Far From Destined: A Promise Me Novel

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  My scream.

  Chapter 17

  Macon

  * * *

  I sat there holding the woman as she wept in my arms, her whole body shaking.

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Roth.”

  “I’m sorry, too, but he has to be okay.”

  I nodded, knowing that Coco still had more time. But this wasn’t easy. Coco was the sweetest and most precious pug I had ever met. With wide eyes and a sunny disposition. And at even seven years old, it seemed far too young. But he had determination and resilience, and we were going to do everything we could.

  The problem was, Mrs. Roth had cancer herself, and the two of them would be fighting their illnesses side by side. We would do everything we could to keep everybody safe and comfortable and here with us, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. This was the hardest part of my job, and I hated that sometimes I didn’t feel strong enough. I just hoped that today we were.

  “Excuse me,” Jeremy said, clearing his throat.

  Jeremy never interrupted during these meetings, nor did I. So I knew whatever he had to say must be an emergency.

  “I’m so sorry,” Jeremy repeated. “There’s a phone call for you, Macon, and you need to take it.”

  Chills swept over me, and I swallowed hard. “Who is it?”

  “It’s the bakery. You need to answer the phone. Mrs. Roth? Come on, let me get you some coffee.”

  “Oh, I hope everything’s okay,” the older woman said, wiping her tears. “It’s Dakota’s shop, right? She has the best bakery.”

  The big small town that is Boulder… Everybody knows everybody else’s business, I thought. I made my way to the phone after giving Miss Roth another hug and a tissue and frowned when I heard Pop’s voice on the other line.

  “What is it?” I asked, my heart racing. Flashbacks hit me, and I pushed them out. This was not about me or my insecurities and memories.

  “It’s Dakota. You need to get here.”

  “What’s wrong?” I growled.

  “She’s on the phone with the police right now. The school called. It’s Joshua. Someone took him.”

  My mind went fuzzy, and I tried to catch up. “What?”

  “I don’t have any answers. I’m just listening to this secondhand. She doesn’t even know I’m calling you. I figured she’d call you next, but you just need to be here, okay?”

  I was already slipping into my jacket and grabbing my things before she finished speaking. “I’m on my way. Tell her I’m on my way.”

  “Okay. Just get here. She’s so scared.”

  I didn’t tell her that I was scared, too. Though that had to be obvious in my voice. I couldn’t process any of it. Because that little boy had to be okay. And if he wasn’t? I was going to kill Adam with my bare hands.

  I gritted my teeth and looked at Jeremy, who stood in the doorway. “Someone’s taken Joshua. Or he left school without telling anyone. We don’t know. I need to get to Dakota.”

  Jeremy’s face lost its color. “Go. I’ve got this. Tell us if you need anything. Do you need me to call your brothers? Hell. Do you need me to drive?”

  My hands shook, and I took a deep breath, counted to ten, then remembered what I needed to do to calm myself. “No, I’ve got this. I’ll call in the cavalry on the way. Just take care of Mama Cat and her babies for me, and our patients.”

  At that, my heart broke again. The kitties needed Joshua, just like I did. Just like Dakota did.

  We needed to find him.

  “You’ve got it. Call me if you have an update. Or…fuck, I’ll call Cross. Don’t even worry about this place. We’ve got it handled.”

  I nodded, knowing the practice was in safe hands…and I ran.

  * * *

  My heart raced as I did my best not to drive off the road on my way to the Boulder Bean. I used my Bluetooth to call my family, my hands shaking as I made my way to Dakota.

  Cross answered after the first ring. “Hey, Macon. What’s up?”

  “It’s Dakota. And Joshua. I’m on my way to her now. I don’t know what happened, but I guess the school said they can’t find Joshua.”

  “What the hell?” Cross sputtered.

  “Can you call the family? The girls. I don’t know who Dakota’s calling; she didn’t even call me. Pop did.”

  “I hope to hell that’s not bitterness in your voice.”

  “You know what? I didn’t even have a little bit. Because I know she’s not thinking about a phone tree or calling me. She’s thinking about her son. Pop got me, and I’ll get to her.”

  “And I’ll get the troops. You get to Dakota, see what you can do. And keep me updated if you can. If not? We’ll meet you at the shop, or at her home later. Whatever it ends up being. Macon? You’ve got this?”

  “I don’t know if I do. If something happens to that little kid, Cross...” I let the words dangle, bile filling my throat.

  “He’s fine. He’s probably just hiding in the playground or something.”

  “Joshua knows to be on alert. He knows I’m staying at the house because there are dangers out there. He wouldn’t just run off.”

  That had been a tough conversation that I hadn’t been a part of, I’d stood at the door, waiting for Joshua to nod his head with wide eyes as his mom filled him in. In the end, we’d tried to make it an adventure for him, an extended sleepover where I would be around. But he always knew not to talk to strangers or go off with random people. He would never hurt his mother like this on purpose.

  “Breathe, you’ve got this. And we’ve got you. You guys are not alone.”

  “Thanks, Cross,” I whispered, and then my brother hung up, presumably to call the rest of our group.

  My hands were slick as I turned the steering wheel and parked around the block from the Boulder Bean. When I walked in, it was to chaos.

  “Ma’am, we’re going to need you to go home. We’re issuing an Amber Alert. But you need to be home near the phone in case someone calls or he shows up. As soon as we have more information, we’ll contact you.”

  “Dakota?” I asked, pushing through the others.

  The authorities looked at me, but I ignored them, my attention on Dakota.

  Relief and fear crawled over her face, and she ran to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She leaned into me for a bare instant, just enough for me to squeeze her tightly before she pulled back, rolled her shoulders, and looked like the woman I had first met. The one with immense strength and a wall between her and the world so no one could touch her. I’d break through that in private and make sure she knew she wasn’t alone. For now, she needed that shield so the others didn’t see her fear. And I’d let her have it. I needed one of my own at this point.

  “Macon,” she whispered.

  The man in uniform she’d been speaking to came forward. “Sir?”

  “This is Macon...he’s my...he’s mine...” Dakota sputtered. “I mean, he’s with me. Macon, someone matching Adam’s description was seen around the school. He took him. I know it. He had to have.” Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. She was so fucking strong. I hated that she had to be. We’d both break later, but for now, we needed to focus on getting Joshua back.

  “Jesus, okay. They’re going to find him. We’re going to find him.” Dakota slid her hand into mine, and I looked up at the other man. “Right?” I growled.

  “Yes, we will.” The man narrowed his eyes. “I remember you.”

  “Yeah, I remember you, too. Thanks for your help in saving my life.”

  Dakota’s gaze moved between the two of us, and I shook my head. “He was there that day. Don’t worry about it. Now, what do we do?” I asked the familiar man, though I couldn’t remember his name.

  “Right now, we have the description of the perp and the vic, and we’re taking statements from others. Can you tell us where you were?”

  Dakota raised her chin. “Macon doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  I squeezed her hand. “It’s fine. I
t depends on the time, but I’ve been at my vet practice all day. And I was never alone because we were pretty busy. Surgeries and checkups mostly.”

  “Okay, I just needed to ask.”

  I gave the other man a tight nod. “I get it, just find him. He’s got to be scared. He’s never met Adam.”

  “He doesn’t even know what he looks like,” Dakota said. “I don’t even know how he could have found out what Joshua looks like,” Dakota repeated.

  Adam. Adam didn’t even know what his son looked like.

  “We’re going to find him, ma’am.”

  “Please stop calling me ma’am. That’s not helping,” she spat.

  I squeezed her hand, and her whole body shook.

  “Go home and wait for a phone call. Or a visit. We’ll send people with you. There’s nothing you can do here. You’re welcome to keep your business open, but I figure you might want to sit at home and wait.”

  “We’ll take care of everything here,” Pop said.

  “I promise,” Jason began.

  “We’ve all got it,” some of the customers said from around us, and tears filled Dakota’s eyes. She blinked them back again.

  “You find that baby boy,” an older woman chimed in from behind one of the tables. “We’ll take care of your shop. We’ll make sure everything gets handled. You just take care of yourself and Joshua. We love seeing him when he comes around. And you are such a good woman. You always know what we want and remember all of our names. You care. We care about you. Now, go find your son.”

  Dakota’s small part of town had rallied around her in an instant. Somehow, she’d made connections when she hadn’t thought it possible, and I was so fucking proud of her. But for now, I knew this shell-shocked version of the woman I loved needed to be at home and near the phone.

  We had to find Joshua.

  And the family Dakota had created out of ashes would help her along.

  * * *

  “How did this happen?” Dakota asked as she began pacing in the living room, Tink curled in her hands.

  As we left the Boulder Bean to come home and wait for news, word had got out among our little community, and people were coming in, ordering coffees, trying to support her as much as they could. They were also searching for Joshua, as was everybody else. But the authorities had relegated Dakota to sitting at home as they searched and kept an eye on the place, coming in and out often.

  So, I was here, too.

  Jeremy had dropped off the kittens and Mama Cat, as well as a casserole that Marni had put together. I didn’t think anyone would be eating, but Marni had needed to do something with her hands, and I appreciated the gesture.

  So now we were at the house, the other three kittens climbing around on my feet as Mama Cat watched us all, the tension in the room almost palpable. At any moment, an officer could come in, ask more questions, and add more pressure to the situation. They were giving us space to breathe while we waited for news, but the break wouldn’t last long.

  “I want to be out there, looking for him. But Adam is going to call you, I just know it. And that means we need to be where he might show up.” It was the line of thinking I’d let myself go down, though I wasn’t sure if it was at all rational.

  “What if he doesn’t?” Dakota asked as she leaned down and rubbed her cheek on top of Tink’s head. Tink mewed and stretched at Dakota’s touch.

  “He’s going to. You know he wants money from you or your bakery or something. But he’s not going to get any of that.”

  “I’ll give him anything he wants to get Joshua back.”

  “I know, baby.”

  “I hate this,” she said before she looked through the back windows into the trees beyond the yard. There was a small forest behind her house. The place backed up to the mountains, and there were trees with darkness. It was hard to see beyond it.

  I never felt like anybody was watching me from here, but I knew that Dakota sometimes felt that way. Was it because of Adam? Or her past?

  I didn’t know, but I hated that she looked so lost right now.

  That Joshua wasn’t here to crack jokes or talk about farts.

  I missed that kid so fucking much.

  There was nothing I could do but stand here. The others would be by shortly. Soon, the place would be overrun. But maybe Dakota needed the noise. I didn’t know what I needed, only that I was so afraid that we weren’t going to be able to find him in time. I didn’t know what Adam had done to her in the past, and I was afraid that he had only gotten worse with his jail time.

  “Does Adam have a family?” I asked.

  “I already talked to the police about that.” She sounded so off, and I hated it. But I wasn’t sure what else to do. I was just as lost as she was.

  “Can you talk to me about that?” I asked, my voice soothing.

  “Of course,” she said, running her hands over her face. “I’m sorry. I kept so much from you, and I didn’t even mean to.”

  “Dakota.” I moved the cats back to the box and took Tink from her, putting the kitten with her siblings. I cupped Dakota’s face and then kissed her softly. “It seems like the two of us have been together for ages, at least to me.”

  “You’re not alone in that.”

  “Good,” I said, oddly relieved. “While it may seem like that, we’re still getting to know one another. We might have been circling each other’s lives for a while now, thanks to our friends, but we’re still learning the basics. And us being thrown into these weird situations has caused us to skip a few steps. You know my family because you’re friends with them. But you haven’t met the guys I’ve been in the ring with yet. You’ve barely met Jeremy, and you talked to him for the first time really earlier. We’re still getting there.”

  “I know,” she said, letting out a breath. “Adam’s older than I am. A little too old for back then. I met him when I was sixteen, and he was twenty.”

  “Jesus.” I sighed.

  “Your parents are amazing. And you know mine weren’t the best. They left me when I was fifteen. Just packed up and left because they were tired of being parents.”

  “I knew you were young, but…fifteen?”

  “Fifteen and a decently young teenager at that. I was good at school, but I was too young to drive or have a job besides working in kitchens under the table and things. It wasn’t the best life, but I thought I was doing well. But my parents didn’t like that boys started to pay attention to me, and so did their friends.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Did they...?”

  “No, nothing like that. I know some of our friends have dealt with things like that, but not me. I was lucky. However, guys noticed me. Adam noticed me. He was far too old for me, but I didn’t care. It was part of the allure. I fell for him hard. He did drugs, so I tried them.”

  I nodded, but she shook her head.

  “Just weed for me. And just once. It made me sick, and I never did it again. Everyone made fun of me and called me names, but I didn’t care. I stayed in school for as long as possible, and I was the driver when everybody was too stoned or drunk to do anything. In the end, between jobs and life, I didn’t finish school.”

  “You didn’t have a support system, how were you supposed to?” I asked. “Did you think I was going to judge you for that?”

  “You went to veterinary school. You have your practice.”

  “And you have your own business. Who cares?”

  “You surprise me sometimes. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised when it comes to you.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “I couldn’t work and deal with life at the same time while going to school. I was sleeping on people’s couches and staying with friends. The neighborhood we were in, nobody cared that I didn’t have a family. The school didn’t check in. Child Protective Services didn’t even notice. Nobody noticed or cared.”

  “I could kill your parents.”

  “They don’t matter. I have no idea where they are or if they’re e
ven still alive. They don’t know Joshua exists, and I’m a better person for it.” She paused to let out a breath. “I got pregnant when I was nineteen, had Joshua when I was twenty. During that time, Adam got worse, started dealing hardcore and playing with his version of gangs. They were running other things, too. I think guns, maybe, I don’t know for sure. I was working eighty-hour weeks and on my feet, even six months pregnant. The drunker and higher Adam got, the more violent he became until finally, he kicked my stomach.”

  “Jesus,” I muttered. I already wanted to find this man and beat him to a pulp, and her words just made it worse.

  “I was fine, I went to the free clinic to get everything checked out, but I was bruised. I had a black eye, and a busted lip. And I realized I was done.”

  “Did they help?”

  “Most of them didn’t care. The adults around me just saw this runaway teen from the backwoods without a future. Most didn’t offer to help. But one lady did. She helped me get in contact with the authorities. That’s how I ended up with the detective that I hate, but he did help. He may treat me like shit, but he did what he could to get Adam behind bars.”

  “How did he treat you like shit?” I asked, even angrier than before.

  “I was a means to an end. Adam didn’t get sent away because he hit me but because of the drugs he had on him—hence why the sentence wasn’t long enough. They didn’t get him for any of the weapons or running either. But they got what they could. And me alerting the police helped them put him behind bars. So, Adam blames me. But I got out of it what I could. I got my GED. I had Joshua, I met the Barkers and was able to scrounge up enough for the Boulder Bean. I thought we were doing well. I thought I could have a future. And now, Adam’s back, and my son is gone. And I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  I leaned forward, touched her face, then kissed her softly.

  “You are so strong. You did all of that on your own when you didn’t need to. But you’re not alone now. We’re going to find your son. We’re going to find Joshua. We’re going to make sure Adam never gets a chance to do this again, and then we’re going to think about futures and everything that you and I can do together. Because, Dakota? I’m not letting you do anything else on your own ever again. I’m always going to be here.”