“So, you plan to meet someone, and then what?” Jamie asked.
“We’ll see. I can drive you to the party.”
“Oh.” He paused. “Thanks.”
Spencer didn’t mean to sound so blunt. He was just answering the question casually and honestly. But the moment Jamie said, “Oh,” and looked away, Spencer felt the shift. That tiny flicker in Jamie’s eyes, the way his shoulders dropped just a little. Disappointment. Hurt. Like Spencer had just confirmed something Jamie was hoping wasn’t true.
Spencer replayed his own words in his head.Looking for a little… pickings in Montana are slim.Damn. That sounded transactional. Cold. Like he was here to shop for someone, and Jamie was just a pit stop.
They’d only just met, but Jamie had this quiet vulnerability about him, like he’d been holding himself together with duct tape and hope. Spencer hadn’t meant to tug at that. He glancedover, watching Jamie try to mask whatever he was feeling with a polite smile.
Spencer felt a pang in his chest.Damn it. He thinks I’m just another guy passing through. Like I’m already halfway out the door.
He wanted to say something to soften the blow. To explain that yeah, he’d come looking, but not like that. Not like Jamie was just a name on a list. But the moment had already passed, and Jamie was staring out the window like he’d rather be anywhere else.
Spencer messed that up.Slow down. Be better.
“I want to get to know more about you. Tell me something—anything.”
“I need my binky.”
“Pacifier?”
“Yes. I can’t sleep without it.”
“Did you leave it in Tom’s car?” Spencer knew Jamie hadn’t mentioned Tom dumped him here, but his story about being jumped made no sense. He didn’t have a single bruise on him. As far as he knew, there were no buses from Brentwood to Big Bear.
Jamie nodded. “In my backpack.”
“What kind of vehicle does Tom drive?”
“A brand-new black Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.” Jamie closed his eyes for a minute.
Spencer thought about the Back Door parking lot when he clicked his door opener, he saw a black Jeep. The guy with the red hair. Just like Jamie had described him and his vehicle. He had felt something was dark about the man, and even Alfie didn’t like him. What had he done to Jamie?
“I can run to the twenty-four general store and pick up a binky for you. Do you want to come with me or wait here?”
“I’ll wait here. I’m nice and comfy.”
Spencer got up and put on his jeans and sweater, then went to the store. What he didn’t expect was to see the red-haired man, Tom, at the counter buying whiskey and beer.
Spencer hadn’t expected to feel this kind of heat in his chest—anger, protectiveness, something sharp and primal. He’d left the cabin with a simple mission: grab a few essentials for Jamie. Socks, a toothbrush, binky, and maybe a sweater. Something to make the boy feel human again. But standing in line at the store, he knew it was him.
Red hair. Smug expression. Same guy who’d been creeping on Alfie at the bar this evening. Jamie had described him almost exactly. Spencer’s stomach dropped.
He turned toward the wide front window, scanning the parking lot. There it was. A black Jeep. Sleek, expensive-looking. Spencer’s pulse kicked up.No way. Could it really be the same guy?The one who left Jamie stranded in a snowstorm with nothing but a hoodie and a broken heart?
Spencer’s jaw clenched. He considered walking up to him, asking his name, seeing if he flinched. But what if he was the guy? What if he smirked or shrugged it off? Spencer didn’t trust himself not to throw a punch.
He paid for the items in a rush, barely registering the cashier’s greeting, and bolted to his truck. He tailed the Jeep through the winding roads, keeping a safe distance but never letting it out of sight. When it pulled up to a cabin and the redhead got out, suitcase in hand, Spencer parked a few spots down and waited.
Once the man disappeared inside, Spencer approached the Jeep, heart pounding. He peered through the window. There it was. A backpack and a suitcase.
Spencer’s fists curled at his sides. He wanted to bust the window, grab the bags, storm into the cabin, and demandanswers. How could someone do that to Jamie? Leave him out there like trash. Like he didn’t matter.
But Spencer didn’t move. He just stared at the bags, breathing hard, trying to keep the fury from boiling over. He didn’t know the full story. Not yet. But he knew enough to hate what he was seeing.
He turned and walked back to his truck, slamming the door harder than he meant to. The drive back to his cabin was quiet, but his mind wasn’t. He kept picturing Jamie curled up in the bed, trying to act like he wasn’t falling apart. Spencer had seen the cracks. Had held him while he cried.
