Fracture (Unbreakable Bonds 6)

Snow stared at him and Jude couldn’t hold his gaze. Fuck, he knew how he sounded. It wasn’t Snow he was trying to convince with his little temper tantrum. It was himself.

Brian hadn’t been an honor student, but he had been driven. The kid didn’t do more than a little underage drinking when they were younger. He didn’t want to mess up his chances later in life.

Was that why Jordan walked away from their long friendship? Because he was getting involved in shit that he knew his best friend wouldn’t approve of?

Despite what he said to Snow, he didn’t know his brother any longer. He’d gotten so damn wrapped up in his own life, in spending time with Snow, that he hadn’t made his family the priority it should have been. If he’d been around more, he could have spotted the change in Jordan. Maybe he could have intervened before things got to this point.

But now all he was left with was trying to unravel the truth behind the attack and getting his brother some justice. He knew it was going to be the only way he could ever look himself in the mirror again.Chapter 5A bitter wind blew through the city, causing Snow to lift his shoulders and lower this head, trying to better protect his face and ears with the collar of his coat. Rare sunlight was shining down from a pale blue sky, seeming to make the air even colder rather than warmer. The sun wouldn’t last. Winter in Cincinnati was largely months of gray skies and alternating blasts of rain and ice with just a little accumulation of snow. But the one thing they could always count on was a heavy overcast of dark clouds.

By February, he’d usually had enough of it and escaped somewhere south for a long weekend just so he could see the sun again. It had been a tempting suggestion for their week-long vacation, but as it turned out, it was better that he and Jude hadn’t left town.

He followed on Jude’s heels. His lover appeared to be unmoved or possibly just unaware of the cold weather. His gaze was locked on the tan trailer to the left of the construction site.

Snow had woken that morning to find Jude sitting at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee. He wasn’t sure whether it was his first or second cup. It was no surprise that Jude wasn’t sleeping, and for now, he would leave him be. It had only been two days since they’d been called to the hospital. There was no pushing Jude to eat or sleep yet; his focus was solely on unraveling the mystery behind Jordan’s injuries.

The whole thing had Snow baffled. He might not know Jordan as well as Jude, but the young man didn’t strike Snow as someone who would get involved in something dangerous. Sure, he had the same mischievous streak as his older brother, but it was harmless. What had he gotten involved in that would put his life on the line?

His fingers practically itched to dial up Rowe and ask the former Army Ranger to use his in-house hackers to do a little digging. The first morning, Snow called and asked his advice about the cell phone. Without the password, there wasn’t much they could do. Gidget, Rowe’s IT specialist, discovered that the last cell tower Jordan’s phone used was the one closest to his apartment, which wasn’t any help at all.

For now, they were letting the police do their job as they dug into the assault and shooting. This was how the rest of the world dealt with things, right? Let the cops do their job. And Jude asking a few questions helped to keep his mind off his brother’s precarious health.

That morning, Anna had called them to report that there had been no change in Jordan’s condition yet again. They’d showered and were preparing to head back to the hospital to continue their vigil when Jude’s aunt called to tell him where his uncle was working. It was the same construction site that Jordan had last worked before he was attacked. The new apartment complex was in the opposite direction of the hospital, but Jude wanted to check it out before going to see Jordan.

Jude rapped on the door to the trailer a few times and stepped back. Their sneakers partially squished in the mud that wasn’t quite frozen yet. Some gravel had been thrown down, but it looked like the constant foot traffic and rain had caused it to be largely swallowed up, requiring more to be spread.

The door was opened by a large man with a heavy beard on his face that helped to protect him from the bitter cold. The dark hair was liberally sprinkled with gray, while the hair on the top of his head was almost completely salt-and-pepper. He had the same dark eyes and easy smile as Jude.