Page 97 of Lethal Danger

“I won’t fight it if you don’t.” Jazz grinned.

“I never refuse the royal treatment.”

“Uh-huh. You remember you still have this on?” Jazz touched the edge of Nev’s satin cap.

“And Branson’s coming.” Nev’s eyes widened as a note of alarm infused her voice. “Though he wouldn’t care, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” Jazz smiled. It would only be a few seconds before—

“I’m just gonna pop in the bathroom.”

“Of course.” Jazz laughed.

Nev pushed off of her with a grin, leaving Jazz to enter the living room alone.

But Bris was the only one there.

“Where is everyone?”

Bris tucked her hands into the pockets of her navy blue PK-9 windbreaker. “Sof went outside to find Phoenix. Something about checking the premises for evidence.”

“Nevaeh?” The deep voice of Branson Aaberg preceded his giant body through the front door. He glanced wildly at Bris and Jazz. “Where is she?”

Jazz held up her hands in a calming gesture. She hoped. The man looked like he was ready to attack someone. “She’s fine. She’ll be out in a sec.”

“Branson?” Nev burst from the hallway like a ball out of a cannon, her arms outstretched.

Branson caught her in his muscled arms and smushed her against his chest. “Thank God you’re okay.” He buried his face in her mass of curls and closed his eyes.

It was kind of over the top, these head-over-heels lovers. But a lump formed in Jazz’s throat anyway. And a hint of envy curdled in her stomach. She’d probably never have a man in her life who cared about her that much.

Unless…Would Hawthorne act like that if he knew Jazz had been in danger? There was no denying the electrifying chemistry between them in the parking lot tonight. Or last night, since it was now technically morning at nearly three a.m.

He’d had a hard time walking away from her. At least for a moment. She’d been pretty sure he had felt as drawn to her as she had to him.

“You two love birds going to let each other go long enough to catch your breath?” Bris brought Jazz’s attention back to the present and the brunette’s amused smile at the lovey-dovey couple. “Or at least to talk about what happened?”

Nev leaned back with a smile that didn’t hold a trace of shyness or embarrassment. “Where’s Phoenix? I figured she’d want to do a debrief or something.”

“Outside with Sof.” Jazz shrugged. Just like Phoenix to disappear without explanation to anyone.

“We’re back.” Sof flashed a grin as she entered ahead of Phoenix through the front door, their K-9’s with them.

“Did you find anything?” Cora appeared from the hallway, carrying a tray of chocolate chip cookies—the prepackaged variety Nev kept on hand that Cora must’ve dug out of the cupboards.

“Black SUV parked a block away behind some trash bins.” Sof stalked to the tray and grabbed one of the miniature cookies. “Stolen plates.”

How did they run the plates so quickly? Without the police even being out there with them? Jazz itched to ask. But she’d just look dumb or like she was challenging Phoenix. The boss had probably phoned one of her mysterious police sources. Or maybe Agent Nguyen, her buddy at the FBI.

“We’ll have the police search the vehicle interior and see if there’s anything helpful.” Phoenix stood near the closed front door with her feet in a wide stance, Dag sitting beside her leg.

Must be nice to be able to tell the police what to do. Though Jazz still wondered how Phoenix seemed to have that kind of power over…well, everyone.

“I’d like to know who these characters are, and why they broke into Nevaeh’s house.” Branson guided Nev to the sofa with a hand on her back. “Do you know what they were after?” He looked toward Phoenix.

“Jazz has a hit out on her.” Nev lifted her adoring gaze to Branson as he sat beside her, filling nearly all the rest of the sofa with his large frame.

“And you didn’t tell me that?” Surprise, but no irritation, shaped his voice.

---