Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds Series Book 2)

by Jocelynn Drake

  He wrapped one hand around Snow’s throat. Icy blue eyes widened as Jude pressed his thumb in tight just under the doctor’s ear. The noise that came out of Snow’s mouth then wasn’t one of anger or fear. No. That was raw, uncontrolled arousal. Shock sent a cold spike into the base of Jude’s spine. He narrowed his eyes, studying the way the man panted, the flare of his nostrils. Those ice blue eyes were anything but cold in that moment.

  “You don’t want to make me scream, do you?” Jude squeezed his hand on Snow’s neck and pushed up, putting him completely under his control. He pressed his hips close, rolled his hard cock against the spike in Snow’s jeans. There was lovely, lovely heat there and if they weren’t in public and it didn’t feel like they’d been swimming at the North Pole, Jude would have gone to his knees. He could just imagine Snow’s heat sliding into his mouth. His throat. “You think you know what you want, but you don’t.”

  The doc’s eyes slid nearly shut.

  Jude leaned in and rubbed his nose along the light stubble on Snow’s hard jaw until his mouth was right by his ear. He licked water off Snow’s skin. “You know what I think?” Jude lowered his voice and leaned in until his lips were right beside Snow’s ear. “I think you’ve had it all wrong. I don’t even think you understand what you need. It’s not really pain, is it?”

  The doctor didn’t answer, but he started to pant as rain dripped down his face. Jude waited, not moving or touching the doc any more than he already was. He just stared into those eyes while emotions passed through them like he was watching a slide projector. Some of the things he saw ripped through him—mainly the fear.

  That fear halted him in his tracks.

  Jude let go and stepped back. “Come on, Snow. I’m freezing and I know you are, too. I live just down the block. Let’s dry off and warm up. You can tell me what’s going on.”

  Snow merely stared at him, still breathing hard and as Jude watched, he put a nearly visible clamp on his emotions, his expression smoothing out. Still, he stared and Jude waited, again patient, as the man decided whether or not he could trust him.

  It was obvious that’s what was going through his head. Not physically trust, but open up, share what was going on. Whatever it was, Jude had a feeling it was more than the obvious. “You were looking for someone in there, right?”

  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 8

  Lucas 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.

  “This place specializes in young-looking rent boys,” Snow explained, picking up his pace again. Luckily, the rain had stopped, but the winter wind cut across the Ohio River, picking up just enough moisture to slice through his clothes. He should have grabbed his winter coat from his car, but he didn’t want to check it and then be forced to leave it behind if they had to make a hasty exit.

  “How young looking?”

  “Under age.”

  “Shit,” Jude whispered as they stopped at a corner, waiting for the light to change so they could cross.

  Snow roughly grabbed Jude’s elbow and pulled him away from a small group also waiting at the corner. Bending his head down so that he could whisper directly in Jude’s ear, Snow forced his thoughts away from the soft caress of Jude’s hair against his cheek. “I need to know now if you can fake your way thr
ough this.”

  “Fake it how far?”

  “Be friendly. Smile. Nod. Look and admire. Nothing beyond that. You don’t have to touch.”

  “But—”

  “And that look of disgust on your face can’t come out. Not once.”

  “Got it,” Jude snapped, his expression hardening.

  “Do you?” Snow’s hand tightened on Jude’s elbow as his own fears started to ride him. “They figure out we’re not supposed to be there, we don’t get shown the door and the cops aren’t called. We get taken to a secret room in the cellar and someone puts a bullet in our skulls before our bodies are dropped in the Licking River.” Snow paused, staring into Jude wide eyes. “You still in?”

  “I’m in,” Jude said within a second of hesitation. “Now can we go? I didn’t get nearly enough time to warm up and I’m freezing my balls off out here.”

  Snow wanted to kiss him. As the urge hit him, his gaze dropped down to Jude’s lips and he remembered the hot rush he felt when Jude had pinned him against his car and kissed him absolutely senseless. A sharp tingling surged through his body that had nothing to do with the biting cold. He watched as Jude’s full lips curved into a smug smile as if he knew exactly what Snow was thinking about. Jude moved forward, tilting his face up to kiss Snow, snapping him out of his fantasy. Snow jerked away and scowled. No kissing. This was just business. This was Jude helping him out of a bad spot. Kissing led to Snow doing stupid things and right now his focus needed to be on the stupid thing he was rushing into at Southgate House.

  “Let’s go,” he grumbled, leading the way across the street with the rest of the Newport revelers. Jude’s low chuckle followed him, but Snow didn’t look back. Let him laugh. Snow deserved it. He’d proven more than once he was an idiot where Jude was concerned.

  Southgate House rose up on a hill to their left with wide concrete stairs leading the front door of the old, three-story red brick home. The wrap-around porch was a great place for drinking a beer in the waning heat of a summer day after a concert. Snow could easily imagine Jude leaning back against one of the brick pillars while chatting with some friends. But those summer daydreams were a distant thought in the winter wind that snapped at his exposed flesh. And the looming building too closely resembled something out of a horror movie tonight. Its tall windows on the third floor stretched open bright and yellow with fear while its door was nothing more than a gaping maw trying to swallow them whole. It was no surprise there were rumors the place was haunted.

  A young man with blond hair that looked as soft and light as a dove’s feathers greeted them with an eager smile and calculating blue eyes as they stepped past the vestibule. Their footsteps were muffled on the worn Persian rugs covering the hardwood floors that creaked softly under their weight. The lights were dimmed and shadows thickened in all the corners and crevices of the hall ornately decorated with old pictures and heavy, dark woods. Gone were the concert posters and neon beer lights. An air of exclusivity and secrecy cloaked the Southgate House tonight.

  “Good evening, gentlemen,” the young man said, his voice barely over a whisper. “How can I—”

  Snow grabbed the hand the blond had been motioning with in both of his, pressing several hundred dollar bills into his palm, while at the same time hiding the action with his body from the watchful eyes of the guards lurking in the shadows just a few steps away. Lowering his head, he purposefully brushed his lips against the edge of the man’s ear and smiled when he shivered. “My friend just got in from Madrid and I promised him a very good time tonight. What can you do for us?”

  “The…the front room,” he paused and cleared his throat before looking up at Snow. “The front room is always quite inviting.”

  Pulling his right hand free, Snow took lightly grasped the blond’s chin, letting his thumb graze his bottom lip. “You don’t really think this my first visit here, do you?” His words remained a whisper, but they grew harder with each syllable. “I know the red room is where you keep the high-quality goods, that the playroom is open only in October, and that the show is at two.” Snow’s grip tightened on the man’s chin and his smile became a little more feral. “Now… tell me something that isn’t a waste of my time.”

  “For-forgive me, sir,” Blondie stammered, stepping back from Snow’s grasp. “I didn’t realize. I don’t usually work the front door.” He turned and grabbed from a nearby table two small black leather folios like those that would contain a restaurant check. He quickly handed them over to Jude and Snow with a nervous smile. “Please feel free to wander through all the rooms. The show is at two and a special exclusive show follows at three. If you see anything you like or have special requests, please leave them in the books I’ve given you and someone will be happy to take your order.”

  Snow fought down his own disgust, keeping his face blank while being very careful not to look over at Jude. When their shoulders brushed, he could feel the tension humming through the paramedic and he could only pray that he wasn’t going to start asking questions about how Snow knew so much. Now was definitely not the time.

  With the leather folio tightly grasped in one hand, Snow led the way down the hall, past the first set of closed pocket doors to a second room that was blocked by a set of heavy curtains. The second he paused, a guard stepped forward and held the curtain open for Snow and Jude to step through.

  The small room had a scattering of round tables with two or three chairs. The chandelier overhead cast the room in a warm, buttery glow but the corners held deeper shadows. Half the tables were occupied by older men in expensive suits holding crystal tumblers of alcohol while watching the young man on the stage play an acoustic guitar.

  In this room, there was still a slightly civilized air. Well, except for the man seated at the table near the front of the room who was quite obviously getting a blowjob from a man who looked young enough to be his eighteen-year-old grandson. Other than that, the servers were shirtless and in tight leather pants. Of course, the rooms would get progressively worse as they moved deeper into Southgate, but Snow was hoping they wouldn’t have to go much farther. They wouldn’t be able to linger more than thirty minutes at most before they risked being discovered.

  Snow led the way to a table toward the back in heavy shadows and dropped into the seat that put his back to the wall. For the first time since stepping inside Southgate, Snow chanced a look at Jude. The sexy paramedic was managing to keep his expression bland and bored, but there was no missing the rage burning in his dark eyes.

  “It’s not what you think,” Snow whispered, leaning close to Jude.

  “It damn well better not be,” Jude growled. He lounged back in his chair, keeping his eyes locked on the young man with the guitar probably because he seemed to be the safest thing to look at in the entire room.

  Before Snow could say anything else, a boy with a tray swept in front of them. “Good evening, sirs,” he murmured, placing a pair of empty tumblers in front of them. He picked up a bottle of water and was about to pour when Snow placed his hand over the glass.

  “Bottled sparkling water from a new, unopened bottle,” he snapped before placing the black folio next to his glass. The young man paled and nodded before hurrying away again.

  Jude leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Drugged?”

  Snow shrugged. “I’d rather not take that chance. I don’t drink anything at bars that isn’t opened and poured right in front of me.”

  Jude shot him a little smirk, some of the tension seeming to ease from his shoulders. Snow let his gaze linger on the man’s strong jaw and dark, hypnotic eyes for a moment. He was more beautiful than anyone in Southgate House. And he’d agreed to come to the toxic place just to watch Snow’s back.

  “Thanks for coming,” he murmured, forcing his eyes away.

  “There was no way in hell I was going to let you come here alone.” Jude shook his head and settled back in his chair.

  Snow swallowed back his next words as the server retur
ned, making a show of displaying the brand new, chilled bottle of water before opening it and pouring a glass for both men.

  “What else can I get you this evening?”

  “Nothing for now.”

  The server bowed and quickly backed away, heading to discretely check on the other tables.

  “Why did you say I was from Madrid?” Jude asked, leaning close enough to Snow that he could once again get a whiff of the man’s cologne.

  Snow wanted to close his eyes and turn his face into Jude’s neck but he didn’t move beyond a small sneer. “Because you look European.” Jude softly snorted. “Also, Americans make stupid assumptions like you’re rich Euro trash and probably don’t speak English.”

  “Let’s hope nobody tests that theory. I don’t speak any Spanish,” Jude muttered.

  Snow inwardly winced. Yeah, that would be really bad. He just prayed that they either found Gratton or a good bit of information fell into their laps before they were forced to run from the club.

  The curtains parted and four young man strolled into the room in different stages of undress, their thin bodies all sleek muscles and soft, hairless skin. Not one of them did a damn thing for him. As one wandered close, Snow’s hand snapped out and snatched the wrist of the man, pulling him until he fell into Snow’s lap. He gasped and blinked, fear filling his wide hazel eyes for a second before he could put the mask back in place. He licked his lips and smiled, wrapping his thin arms around Snow’s shoulders.

  “Hello, handsome,” he purred, wiggling his narrow butt on Snow’s lap. “What can I do for you tonight?”

  Snow looked at the man’s face, and he was a man. He looked as if he were barely sixteen, but some heavy weight in his eyes that he couldn’t quite hide told of a much longer, rougher life. Like Geoffrey, he was likely well into his twenties but trapped in a body that looked as if he were only a teenager.

  It took some effort to force himself to seductively slide his hands down the man’s arms before wrapping around his back. “I’m hoping you can help me find someone.”