“I have to go,” Brutus said, cupping my face.
“Okay, I can catch an Uber over to my sister’s.”
“No.” He shook his head adamantly. “You’ll stay here. Rick will keep you company until I get back.” He looked over at his father, who nodded.
“Sure will.”
“Take your time and enjoy dinner. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He kissed me firmly before pulling back. When he did, I saw regret in his eyes. He looked as if this situation was tearing him in two. He didn’t want to go, and he felt guilty because he felt obligated.
“It’s okay,” I whispered.
He visibly swallowed before releasing me. I watched him grab his keys, give me one final look, and then head out the door.
I turned to Rick, who, surprisingly, stared worriedly in the direction his son had just left.
“What’s code black?”
Rick’s expression was grim. “One of the Townsend kids is missing.”
CHAPTER15
Brutus
I made it to Joshua and Kayla’s house in under fifteen minutes.
“Where the hell is my son?” Joshua fumed at one of my staff as I entered the door. At least ten members of my security, along with all of Joshua’s brothers, were there. Their wives had remained home with the children, but I watched Kayla sniffling on the phone and knew she was probably on the phone with her sisters-in-law.
“Brutus,” she called as soon as she saw me. “He’s here. I have to go.”
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and my heart constricted in my chest. Hot anger rushed through me.
“What happened?” I asked Joshua and Kayla.
Joshua held Kayla, who leaned on him for support.
“Nothing,” Kayla answered. “It was a normal night. I put the kids to bed and said goodnight to them. A few hours later, I went up to peek in on their rooms like I always do, and—” She broke off.
“Cole was gone. He’d remade his bed,” Josh gritted out. “How the hell could someone get in or out with our alarm system?” he demanded to know.
“I already checked your security system. No one got in,” I told them. With pinched lips, I took the tablet Bernie handed me and pulled up their security system’s cameras. “Cole got out,” I said grimly.
Cole was the couple’s nine-year-old adopted son. He’d been with them for a little over eighteen months.
“Mommy.”
All of the adults turned toward the staircase. There stood eight-year-old Victoria, the couple’s firstborn daughter.
“What’s wrong? Where’s Cole?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
Kayla rushed over to her, whispering something to her daughter.
“Where the hell is my son, Brutus?” Joshua demanded to know once Kayla carried Victoria back upstairs.
“We’ve got eyes out looking for him,” I assured.
“That’s not good enough. He’s nine, and he shouldn’t be out at night by himself.” Joshua’s stormy face told the depths of his fear.
