Free Brody & Hannigan 02 - Grand Theft Lotto by Paula Graves

gorgeous."
    My mother just called my partner drop-dead gorgeous , she thought, stifling a grin.
    "He's not gay is he?"
    Hannigan froze. "No. Definitely not gay."
    "I'm not one of those people who judges."
    "I know you're not. But Brody's not gay." Trust me , she added silently, remembering the earlier grope-session in the front seat of Brody's car.
    "You look a little flushed." Ruby reached out and pressed the back of her hand to Hannigan's forehead. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"
    Hannigan ducked under her mother's touch. "No, I'm fine. Just did a lot of walking outside today—guess I didn't put on enough sunscreen." She waved her hand. "What do you need me to do? Set the table?"
    "Actually—"
    The trill of Hannigan's cell phone interrupted her mother. Making an apologetic face, Hannigan checked the number. Brody, she noted with surprise. "Sorry mom, I have to get this."
    She walked out of the room and answered in a low tone. "Brody?"
    "Sorry to call you in the middle of your dinner with your mother, but I miss you." His voice was warm and sexy enough to melt her bones.
    "You're a bad, bad boy," she murmured, making him laugh on the other end of the call.
    "You're counting on that, aren't you, Hannigan?"
    Heat rocketed through her, straight to her sadly under-used woman parts. "You want me to race through dinner, don't you?"
    "Would you?"
    "But it's turnip greens, cornbread, pinto beans with pork loin and banana pudding for dessert."
    "I could be there in ten minutes."
    She smiled at the phone. "Actually, she wanted to know why I didn't invite you to dinner."
    "What did you tell her?"
    "That you had other plans."
    "I assume you didn't mention that what I was planning to do tonight was you?"
    She almost giggled. And she rarely giggled. "I did not. But she did ask if you were gay."
    He did laugh. "Yeah, no."
    "That's what I said."
    "You'll hurry over, right? I mean, I know she's your mother and it's been a rough couple of days, but—"
    "I'll hurry, I promise." Anticipation sang in her blood. "I might even break some speed laws, but that'll be our little secret."
    There was a ringing sound. "That's my home phone," Brody said. "Call me when you're on the way."
    "Okay." With a sigh, Hannigan hung up the phone and turned to find her mother standing in the doorway from the kitchen.
    "Dinner's ready." Ruby said with a slight smile, making Hannigan wonder just how much she'd overheard.
    In the kitchen, her mother had already set the table, put ice in the tea glasses and filled the plates. As Hannigan pulled out her chair, Ruby went to the refrigerator and pulled a large pitcher of tea from inside. She poured tea for them both and sat across from Hannigan, unfolding a napkin and dropping it on her lap before she spoke.
    "So." Her gaze met Hannigan's with frank curiosity. "Who, exactly, are you willing to break speed laws for?"
    Before Hannigan could work out a safe response, her cell phone rang. She looked at the display. Brody. "Sorry, Mom—I have to take this." She swiped the screen to answer. "Hey, what's up?"
    "That was the station on the other line," he told her briskly. From the sound of it, he was in his car, on the move. "There's been a break-in at The Body Shop. Anton Jones is dead."
    Hannigan tightened her grip on the phone. "When?"
    "Sometime after the gym closed at seven. I'm headed down there now."
    "I'll meet you there."
    "I can handle it if you want to finish dinner with your mother."
    Hannigan glanced across the table, not missing the still-curious gleam in her mother's eyes. "I want to be there. This could be connected to Dwayne's murder."
    "Oh, I think we can be fairly sure of that," Brody said grimly.
    "Yeah? Why?"
    "Because a witness saw a black Kawasaki Ninja tearing down the road just a few minutes before he stumbled onto the body in the alley behind the gym," Brody answered.
    Hannigan's stomach tensed. "Cause of death?"
    Brody's voice was bone dry. "Garbage spike shoved through his