Page 75 of Awakening the Sheriff

“Hey, kiddo,” Auden greeted softly. “Your dad’s being cautious, okay? No reason to worry yet. We’ll figure this out.”

Milton nodded, but the look on his face mirrored the terror gripping my heart. I wished I could offer him more reassurance, but I couldn’t lie to him. Not about something like this. If something happened to Byron, I’d regret it forever.

“Can I see Byron’s room?” Auden shifted into sheriff mode. I led him upstairs, and we stepped inside. The room was neat, almost unnervingly so. “Is anything missing?”

I scanned the space. Byron’s weekend bag—the one he always took when visiting his mother—was gone. In my panic earlier, I hadn’t even noticed.

“His weekend bag is missing. It’s always there.” I pointed at the corner. “And it looks like he took some clothes as well. I did laundry yesterday, so everything should be there, but it’s not.”

“Does he have access to money?” Auden asked, his brow furrowed.

“He has a bank account.”

I had already whipped out my phone. With a few swipes, I pulled up the banking app. My heart sank even further. “It’s empty. He withdrew everything…a few hundred dollars.”

I didn’t need Auden to tell me the inevitable conclusion. “Byron’s run away, hasn’t he?”

“It seems that way.”

“Can you—can you put out an Amber alert?”

Auden sighed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Amber alerts aren’t for runaway teens, especially not at Byron’s age.”

“Please. He’s my son. I’m so scared.”

“I understand.” Auden took my hand and pressed a kiss on it, an old-fashioned gesture that eased some of the tightness in my chest. “I’d be terrified too if one of my girls was missing. But the evidence points toward him leaving of his own will, and that means no Amber alert. We’ll do everything we can to bring him home, I promise.”

I blew out a breath. “Okay.

“Let’s check his computer,” Auden suggested.

“Good idea.” I led him to Byron’s desk. His laptop sat closed, and I opened it.

“Darn.” I didn’t know the password. Why didn’t I? Because I never thought I’d need it, that was why.

“Maybe I can help,” Milton said from behind us. “I saw him type it in once.”

“Really?” Relief and surprise at my younger son’s observance coursed through me.

“Yeah.” He stepped forward and pressed some keys. The screen unlocked, revealing Byron’s desktop.

“Nice work, Milton,” Auden said, then delved into Byron’s browser history. He clicked through the empty pages. “There’s nothing here. He cleared it and deleted all cookies. He must’ve planned this.”

“Where would he go?”

“Atlanta,” Auden and I both said simultaneously.

That had to be it, right? He’d taken off, trying to make it to Atlanta. That foolish, foolish boy. Didn’t he realize I’d travel to the end of the world to get him back? To make sure he was safe?

“This helps in locating him,” Auden says. “I know it doesn’t sound that way, but having a solid idea of where he might go is a big step in helping us find him.”

“Should I call Mandy? She could be involved.”

It wouldn’t even surprise me, given her history of deceit, and how sad was that?

Auden’s eyes filled with understanding. “That’s your decision, Keaton, but I recommend calling her. She might give something away if she’s involved. And if she isn’t… Despite everything, she’s still Byron’s mother and deserves to know he’s missing.”

I nodded, a heavy sigh escaping my lips. Auden was right. Clutching my phone, I dialed Mandy’s number, my heart pounding against my ribs.

---