Unbreakable Stories: Snow (Unbreakable Bonds 2.5)

“He worries less because of you,” Rowe suddenly said, drawing Jude’s eyes back to him. “We all do.”

“Snow—”

“Is happy, Rowe interrupted.

“I’m happy.”

Rowe nodded and opened his mouth to say something but suddenly stopped. He twisted around back toward the trail, his head cocked slightly to the side as if listening for something. Jude turned too, straining to hear anything over the others’ shouts and laughter. But after a second, the sound of a motor rose above the noise. It was faint, but growing louder. Rowe surged to his feet and gave one loud, sharp whistle. Jude looked back to find Lucas and Snow quickly swimming toward the shore, grim expressions on their face, while Andrei and Ian followed behind them, looking confused.

“What is it?” Jude demanded, rising to his feet.

“Four-wheeler.”

“I didn’t think something like that was allowed back on these trails.”

Rowe shook his head, taking a couple of steps closer to the trail, putting himself between his friends and whoever was approaching. His right hand dropped down to the knife still strapped to his waist. “It’s not. Most places are too narrow.”

As the sound of the motor grew louder, Snow clapped a hand on Jude’s shoulder and squeezed. “Four-wheeler?” he asked.

“Could there be trouble?” Jude asked.

“Possibly,” Andrei said.

“How? We’re in a state park,” Ian asked. He dropped down heavily on the rock Jude had been sitting on just a second ago. The young man seemed to wilt slightly from exhaustion. They’d spent the first couple of hours of the morning hiking and now another hour swimming.

“It’s a big state and national parks are great places to grow and make illegal things. Park rangers can’t monitor every square inch of these places.”

“Oh…”

Andrei stepped around the group to approach Rowe, but he quickly looked over his shoulder and flashed them a smile. “But it’s unlikely since we’re so close to a major trail. “Lucas, Snow, hang back. I’ve got Rowe.”

As if they had done it hundreds of times before, Lucas and Snow closed ranks in front of Jude and Ian, while Andrei took up position just behind Rowe’s left shoulder, his hands loose at his side. Jude had only seen glimpses of Snow and Rowe in action…and it was both unsettling and sexy—at least when it came to Snow. The man simply became a powerhouse of strength and speed. It was intoxicating to know that he manhandled such a strong man every chance he got.

They had to wait only another thirty seconds before the mud-splashed, yellow four-wheeler came into view with a man wearing a brown ranger’s uniform on the back. All the men breathed a sigh of relief at the sight and instantly relaxed. Jude knew they weren’t overreacting. Although Jagger had been quiet while under a new, recent investigation, they’d still had no idea why he’d sent his ex-goon after them months ago, so they stayed partially on edge at the first hint of danger. The ranger tipped his hat at the gathering before shutting off the motor.

“Afternoon, folks,” he called. “Didn’t mean to disturb your swimming.”

“No problem, Ranger. Just trying to cool off a bit before we continue our hike,” Rowe replied. He threaded his fingers together and propped them on the top of his head. “What can we do for you?”

“We got a lost young’un, I’m afraid.”

Ian gasped and even Jude’s heart skipped a beat.

“How old?” Jude asked.

“Five. His name is Michael Bonner but answers to Mikey. Short brown hair, brown eyes. Was last seen wearing a blue and red shirt with a dinosaur on the front. Red shorts. I take it you haven’t seen him.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Rowe said softly. “Where’d he go missing?”

“He was camping with his parents up off Rough Trail. Looks like he wandered off alone while his parents were still asleep. He’s been missing for a solid four hours now. We’ve pulled in all the rangers and we’re alerting hikers as we find them. But tracking ain’t been easy.”

“You call in Spellman’s hunters yet?” Andrei asked.

The Ranger looked at Andrei a bit funny. Even Jude looked over at Lucas who had raised a brow at his boyfriend. For the first time since he’d met Andrei, the slight hint of a southern twang had entered his voice. Most of the time, it sounded like the man didn’t have an accent at all.

“Old Spellman’s got his dogs down near the Tennessee border, doing a training of some pups ahead of hunting season. We got a hold of him, but he can’t get his dogs here for at least another six hours at best. How do you know about those dogs?”

“Had one of my own growing up,” Andrei said with a little shrug. “Though the only thing Viktor ever wanted to chase down was a cheeseburger.”

“Holy shit! You’re Milos’s boy! I ain’t seen you or your pa in years.”