Page 8 of Dangerous Secret

Later that evening, he was still in the office when Cooper came in. “Thought you’d be out surfing.”

Grayson rolled his eyes. “Dude, it’s dark out there. Can’t see the sharks.”

“Since when is a big, bad SEAL afraid of a fishy?” Cooper dropped into the chair across from Grayson’s desk.

“Since that fishy has big, bad teeth. You never sawJaws, did you?”

“That one scared the shi—”

“Did I miss the memo that we had a meeting tonight?” Liam said, walking in, then lowering himself onto the chair next to Cooper’s.

Grayson leaned back and grinned at his not-by-blood brothers. “Nah, Cooper’s just trying to give me a hard time.”

“About what?” Liam elbowed Cooper. “Tell me so I can join in.”

“Grayson’s afraid of sharks.”

“Didn’t you seeJaws, man?” Liam said. “Sharks are about as badass as it gets. I’m with Gray on this one.”

“Yes, but we aren’t scary SEALs. Aren’t you dudes supposed to be afraid of nothing?”

“I’m afraid of being a midnight shark snack,” Grayson said. “There, I said it.”

His brothers laughed. “Good to know you’re human,” Liam said. “You had an appointment today, right? How’d it go?”

“Not like I expected.” He told them about Harlow. “I’vebeen looking into the family. No one is that perfect. It’s almost like no one dares to say a bad word about the Pressleys.”

“Maybe they are perfect,” Cooper said.

“I don’t think so. I found an archived newspaper article from several years back, an interview with a woman, Etta Jankowski, claiming the Pressleys stole her house.”

Liam frowned. “How do you steal a house?”

“She swore to the reporter that she paid her property taxes, but according to the tax records, she didn’t. Jankowski also claims the same thing was done to one of her neighbors. The reporter didn’t name the individual because he’s been unable to contact the person to verify Jankowski’s claim. The article did say that two liens were sold in a private sale to Pressley LLC, so we can do a search for the name. Here’s the thing, though. That the tax collector held a private sale is questionable.” He air quoted the wordprivate.

“There should have been a public announcement that there would be a sale but there wasn’t. Also, the homeowner should have been notified and given a chance to pay the tax. Apparently, that didn’t happen. And guess what?”

“I’m on the edge of my seat here.” Liam glanced at Cooper. “Right?”

“Just missing the popcorn to go with this story.”

“Both of you are clowns. Here’s the interesting part. The next day, there was a retraction in the paper.”

Liam shrugged. “So? They made a mistake.”

“My gut tells me they didn’t. The two plots of land were the last pieces the Pressleys needed to build a shopping center on, so a dirty tax collector? I need to find Miss Jankowski and the other homeowner.”

“I’m settled into my apartment, and I’ve got nothing going on,” Cooper said. “Why don’t you let me do that?”

“That’d be great.”

Liam raised his hand. “What about me? I found the kid and he’s back with his family, so I’m available. Anything I can do to help?”

“Not that I can think of.” Unless… “Actually, there is something right up your alley. How would you feel about nosing around Faberville for a few days? See what intel you can pick up on the Pressley family.” Liam had a talent for blending in or impersonating anyone from a bum to a billionaire.

Liam grinned. “I do love sneaking around. I’ll head over there tomorrow.” He gazed up at the ceiling for a few seconds. “Is there a golf course in Faberville, do you know?”

“Yep. It’s a resort owned by the Pressleys.”

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