Page 22 of Exhale
“Are the kids here?” Owen said.
“No,” Mrs. Long said behind a fist pressed to her lips.
“Did you abandon them?” Owen cocked his head a tiny bit.
Mr. Long gave him a look filled with hate. “You were no prize yourself,” the man snapped. “You walked away from that marriage, so don’t sit here and judge us!”
“You’re not worthy,” Owen sneered.
Rage turned Mr. Long’s face a dark red hue. “What the hell do you want, Gray?” Mr. Long snapped back.
“Nothing,” Owen said. “There’s not a goddamned thing I want from you two self-centered people.”
Especially since Ginny’s kids were not there.
“I just thought you should know,” he said, and stood. Jordan stood as well. “I’ll show myself out.”
Outside, the sun felt too bright after the dark dimness of the house, and as Owen walked away with Jordan at his side, he felt a sense of relief.
“Now what?” Jordan said.
“The least I can do is find her kids and make sure they’re safe.”
And he would find them, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Early the next morning, Jordan rolled out of the hotel bed and walked to the balcony doors. Wearing black briefs and a t-shirt, he didn’t bother pulling on pants as he gazed out the partially open curtains.
The busy city of Phoenix, Arizona, sprawled below. Most people were still asleep, but there were a few out and about, probably trying to beat the rush hour traffic. Living in California, Jordan was very familiar with traffic.
The room behind him was quiet. Owen was still asleep in the other queen bed, while he had been up and on his laptop for an hour.
What he had discovered had been startling to say the least, but not unexpected if truth be told.
He tossed a glance back at the bed when Owen shifted. The man settled again, sprawled out on his back, still sound asleep. With miles of muscles, a shadowed jaw slack, and messy dark hair, Owen was yummy.
Turning away from Owen on the bed, Jordan slipped out of the patio door, making sure to close the curtain completely.
It wasn’t full on daylight yet, but it would be soon. From his vantage point, he should be able to see the sunrise when it came up in about half an hour.
He and Owen had spent hours last night going through Ginny’s computer. They had found the man Ginny had been dating, and the guy was next on their list of suspects.
The face of the man in a more recent photo was easy for Jordan to find on Ginny’s computer. He popped the photo into the Pegasus database and came back with the name of thirty-eight-year-old Mark Gumball. Gumball had been in and out of jail for petty theft, drug use, and drunk driving.
After that, Owen called it a night. Jordan could see the tiredness around the man’s eyes and mouth, and he nodded.
Then, Owen had done the oddest thing. He reached out and cupped a hand at the back of his neck, sending chills down his spine at the touch. The man’s fingers were hard and warm, and Jordan shivered like he always did when Owen touched him.
“Sleep tight,” Owen said gruffly and slid his fingers away. “You can crash on the spare queen bed.”
Jordan watched in disbelief as Owen disappeared into the bathroom and shortly after, the shower turned on.
Damn it!
The sexual tension between them was not in his imagination!
Nevertheless, when Owen emerged, Jordan made sure to have his ass in the spare queen bed with the covers pulled up.
The sliding of the patio door sounded behind him, and Owen stepped out.
