Broken Bonds
Sandrine Gasq-Dion
Dedication
To my family
Jennifer Jacobson
Brandi Reynolds
Kim Webb Balan
To my guys, you know who you are.
My readers at LRO and the newest ones who have joined me on this fun ride!
~Chapter One~
Jonas Brooks took a deep breath of ocean air and closed his eyes. The sights and smells of Puget Sound surrounded and filled him. Washington had become his home. Although he missed Astoria, Oregon was no longer part of his life. His son, Jude, was here as well as the rest of his werewolf pack.
And Jackson Murphy.
Jonas’ lips lifted in a small smile. The alpha of the California pack had not only helped him find a house, but had kept in touch. Jonas ran his fingers over his lips absentmindedly. The night they had shared a kiss still lingered in his thoughts. Even now, he could practically feel the heat from Jackson’s hands on his hips, the warmth and taste of his lips on his mouth.
He’d been devastated that night as Scott Delange was in a hospital bed, dying. The overwhelming fear of losing the young man had paralyzed Jonas.
Then Jackson had shown up.
Jonas opened his eyes and absently admired the beauty of the rising sun. Jackson had held him as he cried, soothed him and brought him coffee. At times, he just sat with him, saying nothing while holding his hand. That had been one of the worst times of his life, and Jackson Murphy had seen him through it.
It was the kiss, though, that had him confused.
Jonas walked toward one of the buildings he was supposed to check out, his memories moving with him. He’d always been with women. Always. So his response to Jackson had been a huge surprise. They had been holding each other, and as he had lifted his face to Jackson’s it seemed almost natural for their lips to meet. It had only lasted a few seconds, but it had been enough to make him want more.
Jonas sighed, pulled his thoughts out of the past and checked his watch. He was to meet millionaire businessman Caden Fournier this morning to look over real estate options for more outreach centers, as well as potential housing, for young people shut out by their parents for being gay who had nowhere left to go.
Buying and selling real estate had been his job for years; now it was again. A BMW pulled into the rundown parking lot and Caden waved as he exited the car. Jonas smiled and waved back. Caden was married to Kellan Brady, a werewolf and EMT. Kellan had been on duty the day an accident on the Magnolia Bridge had turned Caden into a sardine in what was left of his crushed car.
“Good morning, Jonas!” Caden called out as he trotted over. “Are you enjoying the Seattle skyline?”
“I am.” Jonas grinned and motioned to the building. “This one’s got a perfect view of the water. It’s run-down, but I think if we raze it and start from scratch, it will make this whole section beautiful again.”
Caden, Wayne Maccon and Riley Flynn-Esposito had pooled their considerable resources, raised additional funds and snatched up most of the rundown waterfront properties. Smart investments had made Wayne a very wealthy man. Riley was the multi-millionaire CEO of Flynn Electronics. Many big-name businesses wanted to buy the properties to build condos for the rich and privileged. Among the three of them, however, they had managed to buy every property for at least five miles — and they weren’t finished yet.
Caden rested his sunglasses atop his head as he surveyed the building. Graffiti covered the beaten and broken bricks and the building looked like it was about to heave its last breath. He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“As with all the buildings around here, if the foundation is solid, it will be a worthwhile investment.” Caden walked towards the building and waited for Jonas to unlock it. “Can you imagine another place for these children to call home? There are plenty of places to work around here as well.”
“How’s Skylar doing over at your company?” Jonas flipped the light switch and sparks flew from the wall. “Oops!”
Caden laughed. “Wonderfully! He has become like my left hand.”
Jonas’ brows pinched in thought. “Shouldn’t that be your right hand?”
Caden grinned mischievously. “Kellan is my right hand.”
“Well, okay then.” Jonas shook that thought from his mind.
Caden laughed and clapped him on his back. “Are you still not used to the gays of the pack? You are surrounded you know,” Caden winked.
Jonas laughed. “Oh, yes, I know. I’ve never had a problem with homosexuality, Caden. Jude came out to me when he was much, much younger and, even then, I couldn’t have cared less.”
“You’re a good father, Jonas.”
Jonas eyed Caden carefully. “It seems as if you’ve sort of become a father yourself.”
Caden nodded. “I feel very close to Skylar. He has endured much. When he got his first paycheck, he went looking for a house —”
“I know; he called me,” Jonas chuckled.
“Yes, and I do thank you for helping him. He is attending college this year with William and Kory. Now he has Stone living with him and I believe Ryder is moving in as well.” Caden pulled out his phone and scrolled through his pictures. “Look at Kellan with the boys.”
Jonas leaned in to see Kellan wearing a huge smile, Skylar, Ryder and Stone squished to his sides under his arms. They were all smiling. Caden scrolled again and another picture filled the screen, this one with Skylar, Ryder, Stone and Elijah. They had each been thrown out of their home for being gay; Skylar led a particularly hard life on the streets. Elijah had been adopted, but so far no one in the group trusted the couple. Jonas looked up to find Caden with a small frown.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have missed Elijah. I am worried for him as well.”
“He hasn’t been around lately?”
Caden shook his head. “He is at school, but goes straight home. The boys and I worry. This is not the bubbly, bold Elijah we met at Camp Pride when he was sixteen.”
“Is Jaxon still watching out for him?”
“Very much so, as well as Justice. Those two are around twenty-four hours a day. They check in on Elijah and the other boys all the time. The Salvatore brothers are quite fierce — I trust them completely to protect the children. By the way, they have just started volunteering at Wyatt and Preston’s fire station.”
“At the firehouse?” Jonas lifted a brow.
“Oh yes. Jaxon and Justice were firefighters before they became fulltime rogue hunters, although they did not need to work. Their parents were very rich.”
Jonas’ mouth dropped open. “Where are you getting all this information?”
“Billionaires magazine,” Caden deadpanned.
Jonas sighed.
“I am kidding. One night Justice told Kellan and me his life story.” Caden smacked Jonas’ shoulder. “Lighten up, my friend.”
Jonas shot Caden a look and glanced down at his clipboard. “So — yay or nay on the building?”
“Yes, for sure.” Caden walked back toward the door. “I think this will be a wonderful addition.”
Jonas’ cell rang and he excused himself. “Hang on one second, Caden. It’s Jude.” He swiped ‘talk.’ “Hello, my son. How are you?”
“I’m good, Dad. Hayden and I were wondering if you’d like to have dinner tonight. There’s a brand new Italian place over by the piers.”
“That would be wonderful. What time?”
“Seven okay?” Jude looked over at Hayden with a grin.
“Perfect. I look forward to seeing you, Jude.”
“You too, Dad. I’ll text you the info.” Jude hung up and glanced over at Hayden. “Are we doing the right thing?”
Hayden pulled Jude
into his arms. “Yes, we are. You want your dad happy, right?”
“More than anything.”
“Well, we’re just nudging him to the right thing.”
“I love you, you know that, right?” Jude kissed Hayden softly.
They both laughed as a gagging noise came from the kitchen. They had rescued a young werewolf in Siberia and he lived with them now.
“Sorry, Dasan!” Jude called out.
“I’m scarred for life!” Dasan laughed.
~*~
Jackson Murphy rolled over as the dream he was having became more vivid.
He was at the hospital. His beta, Tristan, was connected to Scott, and he was suffering immensely. Jonas sat in the corner, eyes red and hands shaking. Jackson made his way over and pulled the man up and into his arms, holding him tightly.
“I can’t lose him, Jackson,” Jonas whispered into his neck.
“You won’t. Scott is strong; he’ll pull through. You have to have faith, Jonas.”
Jonas’ head lifted slowly and their eyes locked. Jackson’s thumb caressed the side of Jonas’ jaw as he looked into the most beautiful amber eyes.
“What if he doesn’t?” Jonas’ red-rimmed eyes were pleading with him to tell him something — anything other than the cold hard truth: They may lose Scott.
At that moment, he had no idea why, but he leaned in and feathered a kiss across Jonas’ lips. It had lasted all of five seconds, but it had been enough. His hands had gripped Jonas’ hips, fingers stroking him…
The loud beep of his cell phone made Jackson sit up in bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time. It was ten in the morning. He turned the alarm off and flung his legs over the side of the bed. His flight had come into Sea-Tac at ten the night before and he was still adjusting to the time difference. For a month, he’d been in Italy tracking Lucas Cain’s movements — the FBI agent had gone rogue, so to speak. Jackson’s SEAL background prompted James Pruitt-Jacobs to call him in, and he’d been in Italy with Vince Markov watching and waiting.
They also had another person of interest on their radar.
Killian.
They hadn’t gotten jack-shit on this guy. They only knew his first name — and whoever he was, he was very adept at covering his tracks. Jackson stood up stretched his back out, making his way into the shower.
He’d bought a modest home in Seattle, not too far from Jonas Brooks. Jackson shivered as the cold water hit him and closed his eyes, thinking about Jonas. It was all he had thought about since they had kissed.
He’d been with women his whole life, but he’d never had children. Having a relationship with anyone was a waste of time. He couldn’t allow himself to grow attached to someone who would eventually die. But Jonas? Jonas was different. Being an alpha and a werewolf meant Jonas would be around for a long time. Wayne had bitten them all, and carrying blood from the Maccon line ensured that they’d all be around even longer.
Jackson ran the bar of soap over his pectoral muscles and thought about Jonas’ body in comparison. They were roughly the same height, but where Jackson had more of a wrestler’s physique, Jonas’ build resembled a swimmer’s — lean, muscular and beautiful. And those eyes. Jackson shivered again thinking about Jonas’ mesmerizing amber eyes, the strong curve of his jaw, and his full lips. His cock sprang to life and he gripped it firmly, giving it a slow stroke.
The chime of his cell phone interrupted him and he scowled. Turning off the water, he grabbed a towel and made a run for the phone on his bed.
“Hello?” Jackson nearly shouted.
“Everything okay?”
Jackson smiled. Tristan sounded worried.
“Yeah, you caught me in the shower. How are you, Ethan and Scott?”
“We’re good! Ethan’s doing great in school. His teacher said he’s doing so well, he can probably participate in the spelling bee!”
Jackson smiled at the happiness in Tristan’s voice. His beta had been cold and unfeeling until he’d found his mate in Scott Delange. They had taken in Ethan, one of the children rescued from the mines of Arizona where rogue werewolves had hid them.
“You’ll come to the Christmas play, right? Ethan said he wants his grandpa there,” Tristan chuckled.
Jackson couldn’t help but laugh. “Why am I Grandpa?”
“You’re the closest thing he has besides Nadine, Joe and John.”
“Well, I’m in good company and I wouldn’t miss the play for the world.”
“Good! Listen, Scott and I were wondering if you’re free for dinner tonight. There’s a new Italian place over on the pier.”
“I’d love to have dinner with you. We need to catch up — a month is too long to go without seeing each other.”
“It is, and we’d like to see you for Christmas. You’ll be in town, won’t you?”
Jackson ran his fingers through his hair. “Let me get back to you on that one, okay? James may or may not send me back out.”
“All right, well, we’ll see you tonight? Around seven?”
“You will.”
“Good! I’ll text you the info. Bye, Jackson.”
“Bye.”
Tristan hung up the phone with a wide grin.
“He’ll be there.”
Scott snickered.
~*~
At the end of the day, Jonas trudged into his house and undressed on his way to the shower. He’d been all over Seattle looking at properties and showing homes to prospective buyers. He kicked his shoes off and turned the shower water on full blast. He tilted his head from side to side, admiring his reflection in the mirror. He’d been alone for a long time. After the death of his wife, Jonas just couldn’t see himself back in the dating world. Being single was much, much easier. Besides, having to explain that he was a werewolf to someone new seemed like too much effort.
Sliding the shower door shut, Jonas tipped his face into the streaming hot water. He sighed as the water hit him from all sides of the shower walls. Best investment he ever made. He smiled to himself as he rubbed body wash over his chest and abs. His thoughts once again strayed to a certain blond-haired, gray-eyed alpha. Damn, but Jackson Murphy was a beautiful man.
Jonas looked down at his quickly filling dick as his thoughts strayed to the kiss they had shared. Why couldn’t he just give in? For months, he’d been dreaming about Jackson’s strong hands on his hips, fingers digging in and pulling him into hard muscle. Jonas licked his lips and relived the kiss — the way Jackson’s lips tasted made Jonas groan and shake his head clear.
He really needed to get his shit together.
Jonas decided to wear slacks and a button up shirt. He wasn’t sure how nice the place was and he didn’t want to show up in jeans. His favorite pair hung neatly in the closet. They seemed to be calling to him. He smiled and closed the closet door. Maybe tomorrow he’d wear jeans and be lazy.
The drive didn’t take too long. Traffic wasn’t too bad on I-5 and from Arbor Heights, the drive wasn’t far. The restaurant came into view and Jonas pulled into the parking lot. He slipped out of the car and glanced around. Jude’s car wasn’t there; neither was Hayden’s Hummer. He checked his watch. He was early anyway; he’d get a glass of wine and wait for them.
Low lights and soft Italian music greeted him at the door and he smiled at the hostess.
“I’m Jonas Brooks. I believe there’s a reservation for me?”
She seemed to look at the list longer than normal and ran her finger down the paper slowly. A smile spread her lips as she looked up.
“Yes, right this way, Mr. Brooks. I believe the rest of your party will be here shortly.”
Jonas followed her to the back of the restaurant. It was a little darker and secluded.
“Someone will be right with you, sir.”
“Thank you.” Jonas smiled and perused the menu. He licked his lips at the description of the meals. He’d always had a penchant for Italian food.
A short cough interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see Jac
kson smiling at him.
“Jackson?” Jonas stood.
“I take it you’re here waiting for Jude and Hayden?” Jackson looked around the dimly lit restaurant.
“Why, yes. They called me this morning and invited me out.” Jonas narrowed his eyes at Jackson. “They invited you, too?”
“No. Tristan and Scott invited me, but I have a feeling none of them are coming tonight.”
Jonas retook his seat and stared at the table. “They set us up.”
Jackson grabbed a menu and sat down across from Jonas.
“I would say yes.” He caught the panicked look in Jonas’ eyes; he was nervously eyeing the other patrons. “If you don’t mind, I’m really hungry, so I’m staying. I won’t take it personally if you go.”
Jonas’ gaze flew back to Jackson’s face. He looked a bit upset. “Why would I leave? This is Italian food,” Jonas winked.
Jackson’s heart slammed in his chest at the simple wink. Jonas affected him without even touching him. God, he’d never felt like this before.
“So it’s settled? We’ll stay?” Jackson opened the menu.
“Yes,” Jonas licked his lips, looking at Jackson’s strong hands. “We stay and eat.”
~*~
As soon as he’d seen Jonas, Jackson knew they’d been set up. He stole a glance at the other man, dressed in form-fitting slacks and a white button up shirt rolled to his elbows, and Jackson didn’t care about being tricked. As he sat across from the one man who had occupied his thoughts for months, he found he couldn’t speak.
Thankfully, Jonas could.
“So, how have you been? I haven’t gotten any texts from you recently.” Jonas eyed Jackson’s strong forearms. When he’d seen Jackson standing there, he had wanted to rip the trench coat from him and throw him on the table.
“I know, and I’m sorry. I was in Italy.” Jackson waved the waiter over. “Would you like some wine?”
“I would actually. It’s been a long week.”
“It’s Wednesday.” Jackson cocked an eyebrow.
“Just order a bottle,” Jonas grinned.
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