I glanced at the clock and noticed it was after ten and I’d been sitting at this desk for two hours I was still in my bathrobe. Pesky neighbors, I t...ought to myself.I got the shock of my life at the front door. Detective Handsome was standing there. For a minute I thought he had tracked me down and stopped to see how it was going. I opened the door, started to say hi, and then remembered that I was not the Deb Riley he knew. I about swallowed my tongue. In fact, literally choked and started a. As I said, Melanie wanted me, not for the boost in status, but because she genuinely wanted to give me a good home. She was a pixie of a woman, at 5' 1", beautiful and gentle as they come. She used to be a school teacher and at only 27, quit only after a few year, to pursue a career as an aerobics instructor, or so she says. I feel Robert had a hand in it and demanded she quit teaching so he could keep her at home. He probably allowed her to focus on aerobics, because it kept her fit and sexy,. Yes, you were a US Navy SEAL. You and that entire organization are a credit to our country young man and I for one thank you heartily for your service." Thank you sir," Tom said with a blush."I can see the restraint in your demeanor. It isn't rare for someone in your group to be humble about membership, is it Tom?" No sir. We're just doing our job. We were trained to perform a little outside the box, and that's what we excel at. Sometimes things don't go as planned so we get way out of the. His father’s training served him well, and he kept his excitement hidden.“What are you asking for this volume?” Darkni asked.It was subtle – nothing more than a tilt of the head and a slight widening of the eyes, but the proprietor gave away his surprise. If he wished, Darkni knew he could easily take advantage of the man and acquire the spellbook for far less than its value. There were better ways to exploit the knowledge to his long term gain, however.“Three gold half crowns,” Ferron.