Page 51 of Four Stepbrothers for Christmas

I watched Becca closely, admiring her resolve. Her bond with Mikey was clear, and her willingness to step into the fray to help him was both admirable and frightening. I knew in that moment, whatever the plan, I'd stand by her side, ready to face whatever came our way. The sentiment was silently shared among all of us; we were a team, and nothing was going to stand in our way.

Chapter 32

Luke

The room buzzed with tension and anticipation as we all considered how to tackle the Mikey situation. It’d already been a few hours since he left, and that was more than enough time for an addict to get up to trouble. Watching Becca worry about him made it impossible to stand idly by.

Sal squared his shoulders. "Mary and I will take a few areas and start the search."

"No, wait," Becca intervened, catching them before they could get up. She wore a look that conveyed she wanted to protect her mother from any more distress, if only for a while. "Let me handle Mikey. Give yourselves some time to think, process everything, like you said. I promise we'll take care of it."

Sal looked ready to protest, but a soft touch on his arm from Mary halted him. He nodded silently. "She's right," he murmured, his eyes meeting Becca’s. "We need some time. And it’s a good idea for us to hold down the fort here in case he comes back. Let’s go upstairs, okay?”

Mary nodded in a manner that made it clear she was still in something of a daze from the conversation we’d just had. Dad staying here with her was the right call.

Sal's gaze rested on each of us, finally landing on me. I nodded reassuringly. As they headed upstairs, I could feel the weight of responsibility on our collective shoulders, the unspoken promise that we would bring Mikey home safely.

The bedroom door upstairs had barely closed behind them when Becca's tone shifted from concerned sister to resourceful woman on a mission."No need to split up or search blindly. I've had an Airtag on Mikey's phone for a while now." She gave a sheepish smile. "Big sister instincts. I’ve always worried he’d get lost one day, quite literally.”

I grinned despite the situation. "Always one step ahead, aren't you?"

Isaac raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "That's smart."

She shrugged, opening her laptop. "I wanted to be prepared. Now, let's see where my wayward brother has taken himself."

We all huddled around as she brought up a tracking app. A blip on the screen indicated Mikey's location.

Vinnie let out a whistle. "Well, he's not that far. Looks to be about three miles from here.”

Archer looked thoughtful, his strategic mind plotting. "We should approach cautiously. We don't know the kind of people he's with or what state he's in."

Becca's fingers danced over the keyboard, pulling up a street view of the location. A rundown building, graffiti-covered, and looking all sorts of suspicious, greeted our eyes.

"That's our spot," Becca declared, determination in her voice.

I felt a surge of protectiveness, not just for Becca, but for Mikey as well. "Alright," I said, taking charge, "We’ll go there, scope out the scene. If anything goes sideways, I want us to all be there together.”

Becca nodded in agreement. This was family, and when family was on the line, we took no chances. We were going in prepared, and we would bring Mikey home. Safe. We headed out, taking our rental car.

The SUV's engine purred beneath us, the smooth rumble cutting through the silence that had settled within the vehicle. In the confines of the car, the atmosphere was dense. The combination of concern for Mikey and the unresolved questions about the nature of our relationship with Becca weighed down the mood. As the afternoon air rushed by, the shadows from the trees outside played a silent dance on the road.

I let out a slow breath, trying to keep my composure, then turned my attention to Becca. In the low light, I could see her profile, lips slightly parted, eyes fixed ahead, lost in thought. I reached over, taking her hand, feeling the warmth of her fingers intertwined with mine. "You doing okay?"

She blinked and looked at me, surprise evident in her eyes as if she'd forgotten for a moment that she wasn't alone in her worries. "Yeah," she began slowly, "I mean, considering the circumstances, I’m holding up. Just worried about my brother."

I squeezed her hand, attempting to convey as much comfort as I could. "We'll find him. And we'll help him. That’s a promise."

My thoughts began to drift back to the challenges ahead. Becca seemed to sense the shift in my mood, her fingers squeezing mine. "Hey," she whispered, her voice soft, "we'll get through this, alright? All of it."

I nodded, pulling her close. "Together."

She snuggled against my side, and I kissed the top of her head.

"I was just thinking about something," she started, the edges of her lips curling upward.

I watched her closely, curious. "What's on your mind?"

Becca's gaze fixed on the winding road ahead, her eyes glazed in remembrance. "I was thinking about this one summer, when Mikey and me were kids playing near the woods behind our old house."

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