Steele Resolve (The Detective Jasmine Steele Series Book 1) by Kimberly Amato Page A

hide my laughter, I feign fear to the best of my ability.
    “How many?”
    Chase looks back to me, a smile on his face.
    “It looks like two girls and a geeky guy, but they could be pod people.”
    I nod in understanding as I form a plan in my head.
    “That’s not so bad, we can take them.” I rub my hands together, sounding like a bad version of GI Jane. Pushing off the wall slightly, I feel Chase’s hand push me back.
    “Daddy always said girls are the ones who give you grey hair and make your wallets empty. We can take the guy easily but we have to be very careful.”
    “Well, I don’t have anything in my wallet and I don’t have grey hair.”
    “We’ve been over this before. You’re wallet’s empty because you paid someone to make the grey go away. This is serious, Aunt Jazz. I have to make it to the boys outside of the house. I can’t be grey at my age.”
    “Well then, I think I have a plan.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “Okay, I’m going to hit that mark at nine o’clock. I’ll create a serious diversion and you hit the mark over there at one o’clock and then out the door. Just make sure to use the furniture as cover. You miss one spot… It might be over. I don’t have the power to take them all on myself.”
    Chase looks at me with confusion oozing off his face, “You run as fast as you can to your cop buddies outside.”
    Chase nods and I push off the wall. I crack my neck and knuckles as if entering a war zone. I nod to my comrade before heading out into the living room.
    “Frankie, what’s going on here?” I shout in an overly dramatic way.
    “I thought you could use a fresh set of eyes on your case.” She slowly states, unsure of what I’m up to.
    “So you all managed to fly here in the few minutes it took me to shower?”
    I wave two fingers over to Chase as he darts behind the couch. He tries to hide but his messy hair can be seen as he shimmies the length of the furniture. Frankie stares at me with this questioning look in her eyes. I just smile and shake my head slightly. They all watch Chase dart from item to item working his way around the room.
    “Yes, we did,” Hadley replies while smiling at me. Chase rushes behind her and makes it to the door. He smiles, quickly waves and it gone.
    “It took you thirty minutes to shower and get changed.”
    “Sorry, Victor, next time I’ll just wet myself down and wear a potato sack.”
    “Maybe next time you shouldn’t try to figure out the case in the shower while talking out loud to yourself.”
    “I did no such thing.”
    “Umm, yes you did.”
    “Hadley, how would you know?”
    “Because I had to pee and you were hogging the bathroom. I was gonna knock, but you were busy talking to yourself about a lot of things. So, I thought it was best to leave you alone.”
    So, apparently I have been found out and I am trying not to turn red.
    “Jazz, you’re ears are red.” Damn.
    “My ears are not red, Hadley.” I’m sure this falls into the lying part of the discussion my head had prior.
    “Yes, they are. Which means you are obviously embarrassed at your little habit,” Victor smugly smiles at me.
    “My dear Victor, my habit isn’t as bad as eating with corpses,” I sputter out like a little sister trying to get mom to punish my big brother.
    “Hey, we’ve been through this and the bodies don’t mind,” he screams in his defense.
    “You eat with dead bodies?” Hadley looks at Victor with disgust written all over her face.
    I smile as my childish tactic still seems to work on this family I’ve built around me. It makes me wish I had a camcorder and some popcorn to record the event as it unfolds. Maybe I could upload it and sell copies of “When Actresses Attack.”
    “What’s wrong with eating in my office?” Victor sizes Hadley up as it ready to fight.
    “Because you work in the morgue!” She folds her arms across her chest as if that would get her point across faster.
    “Do you eat with zombies in full