Free Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries) by Liliana Hart Page A

tell him I was okay to stand up when a sudden thought came to me. I jumped up and groaned as the ache in my head intensified. “Where’s my ice cream? Is it okay?”
    Nick looked at me a little incredulously, but obviously saw the determination in my face and looked around for my ice cream.
    “Sorry, kiddo. The ice cream is toast. If I would have known how much you wanted it I would have let you fall to the ground and grabbed it instead.”
    “Well, shit.”
    “Looks like. Sorry.”
    “Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you were the tough guy without a heart.”
    “Don’t let my concern fool you. I saw Kate’s camera on the seat and knew she’d be pissed if it was stolen while you were lying on the ground unconscious.”
    “Gee, thanks.” I stood up shakily and got into the driver’s seat, wondering how many times I could embarrass myself in front of the same man. The answer wasn’t comforting.
    “I’m going to follow you home. You still look a little shaky.”
    I normally would have told him thanks, but no thanks, but I was still feeling a little unsteady.
    “I’d appreciate that.”

    We made it to my apartment with no major mishaps, and I decided to park close to the stairs and take my chances with falling brick crushing my car. I wanted nothing more than to crawl up the stairs and fall into bed.
    I was surprised when the car door opened and Nick was there to help me gather my things and push me up to my apartment.
    “You’re ruining your tough guy image.”
    “I just like to make sure there are no dead bodies on my watch.”
    “You’re such a giver.”
    I unlocked the front door and Nick shoved it open for me so I could stumble inside. I fell face first onto the couch and decided everything would be okay once the room stopped spinning. I heard Nick rummaging around in the kitchen and rolled over so I could see what he was doing. The light hurt my eyes, so I lay there with them closed and hoped he would leave soon.
    A bag of ice mysteriously appeared on my forehead.
    “Ahh—t hank you.”
    “I don’t know why I have this insane urge to take care of you,” Nick said. “It seems like you’re used to having these things happen to you.”
    “Yep. Someday I’ll tell you about my sophomore year of college. This is nothing compared to that.”
    “Are you holding up okay?” Nick asked.
    I stayed silent because I wasn’t sure exactly what traumatic event he was talking about. There had already been so many.
    “About finding your principal dead in a parking lot,” he clarified.
    “As well as can be expected. The funeral’s tomorrow.”
    “Yeah, I’ll be there with a few other undercover officers.” He squeezed the back of my neck between his thumb and forefinger and I felt like purring. I was a little tense for some reason.
    “Have you found out anything about Mr. Butler’s murder?”
    “We looked at the video tape from the parking lot, but the location of the stabbing was just out of range of the camera. We’re in the process of identifying everyone we see on the tapes from inside the club as well as the license plate numbers from the parking lot.”
    “Stabbing?” For some reason not knowing how Mr. Butler had died made it seem less real. I hiccupped into a couch pillow and squenched my eyes closed. “What the hell was he doing in that place?” I asked, not expecting an answer. “What the hell was I doing there? If he hadn’t seen me on stage he never would have left so soon.”
    “This isn’t your fault, Addison. You were both just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens to everyone.”
    Surely he didn’t expect me to believe that things like that happen to everyone. I was a freak of nature, probably cursed at birth by Rumpelstiltskin or some other crazy shit. If Nick Dem psey had any indication of self-preservation, he would run like hell in the opposite direction and never speak to me again.
    “Is there anything you need me to get you before I