Page 185 of Cross & Crown

Nick shrugged and dug in the pocket of his jeans for the

napkin JD had left on the table last night. “No clue. That’s

where JD’s diamonds come in.”

JD took a deep breath to steady himself and stepped

closer to take the napkin. Nick touched his arm gently.

“I’m sorry,” Nick offered.

JD held his gaze for a few seconds, then nodded and gave

him a weak smile. “I tried putting myself in your shoes last

night, when I went to bed. I get it. I wouldn’t trust me either.”

Nick cocked his head, raising both eyebrows in surprise.

“I do trust you. I’m sorry for making you feel like I didn’t.

And I made you a promise. I intend to keep it. Let’s do this.”

JD squared his shoulders. “Right.”

Kelly groaned off in the distance. Nick glanced around

for him and found him sitting on the steps that led down to

the sidewalk, resting his head against an iron fence. He was

pretty hungover, but the last historic graveyard Kelly had

been in had almost killed him. Nick couldn’t help the shiver

that ran up his spine with the memory.

“Hey, babe, you alright?”

“I hate you!” Kelly called back.

“Okay, well . . . keep lookout for us then,” Nick said, his

voice shaking with laughter.

He turned, and Julian fell in step beside him. The man

was actually smiling. “One night, Detective, you and I will sit and have a drink just so I can say I survived it.”

Nick laughed. “It’s a date.”

They split off, each of them wandering the crooked lanes

of the graveyard, examining each headstone for any sort of

clue. They didn’t know what they were searching for, though,

and it was a large graveyard.

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