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This last year I learned so much, letting him beat the shit out of me, do countless terrible things—while documenting every fucking bruise. Collecting enough proof to stop my monster.
“This is the last time you’ll ever raise your hand to me again. The last time you will ever see us again. I hope you rot in hell,” I say, spinning on my heel and trudging down the steps as the guards stop him from following me.
“I’ll get you bitch. When you least expect it, I’ll be there. And you’ll be mine again,” he shouts the dark promise after me, sending shivers down my spine. A deep sense of foreboding washes over me.
“Arden,” a deep voice shakes me out of the memory and I raise my hand to my eye, remembering the swelling and the pain. I would do it all again to keep Theo away from that piece of shit.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” I ask Tucker as he tracks the movement of my hand. “I was asking if your ex-husband is much of an outdoorsman. You mentioned your concerns that this could be an abduction.”
He speaks quietly, keeping his voice low enough to keep my secrets. Jeremy should know about Frank—I have to tell him, but the thought of his face, the look of pity in his eyes… I want to avoid it for as long as possible.
“No, he hates the outdoors, camping, and whatnot,” I tell him quickly, and his brow furrows in thought.
Suddenly, Blue lets out a howl, and Mayhem rushes over to sniff at the same spot where Blue is alerting. He shoves his nose deep in the ground before circling the spot three times. The dog’s hair stands on end, his body vibrating with excitement.
“Did he catch the scent trail?” I ask, breathless with hope. Even if Frank has Theo, we still need to find him. Jeremy cracks the first smile I’ve seen from him since this all began, and that confirms it.
“Search,” the two men shout in unison, and the dogs lope off. Picking up the pace, I fall into a steady jog, doing my best to keep up as the woods rush by in my peripheral vision. My eyes lock on Mayhem’s bushy tail, refusing to even blink in case I lose sight. This is it.
We call out Theo’s name at regular intervals, but he never answers. Despair swirls in my gut, but I push it down. There’s no space out here for negative thoughts. And the dogs remain steadfast—their noses following the scent without fail.
Jogging is not one of my preferred activities, and my breathing quickly becomes labored, my calves and thighs burn, but fuck that. The sound of my panting fills my ears, and my pulse pounds out of my chest. Sweat coats me, but I don’t stop for even a moment to remove my sweatshirt—the discomfort is nothing. I’ve endured way worse to ensure my boy’s safety.
The only thing that matters is following that bushy tail.
Tucker and Jeremy easily keep up while we make our way through the wooded paths. The dogs stop suddenly, sitting next to a bush. Blue touches his nose to it—what does that mean?
My heart pounds harder than it did while running, and I look left and right. A scream fills my throat.
“Theo! Theo!” I shout, rushing closer. Why have the dogs stopped? I don’t see my son anywhere. My stomach drops to the floor.
Jeremy jogs forward, grabbing something, and bringing it back toward me. He holds out his hand, and in his palm, drifting with my panting breaths, is a little red thread.
“Oh, my goodness… he was wearing his red Mario shirt,” I remember suddenly. Guilt pours over me, engulfing me. His favorite shirt—of course, he wore it to play with Dylan. How could I not guess that? I’m the worst fucking mom. Frank was right all along.
But even as condemnation drowns all my senses, just the tiniest shimmer of hope forces me to kick for the surface. He was here…
“That’s great news, Sugar. Means we’re on the right track,” Jeremy says, grabbing a little baggie and sliding the material in. Tucker uses a radio to call back to base camp and let them know. The guys explain that finding it means we are getting closer so the others know where to head in their searches. The smaller the area, the better chance there is of finding Theo quickly.
Jeremy pulls a water bottle out of his bag, offering it to me and tossing another to Tucker, who pops the top and immediately pours about half into a pop-up bowl for the dogs before guzzling the rest himself.
“Shouldn’t we keep going?” I ask desperately—standing around isn’t going to find Theo. The cool plastic crinkles in my hands, but I don’t open it. Instead, I look around, noticing for the first time that the sun has gone down. The sky is still light, painted in the blues and deep purples of late twilight. Shadows deepen between the trees, and an eerie quiet descends as the animals disappear into burrows and nests for the night. Hiding. A few stars twinkle in the sky, not quite bright yet, but them being visible at all has fear clutching my chest. “It’s getting dark.”
“Gonna get moving in just a second. Promise. Just want to make sure the dogs get water. Their noses actually pick up scents faster and easier when they’re wet,” Tucker explains calmly. He points at my bottle. “And we should all hydrate, too. It’s important to keep our health up so we can help Theo.”
Properly chastened, I snap the top off, taking too big of a gulp in my haste. The water splashes over the sides of my mouth, wetting my shirt as I cough and sputter.
“Whoa there, Sugar,” Jeremy says, rubbing my back in circles until the fit subsides. “Let’s try that again. Take sips this time.”
He pulls me to him, enveloping me in his comforting arms, and I didn’t know how much I needed it. Twisting, I press my head into his chest, allowing myself a moment of weakness before straightening up.
“Are we ready to keep going?” I ask, stepping away from him, my eyes flashing to Tucker, who’s just picking up the dog bowls.
“Ready,” he replies, and both men give the command for the dogs to continue searching. We follow, but the terrain becomes rockier, slowing the dogs' pace. The lack of speed has panic building in my chest. Every second the sky darkens is one second closer to the predators coming out. One second closer to not having Theo home for bedtime. One second closer to him being gone forever.
A band wraps around my ribs, tugging and tugging until my breathing becomes erratic.
Jeremy falls into step beside me and I snap my head toward him. “Well, I was hoping to take you out and show you the woods,” he says, “but this isn’t quite the romantic picnic I had in mind.”
