Page 61 of On The Run

Chapter27

Max

Twelve hours later,we weren’t any closer to finding Aiden. Manny was transported back to Denver a few hours ago, but our group stayed at a hotel in Wyoming since we were pretty sure that was where Aiden was. It could be a decoy, and Santino may have back traveled back to Colorado, or hell, he could be back in New York by now for all we fucking knew, but something told me he was here. From what we learned from Manny, and from the partial profile one of Kai’s friends in the FBI created, it seemed like Santino would want every second he could manage for Aiden’s reconditioning. And due to the car accident Aiden caused two years ago, he wouldn’t risk transporting him around more than necessary.

The profiler believed that he would have hunkered down no more than two hours away from the ranch. But unfortunately, that still gave us a lot of fucking area to search. One thing about Southern Wyoming, there were a lot of fucking mountains and uninhabited terrain. It was known for being one of the states that it was easiest to go off-the-grid, and now that I was faced with trying to find someone here, I saw just how true that was.

Aspen had been using satellite images to try and search in grids in an attempt to make it easier. I didn’t ask how he had access to satellites; I honestly didn’t want to know. While he continued the tedious task of searching grid after grid, I called Laura to check in on Gray.

“Well, hi, Liam, fancy hearing from you.”

I frowned at the phone even if my sister couldn’t see me. “Liam?”

“Yeah, you know. Like Liam Neeson. Since you’re acting like his character inTaken, it only seems fitting.”

I couldn’t help it. All of the stress and worry I had been carrying on my shoulders since I woke up and saw Aiden gone came to a head and I started laughing. It wasn’t just a quiet laugh, which would be fitting for Laura’s ridiculous joke. No, I was full-on guffawing. I was laughing so fucking hard that I was crying, and everyone in the room was watching me like I’d lost my damn mind.

It was contagious though, and I could hear Laura doing a similar impression of mine through the phone. Once I’d finally composed myself enough so I could speak, I quickly wiped the tears off my face. Fuck, that felt good. It was crazy how much I needed that.

“Shit, Laura. You’re insane, but I love you.”

Laura snorted. “I love you too, little bro. But I have a feeling that’s not why you called.”

I sighed, reality hitting me like a ton of bricks. “No, unfortunately not.”

“Still nothing?” Laura asked quietly, probably because Gray was nearby.

“No. We’re looking, but nothing so far.”

Laura was uncharacteristically serious. “You’ll find him, Max.”

Fuck, I hoped she was right. Every minute that went by made that harder and harder to believe. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about what he was going through, and the longer we took, the longer he was suffering. I kept trying to remind myself that Manny was pretty sure Giovani had no intention of killing Aiden, but I wasn’t sure that made it better. If we couldn’t find him, would it be better for his suffering to end quickly? Bile rose in my throat from even considering that fate. No, we would find Aiden. We would bring him home, and no matter what he needed to get through whatever he'd suffered, I’d make sure he got it. I had to keep telling myself that or I would break beyond repair.

“How is everything there?” I asked, changing the subject.

Laura realized this, of course, but didn’t call me on it. “As good as can be expected. Dad and I were able to convince Mom not to blow up your phone or, worse, drive to fucking Wyoming herself. She’s attached to Aiden. Once he’s back home, you can’t let him go, Max. I think it will break Mom’s heart.”

I choked on a laugh that was partly a sob. “It would break mine too,” I said quietly.

Laura heard me but thankfully, she brushed past it. “Mom and Dad are going to Denver to see Manny today. They don’t want him alone. I’ll keep Gray with me.”

Once again, tears started to form in my eyes. My emotions were all over the place today. I just couldn’t express how grateful I was for my parents. They loved their children unconditionally and were just so kind and generous. If I was half the person they both were, I’d be lucky.

“That’s great,” I said, sounding a little rough. “He’ll like that.” I needed to move on before I lost it. “Where is Gray? Is he around for me to talk to?”

I practically heard Laura’s eye roll. “No, I decided I needed a break so I dropped him off in the alley behind that Chinese restaurant you like. I figured he’d keep busy playing with the rats.”

“Fuck you, Laura. You know what I meant.”

My annoying sister just laughed. “Yeah, I know. He’s playing outside with Jana and my neighbor’s kid. Let me grab him.”

There was some rustling and the sounds of doors opening and closing, and then I finally heard the sound of wind as Laura stepped outside.

“Hey, Gray-man, your dad’s on the phone. Do you want to talk to him?”

I heard an excited shout and then my son’s voice on the other end. “Daddy?”

“Hey, buddy, it’s me.”

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