Stronger With Us (The Strength Series Book 3) by JA Hensley Read Free Book Online Page A

a real relationship with him. He’s all I have now that I lost my job and can’t seem to find a woman worth keeping. That’s not really true, my inner voice pipes up. I shake my head to clear that thought as I ring the doorbell.
    “Jude, it’s so good to see you again,” Becca says after opening the door and pulling me into a hug. I practically have to bend at the waist to return the embrace.
    “It’s good to be here, Bec. How’ve you been?”
    “Oh, you know, busy with school and the house. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.”
    I walk past her into a large living room. There are two couches in the middle with a fireplace surrounded by a stone hearth. My brother is sitting on one sofa, glaring at me.
    “Hello, Colin,” I say with a smile that I hope is friendly. I can feel his hostility from across the room.
    “Colin, get your ass up and say hello to your brother,” Becca scolds. He has the decency to look guilty as he gets up and comes over, holding his hand out in greeting. I take it and shake it quickly.
    “Jude, it’s good to see you. I wish you would have given me more notice you were coming up and we could have made plans.”
    “Sorry about that,” I reply. “I wasn’t sure that you’d want to see me. I came up for an interview with Belator Security Systems, and they hired me today.”
    “That’s great,” Colin says sincerely. “I’m glad you and Davidson were able to work something out. I think you’ll like working for him. He’s fair and as long as you do the job, he mostly doesn’t give a shit about your personal life.”
    “Why don’t you boys sit down and catch up while I check on dinner. Jude, would you like something to drink?” Becca asks.
    “I’d love a beer if you have one, Bec. Thank you,” I say as I follow my brother to the couches, taking the one across from him.
    Becca leaves the room, and Colin stares at me. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and that’s unnerving. After Becca brings the beer to me and leaves the room again, Colin finally speaks.
    “So, what the fuck happened with the DEA? You always close your cases.”
    “I guess I stuck my dick in the wrong woman. Somebody Vaughn’s daughter. I don’t have a fucking clue who he is, but I guess he’s a big deal.” I lean back on the couch and take a long pull from the beer.
    “Oh, shit. I didn’t know Vaughn was involved. Yeah, he’s a powerful man. No wonder it all happened so fast. I’m guessing that you had no idea who she was when you went home with her.”
    “No, I didn’t even get her last name. I didn’t care. So, now I’m going to start over and do something different. At least with this job I don’t have to catch the bad guys, I just have to take them to different facilities and to court. Should be a piece of cake.”
    “Nothing you do is ever that easy. You have got to keep it in your pants and do your job,” he says shaking his head.
    “I never said I was a saint, and we both know you’ve got a past, too. No need to be a judgmental prick.”
    “I’m not, asshole. I don’t want to see you do anything stupid to fuck up this opportunity you’ve got now. Davidson is cool, but he has a limit on the bullshit he’ll take from his employees.”
    “All right, I hear you. I do need some help finding a place to live that’s not near the University. Any ideas?”
    “Let’s talk about that while we eat,” Becca says as she walks into the room. Colin looks over and his face lights up in a smile. It seems like just being in the same room with his woman has a calming effect on him.
    “Sure, sounds good,” I answer as I get off the couch. “Then you can tell me about school and everything else going on with you, my dear,” I say as I follow her to the dining room.
    Dinner was very pleasant. Becca kept Colin calm and didn’t judge me when she heard what happened with my job. She kept giving my brother a look, like she wanted him to say something, and he rolled his eyes every