Jordan shook his head.
They’d stopped off at Subway and grabbed a couple of foot-longs, then made their way downtown to the axe throwing place Aiden had noticed earlier that day. He’d followed the sandwich board after he ended his call with Jordan, then went inside, chatted with the guys behind the desk, and booked them each an hour of axe throwing and an hour of knife throwing.
He’d kept his plan secret from his brother and only when they pulled up to the curb, did he finally reveal his plan. He couldn’t tell if Jordan was excited or not, though.
He really didn’t know his brother at all.
“This feels like something Rayma would be really into,” Jordan murmured, taking his sandwich off the bench seat and bringing it with him as he exited the driver’s side.
Aiden grabbed his own sandwich and joined his brother on the sidewalk. “Really? Is your fiancée violent?”
Jordan snorted and cast his brother a side-eye. “Not violent, but mayhem does seem to follow her around like a lost puppy.” He smiled as he thought about his bride. “I took her to the gun range when we first started dating, but she showed me. She’d been going for a while before that. Pasha and her husband were adamant that she learned self-defense and how to handle and shoot a gun. But she’s always been ballsy and I feel like she’d be into this.”
“Can always bring her another time for a date.” Aiden held the door open for his brother and they stepped inside. The clunk of metal embedding into wood greeted them, along with the raucous laughter and cheers of participants.
The same guy from earlier that day was behind the desk and greeted Aiden with a familiar smile.
Then they got set up.
“How much time did you get off to come out here?” Jordan asked, putting his foot on the line and giving the axe a couple of practice swings as he lined up his target.
Aiden hadn’t told Jordan that he was suspended. He hadn’t told many people. Not that he had an overly big friend circle to begin with. It was mostly other cops that he hung out with, and although they hadn’t left him to the wolves, he was learning who his true friends were based on who reached out since his suspension, and who stayed silent.
“Enough,” Aiden said, sipping his water.
The desire to ask Jordan how his day was burned hot on the back of his tongue. He wanted to know. He wanted to put himself in his brother’s shoes, in his uniform and feel what he felt. He missed it. He missed his job, his life as a cop. But he didn’t ask. Because as badly as he wanted to know how Jordan’s day was, he also didn’t. He didn’t want the sour taste of envy to taint their time together.
But Jordan was oblivious. “Got a fucked-up call today, man,” Jordan breathed out before adjusting his stance a little, then he let the axe fly. It had a weird spin on it, the blunt part hit the wood, then it fell to the ground. “Shit.”
Aiden stepped up to the line and decided to do a two-handed throw rather than Jordan’s one-handed throw. He lifted it over his head, holding it like a golf club, with his thumbs aligned on the handle, then let it fly at eye level. It sailed through the air and struck the board, embedding in the upper right corner. It didn’t even touch the bullseye.
“Better than me,” Jordan said. “I didn’t even get it to stick.”
Aiden merely grunted and retrieved his axe.
Jordan got back up to the line, deciding to go with the two-handed throw, as well. “I hate being a cop this time of year. People go crazy.”
Aiden grunted again. Yep, they sure did. As much as he missed working, he was kind of glad to be off over Christmas. People did go crazy. Lots of drinking, lots of families getting together who shouldn’t, people desperate for money, and of course, people who shouldn’t be driving on the road in either a vehicle not prepared for the weather, or alcohol in their system—or both.
His curiosity used his fear of envy as a punching bag and he muttered a, “What happened?” Just as Jordan threw the axe with both hands. This time it made contact with the board and stuck. And it was well within the bullseye, too.
Aiden’s competitive side was waking up.
Now that Jordan had made it into the bullseye, Aiden had to, too. He got up from his seat and picked up an axe.
“Oh, it was just triggering. Kid got struck on the side of the road today.”
Aiden dropped the axe onto his foot.
Motherfucker, that hurt more than he thought it would.
“Shit,” Jordan said, his eyes going wide. “You okay?”
Aiden grunted, grit his teeth and nodded. “Yeah, it was the blunt end.” He tapped his foot. “Still have all my toes.”
Understanding dawned in Jordan’s eyes. “I should have warned you. I’m sorry. I … I’ve been talking with a therapist and it’s helped me work through all that shit, you know? I’m still triggered, still see Dallas, but it doesn’t affect me the way it used to.” He made a dismissive noise in his throat. “Should have talked to someone about it a long time ago, but you know, that Lassiter ego is strong.”
Aiden grunted and picked up his axe. “It is.” He gripped the handle with both hands and heaved the thing toward the bullseye.