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But then, the man had always stood out and had from the moment Jude had laid eyes on him in the hospital where they both worked. He’d heard rumors about the grouchy doctor the others called the surgeon general from the moment he’d started working at UC, and though some of those rumors had turned out to be true, the edgy man was also a warm, highly caring person underneath all that bluster. He loved with a loyal ferocity that awed Jude. And most of that love was directed his way.
Snow was his. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind about that.
Jude probably shouldn’t have dragged him to this dingy bar. Snow was no stranger to dangerous places, but he’d left that part of his life far behind when they’d gotten together. Jude tried to smile, but his heart was aching too much. “Thank you for standing by me through all this.”
“I will always be by your side, Jude.”
Jude reached across the table and took his hand. He didn’t give a shit if anyone in this place had an issue with them. In fact, he was spoiling for a fight and would welcome one. He stared into Snow’s eyes and thought again about how lucky he was to have found him. They were building a life that he loved. Together. And though he’d adored seeing his general with that baby tonight, whether that life held kids or not wasn’t important. Just being with his lover was all he needed.
“I love you,” he whispered. “So much.”
“I love you, too.” Snow offered him a smile that accented the sexy dip in his upper lip. “What brought that on?”
“Just thinking about how lucky I am.”
“I don’t know about that.” Snow’s grin turned wicked. “I come with my own set of challenges.”
“I like a good challenge,” Jude growled. “You definitely keep me on my toes.”
“You’re obviously a glutton for punishment.”
Jude was able to give him a real smile that time. “I’m not the one who needs punishment most of the time.”
Snow’s eyes narrowed. “Babe, you can punish me any time you want. In fact, let’s blow this joint and go home for the kind of blowing that’s a lot more fun.”
“Five more minutes,” Jude insisted. He had a gut feeling Anthony was going to show up.
Before that five minutes was up, he was proved right. Anthony walked in the door, took one look at them, and darted back out.
“Here we go again,” Snow said as he shot to his feet.
Jude jumped up and they ran to the door and pushed it open only to catch Anthony running around the corner.
“Wait,” Jude yelled. Dammit, not again! He took off after the guy. It had started raining, which made the pavement slick. A flash of headlights blinded him as he faced the street and he lifted his hand to block the light, narrowing his gaze on Anthony, who was now running between a couple of cars.
Anthony didn’t listen and started fumbling for his keys. He dropped them as Snow and Jude reached him. “Fuck!” He hit his hands on a red pickup and turned to face them. “Why the fuck are you chasing me again?”
“We just have a few questions,” Jude said as he pulled his jacket tighter around his body as wind swept through the tiny parking lot. The rain did nothing to chase away a rancid smell coming from something rotting in a nearby dumpster. “You ran off before we learned anything the other night.”
“You have no idea what you’re getting involved with,” Anthony spit out. He wiped rain off his face and hugged his scrawny arms to his chest. “Look, I feel rotten about what happened to Jordan, but just leave me the fuck alone!”
“Then give us an idea.” Jude crossed his arms. “My brother is lying in a damn hospital bed, and we have no idea if he’s going to pull through. Just what is he involved in?”
“I told you to check that website.”
“We did. Did you hook him up with that?”
“Hell, no!” Anthony’s pointy features twisted into a scowl. “I wouldn’t have told him to do that. He must have felt he didn’t have a choice. Listen, you two are messing with some dangerous people. Trust me, I know. And you should know too. Your brother was fucking shot. Why aren’t you letting the police handle it?”
Snow pulled out his phone. “How about we call them right now? And you can tell them all about that website.”
The man’s face paled in the low alley light. “I have nothing to do with that!”
“Then tell us who does?” Jude demanded, taking a step closer to Anthony.
Anthony held up his hands. “Okay, damn. Tell you what, you give me money and I’ll tell you.”
Jude scoffed and looked up and down his twitching body. “Like we want to help with your drug habit.”
