“Talk to your brother-in-law about that,” Tracy said bitterly. “I was completely opposed, but Mike said Ethan’s friends were doing it and he’d resent us if he wasn’t allowed to do what they could. I said he was far too young to be set loose in this city, that nothing good would come of it. Especially after what we went through with Brooke… I just wanted him here where he was safe.” She ran her fingers through her hair as frustration rolled off her in waves. “I hate to say I was right, but…”
Sam took a seat next to Tracy and reached for her sister, holding her close while she sobbed.
“If something has happened to Ethan,” Tracy said between hiccupping sobs, “I’ll never forgive Mike. Ever.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They could be off on some crazy adventure they don’t want anyone to know about.”
“He wouldn’t do that. He knew if he went off the grid, he’d never leave this house again on his own.”
“Peer pressure can be intense,” Sam reminded her. “You know how kids can be about that. If one of his friends told him he was a wimp or a baby for not going along with them, then he might risk everything to fit in with the crowd.”
“Ethan’s not like that. He’s more a leader than a follower. He always has been. Remember when he was little, and he used to convince Brooke to play trucks with him when she had no interest whatsoever? He was so persuasive that she couldn’t resist.”
“I do remember that, but it doesn’t mean he’s not susceptible to being swayed by a peer he looks up to. If this Brecken kid is older, Ethan might be trying to gain favor with him by following his lead. Who knows?”
“I suppose that’s possible. I like that better than thinking some human trafficker grabbed them and we’ll never see him again.”
“Try not to go to the worst-case scenario. There could be a perfectly innocent explanation for this.”
Tracy raised her head off Sam’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Do you honestly think that’s possible?”
Sam didn’t, but she’d never say so to Tracy. “Let’s follow the information and see where it leads, okay? Don’t let your mind run away with you.”
“Too late. It’s already long gone.”
* * *
“We’ve got to do something,” Nick said to Freddie. “We’ve got to find this Brecken kid and figure out who his parents are.”
He was increasingly concerned that this would turn out to be tied to him somehow, and if one hair on Ethan’s precious head was harmed because of his relationship to Nick… He’d fucking resign.
That would take him right over the edge.
“I’ve got a call in to the principal at Hardy Middle School to figure out who he is.”
“What about a search of the Master Names Database for kids named Brecken?” Sam asked when she came into the room. “We can do a cross-agency check and make sure you use different spellings of the name. We need to check Ethan’s and Tomas’s social media for any ties to him. Maybe he’s listed in a news article about school sports or an honor roll or something?”
“I’ll work on those angles now,” Freddie said as she walked toward the front door. To Nick, he added, “The name is fairly popular.”
“I’d never heard it before,” Nick said.
“Me either until a recent case, but there’re quite a few of them around Ethan’s age. I’m making a note of each one I find and will follow up to figure out which one is with Ethan.”
“Thank you for coming to help. We appreciate it.”
“You guys are family. Tracy and her crew are, too.”
Nick squeezed their friend’s shoulder. “Same goes.” Then he got up to consult with Brant, who was hovering in the doorway to the living room. Nick led the agent into the dining room to speak to him privately. “I’m worried this is related to me somehow. If someone took him because he’s my nephew, what the hell will I do?”
“I’ve alerted our entire local team to be on alert that a member of the president’s immediate family is missing and presumed to be in danger.”
“Oh, thank you for doing that.”
“No problem, sir. Anything like this triggers a huge response from the Secret Service, even if the person in question isn’t under our protection. He’s related to you and the first lady, which makes him ours in a situation such as this.”
“That’s actually comforting. Pass along my thanks to everyone involved.”
“I will, sir. I’ll keep you informed.”
