Page 170 of His Boys to Protect

Ward pulled out the phone. It showed a missed call from Dakota, and another one coming in. Ward sighed. If Charlie needed him right now, he wasn't sure he was strong enough for it. But if Dakota had called twice in a row, he'd probably just keep calling until Ward answered.

He muttered an apology to Kelly and answered the call. “Hello?”

Harsh breathing came over the line. “W-Ward?”

Ward tensed, hearing the panic in Dakota's voice. “What's wrong?”

“Please tell me Charlie's with you somehow.”

Ward blinked. “No. Why?”

Dakota choked out a cry of despair. “I can't find him. He's gone. I've looked all over the house and even outside and I can't find him anywhere. Some of his clothes are still here but his bag is gone and my parents are going to be getting into town any minute now. I can't tell them that he's missing and–”

Ward stood up. “Dakota? Are Beau or Mav at home?”

“Um, I don't know.” Dakota sucked in a shuddering breath. “Shit. Yeah. I think so.”

“Go find them,” Ward ordered, putting as much authority into his voice as he could muster. “Right now.”

“O-Okay.”

Ward listened to the boy's harsh breaths and thudding footsteps.

“Daddy,” Dakota said.

“Baby?” a deep voice replied in the background, sounding like Mav. “What's wrong?” A moment later, Ward heard, “Hello?”

“Mav? It's Ward.”

“What's going on?”

Before Ward could answer, he heard Dakota say, “Charlie's missing. But I have no idea where he went or why or how to even track him down–”

Oh!“Hang on,” Ward blurted into the phone, then pulled it away from his ear. He struggled for a moment to switch apps without losing the call, but he managed to bring up the tracking app that Charlie had made him install. He selected Charlie's phone, then waited while the app located it.Oh thank goodness. Ward brought the phone back up to his ear and started for the door. “He's at the train station.”

“What? How did he even get there?” Dakota exclaimed. “Oh. Shit. The southbound arrives any minute!”

Sure enough, a train horn sounded in the near distance, indicating its arrival as it approached a series of downtown street crossings.

“What if he gets on it?” Dakota went on breathlessly.“We'll never make it to him in time!”

“I'm right around the corner,” Ward said, reaching for the door.

“Please, Ward,” Dakota begged.

“I'll call you right back.” He ended the call, then spotted Kelly, still sitting there, watching him. “I–”

“Go,” she insisted.

Ward nodded his thanks and ran outside, pulling out his keys as he went. He was about to jump into the driver's seat when a hand grabbed him, pulling him back. His keys vanished from his grip. Ward whirled around. “Vaughn–”

His brother pushed him aside. “I'm driving,” Vaughn insisted. “You're in no state.”

“But–”

“I heard. We'll get there, I promise. Now let's go.”

Ward rushed around the truck, jumped into the passenger seat, and held on tight as they tore out of the parking lot.

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