Agent S5: Jaydan Read Online Free PDF Page A

a fiddle in a country band.
    Had been the last straw in his decision to leave home.
    “I’ll be avoiding Sarah Jane like the plague.”
    Hope whipped around to stare at him, interest lighting her round eyes. The last thing he needed was Hope Powers hearing his dirty laundry.
    “Uh, sorry to break it to you, Jay, but she’s the maid of honor.”
    Shutting his eyes, Jaydan cursed in his head. He’d known she’d be there. He’d just hoped they could get by with a hello, and move on down the road.
    Dammit.
    “I’ll see you Friday, Gunn.” He disconnected the Bluetooth, his hand dropping in his lap.
    Damn, he missed his old life. Riding the rodeo, working the ranch and hanging out with Gunner and Austin. That had been his dream, to live like his father.
    Jonathan Rose had been a champion bull rider, a helluva rancher, and the best, damned father a boy could wish for. He’d taught Jaydan everything from how to mend a fence, to how to ride a bull, to how to pick up girls.
    Then he had to up and die.
    “Rose.”
    Jaydan whipped around. He hadn’t realized he’d been daydreaming until she said his name.
    “What?”
    “Who’s Booker?” Her soft voice of concern seemed so contradictory to the obnoxious Hope he knew.
    “My stepfather.” Though the D.I.R.E. jet flew on autopilot, he made a production of checking the gauges.
    “Was he abusive?”
    Jaydan gave a bitter laugh. “Yeah. But I deserved every damned beating I got.”
    Her small hand on his arm angered him.
    She said, “Although I want to smack you most of the time, I don’t believe that for a minute.”
    He gave a firm shake of his head.  “Believe it. It’s the truth.”
    Anger filtered into her voice. “Why didn’t your mother do anything about it? What about your brother?” She spoke between clenched teeth. “Why didn’t anyone help you?”
    He chuckled at her spit and fire. The little she-lion had a temper. Usually, he was the recipient. It felt strange to have her defend him.
    “Les, its in the past. Let it go.”
    Her slight voice jarred him. “No, it’s not.”
    Anxiety sliced through his gut, stilling him in his seat. “What do you mean?”
    Her round eyes were heavy with sadness. “I had a vision last night.”
    A tidal wave of denial suffused his body. He would not ruin this weekend for Gunner.
    “You have a confrontation with an older man, barrel-chested with a thick moustache.”
    That was Booker to a tee. Dammit. “It had to be a vision from the past.”
    She shook her head, her mouth turned down at the corners. “I only have visions of the future.”
    Jaydan shook his head with adamancy as he stared out at the Pacific Ocean. He had to prove her wrong. He had to prove to himself and everyone else that things were better now. That he and Booker could get along for Gunner’s sake.
    “You’ve got to be wrong, Les.”
    “I hope I am.”
    Glancing back at her, only regret and sadness shone in her cute face. It seemed sacrilegious to see something other than spunk in her green eyes.
    “What do you see? Maybe I can prevent it if I know its coming.”
    She opened her mouth to speak. He held up a hand to stop her.
    “No. Don’t. I don’t want to know.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Dammit, I wish you wouldn’t have said anything. Now, I’m going to expect it.” He opened them to glare at her.
    A sheepish blush stole over her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I was only trying to help.”
    “Yeah, like you’re helping by making this trip.”
    Yes, this felt better. Arguing with her came more naturally than talking about his personal garbage or fending off her insincere flirtations.
    Her brows lowered into a fierce frown. “I am helping. I have a vision of the compound’s interior.”
    His own research found that Natalie’s relative lived in a high-security compound with a guarded gate and eight-foot high perimeter wall. It sat high on a peak beside an empty volcano. What lay inside proved to be a mystery.
    Until