Page 21 of Charming But Reckless

Memphis shook his head. "No can do, boss. His phone is off. I've been trying to reach him the last two days just to see if he was okay."

Tank cursed, then looked at his IT expert with a frown. "Can't you just pull up his fucking text messages or something? Treat him like he's a bad guy. Let him be pissed about it later. This is serious."

Memphis didn't immediately respond. He had stood up to look at us while he spoke, but as he eased down in the chair andclicked at the keys slowly, I realized just how much these men were giving up to help me. They were going against one of their own, someone that they implicitly trusted, but who had not been completely honest with them.

A laugh filled the room. It came from Memphis's desk. It felt too carefree to be him after I’d only seen his grumpy attitude.

Tank frowned as he rounded the space. "Have you finally lost it? Why the hell are you laughing?"

He pulled up the information he was looking at on the main screen. I saw the message and though I didn't find it funny for any reason, the other guys laughed.

“Of course he would go to the ranch,” Godric said. “I told you guys he really enjoyed that place the one time we went out there.”

"They're on a ranch?" I asked.

Godric turned to me and nodded. "Yeah, it's about the safest place he could be besides here."

"You ready to take a road trip? It'll be a few hours before we get there."

I stood from the table and gathered all the paperwork I had. “Like I told Detective Stabler, I'm yours. Take me wherever we need to go. I'm ready to get my boy.”

CHAPTER 8

ORION

Night came quicklyon the ranch. It was as if one minute the sun was up and shining brightly, and the next everything had shut down.

Granted, there were no big city lights or buildings illuminating the darkness.

What should have been troubling was actually relaxing. I wanted to soak it up for as long as I could. I stayed out on the porch for a little bit after Sol went to bed.

Jackson came out right as I had made the decision to finally go to the bunkhouse. He stood beside me and shot me a grin. “Life is different when you've got a kid, huh?”

I shook my head. “He's not mine, but yeah, I get what you mean. It definitely feels that way right now. He doesn't have anyone else.”

Jackson bumped his shoulder against mine. “Don't tell me you really think that. I would hope by now you've seen that he's surrounded by plenty of others who care about him who might not be blood related or anything. Not that it matters. Beau loves Dakota as if he were his own. You couldn't tell him that's not his son. He would fight you tooth and nail about it.”

I grinned.

That's a very Beau type of reaction.

Jackson turned to face the land, and I followed his gaze. It was truly beautiful. Even in the darkness you could sense that there was more to this place.

The Coleman Ranch had been through their own set of trials. I’d heard the stories earlier while Sol went through a bedtime routine with Dakota and Beau. The men here had earned their right to happily ever after, and I couldn't help but wonder if I would get my chance one day.

I didn't really have anyone in mind. It wasn't like I was out trying to date anyone. My work kept me busy most of the time. We were out on missions, or I was in meetings trying to decipher what came next.

The few times I had taken someone to bed had been in the heat of the moment. Usually they were fueled by adrenaline from whatever the latest big thing happened.

As I thought about it, I realized it had been a really long time since I had been with anyone. I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My focus was too centered around helping the young boy asleep upstairs. It was focused on finding my old friend, the man I suspected to be his father and who no longer seemed to exist in any system.

"You should get some sleep," Jackson told me after a few more minutes of silence between us. "Morning comes early here on the ranch."

I thanked him and took off to the bunkhouse. It wasn't that I was tired, but I knew he was right. I needed to force myself to sleep.

Sometime later, I awoke to hands shaking my shoulders. "Orion," they shouted.

I woke up in an instant. Whoever it was needed me, and they needed me now.

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