Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds 2)

“It’s cold in here,” Jordan mumbled around his food.

“I think the heater finally gave out. The landlord is out of town.”

“I can’t believe you want to live here when Mana still has your room at home. You could be eating her food every day, man. Last night, she made albondigas.”

Jude’s stomach growled at the thought of his mother’s Spanish meatballs. She soaked them in this thick, beefy gravy that made the house smell like heaven. He did miss their mom’s food. “I can’t get laid at home.”

Jordan grimaced. “I don’t need to hear about the details, dude. But are you actually going out with somebody because our mother would sure like to hear that? She was going on about you and a doctor last night again.”

He couldn’t be alarmed over that one. She didn’t mean his doctor. She just had the same dreams as many mothers—her kid marrying a doctor. She’d had trouble with him being gay the first few years, then she’d joined a group for mothers of gay children and suddenly took a complete turn. She now supported him fully. Supported him too much most of the time. “You don’t want to hear about me but you ask if I’m dating?”

Jordan shrugged. “I want you to be happy. Even if I don’t get it. So…” he trailed off breaking news came on. “Oh yeah, did you hear about that? You ever go to that gay club?”

Jude focused on the television as the anchor talked about the murder of a man last seen at The Dock the night before. They talked about a bar fight, then put up the victim’s picture and nausea slammed into Jude so fast and hard, he wrapped his arms around his stomach.

“What? You know that dude?”

Jude shook his head. “I was there for that fight.” He stalked to the table and grabbed the remote to turn up the sound.

“We don’t have a lot of information at this time, but sources say a surgeon from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center has been detained for questioning.”

“Holy shit. I gotta go.” Jude ran to his closet and grabbed the closest clean uniform. He’d be late for work, but he was sure they’d understand. He paused on the way to the bathroom. Or he’d get fired. He had no idea what the rules were there for dating co-workers. “I have to get to the police station,” he told his brother.

Jordan just watched him with his mouth open, half-chewed cereal visible, brown eyes wide. “What’s going on?”

“That grin you saw when I answered the door? I was hoping it was that surgeon, who was with me all night. I’ve gotta go in and tell the police.” He didn’t wait for more questions, just ran into the bathroom to get dressed and brush his teeth. The whole time, his stomach churned as he worried about Snow.###

Jude parked his Jeep across the street at the back of the Cincinnati Police Department. The three-story building looked dismal in the cold and rain. A rusty stain dirtied the brown brick next to the doors and two men huddled under the tiny overhang, smoking. Jude jogged around to the front of the building. Expecting noise, the relative quiet of the station surprised him. He watched too much television. The reporters had their story and had already moved on to the next thing.

Stepping inside through a pair of battered double doors, Jude glanced around, taking in the austere furnishing that were faded and worn with age and over use. What had likely been white walls were now unevenly yellowed with age while what little light that came in through the windows was filtered through years of caked-on grime. There was a low murmur of activity as people talked and shuffled about their business without any real sense of urgency. Jude was sick to think that Snow as locked up somewhere in this depressing place.

Before he could grab the closest policeman, a low, deep voice to his left grabbed his attention. He recognized the tall, dark-haired man in the long, black wool coat fuming at a short blond woman. Even in heels, she didn’t reach his shoulders. The man was Lucas Vallois, local millionaire, philanthropist, and best friend to Snow. Jude had seen him around the hospital often. Especially the other night when their friend had been killed. Before that, every time he showed, the staff tended to gossip and follow him around like groupies. If Jude hadn’t been so enraptured with Snow, and if he hadn’t seen the incredibly hot bodyguard Lucas dated in the paper, he might have tried catching the man for a night. He’d seen that bodyguard keeping vigil over Ian and hadn’t even realized it at the time.

Lucas growled, both hands tightened into fists. “You’re saying they can and definitely are holding him for twenty-four hours? I don’t think so.”