Dad’s hand rests on my shoulder. “Let me watch this. Go get some sleep.”
I shake my head. It could take minutes or hours. But as soon as either site gives me an answer, I want to see where it takes me. Besides, running plates is somewhat quick. Especially when the cab is privately owned and not registered to a company, as so many tractor-trailer trucks are.
“Voss,” Dad says.
I sigh and twist in my rope swing to look at him. “I’m not leaving. I need to find him.”
Dad nods. “You have a child to tend to. Don’t forget that.”
I want to be wildly offended, but he’s right, and I haven’t thought of Axl at all over the last few hours. I know he’s safe. I can’t say the same for Brek.
“He’s not going to remember my absence over a few days when he’s this young. Brek will remember these days for the rest of his life,” I answer and turn back to the computer. “He’s with the nanny. He’s safe and being cared for.”
We don’t even know if Brek is alive or if we’re already too late.
Dad leans down and kisses the top of my head. Tears sting my eyes. His comfort dislodges the emotion I’m trying to keep in check, so my fear doesn’t overtake me.
“We’ll find him,” Dad says. “I need you to remember that you’re not going to be any good at finding him if you don’t get some sleep, too. You’re still human, Voss. You’re nearing twenty-four hours awake. What happens when you don’t get enough sleep?”
I press my lips together, not wanting to answer him. He’s not wrong. When I find where Brek is, I’m going in. There’s nothing in this world that will keep me sitting comfortably in my fucking office while someone else is going to find him.
Which means Dad is right.
“We have the Shuttled driver’s car,” Dad says. “We know when and where the next drop is.”
I inhale sharply. I’m going in. Wherever Brek is, I’m going to be in the next delivery.
Dad grips my shoulder, probably knowing exactly what I’m thinking. “That means you have until then to figure this out, so we’re not going in blind. Understand? Please know thatIunderstand you’re an adult, but if you don’t get some sleep between now and then, I will lock you up while someone else retrieves Brek. You’re not going to be a liability.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. My computer beeps, preventing me from needing to answer him. The facial recognition software is still searching, but the license plate results have come up. The truck is registered to an individual. That’s a relief.
“I anticipate that the trailer itself isn’t utilized by Quick,” Dad says as I stare at the name on my screen.
With the new information, I begin searching the name Walter Sylvester. With his name and address, I begin more searches to see what I can find.
I search for hours, staring mindlessly at the computer as I follow lead after lead. With the invention of cell phones, phone books are no longer as useful as they once were. Which means tracking down someone’s phone number is mindlessly tedious and leads to more dead ends than answers most of the time.
If it didn’t take so long to train someone how to do this, I’d give this task to Jessica.
The sun is coming up when hands land on my shoulders. I nearly jump out of my skin as I spin to look at my assailant. I’m expecting one of my brothers. Not my uncle Kairo.
“Go take a nap. I’ll keep searching,” he says.
I shake my head. “No, I got?—”
He physically pulls me up from the swing and pushes me toward the door. “You think my brother was joking when he said he’d lock you up and not let you go when we find your lover?”
“Do you even know how to… do all that?” I ask. There’s too much to encompass when asking, so I don’t get into specifics.
“It’s cute you all think I sit on a yacht all day and do nothing.” Uncle Kairo looks at my swing and how it’s attached to the desk. “Don’t you have a regular chair?”
“No,” I answer. “Just let me?—”
Uncle Kairo takes my seat. “Go away, Voss.”
For a minute, I stand there and stare at him, unsure what to do. But I’m fucking tired. My eyes burn. Now that I’m standing, my bladder is screaming too.
Turning, I find Jessica asleep on the table. On. The. Table. Dad’s suit jacket is draped over her, though I don’t know where Dad went.
