Page 17 of Charming But Reckless

“Takeshi couldn’t find anything.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, wait. That’s right. You’re hiding him out here like a dirty little secret.”

I frowned at my friend’s tone. “It’s not ideal, but it’s all I’ve got. Who knows why he was snatched up. Could have been opportunity or maybe he’s important to someone.”

“Plus there’s the fact you think you know his dad.”

Beau was really fucking annoying sometimes.

“Yes, Beau. That is another reason I haven’t involved the rest of the team. I’m sure I’ll get answers soon. If not, I’ll just jump in to help the hands until my brain uncovers the answer.”

He gave a hearty laugh before he clapped me on the back. “You know we don’t mind having you around. I’m just giving you shit because that sad look on your face was making us all miserable. Sol doesn’t need to see us sad. He needs to be surrounded by happy, healthy people who care for him. He may not have his bio dad here right now, but he’s got a dozen temporary papas.”

Beau jogged off to help Sol with an angry goat before I had the chance to reply. I stared at the two of them, then made my decision.

I was going to put away the negative emotions. It did none of us any good.

Sol needed support, just like Beau said. I’d be there for him until I found the answers he deserved. After that was a mystery.

CHAPTER 7

ARICK

I wentthrough the entire story with Detective Stabler. He remained patient as I broke down several times along the way.

It wasn't because I felt helpless or anything. It was because reliving the moment I realized my son was gone was so devastating. I cracked myself wide open to give him every little detail I could remember.

I had pictures with me, along with his birth certificate to prove that I was his father. Detective Stabler ran his hand over his mouth as he mumbled something I couldn't make out.

"Do you think you could help me?" I asked him.

He gave me a slow nod, his eyes not lifting from the paper. “I might not be the one to help you in particular, but I can connect you to some people who can find your boy. I don't know how much time they'll have to work on your case because they've been handling a lot lately. I think if we explain everything that's happened, though, they'll want to help. Hell, they just recently had a trafficking case roll across their desks. It might be so fresh that they jump at the chance to help right another wrong with the same issue.”

For the first time, I felt a sense of hope instead of dread. Maybe tracking the detective and convincing him to come wasthe right idea. I can't say that I'm proud of it, but I would do anything to get my son back, to have him with me again. And once he was in my arms, I would never let him go.

He's going to have to get married and make sure he has a two-bedroom house so that I can stay in one. It was that serious for me.

The detective handed me back the papers and straightened his jacket. “I need to make a call to work, let them know I have to take the rest of today and tomorrow off. We'll need to drive to meet the team. And I want to be there when things get explained. You shouldn't have to relive your trauma another time. Someone should have helped you long before now.”

The growl in his voice told me he was sick of seeing the justice system not do its part. That's how I knew he would be the right fit to help me. It was obvious in the way he handled himself and all the reports I'd read about him. He's the real deal.

“Thank you, Detective. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He shook his head. “I'm just doing what's right. You deserve to be reunited with him. Let me just make this call real quick, and we'll get on the road.”

He looked at his phone and stepped away from me. His words became background noise as I sank into my own thoughts and feelings.

He knew someone who could help me. Someone who would do what I had failed to. I focused on the feeling of what it would be like to find my son. Of what it would be like to be reunited with him.

The dream manifested itself and lifted my spirits even more.

It didn't take long for the detective to finish his call. Once he came back to me, he pointed towards the parking lot.

"Do you have a vehicle here?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing I can't leave behind. I'm yours. However you need me to be."

He chuckled, then clapped me on the shoulder. “I wish I had more men in my department like you. They're all whiny and annoying. Something about the youth these days.”

I grinned at his offhand comment. The man wasn't much older than me. Or maybe he was, and I just didn't pick up signals like I used to. I had become so entrenched in searching for me son that everything else was unimportant. I didn't care about people or places or things. I ate just to sustain my energy levels. I slept because I knew staying awake would make me unproductive.

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