and one more favor I can pay back.”
“They don’t work like that. Lexi and Tripp, that is. Or me.”
Taylor’s head bobbed as if she agreed, though she didn’t say so.
“We have a team working with one of the bones from your house.”
Her head snapped up. “How—”
Ian held up his hands. “Don’t ask. Anyway … my brother, Michael, tested it, and it’s at least a hundred years old.”
Her hands stopped moving.
“We’re going to send the results to the police anonymously.”
She started scrubbing again.
“He’d like a DNA sample from you so he can run some other tests. More fuel for the defense’s fire is good, right?”
The head bob started again.
Ian put his hands on her biceps and squeezed. “Trust them. Trust me. Seriously, trust me.”
She stopped. “But what if—”
“Hey.” Ian tilted her chin up with a finger. “In my world, we only play the ‘what if’ game when there is opportunity. Like … what if there’s treasure buried in a cave three hundred feet beneath the ocean’s surface? Can we find it?”
Taylor’s lids fell. Ian inched closer. Her eyes opened again. “Do you want to go to the hospital? Shouldn’t you be there for your friend? I can clean up.”
Ian shook his head. “She has Emma. She has Tripp. Anything happens, they’ll call me.”
Taylor went back to cleaning the spot, though not a blotch of red remained.
Expecting the task kept her mind off Lexi, Ian opted to continue on about their find. “So, one of the questions Michael asked was how old you are. I told him early thirties.” He cringed as her head whipped around to him.
The corners of her mouth creased. “Don’t you know—”
“Don’t play that shit with me. You and I both know you don’t care.” Though how he knew that, he had no idea.
He just knew.
A small laugh bubbled up from her. “Thirty-one, thank you very much.” She dropped the rags and grabbed some light blankets.
Ian coughed into a closed fist. “So, Michael says those bones were preserved so well it had to have been in soil so compact they hadn’t been touched in at least seventy, maybe eighty years.”
“So, a grave fits then, right”
Ian considered the simplicity, though for some reason, he knew it wouldn’t be. “Could be.”
“That’s what I thought at one point.” Taylor tucked blankets around the bed, leaving the wet spot uncovered. “With it being so old, will they put any time into it at all? Wouldn’t they just file it away into some dark corner and focus on newer, more pressing cases?”
“No idea.” Ian took the other side and tugged the same way she had. “That’s not my area of expertise. But I will say, with Tripp on the case, we’ll have the inside scoop in no time flat.”
Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose. “I really can’t thank you enough. I know I shouldn’t have called him for this, but it felt … right.”
Ian gave her a nonchalant shrug. “S’okay. He takes whatever cases he wants. It’s how he rolls.”
She stood straight. “Oh! Does this mean they’ll get off my property?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. We gotta convince the authorities here that the data is real first.”
Her shoulders fell as if the weight of the world crashed back down on her. The open-mouthed yawn suggested sleep would be the most useful tool.
“You can rest if you want. I’ll go downstairs—”
“Actually, I’d love a shower.” Taylor tugged at a lock of hair. “Or a bath. A massage. Something relaxing that can’t even remotely get messed up.”
“You installed the claw-foot tub in Lexi’s bathroom. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you used it.”
“You think?” Taylor asked.
“Positive. Then, when they get back, we’ll both be … refreshed. Ready to help. Or whatever they need. Lexi makes a terrible ward. Been there. Done that. We’ll want to take the time now.”
“We?”
Ian went to the desk, grabbed his laptop, sidled to the bed and sat on it. He scooted up
“They don’t work like that. Lexi and Tripp, that is. Or me.”
Taylor’s head bobbed as if she agreed, though she didn’t say so.
“We have a team working with one of the bones from your house.”
Her head snapped up. “How—”
Ian held up his hands. “Don’t ask. Anyway … my brother, Michael, tested it, and it’s at least a hundred years old.”
Her hands stopped moving.
“We’re going to send the results to the police anonymously.”
She started scrubbing again.
“He’d like a DNA sample from you so he can run some other tests. More fuel for the defense’s fire is good, right?”
The head bob started again.
Ian put his hands on her biceps and squeezed. “Trust them. Trust me. Seriously, trust me.”
She stopped. “But what if—”
“Hey.” Ian tilted her chin up with a finger. “In my world, we only play the ‘what if’ game when there is opportunity. Like … what if there’s treasure buried in a cave three hundred feet beneath the ocean’s surface? Can we find it?”
Taylor’s lids fell. Ian inched closer. Her eyes opened again. “Do you want to go to the hospital? Shouldn’t you be there for your friend? I can clean up.”
Ian shook his head. “She has Emma. She has Tripp. Anything happens, they’ll call me.”
Taylor went back to cleaning the spot, though not a blotch of red remained.
Expecting the task kept her mind off Lexi, Ian opted to continue on about their find. “So, one of the questions Michael asked was how old you are. I told him early thirties.” He cringed as her head whipped around to him.
The corners of her mouth creased. “Don’t you know—”
“Don’t play that shit with me. You and I both know you don’t care.” Though how he knew that, he had no idea.
He just knew.
A small laugh bubbled up from her. “Thirty-one, thank you very much.” She dropped the rags and grabbed some light blankets.
Ian coughed into a closed fist. “So, Michael says those bones were preserved so well it had to have been in soil so compact they hadn’t been touched in at least seventy, maybe eighty years.”
“So, a grave fits then, right”
Ian considered the simplicity, though for some reason, he knew it wouldn’t be. “Could be.”
“That’s what I thought at one point.” Taylor tucked blankets around the bed, leaving the wet spot uncovered. “With it being so old, will they put any time into it at all? Wouldn’t they just file it away into some dark corner and focus on newer, more pressing cases?”
“No idea.” Ian took the other side and tugged the same way she had. “That’s not my area of expertise. But I will say, with Tripp on the case, we’ll have the inside scoop in no time flat.”
Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose. “I really can’t thank you enough. I know I shouldn’t have called him for this, but it felt … right.”
Ian gave her a nonchalant shrug. “S’okay. He takes whatever cases he wants. It’s how he rolls.”
She stood straight. “Oh! Does this mean they’ll get off my property?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. We gotta convince the authorities here that the data is real first.”
Her shoulders fell as if the weight of the world crashed back down on her. The open-mouthed yawn suggested sleep would be the most useful tool.
“You can rest if you want. I’ll go downstairs—”
“Actually, I’d love a shower.” Taylor tugged at a lock of hair. “Or a bath. A massage. Something relaxing that can’t even remotely get messed up.”
“You installed the claw-foot tub in Lexi’s bathroom. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you used it.”
“You think?” Taylor asked.
“Positive. Then, when they get back, we’ll both be … refreshed. Ready to help. Or whatever they need. Lexi makes a terrible ward. Been there. Done that. We’ll want to take the time now.”
“We?”
Ian went to the desk, grabbed his laptop, sidled to the bed and sat on it. He scooted up
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