Page 52 of Exhale
Micah shook his head, sending his silky dark hair swaying over his shoulders.
“Then who is?”
“You remember my older step-brother?” Micah asked.
“Chase?” He asked, and then things started to click. “Chase Black.”
“Yeah, he’s the guy they call Black.”
“Damn…” Jordan rubbed at the back of his neck and lifted a fry from his plate before picking up his burger.
“Are those extra burgers for him?”
“Yeah.” Micah smiled softly and then sighed. “I knew where you were in SoCal.”
“You knew and didn’t come find me?” Jordan felt hurt and couldn’t keep it out of his voice.
“I wanted to, but for one…you’re a hard man to track down.”
“I have been pretty busy,” he admitted and then asked curiously. “What’s the other reason?”
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be reminded of your past.”
They shared a sympathetic look. Jordan got it, neither of them wanted to take a trip down memory lane.
He glanced around the room but didn’t see any signs of Black.
“So, you work for Genesis too?” Jordan asked Micah.
“Not technically.” Micah smiled and shook his head.
“So then…you guys own this place?” Jordan asked around a bite of burger. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Micah Tiller was sitting across from him after all these years. The world really was a small place.
“Half owners along with Vincent out there,” Micah said, tucking a fry into his mouth.
“So, it’s been what…a decade since we’ve last seen each other?”
“No way,” Black said suddenly from the doorway.
“Chase!” Jordan jerked to his feet with a smile.
Black stepped up and gave him a big bear hug. It was the only way to describe Black’s big, burly embrace. The man was one huge son of a bitch, all muscles, tattoos, and dark hair with flashing blue eyes.
Black chuckled when he squeezed him just as tightly.
“You were seventeen and Micah was fifteen the last time we saw each other. So that’s what…ten years?”
“I guess,” Jordan said, drawing back. “And you were twenty-one.”
“That’s right,” Black said. Following him to the table and taking a seat, the chair creaked beneath the man’s weight.
“I never knew what happened to you guys. I knew you were working on getting you and Micah out of there.”
“Yeah, and I almost managed to until some shit went down,” Black said, squeezing one hand into a fist.
“If by shit you mean you getting shot…then yeah,” Micah scowled.
“Shot?” Jordan asked, searching Black’s face.
