Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
It was impossible to reconcile with the fact that this old man had mobster connections.
“Malley!”
Gray whipped around toward the entrance and the source of the loud, unmistakably young voice. Could that be Jayden? Hell, it had to be. Those pale brown eyes haunted Gray every night.
The boy stalked down the aisle, aiming for Father O’Malley, and shrugged and smirked when the priest reminded him to keep his voice down in the church. Father O’Malley was amused, and he ruffled the boy’s shaggy hair.
Gray’s heart pounded when he observed the kid. It was Jayden. He had no doubt. Little things came back to him, insignificant mannerisms he hadn’t paid attention to before, but now it was so clear. He remembered how Jonas’s forehead creased and how he’d scratch his shoulder when he was working something out in his head. Jayden was doing the same thing right now. Whatever Father O’Malley said to him made the boy quiet down and think hard.
How did Jayden survive on his own? Gray found himself with a pile of questions that built up quickly. Or rather, the urgency to have them answered increased. Philadelphia couldn’t be an easy city to live in. For chrissakes, the kid was eight.
Gray had avoided one follow-up question for days, though now he couldn’t hold it back any longer. He had to face the reality and come up with a plan to actually help the boy. He did have a place in mind, but what if Jayden didn’t agree? To him, Gray was a complete stranger.
So…what happened next?
Jayden seemed fidgety and restless, and he nodded jerkily when Father O’Malley said something and gestured toward Gray.
Shit. This was it. He was gonna have to tell this little boy he’d lost his only family member.
Gray swallowed hard, struck by a wall of sadness. Jonas was supposed to be here, goddammit. The rage followed so easily. Imagine. Fucking hell. Surviving a whole year with that organization, then getting away, and just when you were granted a taste of freedom…
Jayden walked over to Gray with rapid steps, and he unzipped his coat halfway and pulled off his scarf.
Holy shit, he really looked like his brother. Gray catalogued the traits and couldn’t tear his gaze away. The eyes were the same. More than shape and color; Jayden’s eyes had seen too much too. His face had a bit more roundness to it than Jonas’s had had, but Jayden still had a hint of hardness to his features. His jaw was set, his eyes missed nothing, his shoulders were stiff, and he was white-knuckling that scarf in his hand.
Jayden reached Gray and didn’t hesitate to slump down next to him. “Jonas is dead, right?”
Christ.
Gray cleared his throat, his mind racing to sort his jumbled thoughts. There was no protocol for this kind of thing. Well, there probably was for professionals.
“Yes. I’m sorry,” Gray said quietly.
“Fuck,” Jayden whispered. He nodded once and looked away. Gray heard him sniffle. “I knew it.” Then he growled and kicked the pew in front of them, eliciting a thump that flew through the church. “I knew he was dead.”
“Jayden—” Gray’s heart broke for the kid, and he carefully put a hand on Jayden’s shoulder. “He talked about you a lot. He tried his hardest to come back to you. It was all he wanted.”
Jayden’s chin wrinkled, and he visibly struggled to contain his emotions.
Gray saw, though. He saw the anger and the grief clear as day.
“I knew he was dead,” Jayden repeated and sniffled. He cleared his throat and seemed intent on not shedding a single tear. Even as they threatened to spill over. “He was gonna be gone two months for work. He said he’d be back after summer, but that was last summer. I knew he was dead.” He gripped his scarf tightly in both hands as if he wanted to strangle someone. “He was the best brother ever,” he whispered thickly.
Fucking hell. Gray looked away quickly and swallowed past the lump of emotions, and he blinked hard and wiped at his eyes. He couldn’t break down in front of the kid. He had to be supportive.
He coughed into his fist and took a breath.
“How did he die?” Jayden asked. “What happened to him?”
There was no way Gray could give the entire truth. No details. “He helped us fight some bad men who didn’t want us to go home to our families. He did everything he could to come back to you—and he saved a lot of other guys who were trying to go home too.”
Jayden frowned and cocked his head at Gray, for the first time locking eyes for more than a few seconds. “Were you in Texas also?”
Gray shook his head. It made sense that Jayden believed Jonas had been in Texas this whole time. It was where Jonas had gone to apply for the job that had eventually brought him to Florida against his will.