“Oh, my sweet boy, no. It’s okay. You’ll be okay. You’re home now. God, Ryan, I...” Her voice broke, and she was crying, and her arm wrapped around his shoulders.
He leaned into her, let her comfort him, and somehow he knew he was also comforting her, even though he felt like he had nothing at all to give.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jake
“Thanks,Jake,”Suesaidas she unfastened her seat belt. “And I mean it. Give me a call in a few days and let me know how you’re feeling. Okay?”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, yeah, of course. And thank you again. I’m not sure how I got through this last week. It was rough.”
“I bet. Take care, okay?”
Sue climbed out of the car and closed the door behind her, then she gave him a light wave and unlocked her own car. Jake watched as she pulled out of the parking lot of the small medical clinic, which was just down the street from the police station, then, when her car was gone and he was finally alone again, Jake closed his eyes, blew out a long, deep breath, and lowered his head to rest on the steering wheel.
Exhaustion attacked him from all sides—not just a product of the day, but of the whole week. He and Sue had just gone to the general store to get Shirley’s car, driven it over to the Davis home, and then come back to the medical clinic, where Sue’s car had been parked. It was the last thing in the long list of things he’d done today. He hoped that was it—that his day was effectively over and he could go home, have something to eat, and fall into bed. But realistically, he knew he needed to be ready for a much longer night. Neither Wayne nor Rachel had been entirely sure what was going to happen, but they’d both warned him of the possibility that whoever was sent over from the county or state police departments might need to talk to him again, and right away. So he should be prepared to head back into town if needed. It was also likely that they’d want to come over to his house in the morning and check out the beach where Jake had found Rye a week ago, see if they could find any clues as to where Rye had come from, or... something.
In any case, he was beat. The pain in his leg had finally,finallyeased, thanks to the medication he’d taken earlier, and that was a huge relief.
Yet the pain in his heart had been growing all evening. And now, though he wanted to go straight home—though he knew heshouldgo straight home—a part of him wanted to head back to Sycamore Avenue to make sure Rye was doing okay.
How... completely, terrifyingly awful. Now that Jake was sitting alone in his car, the only sound the high-pitched humming of the single light illuminating the parking lot, the entire situation suddenly seemed a whole lot heavier.
The last hour or so, he’d been trying not to let his mind run amok, but that was what it had been doing. Putting together the worst possible scenarios with all the little pieces he had. Every flinch from Rye might have meant... something. Every word Rye had said, and every word hehadn’tsaid. Sleeping on the floor rather than in the bed, and hiding out in the corner of the room. The way he’d savored every bite of Jake’s poor cooking. The way he’d not known how to playMario Kart. And his fascination with the TV and the view outside and the dolphins.
And, fuck, the way he’d shown up seemingly out of nowhere, freezing and with his clothes dirty and in tatters, obviously malnourished, with that gash on his cheek and the bruising on his chest and sides.
There was no one who lived nearby Jake, not for at least a couple of miles, where the first few small streets of houses from the town extended down his direction. And yet, Rye had to have come from somewhere. He had to have been somewhere, not too long before Jake had found him.
Somewhere . . . restrained by someone.
Fifteen years ago, he had to have beentaken, not lost. Taken, hidden away somewhere, and treated in the worst way.
God. Jake’s stomach hadn’t been settled in hours now, and the thought of where Rye might have been certainly didn’t help that.
With a long, tired sigh, Jake straightened up, put his car in reverse, and backed out of the parking spot. As much as he wanted to head back over to the Davises’, he knew he’d just be intruding. Apparently, Rachel would be staying there overnight, so at least he was sure everyone would be safe. Rye would be safe. And Rye’s uncle and aunt, who lived just about fifteen minutes up the coast, were also there for the evening.
Jake didn’t belong. Although maybe he’d give Rachel a call later, just to be sure everything was okay.
After the short ten-minute drive, he pulled up in front of his house and killed the engine. Part of him wanted to just sit there for a few minutes before he headed back inside, but another part of him knew he couldn’t. His sister would be calling soon, and... god, he needed to talk to her.
He opened up the door and stood, then gathered his new cane from the back seat and limped up the walkway to his porch. The house was dark and probably cold, and for some reason right then, he hated the feeling of being alone.
Not that he was scared to be alone. No, not that. He just wished his sister were here, so he could hug her and tell her in person how much he loved her. And his nephew, too—his silly, compassionate, outgoing nephew who was only two years older than Rye had been when...
A deep shudder ran through him as he grasped the railing at the bottom of the porch steps and stopped.
That was something he couldnotlet himself think about. What-ifs and worst-case scenarios and all that. No, Phil was safe. And now, Rye was safe too. Safe andhomewith his family, where he belonged.
And Jake had better hurry before Krista called orhewouldn’t be safe. That thought made him chuckle lightly, though it didn’t really push away all of his unease, and with a final shake of his head, he hobbled up the two steps leading to the porch and let himself inside his home.
“Hey,Kris.”
“Hey, Jake . . . How are you doing?”
His sister’s tone was unusually solemn, and Jake chuckled lightly. “No wasting time getting right to the important questions, huh? I was expecting you to remind me of how much of a lunkhead I am first.”
Jake stared out over the ocean, the water nearly black in the darkness of early evening. Weak light from the half-moon above made the water glitter and sparkle on occasion as small waves crested out away from the shore, but the water was also oddly still, it seemed. Even the waves hitting the shoreline below seemed gentler than normal.
