Her worry quickly escalated to fear. She rushed from room to room, throwing open doors looking for her son. “Dylan, if you’re hiding, this isn’t funny. Come out right now. You’re frightening Mummy.”
But the house was in silence. The atmosphere had changed. No longer did she sense the presence of another person, but instead felt distinctly alone. She clamped her hand to her mouth. Oh, God. Where was he? In her head, she calculated the last time she had seen him. How long had it been? Twenty minutes? Half an hour? She’d thought he was tucked up comfortably in bed, but clearly he wasn’t. How had he got passed her? Had he walked out the front door and she hadn’t even noticed? Or had he slipped out the back?
Filled with panic, she raced to the back door. She stared wildly out into the night. It was dark already—that dark pressing on her now like a living, threatening thing.
“Dylan!” she yelled again, almost screaming his name. “Dylan, where the hell are you?” She didn’t mean to curse, but her fear had taken hold. Where was he? Was he walking the streets alone or had the worst happened—a mother’s worst possible fear—and someone had taken him?
Oh, no. No, no, no.
She pulled the back door shut and ran for the front of the house. She threw open the door to the street and called her son’s name again. Still in her slippers, she ran out into the road, frantically turning left to right, trying to figure out which way he might have gone.
Her mind started tripping over what she needed to do next.
Shit. She’d left her phone in the house. She had to phone Mike. He would need to know. There was a chance Dylan was trying to get back to his dad, or Mike might have even picked him up without telling her. Would he really do that? She didn’t think even he was capable of snatching her son out from under her nose, but after his threat about Kane, she had to wonder. Even so, her stomach sank at the thought of contacting her ex-husband. She hated speaking to him at the best of times, but now knowing she was going to have to tell him their son was missing filled her with dread. Would he use this against her as well? Making out like she was a bad mother? She didn’t want to call Mike, but she had to. If this was the other way around and Dylan had gone missing during his time at his dad’s, she would want to know right away.
With terror clutching her soul, she ran back into the house. She snatched up her phone, swiped the screen, and pressed the phone to her ear.
“Holly?” Her ex-husband’s voice came through immediately, and she picked up on his concerned tone. They never called each other unless it had to do with Dylan.
She could barely speak, sobbing through her words. “It’s Dylan. He’s missing!”
“Missing? What do you mean missing?”
“Exactly what I just said. He was in bed last time I checked on him, and now he’s not there.”
“How long ago since you last saw him?”
“I don’t know. Twenty minutes, maybe even half an hour now.”
“And you’re sure he’s not in the house?”
“He’s not, Mike. I’ve looked everywhere!”
“Right,” Mike said, taking charge. “Put down the phone and call the police. I’m coming straight over. I’ll be there as quick as I can.”
With shaking hands, she did as he instructed, swiping the End Call button and dialling nine-nine-nine. A calm lady on the other end of the phone took her details and told her they were sending someone round right away.
Holly didn’t know what to do with herself. There was only one person she wanted by her side.
Not wanting to be on the phone too long in case someone was trying to get through with news of Dylan, she quickly swiped his number.
Kane answered after one ring. “Hey, beautiful. I was just going to call you.”
She didn’t have time for small talk. “I need you here. Dylan’s missing.”
“Oh, shit. I’m on my way.”
She put down the phone and paced the house, her fingers at her mouth as she anxiously chewed her nails. Where the hell had Dylan gone? She prayed he was safe. She couldn’t even bring herself to consider the worst possible scenario. She’d lose her mind if anything ever happened to him.
The police were the first to arrive, two uniformed officers standing on her doorstep, asking to come in. They sat her down in her living room and her head spun with all their questions. When had she seen him last? What had he been wearing? Was everything okay at home? Did he have any reason to run away?
“Me and his dad have separated,” she admitted. “We haven’t been getting on so well lately. Dylan’s dad doesn’t like my new boyfriend.” She knew how that sounded. She didn’t miss the look exchanged between the two police officers. She didn’t want to be that woman—she wasn’t that woman—the one who had multiple men hanging around. But she also knew how this must appear to the police.
The doorbell rang, and she jumped to her feet. She hoped to see Dylan standing on the doorstep, looking contrite, but it was Kane, which was the next best thing. She fell into his arms, crying against his chest.
“My boy,” she sobbed. “My baby boy is missing.”
Kane held her tight and stroked her hair. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to find him.”
She sniffed and nodded against him. She hated being in the house, doing nothing. She felt so useless, but the police told her she was best staying home in case Dylan came back again. They said he would want to see his mother when he did.
Mike was the last to arrive. He pushed his way into the house, not bothering to knock. “Where is he?” Mike demanded as soon as he saw Kane. “Where’s my son?” He jabbed a finger in Kane’s direction. “If I find out you’ve got anything to do with my son going missing, I will fucking kill you.”
One of the police officers stepped in. “Now, there’s no need for language like that.”
Holly’s ex-husband turned on the officer. “This man is a goddamned criminal. He shouldn’t be allowed around children.”
She couldn’t believe he’d actually spouted his prejudices to a police officer. “Stop being such an idiot, Mike. This has nothing to do with Kane. If Dylan took off, it was because he was upset about you and me fighting, and that was all on your head. No one else started it.”
But Mike wasn’t even listening. “I mean it, Holly. You should never have allowed this type of person around our son. What kind of mother are you, putting your own selfish needs before your child?”
“Hey, that’s enough,” Kane said, stepping in. “Holly is a fantastic mother.”
Holly put out her hand. “It’s okay, Kane. I can handle this.” She took a breath and focused her anger on her ex. Instead of shouting, she spoke in a low voice, spitting out every word. “You fucking hypocrite. After you spent five years of our marriage sleeping around, you’ve got the nerve to say I wasn’t thinking about our son! I bet you weren’t thinking about him when you had your dick in all those other women.”
The police officer put a hand out to stop them. “We need to focus on finding Dylan. It seems quite clear the boy has become distressed by this kind of anger in the house and has taken himself off somewhere. Is there anywhere you can think he might have gone? Maybe to a friend’s house or to any other family living nearby?”
Holly shook her head, guilt worming its way through her. God, they were awful people. Poor Dylan being stuck with her and Mike as parents. “No, I don’t think so. There’s nowhere else I think he’d rather be.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kane had been watching the exchange between Holly and her ex-husband with a combination of anger and dismay. He’d never meant to cause problems between any of them, and certainly not to the point where Dylan would have wanted to run away from home. But something about Holly saying there wasn’t anywhere else Dylan would rather be sparked a memory, and he experienced a definite light-bulb moment.
“I think I know where he might be.”
Everyone looked at him.
Holly’s blue eyes widened in hope. “Wh
at?”
“Yeah, and it’s not far from here.”
Not waiting any longer—they’d already done enough arguing between them—Kane turned and ran for the front door. He’d remembered how Dylan had told him he’d live in the park if he could, and the park was only a couple of streets from here, easy enough for a boy to walk to.
He set off at a run, feet pounding the pavement. He was physically fit, more so than any of the people chasing after him, and he reached the park well ahead of anyone else. The place was dark now, but security lights illuminated the children’s play area which contained a couple of swings, a roundabout, and a slide. He didn’t think Dylan would be sitting in the dark somewhere, so it was to this area he headed.
The slide was positioned on an A-shaped frame. Kane’s ears strained, and he picked up on the quiet sound of muffled crying. Approaching the slide slowly, not wanting to spook the boy, he ducked down so he could peer under the slide.
Dylan sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, a small backpack at his feet. His eyes were red from crying, and he glanced up at Kane. Something in Kane’s chest tightened at the sight.
“Hey, mate,” he said softly. “Whatcha doing under there?”
“Getting away from Mum and Dad fighting.”
“They’re both really worried about you. The police are at your house and everything.” Kane was aware of running footsteps approaching as the others caught up.
Dylan’s lower lip trembled. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, not trouble. You just gave everyone a fright, that’s all. They’ll all be really pleased to see you.”
“Dylan?” Holly cried out from somewhere near the start of the park.
Kane called back over his shoulder. “It’s okay, Holly. I’ve got him.”
“Oh, thank God.”
Kane put out his hand to Dylan, and the boy took it, his small fingers gripping his tightly. Kane pulled him to his feet. “Let’s go home now, yeah, mate?”
Dylan nodded. “I was getting kind of cold anyway.”
“You didn’t fancy sleeping on the bench, then?”
Dylan gave a small laugh. “Nah, I think I’ll stick to my bed.”
Holly collided with them, pulling Dylan into her arms, crying with relief. “Oh, God. Thank God you’re okay.” She kissed her son’s head, then smoothed her hands all over him, checking for injuries. “You’re okay, aren’t you? No injuries? No one tried to hurt you?”
“I’m fine, Mum,” he said, glancing away, embarrassed.
Mike arrived and repeated the process. The man might be a total dick, but he obviously did love his son.
“Let’s get you back home,” Holly said.
The strange little group, accompanied by the police officers, who had also followed, made their way back home.
“I should probably go,” Kane told Holly when they reached the house. He felt like a spare wheel in all of this and didn’t want to make things any more difficult than they already were. “I’m glad everything turned out okay.”
But she caught his hand, tugging him in towards her. “No, don’t go. I want you here. I need you here. Thank you for finding Dylan.”
Beside them, Mike cleared his throat. “Yeah, thank you for finding him. I should have thought of the park.”
Kane shrugged. “No problem. I’m just glad he’s turned up safe and sound.”
The police officers stood by, waiting for the right moment to announce they were leaving. “Right, we’ll be off then,” said the female officer. She looked between them all. “Might be a good idea if you all sit down and have a good chat, try to figure out a way to communicate without all the shouting.”
Like admonished children, both Mike and Holly nodded.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Kane said, but the officer shook her head.
“I meant you, as well. You’re clearly a part of this family, and it seems Dylan looks up to you. I think you’re going to need to come up with a truce between all three of you, for Dylan’s sake.”
Kane glanced over to Dylan’s parents. They were both nodding.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay.”
The two officers left, and Holly and Mike put an exhausted Dylan to bed, while Kane sat downstairs, awkwardly waiting for them to come back down again. When they did, they each took a seat on the couches, Kane and Holly sitting beside each other, and Mike sitting opposite.
Mike leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees. “I just want to say thank you again for finding him,” he said, addressing Kane. “We’d be out of our minds right now if you hadn’t.”
Kane nodded. “No problem. I was happy to help.”
Holly reached out and put her hand on Kane’s knee, giving him a squeeze. “You’re going to have to accept Kane,” she told her ex-husband. “We’re together now, and that’s not going to change any time soon.”
“Or ever,” he said, catching her eye.
She nodded in agreement. “Or ever. So if you want to keep making our son miserable, then keep trying to get in between us, but I’m sorry, Dylan likes Kane. And that’s not a bad thing. The more people that little boy has to watch out for him the better.”
“I’m not going to pretend I like it,” Mike said, not looking at either of them, “but I don’t want Dylan to suffer either. And I definitely don’t want a repeat of this evening.”
Holly nodded. “So truce?”
Mike put out his hand to her. “Yeah, truce.”
Chapter Seventeen
Holly didn’t let Kane go home that night.
She needed his presence in her bed, that security of knowing there was another adult in the house to help when the shit hit the fan. But that wasn’t the only reason she didn’t want him to leave. Seeing him pull Dylan out from under the slide at the park had made her realise something else.
She was deeply, madly, and utterly in love with this man.
However unsuitable he might have first appeared, he was there for her, and for Dylan, when it had mattered the most, and she didn’t want him to leave. Not ever.
With Dylan safely asleep, they both undressed and slipped beneath the covers. It wasn’t the wild, lust-filled desperation of wanting to see each other naked like when they’d first met, but it was comfortable, and comforting, and just what she needed in that moment.
Kane pulled her into his arms, and they kissed, but she had a lot of unspoken words inside her head, and thought he’d be the same. They had to talk before anything else.
“I’m sorry you got dragged into everything tonight,” she said, edging away from him a little so she was able to look into his face. She wanted to be able to see his reaction. Kane’s eyes had been one of the first things she’d ever noticed about him, and she was sure she’d be able to tell if he was only saying what he thought she wanted to hear rather than the truth.
He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You don’t need to be sorry. I want to be here when things like that happen. I want to be the first person you think to call.”
She heaved out a sigh. “I just feel like I’m always messing up. I can never do anything right, and a part of me feels like if I’d fallen for someone else then Mike wouldn’t have this huge problem with me seeing someone else, and we wouldn’t be fighting like that in front of Dylan.”
“You think I’m the problem?” he said, hurt crossing his features, and she instantly regretted her choice of words.
“No, that came out wrong. You’re fantastic. Mike is the one with the problem. I’m just constantly questioning myself all the time, wondering if I’m doing things right.” She took a breath. “When I had Dylan, I gave up the right to get things wrong. I can’t mess up, because it’s not just me I’m messing up for. It’s him.”
He took her hand, staring into her face. “What makes you think that this is messing up? That we are messing up? Maybe we’re just what you need.”
“But it’s not just me, Kane. Don’t you see that? I come as a package. Me and Dylan, and hell, I hate to sa
y it, but if you’re signing up for me, then you’re going to have to have Mike in your life, too. He’s Dylan’s father, and as much as he’s an arsehole to me, I still want him to play his part.”
Kane lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed the backs of her knuckles. “I get it, Holly. I swear I do. I’m never going to pretend I like the guy, but I can see he loves Dylan.”
She nodded. “And I’ll do everything I can to make sure he stays in Dylan’s life. I don’t want Dylan to turn around to me one day and accuse me of not doing enough. And I don’t want him to ever feel like his father didn’t love him enough to want to be around him. Just the thought of that breaks my heart.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” He reached out and rubbed her back. “I get it, and I’m sorry. But you know I’m here, too, and I know I haven’t been in your life for long—in either of your lives—but that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. And I want all of this. Not just you, but both of you. I’ve loved spending time with Dylan. He’s a great kid.”
She sniffed. “It’s not all about playing football in the park, Kane. It’s about staying up all night with him when he’s sick and having to take time off work when it’s inconvenient to go and see school plays. It’s trying to sort out fights with his friends, which puts you in a difficult position with the other parents. It’s trying to get him to eat his dinner, or go to bed, and stay in bed.” She sniffed again. “As you learnt from tonight, it’s not all fun.”
He took her hand. “No, but it’s real. And it’s important. And it’s what I want.”
Her heart swelled with emotion. “You do?”
“Of course. I love you, Holly McCarty. I’m not going anywhere.”
She leaned in and kissed him, and suddenly realised tears wet her cheeks. She gave a small laugh and nodded. “I love you, too.”
“And we’re going to be a family, okay. You, me, Dylan, even goddamned Mike.”
She laughed again. “A family.”
He kissed her. “Yes. Our family.”
THE END
Bound by Ink (London Inked Boys Book 2) Page 8
