Page 112 of Cross & Crown

for weeks until I was cleared by the liver docs, so they put me on it. I’m making up a scavenger hunt for them. I’m running

out of ideas, so I was trying to think up new clues.”

Kelly pointed at the cipher. “This is a clue for a kid?”

“Yeah. I got the book out because the example they have

of that symbol there is kind of ornate,” Nick said. He flipped

to the right page and tapped the drawing in the book. “I traced it, then added symbols from the other clues in the scavenger

hunt. It looks like gibberish to us, but the kids will know what the symbols mean by the time they find that one.”

Kelly bit his bottom lip, trying to smile. He just nodded

instead. Of course Nick wasn’t up to anything nefarious. He

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was making a game for kids. Kids he claimed to not be fond

of. Kelly finally huffed.

“What’d you think I was doing?” Nick asked with a

teasing smirk.

Kelly shook his head, embarrassed to have brought it up.

“I don’t even know. I’m sorry.”

Nick set his cup down, then leaned back, sinking into the

soft couch. He put his feet up on the table and raised his arm

for Kelly to lean against him. Kelly did so gladly, resting his feet next to Nick’s and his head against Nick’s shoulder. He

covered them both with the blanket Nick kept on the sofa.

Nick squeezed him, then buried his nose in Kelly’s hair.

“I promise the next time I’m doing anything wicked,

you’ll be my partner in crime,” he whispered.

Kelly snorted. “It’s sad how true that is, dude.”

They stayed that way for a long while, with Nick’s arm

wrapped around Kelly and Kelly’s head on his chest. “I’m

sorry about this,” Nick finally said.

“What for?”

“This case. It’s ruining our time together. I should have

taken vacation days.”

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