Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(97)

security system.

Jax’s cold blue eyes then focused on Perry’s father.

“How about you help them, old man,” Jax said. “Let me visit with my baby brother.” The sinister way he said it had Perry’s blood fizzing

with the need to protect himself.





Chapter Twenty-eight

In an instant, Perry realized he hadn’t considered Jax’s motivation for allowing this meeting to happen.

What the hell did Jax want with him?

“Don’t worry,” Jax told Perry’s father. “I’m not gonna hurt your boy. We’re brothers.”

Perry’s father’s blue eyes met Perry’s, almost as if he didn’t want to abandon him.

Had his father hesitated at all when he’d left him at the mall fifteen years ago?

“How endearing,” Jax said after his father finally left. “I thought the only thing he loved was our mother. You’ve seen how whipped he is,

haven’t you?”

“It’s just his guilt talking.” The moment Perry said it, he realized how right that might be. His father might not care, guilt made people

act certain ways.

“He really just left you at a mall, didn’t he?” Jax laughed. Their gazes locked again. Blue on blue.

“Care for a drink?” Jax asked.

“No.”

Jax walked over to the sole table in the room and poured himself a shot of the amber-colored liquid from the decanter. He put the glass to his

lips and downed it in one gulp. Swallowing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The oddity of seeing someone who looked so much like

him was unnerving. Like watching a mirror while your reflection was doing something different.

“So tell me, brother. Why did you hunt down your parents after all these years?”

“Curiosity,” Perry answered.

“You sure you weren’t just needing your mama?”

“I’d be in bad shape if I was,” he said without emotion.

Jax laughed again. “She is a loveless bitch, isn’t she?”

His brother walked over to the table and refilled his glass again. “And I thought I had it bad.” He downed the shot. “I saw you once. I was

like three, you were just born. My dad took me over for a visit. He said I should know my brother.”

“A shame I don’t remember,” Perry said.

“Mom said you were raised in foster care?”

Perry nodded.

Jax looked down at his empty glass, when he looked up suspicion lifted his brow. “Isn’t that run by the FRU?”

Make it convincing, Perry told himself. “I think their name is stamped on it somewhere. But it’s just a money scheme. The FRU pockets half of

the funds and places unwanted kids in homes where people don’t give a shit.”

Perry’s words rang true, because most of it was. The system was broken, something Burnett was trying to work on as an agent. He’d made some

changes, but there was a hell of a lot to do.

“Ahh, poor brother,” Jax said.

“Don’t pity me. I’m sure you learned just like I did. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

“Which brings up a really good question,” Jax said. “How strong are you?”

The door swung open. The bodyguards, minus Mr. Italian, walked back in. His dad followed.

“So?” Jax snapped.

“The meter read high levels of frequency in the back of the property.” The man held what looked like a cell phone in his hand.

“And Ricky?” Jax asked, his eyes almost red.

The guard smiled. “He left.”

“Add the name Ricky Raco to my game list.” He sounded excited.

“How much?” the guard asked.

“A hundred thousand.”

Perry didn’t know this game. But it seemed damn clear. Perry had pretty much signed that man’s death certificate.

“Good job,” Jax said to Perry.

Perry’s conscience took a direct hit. It took work to hide the guilt on his face.

Jax looked at his father again. “What all have you told your boy about our operation?”

“Only what you allowed me to,” his father said.

And that annoyed the hell out of Perry.

Jax met Perry’s gaze as if still debating. He finally nodded. “Why don’t we go into the study and I’ll give you the facts.”

*

It was nine that night when Perry spotted the large gray building that housed the Fallen FRU agency. He’d taken twice as long to fly here.

Taking all different routes just to make sure he wasn’t followed. He hadn’t been. That said, he couldn’t stop worrying that, until now, he

hadn’t been all that careful. What if Caleb had followed him to Shadow Falls earlier?

One more thing he needed to tell Burnett. But holy hell, he was the bearer of all kinds of bad news tonight.

Landing on the steps, he walked into the office. He’d been coming anyway, so finding Burnett’s text summoning him didn’t annoy Perry.

“My favorite person in the world.” Mrs. Conner’s voice boomed. She stood and moved toward him. Her arms opened for a grandmotherly hug.