Page 235 of Cross & Crown

“Great. Thanks,” Nick grunted. But he couldn’t help but

smile. JD—or Casey Hunt, he supposed he was going to have

to start thinking of him as—was an interesting man. He was

smart, quick-witted, capable, and observant. He’d handled

the trauma he’d been subjected to better than most. Despite

everything that had happened, Nick liked the guy.

“So, are you out of a job now?” Kelly asked.

“No, apparently I work out of a museum as a wandering

acquisitions specialist,” JD said with a laugh. “Alex was telling 235

me about some of my seedier adventures. It seems I’m kind

of a big deal. You should read my books. I know I’m going to

have to.”

Nick and Kelly both chuckled. Kelly waved a hand at

Alex. “What about you? Are you a seedy adventurer too?”

“No,” she said with a melancholy smile. “Not anymore, at

least. Iamout of a job. I worked ful -time for Alco, hunting down new avenues of research. After all this, they don’t want

the scrutiny for why they have an archaeologist on staff.”

“I’m sorry,” Kelly offered.

Nick was scowling at Alex, though. She’d shown her true

colors during the standoff at the Jason Russell house, shielding the museum guide with her body as she got the woman to

safety. She’d shown Nick something, something he liked. He

patted Kelly on the arm, and when Kelly turned, Nick jerked

his head at Alex. It seemed to dawn on Kelly as well. His oddly colored eyes sparkled, and he grinned at Alex.

“Would you like to get a cup of coffee?” he asked her. “I

have a proposition for you.”

Alex gave him a wary sideways glance, but after examining

the smiles on both their faces, she agreed and followed Kelly

out of the room.

“What’s that about?” JD asked.

“Kels has a thing for redheads,” Nick quipped. “We’re

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