Free Wicked Warning (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 5) by Lily Harper Hart Page B

hired help. There’s no way she could be keeping a girl in a root cellar – and later a bunker – on her property.”
    “Okay, fine,” Jack conceded, tugging a restless hand through his dark hair. “She’s an invaluable resource.”
    “And don’t you forget it,” Ivy said, although her expression softened as she regarded him. “I know why you’re really upset and I don’t blame you.”
    “What are we talking about?” Brian asked.
    Jack ignored him. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you about the dream,” he said. “I … am really sorry.”
    “You couldn’t have known, Jack,” Ivy said. “You could have easily been right.”
    “But I wasn’t.”
    “We’ll know better next time,” Ivy said. “I’m not angry with you. I know you’re upset I forced you out of Jessica’s room, but she was never going to answer questions about the baby. She’s pretending that what happened – however terrible – is something she can forget.
    “She won’t be able to forget it, but she needs time to realize that on her own,” she continued. “I’m worried about the baby, too. I am. If Jessica completely shuts down, though, we’ll never get anywhere on this.”
    “Does someone want to explain to me about the dream?” Brian asked, confused.
    “It’s nothing,” Jack replied hurriedly. “Ivy had a nightmare about Jessica last night and I told her it was nothing. It turns out she might’ve been right about the way Jessica was forced to live. I was wrong and I owe Ivy an apology.”
    “Oh, how sweet,” Brian deadpanned. “You two … there are no words for how strange you are.”
    “I can live with that,” Jack said, winking at Ivy. “Let’s get to it. The faster we find this guy, the happier we’ll all be.”

    “ H ERE’S something ,” Ivy said two hours later, rolling her neck to work out the kinks in her sore shoulders. She wasn’t used to spending so much time in front of a computer.
    “What do you have?” Jack asked, moving in behind her and digging his fingers into her tender back.
    “Oh, wow.” Ivy closed her eyes. “That feels great.”
    “You people,” Brian muttered, shaking his head as he joined them. “One minute you’re hot and yelling and the next minute you’re hot and feeling each other up.”
    “I’m not feeling her up,” Jack argued. “She works in a nursery. She’s not used to spending a lot of time in front of a computer.”
    “Whatever,” Brian said, shaking his head. “Give us a lead, Ivy.”
    “What about Dan Dorsey?” Ivy asked, shifting her blue eyes to Brian. “He has an old cabin out by the river. I looked at the land deeds and there’s a root cellar. He’s also had numerous prepper supplies delivered to his house.”
    “How do you know that?” Jack asked, curious.
    “Because he left reviews for the store out in Bellaire on their website,” Ivy replied, pulling up a second search window. “He was not happy with their dried beef.”
    “Ugh,” Jack said, making a face as leaned closer to her computer. “Who would be happy with dried beef? If zombies are coming, you’re not going to be able to carry dried beef with you.”
    Ivy chuckled. “Very few preppers believe the zombie apocalypse is a threat,” she explained. “They think the energy grid could go down … or there could be an invasion … or other stuff.”
    “Like zombies,” Jack said, his fingers soft as they caressed her neck. “I would be great in a zombie apocalypse.”
    Brian snorted. “Yes. You would be the dude with the crossbow on The Walking Dead .”
    “I would die right away,” Ivy lamented.
    “You would not,” Jack argued. “I would take you with me. I’m going to need some entertainment in the zombie apocalypse. That’s where you come in.”
    “I’d die early and we both know it,” Ivy said. “I wouldn’t leave Nicodemus and you can’t survive the zombie apocalypse with a cat.”
    “She’s got a point,” Brian said, chuckling. “What did Dan say in