“Yeah. I guess some people do.” Jaden’s gaze intensified on a spot on the floor.
When he didn’t continue, Daniel said, “Care to elaborate?”
“I’m trying to decide.”
He could admit that his interest was piqued a little.
“You came a long way for nothing. Might as well show me what you brought,” Daniel said.
“I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it,” Jaden said after a few beats.
“Worth what?”
“If it’ll make a difference.” His friend took him apart with his gaze, head to toe. “Or just make things worse.” Jaden paused. “I didn’t come here to do that.”
A look of pity crossed his features, causing another shot of anger to bolt through Daniel. This shit was about to get real.
“Spit it out, Orchard,” Daniel said. He picked up a pack of matches and lit the first one before tossing it into an empty coffee mug and watching it burn.
“You remember Bear—”
“Let me stop you right there. Not interested.” The last Daniel had heard of Tate “Bear” Parker was that after he’d been medically discharged from the Army, he started work in Montana for an agency calling themselves the Brotherhood Protectors. Bear had found the real deal with a screenwriter by the name of Mia. Daniel could only hope their old friend’s family didn’t suffer the same fate as his own. This line of work left collateral damage that could break even the strongest person.
“You know what?” Jaden stood. “I came to the wrong place.”
“You don’t like it here?” He cocked his head to the side, pursed his lips and squinted at his friend.
“It’s not that,” Jaden said.
“Something wrong with my personality?” Daniel asked. Damn. He wasn’t picking on Jaden. His anger was a deep well that had had no outlet. Even bringing justice to the men who’d killed his family hadn’t eased the ache. Nunez and his men would rot in prison for the rest of their lives. It didn’t change the fact that Daniel’s family was gone. He wanted to be left alone.
“Nope. You’re a peach.” With that, Jaden walked across the room and to the door. He paused, bent down, and picked up a can. Jaden crunched it in his fist. He turned toward the door like he was about to walk out, spun around and chunked the can at Daniel’s head.
With pinpoint accuracy, Daniel caught the can before it collided with his face.
“Yeah. You’re out of shape. I’m wasting my time here.” Jaden walked out the door.
For a split-second, Daniel considered chasing after his friend. Instead, he lit another match. Then he sucked in a sharp breath and shot to his feet.
It was then he saw the piece of paper on the chair. He considered lighting another match and torching the chair.
He figured his landlady wouldn’t appreciate her livelihood going up in flames and even in his current crappy state of mind he couldn’t do that to the woman who’d been nothing but kind to him.
Besides, curiosity got to him.
Daniel walked over to the picture, picked it up and stared in disbelief. He fought against the instinct to crumble it in his hand. This was below the belt, even for a ManTech employee.
“Asshole,” he muttered. And then came, “Fuck.”
Daniel drove onto the property, stopped and double checked that this was the address on the back of the photo. He had a bone to pick with Jaden Orchard.
What the hell was the man doing with his name on a peach orchard in North Texas? The irony wasn’t lost on Daniel. He parked the duel king cab pickup truck that he’d rented next to the house. His mood hadn’t improved since the last time he’d seen Jaden, and Daniel didn’t figure it was about to.
Anger burned through him for the past three days as he tried to forget the round angelic face on that picture. It was hot outside. People said dry heat made a difference but hot was freaking hot.
Daniel glanced around and didn’t see a welcome wagon. So, he walked onto the porch and tried the door handle. It wasn’t locked. He jerked the door open so hard that it smacked against the wall.
“Jaden Orchard. Sonofabitch. Where are you?” Daniel’s voice echoed in the open-concept space. He stalked across the wood flooring, his boots boomed with each forward step.
The backdoor opened and a woman walked inside. Her curly mane of red hair was barely contained in a ponytail. She froze the second her eyes landed on Daniel.
Daniel’s gaze landed hard on her round baby bump. A flashback of his own wife pregnant with his daughter slammed into him.
“Are you okay?” the redhead asked. Her brow shot up like she’d just read his mind.
His head pounded in the damn heat. “No. It’s freaking hot, my tires are melting and I came a long way to speak to Jaden Orchard.”
“You must be Daniel. Jaden said he was expecting you.” Her voice trembled enough for guilt to slice through him. He didn’t want to take his frustration out on a pregnant woman.
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
He nodded, figuring the opposite was true.
“I’m Lauren,” she continued, eyes on him like she’d been cornered by a hungry lion. She pulled her cell from her handbag that was sitting on top of the center island. “I’ll just let Jaden know his friend has arrived.”
She didn’t take her gaze off Daniel for a few seconds before breaking contact in order to punch in a text message. The redhead set her phone down and looked up at him. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
He lifted his chin in a slight nod and stopped staring at her.
The living room, kitchen and dining rooms could be best described as airy. The decorations were contemporary but softer. There was definitely a feminine touch on the place that had a modern feel with clean lines. Blue-gray paint covered the walls in the open-concept space that was family room, gathering area and kitchen. Cathedral-like ceilings
