Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds 2)

Andrei stared at him for a second, his lips parted in surprise, before he jerked his gaze back to the top of the desk, clearing his throat. “Thanks. I kind of got the impression that you’d rather cut me open while I’m sleeping and pull out my organs to sell on the black market than let me date Lucas.”

“Well, that’s my plan if you hurt him.”

Andrei threw his head back and laughed, the sound filling the office. He really did have a great laugh, full and free. Snow found himself smiling in response. “You’re the first person to warn me against hurting Lucas.”

Snow arched one dark brow at Andrei. “Really?”

“Rowe and Ian warned me against getting attached.”

Snow shook his head. “It’s a fucking wonder you’re willing to try to date him at all. He’s a damn handful and his friends are basket cases. And that’s not including being shot at, kidnapped, tortured, or set on fire.”

“Yeah,” Andrei said, a blush starting to stain his cheeks. “But it’s Lucas. He’s worth it. All of it.”

Lucas was a damn lucky man.

They were saved from trying to continue the increasingly personal conversation by a soft knock on the door. Both men looked up to see a petite woman dressed in a long skirt and a thick cream-colored cable knit sweater. She had this kind of love-struck expression on her heart-shaped face that had Snow worried until Andrei groaned.

“Hell, Gidget,” he muttered. “Whatever you think you heard, please forget it.”

She gave a little giggle before she rushed into the room, practically skipping over to where Andrei remained sitting behind the desk. “Oh no you don’t, Andrei Hadeon! You’re in love and it is absolutely adorable. And it’s about time too!” She turned her gamine face to Snow and smiled. “Isn’t he adorable?”

Snow grinned slowly, enjoying the ex-fighter’s growing discomfort and the fact that Andrei didn’t correct Gidget’s assumption. “Precious.”

Andrei rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. “Gidget, have you met Dr. Frost?”

All the joy fled the tiny woman’s face to be replaced with sadness. She extended her hand to Snow while he pushed to his feet. “No, not officially, but Rowe talks about you often. Have you heard from him?”

“Not since he left.”

“Do you want me to track him down? Andrei said that we should give him space, but I know that if you just give me a little time, I can find where he went,” she quickly offered, the words gushing out of her a mile a second.

Snow shook his head. It was tempting. “No. Lucas and I have a couple guesses where he went. He’s okay.”

Gidget seemed to shrink into herself a little bit at his words, her worry over Rowe weighing her down.

“Do you have anything that will help with our new problem?”

Gidget frowned, but her head lifted as if she were finding her bearings again. She grabbed a remote off Andrei’s desk and punched the power button, turning on the flat-panel TV on the wall to Snow’s left. “Well, I haven’t found much since you called me two days ago,” she murmured. She walked over to the TV and slid what looked like a jump drive into one of the USB ports. Andrei handed her a second controller as a file opened. Gratton’s picture filled most of the screen, putting Snow back into his chair suddenly.

“That’s him, right?” Gidget demanded, turning her eyes back to Snow, but Snow couldn’t look away from the screen.

He nodded, clenching his teeth. “Yeah. The picture is old. He’s got a scar on his left cheek.” Snow lifted his hand, making a slashing motion across his own cheek to show where the mark was he’d personally put on Gratton’s face.

“Okay.” Gidget nodded and turned back to screen. “Dwight Gratton. Age 40. I pulled his file from the Cincy police files and the man’s got a rap sheet a mile long. Extortion, loan sharking, fencing, racketeering, assault, prostitution, a little grand theft, and even a couple murder charges that he managed to beat. He had heavy ties to Boris Jagger for several years.” Gidget clicked the remote and Jagger’s face popped on the screen, causing Snow’s stomach to drop unexpectedly. This was another face that he’d hoped to never see again. Snow glanced over at Andrei, but the man’s expression was blank. Apparently Andrei had been lucky to have zero run-ins with the crime boss so far.

“Everyone in the city knows about Jagger, but so far the police have been stuck, unable to do anything about the horrible man. However, the CPD and FBI have people undercover and they’re building a case. It’s slow, but they’re working on it.”

“And how the hell do you know that?” Snow drawled, bringing Gidget’s sparkling eyes back to him, full of mischief and laughter.

Andrei snickered. “She’s got her ways.”

“Anyhoo…” she said, blushing prettily. “For years, Gratton was Jagger’s favorite muscle, but then…he just left. It was about seven years ago. I can’t find any files or reports to point to why, but Gratton just left Cincinnati.”