Page 20 of Addicted

It was almost too much. Determination and work were what kept Owen going most of the time, as well as the knowledge that he was in the right. Although he’d had some blame for the demise of their marriage, Sharon was the one who’d run off with their son. They’d been discussing divorce and he had been naive enough to think that they were going to settle things amicably, so he’d been blindsided.

The shock and pain had ripped Owen apart in such a way that he wouldn’t completely heal until he got Michael back. He was currently in therapy, with someone Freddy recommended to a lot of clients, and Dr. Lawson kept Owen from wanting to lock himself in a dark room or work himself to death in avoidance. That’s how Owen knew Liam was suffering. The look in his eyes was similar to what Owen saw in the mirror the first few months that Michael was gone.

“No, I don’t believe it’s a threat but does it matter?” Freddy’s tone was firm, deep, and no-nonsense. “She just reiterated to me what I already know. They’re going to do everything they can to bleed you dry and block us at every turn which, I hate to say, is happening.”

“True,” Owen rested his head back on the padded top of the chair and closed his eyes. “Yet money and influence only go so far.”

“Mr. Reynolds is not a king, his family is not royalty. We might not be able to outreach his money but I will outreach his lawyers. Do you still want to proceed?”

Owen did want to proceed but he was hitting a wall. The frustration and defeat were exhausting and even though he’d been trying to do this by the book, right now he wanted to call Finn and the few buddies who had helped him install his pool, hire someone less than reputable to figure out where Michael was and kidnap him. Could that even be called kidnapping?

“Of course.” Owen’s voice was surprisingly steady for how tangled he felt inside. “I want my son back.”

“I thought you’d say that. I have some ideas. Let me look into a few things and I’ll get back to you.” Freddy’s confidence wasn’t bluster. He won most of his cases and took this roadblocking personally which worked in Owen’s favor.

“Thank you, Freddy. I know you’re doing all you can.”

“You’re more than welcome, Owen.” Owen could hear Freddy’s impish grin through the phone. Broad and imposing, Freddy had sharp scrutinous eyes and a presence that demanded he be heard, it was like he’d been born to be a lawyer. “Listen, I know I advised against you selling the house-”

“You thought it would be a mark against me in the custody battle,” Owen interrupted, opening his eyes. “Judges want to place children in their original homes if possible and staying there would’ve increased my chances at full custody. But you know why I had to sell. You’re not doing this for free. You have to eat too.”

“True,” Freddy laughed. “But I’m glad you didn’t listen to me this one time. Despite today’s news, you sound better. The move seems to be good for you.”

“Oh? That’s…that’s nice of you to say. Thanks.” Owen perked up. He’d been doubting so many of his decisions lately so hearing that he was making a few good ones lifted his spirits a bit. “I’m not going to lie, it’s hard. Especially when I get calls like this. I guarantee that I’ll sound much better when I get to see Michael again.”

“And I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen.” Freddy’s tone was solemn. “I’ll be in touch. Take care, Owen.”

“You too,” Owen replied absently. The weight of his loss pressed down on him and he tossed his phone on the desk, wondering if he should call his therapist or Finn, but he didn’t want to talk to either of them. He hadn’t even told Finn that Liam wasn’t a hallucination anddidwork at The Pointe, but right now the whole Liam situation felt very private and tenuous. A lot of things in Owen’s life felt that way, especially his connection with his son, and Owen reached for his cell again, pulling up the last picture he’d taken of Michael.

Days before Michael had been stolen away, Owen took him to the park, stopping for ice cream on the way home at a tiny place where you ordered at a window and ate on the benches outside. That particular ice cream shop was on a hill with sweeping views all around, making it worth the short drive out of town, and Michael had been so entranced that he’d let his ice cream melt until a large splotch of mint chocolate chip had ended up on his shirt. Owen managed to snap a quick photo while Michael had been holding his shirt out, looking at the stain and laughing at himself. His smile was infectious, just like his father’s, the only difference being that Michael was missing a front tooth. As Owen stared at the photo he wondered if the new tooth had started to grow in, if Michael had lost any other teeth, and if there was someone putting money under his pillow when he left them for the Tooth Fairy.

Owen now understood why they called it heartbreak because being away from his son made his heart feel like it was shattering in his chest. Remembering that he had support, he called and left a message for Dr. Lawson, who was in session, and then he locked his office door, turned off the light, set the timer on his phone for five minutes, and let himself cry.

8

LIAM

“Liam,goupstairsandsee if Owen wants to come to Bar None with us,” Marci said in a hushed tone, as if it were a secret. The last few guests had left and the disc jockey was packing up his equipment as various members of The Pointe’s staff cleared tables around the room. They still had at least an hour of cleanup ahead of them and, after the long afternoon at Owen’s officeandworking a reception, the last thing that Liam wanted to do was invite his old-neighbor-slash-new-boss for a drink.

“Marci, I don’t-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m very aware that you’re anti-social but if you ask him there’s more of a chance he’ll say yes.”

“Me? Why me?” Liam watched as she began collecting glasses at the bar behind them, a knowing smirk on her face.

“Are you kidding? Did you see the way he hugged you yesterday? And immediately made you his new assistant? It’s like you’re his long-lost friend or something. Well, I guess you kinda are!” She nudged his shoulder. “Ask him. If he says no, then you don’t have to come with us tonight, you’re off the hook. You look bushed anyway.”

“Thanks.”Liam raised an eyebrow. He knew that after his short breakdown in the storage room, he was a little worse for wear but he didn’t think it was terribly noticeable. He’d been low the entire night and had needed a few extra breaks to steel himself but hedidmake it through.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Marci put up her hands in mock defense. “But it seems like you had a long night. Is your stomach okay?”

Liam thought about lying but decided against it. He only wanted to use the illness excuse when he truly needed it.

“It’s good for now,” he said quietly, helping Marci put the glasses in a tub. “It’s just that working for Owen and then coming down here…”

“Is it as bad up there as I think it is?” Marci’s voice was also hushed, this time because it was an actual secret.

“It’s worse,” Liam whispered back and he would’ve laughed at Marci’s pinched expression if he had the ability. Right now, he was running on fumes and wanted to go home, take the other pill Zach gave him, and sleep.

---