Page 19 of Cross & Crown

“So,” JD said on a sigh. “A hotel with an armed police

guard?”

Nick stared at him thoughtfully. “Until we get all this

straightened out, yeah.”

JD smiled weakly. “Sounds lovely. I don’t guess I can

count on you being there at al , huh?”

“Not until the first of the week, but hopefully we’ll have

this all figured out by then. You’ll be safe. And I’ll find out who you are. I promise.”

18

JD nodded, chewing on his lip. “You always keep your

promises, Detective?”

Nick was silent for several tense seconds before smiling.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then I believe you.”

“Good.” Nick grabbed his coat and slid from the booth,

gesturing for JD to stand with him. “And right now I have to

get you to your room, because I promised someone else I’d

pick them up at the airport tonight.”

Kelly Abbott’s flight from Colorado had taken nearly

four hours longer than it should have, including a lengthy

layover in Charlotte where he’d played with every gadget in

the Brookstone store and then made good use of the bar. He

was tired, a little wobbly, and had a cramp in his neck because he’d fallen asleep with his head against the window instead of

drooling on the guy next to him on the plane.

When he hit the escalators that would take him down to

the baggage claim at Logan, he bent to scan the crowd below

for Nick. It was June in Massachusetts, so it wasn’t like people were all bundled up, but it was busy as hell, so it was hard to tell if Nick was down there.

Before Kelly had left his house for the Denver airport

this morning, Nick had warned him that he might have to

send a car to pick him up if his new case warranted it. Kelly

---