I paced the length of the living room while the ringtone sang in my ear. Silently, I urged Joshua to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Joshua, I need your help. Brandon ran away. Are you able to come over?” I quickly asked.
“Shit, he ran away?”
“Yes.”
“Damn. What happened? Is he okay? Did you get all dark sadist-y on him?”
I stopped in my tracks, closed my eyes, and tilted my head back. I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and stared at the ceiling.
“Joshua. First of all, what is ‘dark sadist-y' as opposed to ‘light sadist-y?’ In all my years and experience, I have never heard that term. And second, something triggered Brandon badly at Andrew and Elise’s this afternoon. We’d just gotten home, and I sat with him for a while, hoping he’d talk. I went to take a shower, and when I came back, he was gone. Now, I’m trying very hard to be patient and explain things to you, but every second I spend on the phone is another moment that my pup is gone.”
“I’m sorry, James. I’m out the door and on my way over. I’ll be there within fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you. If possible, please scan the streets for him. He was wearing jeans and a dark red short-sleeved t-shirt.”
I hung up with Joshua and then called Alison. Oddly, I had an easier time with her on the phone than I had with Joshua.
“Oh my god! He ran away? Poor Brandon. I’ll be right over.”
With my helpers on their way over, I notified Sam. I thought there might be a chance that Brandon might seek people he knew and trusted.
“I’m off in about an hour. I’ll swing by your place afterward,” Sam offered.
“Thank you, Sam. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s a big city, James. Don’t go out by yourself.”
“Joshua and Alison are both on their way over, and I might give Andrew a call.”
“Very well. Give Garrett a call too. I’ll be over as soon as I get off work,” Sam reiterated before we got off the phone.
I decided to reach out to Garrett as Sam had suggested. After all, Garrett was the man who literally pulled my pup from the cage he had been kept in. Plus, being an FBI agent, I thought that his reach and search abilities would extend deeper than mine.
Even though Andrew and Elise’s party was probably still going on, I phoned Andrew. Brandon and Andrew had actually bonded over the past few months very easily. Andrew would come get Brandon every Friday evening, and they’d go to a sports bar. Getting out like that had been healthy for Brandon, and the time he spent with Andrew meant a lot to him. I thought there might be a chance that Brandon would try to get all the way down to Riverside.
“I’m going to come help you look for him,” Andrew said as soon as I told him.
“Andrew, you have a house full of people. I just wanted you to be aware in case Brandon showed up on your doorstep.”
I stood and walked to the door when I heard a car pull up. I glanced out the front window and saw that it was Joshua, so I opened the front door so he would know to let himself in.
“I don’t think Brandon would come down here, James. For one, he hates Elise. She used him to get to me, and he’s felt guilty for it ever since.”
“I’ve spoken to Brandon about this. He’s relaxed considerably over it.”
“Still, he wouldn’t come here because she’s here. Besides, I think the house made him uncomfortable. I know that you noticed how tense and pale he got when I showed you guys the rec room with the pool table,” Andrew stated.
I sighed while I decided how much information that I wanted to share right now with Andrew. Clearly, Andrew would rather come help me find Brandon than be where he was at. I nodded at Joshua when he came inside and then walked to the kitchen to grab my car fob.
“Brandon was routinely abused around a pool table. For parties, his wrists were bound to corner pockets. Sometimes he was tied down on top of the table. The sons of bitches would hit the balls against his head or face. He was beaten and assaulted by cruel people with pool sticks. His hands were a wreck when he was brought to the hospital because of it,” I explained. Joshua was nearby, and I was aware that he could hear too.
“Shit. No wonder he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked like he was going to pass out.”
“Andrew, Joshua just arrived, so I need to get going.”
