Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds 2)

Snow shivered and swiped water off his face. “Not to fuck.”

“Does whoever you were looking for have something to do with your friend’s death?”

Snow’s shoulders slumped and he looked away. Another violent shiver wracked his body and Jude shook his head and grabbed Snow’s arm again. “Come on. We’ll go to my place and get warm.”

The other man was quiet for what felt like forever. The cold, the rain, it was getting to Jude now and he frowned.

Snow finally nodded. “Okay, yeah, let’s do that. But I found out something in there and I need help. Tonight. You got time?”

Jude wiped rain off his face again, stared hard at Snow. “Is this something dangerous?”

“Most definitely.”

“And is it something you’ll do by yourself if I don’t help?”

Snow nodded.

“Then yeah, you have my help.” Shaking his head, he headed out of the alley and toward his place. He had a feeling whatever Snow was about to ask of him was going to be something he’d regret. But there was no way he was letting Snow go off somewhere by himself. Not after putting his friend in the ground today and not when he was itching so hard for a fight.Chapter 8Lucas was going to kill him when he found out Snow had gone looking for Gratton at Southgate House. The nightclub/concert hall had never actually been tied to Jagger, but the place had a certain reputation for shady dealings and hidden rooms on the off nights. Of course, much of Newport, Kentucky was rumored to be tied to the mafia since the 1920s. Almost a century later, the area had yet to shed that heavy cloak, even if it had been rehabbed into trendy restaurants, flashy nightclubs, and bars that catered to hipsters. And that kid in the back of The Dock had told him what was going on here tonight.

Sliding out of the car, he settled his Tom Ford suit jacket on his shoulders again and touched his tie, making sure it was properly in place. He loved this suit, the silky material and the way it clung to him without feeling confining. It was also the last suit Ian had helped him pick out. Snow had bitched about the price at the time, but Ian had a point. He lived like a hermit most of the time. He could afford to splurge occasionally.

Luckily, he’d left the suit hanging in the back of his car following his last trip to the drycleaners. He’d gone with Jude to his place—a small studio apartment over a cigar shop—and for some reason trusted the man with tonight’s crazy plan. At least he wasn’t going by himself, though putting Jude at risk left him with an unfamiliar ache in his gut. They’d taken enough time to dry off and change, Jude putting on a suit as well.

As Snow punched his key fob to lock the car doors, he looked across the roof at Jude and he felt his cock throb in answer as he took in the man adjusting his own navy jacket. Between his dark hair, brown eyes, and the trimmed stubble lining his jaw, the man looked like a European playboy slumming in the hills of Kentucky…or maybe just a reckless man out for some illegal amusement.

If his plan was to get Jude out of his system, this was a horrible mistake. But Snow knew going into this place alone was an even bigger mistake. Lucas or Rowe was his first choice for this kind of insanity, but Rowe was missing and Lucas would have just said no.

Snow was not in the mood for no.

“Anything you can tell me before we do this?” Jude inquired as Snow rounded the car and started walking across the parking lot toward the main road on which the Newport Levee entertainment district sat.

“Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.” Snow balled his hands into fists at his sides as he pushed down another surge of doubts. Jude was a good man. An honest, decent man. What the hell was he thinking dragging Jude to this place? Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder at Jude, his steps slowing.

“Don’t even fucking think it, Snow. I’m not leaving you to do this alone.”

A reluctant smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth and Snow turned his gaze back to the sidewalk bathed in bright street lights. Despite the fact that it was mid-January, small groups of huddled people were hurrying from one bar or restaurant to another.

“I can’t believe this is at the Southgate House,” Jude muttered when they were alone on the sidewalk again. “I mean I’ve caught so many local bands here and I never thought anything else was going on.”

Snow bit his tongue against the sarcastic comment that rose in his throat. When he, Lucas, and Rowe first moved to the area, they’d spent way too much time swimming in the seedy side of the city, all so Snow could lose himself for a few hours when the darkness was eating away at his brain. Fuck, he knew most of the city had an ugly side that it hid from the average middle-class populace. And for a moment, Snow felt dirty sharing it with Jude. But the feeling didn’t last long. If this meant stopping Gratton, keeping Ian safe, then Jude could spend an hour wading through the filth.