Free Dirty Little Secrets (Romantic Mystery) Book 1 in the J.J. Graves Series by Liliana Hart Page B

‘til seven. Let me shower and change then we can head to your place so you can do the same. I want to get to Nottingham as soon as we can. Dr. Hides wasn’t exactly cooperative when we spoke on the phone yesterday.”
    “You afraid he’s going to disappear?” I asked.
    “No, I think he’ll stay around to see what we find, but I don’t think he’s going to try and do us any favors by pointing us in the right direction.”
    “I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Hurry and get your shower. I want to check out that boutique while you’re talking to the manager. It’s almost my birthday, you know.”
    “I already have your gift. I bought you a year’s worth of online poker lessons.”
    “Gee, Jack, you sure know the way to a woman’s heart.”
     
    ###
     
    Harvey had done a good job with the plow. The roads were clear and Bloody Mary was quiet. Before long there would be children wrapped from head to toe in their snow gear, making snow angels and building snowmen. But for now it was peaceful and serene, the snow pristine.
We’d decided to take my Suburban to Nottingham instead of Jack’s cruiser because it handled the roads better. I’d gladly handed over the keys when he’d asked to drive.
    My house came into view, and I was surprised by how beautiful it looked covered in snow. Apparently, it was possible to polish a turd. There was no way to tell that the paint was peeling in sections, or that the side steps to the porch needed to be repaired. The roof sagged just a bit over the wide covered front porch, the weather vane was crooked and the lattice work skirting around the bottom of the house was missing a few boards. But it was home.
And then I saw the Cadillac Escalade pulled in my driveway, and I forgot to breathe.
    “Who’s that?” Jack asked.
    Oh, good, I wasn’t imagining things. Jack saw him too.
    I didn’t answer him because I wanted to regulate my breathing in case I started to hyperventilate. Brody Collins had made a hell of an impression the day before. And once again, I looked like crap.
    “Hello? J.J. Who’s that man?” Jack asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
    I got out of the car without answering and walked my way across the snow to the front steps as if I were in a trance. Brody was dressed warmer today in boots and a long wool coat. He had a ski cap pulled down low over his ears, but his hair was long enough to still be seen in the back.
    “Hi,” I said.
    “Hi, yourself,” he said back with a smile. “I thought I’d drop back by and pick your brain some more. I was just about to head over to the funeral parlor. I thought I might buy you breakfast.”
    Jack mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but I ignored him. It was just my luck that I’d found a man who fried my circuits, and all he wanted to do was pick my brain. 
    I realized he wasn’t looking at me any longer but just over my shoulder. “Last night was poker night,” I blurted out. I knew Jack was back there, but I resisted the urge to turn around and look. “I got stuck in the storm and couldn’t make it back home.”
    I’m not sure I could have made it any clearer that Jack and I weren’t together other than just saying it straight out. Brody looked back at me and his eyes softened. It wasn’t until I saw the change in them that I realized he’d become almost predatory when he’d spotted Jack.
    “I’m glad to help you any time,” I said, breaking the awkward silence.
    Jack’s footsteps crunched in the snow behind me, and I turned around to introduce him. But after I saw the look he was giving Brody I almost chickened out. If Brody had looked predatory, then I don’t know what the description would be for Jack. I’d never seen that look before, not even at a crime scene. Jack was downright scary, and I almost took a step back before I stopped myself and remembered he was my oldest friend.
    “Jack, I’d like you to meet Brody Collins. I think you’ve read a few of his