his break.

Then she walks past the end of the table, and I can’t help but look.

Fuck.

That pink dress is a firm favorite, even though it shouldn’t be. It stops around mid-thigh, and the neckline dips low enough that there’s a hint of breast every time she moves. Enough to have me salivating. The string lights do her legs all kinds of favors. She doesn’t hurry, and she doesn’t look back.

It was the same dress she pulled off just before giving me a blowjob I will never forget. I know exactly what’s under it. Black lace. I’d bet my position on this team on it.

“Another?” Rex is already up and pointing at the cooler.

“Sure.”

I can’t leave straight after Star. It would be too obvious, even though I have a perfectly valid excuse. Namely, that we need to work the case.

Rift is watching me from across the table, and she’s far too damned observant, so I sit where I am. I drink the beer Rex hands me, but I do it faster than I should.

The bottle is empty in under fifteen minutes.

“I’m out.” I stand and collect my plate. “Be at the pad at seven. Don’t be late.”

“Yes, boss,” Atlas says, and a couple of them laugh.

“Thanks, Rift,” I say.

She smiles.

I dump the paper plate in the trash, walk back along the path to the residence block, and go up the stairs to Star’s apartment.

I knock.

I half hope she’s changed into something else. Anything but that dress.

The door opens.

She’s still in the pink dress. It still looks freaking amazing on her. Even more so now that her feet are bare and her hair is loose around her shoulders.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hi.”

She steps back to let me in.

“Do you want something to drink? I’ve got water, or there’s⁠—”

“No, thanks.” I don’t attempt to sit. “I’m not going to take up too much of your time. I’m sure you’re eager to get to bed. Tell me about Veridian Bridge. Did you manage to find anything?”

I’m getting straight to business. Then I’m leaving.

There will be no spanking.

Absolutely no fucking.

“Right.” She goes to the desk and flips the laptop open. The notepad next to it is three pages deep in her neat handwriting. “I couldn’t find anything on Veridian Bridge. Not a thing. I searched every way I could think of. Company registrations, trademarks, news archives, social media. It doesn’t exist anywhere I can see.” She taps the pad. “But the pharmaceutical company that supplied the center with all our drugs, including the vaccinations, was Veridian Pharmaceuticals. Every vial that came through our doors had their name on it. I can only think that someone at that company knew what those vaccinations were actually for. They had to. There has to be a link there somewhere.”