Protecting Her(67)

When I get home, I find her on the couch, sobbing and surrounded by wadded up tissues. I race over to her and take her in my arms.

“Pearce.” Her body crumples into my chest, her shoulders shaking as she cries. “He’s gone.”

“He’s not gone.” I hold her tightly against me and rub her back. “We’ll find him.”

She pushes me back. “Did you call the police yet?”

“No. It’s too soon for them to consider him missing.” I’m not sure if that’s true, but I’m not ready to call the police. I have a strong feeling this involves the organization so I can’t get the police involved.

This could very well be my punishment for marrying Rachel. The punishment I’ve been waiting to receive for almost eight years now. I keep waiting and wondering when it will happen.

Every time something bad happens, I think that’s my punishment. When Rachel’s parents died, I found their accident suspicious and thought maybe the organization did something to their car to make it go off the road. They knew I loved her parents so it wasn’t that far-fetched of an idea to think they were responsible. But then later, Jack told me that he heard my punishment still hadn’t been done, so I’ve continued to wait, wondering what it will be and when it will happen.

They could’ve taken Garret just to scare me. They wouldn’t kill him. He’s one of their own. A future member of the organization, although I’m still hoping to get him out of it. But they could take him temporarily just to torture me. Because that’s what this is. Pure torture. Having your child go missing? Not knowing who has him? Thinking something bad will happen to him? It’s agonizing. I’m barely keeping myself together. I want to break down like Rachel is doing right now, but I can’t. If I do, she’ll lose all hope.

She shoves me away. “Pearce, I can’t do this. I can’t sit here and not do anything. We have to call the police. Someone has to start looking for him.”

“The police won’t do anything. He’s only been missing for a couple hours. Did you call any of his friends’ parents?”

“Yes. Before you got home, I called everyone I could think of. Nobody has seen him.”

“Did you try calling the principal at home?”

“Yes, but her son said she’s at the oral surgeon and will be knocked out for hours.” Rachel runs to the kitchen. “I’m calling the police. I have to at least report this.”

As she picks up the phone, the doorbell rings. She drops the phone and races to the door. I follow behind her.

She opens the door and Garret’s standing there. With my father. Shit. I knew it. I knew he was behind this.

“Garret!” Rachel pulls him inside and into her arms. She kneels down and looks at him. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. “Grandfather got me an ice cream cone.”

My father steps inside the house, his eyes on Garret. “Yes. Garret and I had a lovely afternoon.”

Rachel bolts up and glares at my father. “How DARE you!”

I come up behind her. “Rachel. Take Garret upstairs.”

“Dad, what are you doing home?” Garret asks.

“I decided to come home early.” I set my eyes on my father.

“Will you play ball with me?” Garret asks.

“Yes.” I glance down at him. “But not right now. I need to speak with your grandfather.”

Rachel takes his hand. “Come on, honey. Let’s go up to your room.”

“Mom, I missed football practice,” he says as they walk up the stairs.

Once they’re upstairs, I wait until I hear the door to Garret’s room close.

Then I go up to my father. “What the f*ck were you thinking? Taking my child and not telling Rachel or me?”

“I’m his grandfather. I have every right to do something with my grandson now and then.”

“Yes, with his parents’ permission. You don’t just take him out of school and not tell anyone.”

“Both the principal and the secretary were aware that I had him. Perhaps you should’ve spoken to them before overreacting like this.”

“Neither of them were there when Rachel went to pick him up, which you probably knew, and which is probably why you picked today to do this!”

He lets out a laugh. “I don’t keep track of the schedules of the staff at your child’s school. I have better things to do with my time.”