LITMIR.BIZ

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to?”

      How the hell had they gotten onto this topic? “Did you miss the part where Deana hates me?”

      Kane snorted. “You act as if that disqualifies her from your bed.”

      “I’m just happy to know he’s a little discriminating when it comes to women,” Annie said in a loud whisper to her husband.

      “Are you two done?” Josh asked, hoping to hell they were.

      Annie started to tap the pen and then slammed it against the table. “I don’t see what the problem is here.”

      “There’s more than one.” Josh called up all the reasons from his mental “con” list. “I’m not a police investigator. I’m not for sale. This family tried to destroy me once.”

      “For heaven’s sake.” Annie snorted, adding enough drama to make a pre-teen proud. “Don’t be an idiot and let your ego get in the way.”

      Josh wasn’t expecting name calling. “What?”

      “You know as well as we do that you’re going to help this woman.” Annie emphasized each word as she spoke.

      Josh looked in Kane’s direction for assistance.

      Kane shook his head. “Don’t get me involved in this losing battle. I agree with Annie.”

      “You went to her house, took the file she offered, and read it,” Annie said as she ticked off her points on her fingers. “You did all of that knowing you were going to help her. You’re just too pigheaded to admit it now.”

      “I was being courteous when I agreed to see her.”

      Kane’s mouth dropped open. “Try again.”

      Josh leaned back in his chair. “Thanks for the support, buddy.”

      “What Kane is floundering to say is that you aren’t that guy, Josh. You don’t walk away from injustice or women who need you.” Annie leaned forward and wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. “You are going to take up this project because you won’t let a potentially innocent kid stay in jail.”

      Hell, right now Josh wanted to be that guy who walked away. Wanted to not give a shit. But there was an even bigger problem at work here. “I think Ryan did it.”

      “So? Prove it. Make Deana see that,” Annie said.

      “Oh, she’ll love that,” Kane mumbled until Annie frowned in his direction. “What?”

      If possible, Annie’s mouth flatlined even farther. “Don’t be so negative.”

      “Honey, I’ve been a police officer for a long time. I can tell you that people hear what they want to hear and nothing else. If Josh proves the prosecution was right, Deana will be furious.”

      “Exactly.” Josh thought it was about time Kane took the right side of this argument. “I’m supposed to take Deana’s money and then tell her Ryan, her beloved nephew, killed his parents, who also happen to be Deana’s only brother and sister-in-law? I can only imagine how well that will go over.”

      “So?” Annie asked.

      Josh began to wonder why he skipped exercise and came here instead. “Again with the so response.”

      “Thanks to marriage this part of the female vocabulary I do now understand.” Kane brushed his hand over Annie’s ponytail. “She is wondering why you would care about screwing Deana financially since you pretend to dislike the woman.”

      Annie’s eyebrows lifted. “Is she pretty?”

      “Very,” Kane said.

      Having two knowing smiles aimed right at him kicked Josh’s brain into gear. “Stop.”

      “What?” Annie asked, even managed to sound innocent while she did it.

      “Do not go off on some crazy-ass matchmaking mission.”

      “Wouldn’t dream of it.” The false innocence in Annie’s voice suggested that was the exact direction she intended to go.

      “Never going to happen.” Josh thought about repeating the word “never” a few times but refrained.

      Annie’s smile was big enough to fill the room. “Of course not.”

      “I don’t even like Deana.”

      “Kane said the same thing about me, and now look at us.” Annie kissed her husband on the cheek.

      “Must I?” Josh grumbled.

      Annie reached around, picked up the phone, and waved it in Josh’s face. “Call Deana and tell her you’ll help.”

      “No way.”

      Kane made a tsk-tsk sound. “Don’t fight it, man.”

      “Exactly.” Annie treated her husband to another kiss. “You’re going to pack up and get on the next plane back to Oahu. Right, Josh?”

      “You doing my scheduling now?”

      “Kane will drive you,” Annie said as if Josh never spoke.

      “I will?” Kane asked.

      Annie kept right on rolling. “I’m sure you can stay with Derek on Oahu.”

      Josh felt the floor sink beneath his feet under the weight of Annie’s gabbing. “Don’t you think we should ask Derek first? Or me?”

      “So long as you bring beer he’ll let you in,” Kane said.

      Josh decided to take one last shot. “And what if I say I’m not going to do this?”

      Annie shook the receiver in his face. “Then I will climb over this table and beat you with this phone.”

      Kane laughed. “That’s one of her favorite threats.”

      Josh gave up. For a second he wondered if between Annie and Deana he ever really stood a chance.

      “Marriage has made you soft,” Josh said to his friend.

      Kane’s smile grew even broader. “But not stupid. Women always win. Just accept it and move on. Call Deana and pack your bag.”

      Chapter Six

      “I don’t approve of this strategy.” Deana made the statement for the third time as she walked down the hallway a step behind Josh.

      Thanks to a knee-length skirt and two-inch heels she had to double-time her steps to keep up at all. Even then, she nearly got knocked over by a group of lawyers coming in the opposite direction.

      “We’re even, because I don’t remember inviting you on this trip.” Josh pushed open the glass doors leading to the office of the Prosecuting Attorney without looking back at her.

      He hadn’t said much of anything since agreeing to take on Ryan’s case. One confirming phone call and a quick stop at Deana’s house to ask a few personal questions about Ryan and his lead defense attorney, and Josh was off and investigating. She only knew about this related excursion at all because a confirming text about his meeting came in while Josh was at her house an hour before.

      It paid to be nosy now and then.

      “What choice did I have since you refused to fill me in on your strategy?” she asked.

      “How about we skip the talking and get to the part where you stay out of this investigation?”

      Easy for him to say. They weren’t talking about his nephew. He wasn’t the one walking into a building he despised, one filled with memories better forgotten.

      Josh waved to a few people milling by the door and mumbled a few hellos before walking up to the reception desk. “Hey, Mary. Is he ready for me?”

      Despite her being

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