Page 67 of Cross & Crown

me, bro” and a glint that said Nick would enjoy the fight.

He’d made the same expression in his police portrait that

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sat high on one of the walls, and Kelly couldn’t take his eyes

off that face.

“So,” JD finally said, clearing his throat and glancing

around uncomfortably. “Is this like a last meal or something?”

“You’re awful fatalistic for a dude who lived through

being shot in the head,” Hagan observed.

“Maybe if I remembered it, I’d be more likely to look on

the bright side,” JD grumbled.

“Innocent until proven guilty, babe.” Nick’s voice was low

and sent a shiver up Kelly’s spine. “Look, we haven’t had any

hits, but we have eliminated some things, and frankly, that’s as good as we could hope for.”

“Right.” Hagan pointed his fork at Nick. “We put you

through all the systems and got nothing.”

“That . . . sounds awesome,” JD said, voice flat and sarcastic.

“What that means is you don’t have a record,” Nick

offered.

“Meaning I’m a smart felon and I’ve never been caught.

You’re right, that is good news.”

Kelly coughed to cover a laugh.

Nick pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes. “It also means

you’re not military, and you’ve never worked government or

municipal. You’re not part of any education systems, and so

on. Rules out everything you would have been printed for.”

JD nodded and looked down at his hands, turning them

over to run a finger across his tips. His nails were still stained from the ink they’d printed him with.

Nick was watching him too, frowning harder the

longer he looked at him. He reached to the cuff of his shirt,

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