Michael glanced up from the glass of water in his hand as Jordan walked into the living room with Beth trailing closely behind him. His eyes sharpened immediately, not with emotion but with precision, the way a veteran surgeon might study an X-ray or a flaw in an otherwise pristine diamond. He didn’t blink. His gaze lingered, too long, too still, on Jordan’s face, then dropped to the man’s gait, the curve of his shoulders, the quiet tension in his jaw.

Jordan forced a nod that barely ...