Chapter 10

Bryan couldn't stop himself from pacing the length of his living room. He'd walk back and forth, plop down on the couch for a few minutes, stare at his phone—willing it to ring with Wyatt's number—and then pop back up to pace again. Sarah, for the most part, busied herself in the kitchen, making some sandwiches for them since he'd ignored his rumbling stomach.

He'd just jumped up again, walking over to the fireplace he hardly used, when Sarah came out of the kitchen carrying two plates.

"Come on, Bryan, you need to eat." She set the plates on the coffee table dropping the bottles of water tucked under her arm next to them.

"I can't eat," he mumbled, raking his hand through his onyx hair in exasperation. "I just know that asshole did something to Wyatt."

Sarah didn't say anything, just nodded as she settled on the couch. They had rehashed everything over and over already. Sarah had tried to get him to stop blaming himself, to stop feeling like there was something he should have done, but of course, Bryan wasn't ready to listen to any of that.

He should have made Wyatt get a restraining order sooner against Darrin. He should have beat the hell out of Darrin to get it through his thick skull that Wyatt wasn't his anymore. He should have been there, to protect Wyatt, to...

His blue eyes looked up to see Sarah curled up in the corner of his couch. The small redhead stared out the window, biting the edge of her thumbnail. She wasn't eating either. He could see her eyes bright with barely withheld tears. She'd been so much stronger than he'd been, keeping her fears so contained, for him.

He moved to sit down next to her, drawing her smaller frame against his side. She curled into his shoulder, burying her face against his chest. Bryan rubbed his hand over her back, soothingly.

"It's okay," he found himself saying for the first time today. "First of all, I don't think Darrin would actually hurt Wyatt, right? I mean, he wants Wyatt for himself. He wouldn't really—"

He swallowed hard, hoping, praying he was right. Darrin had been forceful with Wyatt, had lost his temper and hit him before, but he wouldn't...wouldn't...

Bryan couldn't bring himself to say it. But he'd certainly thought it. He didn't really know if Darrin had it in him to...torture Wyatt, maybe even...

God. He dropped his head back on the couch. No, he couldn't think like that. Darrin just wanted Wyatt for himself, and Wyatt was smart enough to manipulate the asshole long enough for the police to find him. He had to believe that. Anything else, and he just... couldn't... breathe.

"Yeah." Sarah's soft voice was muffled against his shirt. "Yeah, Darrin's a jerk, but I think he loves Wyatt in his own weird way."

Bryan could only nod. Saying anything right now would just lead to him ranting about his lover's ex again, and they both had exhausted themselves with all of that. He pulled Sarah into a tighter embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head.

The sound of his front door opening startled both of them, their breaths hitching in unison as they both imagined Wyatt walking through the door, tossing his fedora on the table and raking a hand through his hair as he always did after removing the hat.

"Bryan?"

Both of them slumped against each other in dismay. His mother. Not Wyatt.

"Yes, mom?" He wondered why she hadn't knocked first.

"Sweetheart, I told you I'd come by and check on you." She swept into the room. She stopped abruptly at seeing Sarah curled up against him, obviously not expecting him to have company.

"Oh, I'm sorry." But she didn't look sorry as she smiled. "I didn't know you had company."

Bryan started to untangle himself from Sarah. "This is Sarah..."

"Sarah. Oh, Sarah! You've talked about her before," his mother gushed, stepping forward to introduce herself. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Carol Foxgrove. Bryan's told me so much about you."

Bryan almost rolled his eyes. When he'd talked about Sarah before, his mother had hinted that it might be nice for him to ask her out. Even after reiterating to her that he wasn't interested in Sarah that way, his mother never seemed to give up hope. And right now, it just irritated him. She seemed to be forgetting that she'd just talked to his fiancé yesterday about wedding plans.

"Nice to meet you to, Mrs. Foxgrove," Sarah greeted cordially, discreetly wiping at her eye before sitting up with a soft smile.

"Mom, why didn't you knock?" Bryan snapped as he rose.

"I rang the doorbell, but you didn't answer, so I used my key," Carol stated. "You gave me a key for a reason."

"Yes, emergencies. And I told you the doorbell doesn't work. It needs a new battery." Bryan stalked toward the kitchen, feeling fidgety again. He opened the fridge but didn't see anything he wanted, not that he was really looking anyway. He closed it and leaned against the counter.

Her small nose scrunched up. "I do remember you saying something like that now."

"Look, mom, I'm not really in the mood—"

"Oh, fine, here." His mother shoved a 6x9 manila envelope into his hand. "I told you I was coming by to bring you your mail."

He grabbed at the envelope irritably, frowning at the block letters with his name. There was something bulky in it, but before he could open it, a severe knock on the door interrupted him . He frowned as his mom jumped at the sound. Sarah was instantly on her feet.

"Maybe it's the police," Sarah suggested hopefully. "Maybe they found something—"

His mom's eyes widened. "The police? Why would they—"

But Bryan was ignoring her, dropping the envelope on the table edge of the table, where it promptly hit the floor, and darting for the door to yank it open. His heart thumped at the sight of Sgt. Woods and Officer Lettman in the doorway. His bubble of hope burst at the small frown on the older man's face. A glance at his partner, who shook her head minutely, told him they weren't here with good news.

"Come in." Bryan swept his hand inside. "I'm guessing you haven't found him."

"No, I'm sorry. Not yet. We thought we'd drop by and let you know what we do know. And we hoped we'd catch your mother here."

Carol's breath caught in her throat. "Catch me for what?" Her wide eyes darted to Bryan. "Bryan, why are the police here? What's going on?

"They're here about Wyatt, mom. Remember how I told you he didn't come home last night or this morning? Well, he's really missing. We think his ex might have kidnapped him or something."

He watched his mom's features relax. She'd obviously not taken him seriously when he'd told her he was worried about Wyatt. Of course, she believed that he'd simply needed time. So the sight of the officers obviously shocked her.

"Oh, I d-didn't know that the police were involved already," she admitted. "I thought you were waiting to see if you heard from him."

"I'm done waiting. Sgt. Woods is the parent of one of Wyatt's students. He's doing me the favor of looking into this now."

Bryan noticed that both officers were watching him and his mom carefully. Sgt. Woods nodded at his mother.

"That's right, ma'am. We're trying to retrace Mr. Kinnon's steps from yesterday. We stopped by your place earlier, but you had already left. Your assistant said you were coming here."

His mom nodded, but she still looked a little apprehensive, as most people did when being questioned by the police.

Bryan wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, mom. They're just trying to help find Wyatt." He stopped and looked at Sgt. Woods. "So did you find Darrin? Did you ask him what he did—"

Nathan Woods held up his hand to stop Bryan's cascade of questions. "No. Mr. Roque was not at home and is currently MIA. Do you mind if I ask your mother a few questions first? Then I'll let you know what we have."

"Sure, sure, okay." Bryan stepped back and gestured toward his kitchen table for everyone to sit down.

His mom primly took the seat he held out for her as the two officers sat down across from her. He sat next to his mother and she took his hand, squeezing it affectionately.

Sarah silently retrieved the sandwich plates and placed one in front of him, wordlessly insisting that he eat. He gave her a wry smile of thanks.

"Can I get anyone else something?" Sarah offered. "Something to drink, maybe? Water? Tea? Coffee?"

His mother's face lit up at Sarah's offer. She always did love polite, well-mannered people. "Yes, thank you, dear. I'd love some tea, please."

Sarah nodded as she glanced at the officers. "Water?"

"That would be fine, thank you," Sgt. Woods agreed before turning his attention back to Carol Foxgrove.

"So Mrs. Foxgrove—"

"Carol. Please just call me Carol. Mrs. Foxgrove is such a mouthful. And so formal. I mean, we're all friends here, right?" she said amicably.

Sgt. Woods smiled, and Bryan watched his mother relax even more now that the shock of the arrival of the police was over.

"Of course. Carol, can you tell me what happened yesterday, while Wyatt Kinnon visited you?"

"Sure. Well, he came over about eleven, maybe eleven thirty. Simon showed him to my private quarters when he arrived. I'd made lunch, a bunch of different stuff, since I didn't know what he'd like," she said, casting a smile over at her son. Bryan squeezed her hand, silently thanking her for her thoughtfulness. "Well, we talked for a while, ate, and then headed out to the front foyer to look at possible areas of the manor the wedding could be held in."

Nathan Woods let his partner scribble some notes in her notebook as he nodded for Bryan's mother to continue.

"Well, we were hardly in the foyer when Wyatt started looking a little pale. Then he said he wasn't feeling well and he should probably go." She glanced at the table guiltily. "I'm afraid maybe my potato salad may have made him sick. It was the only thing that we both didn't eat. I felt so bad," she gushed, turning her hand to grip Bryan's. "I'm so sorry."

Bryan offered a small smile at her worry about making his fiancé sick. "It's okay, mom. You didn't know."

"So after he said he wasn't feeling well, what happened?" the sergeant prompted.

"Oh, well, I guided him back to my place so he could rest on the couch. He said he was cold so I covered him with a blanket. He was trying to call a taxi but couldn't seem to manage the phone well, so I called for him. When the cab arrived out back, I helped him get in his coat and hat." She laughed slightly as something occurred to her. "The poor thing was so cold, he even wrapped up in his scarf."

Nathan exchanged a small nod with his partner, acknowledging that Mrs. Foxgrove's description of the events matched with that of the cab driver. Officer Lettman tilted her head slightly as she looked back at Bryan's mother. "If he was feeling so bad, why did you let him get in the taxi?"

Bryan had wondered the same thing. He hated thinking ill of his mother, but he couldn't help but wonder if she had just kept Wyatt there and called Bryan, then maybe Wyatt wouldn't be missing right now.

"Oh, well... he insisted," Carol said as if that should be obvious. "I think he wanted to 'be sick' at his own home."

Well, that did sound like Wyatt, Bryan had to admit.

His mother abruptly turned to him as if something had occurred to her. "Oh, sweetheart, do you... Oh, dear, you must think this is all my fault! Oh, Bryan," she cried, her eyes wide with horror as both her slender hand grabbed his, reading the truth in his eyes. "I'm so sorry! I should have kept him at my house, then none of this would have happened!"

Bryan's voice choked. "Mom, it's not your fault. You had no idea anything like this would happen."

"Really, sweetheart, I really thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to antagonize him."

"Carol," Sgt. Woods' voice drew her attention back, "Bryan is right. This isn't your fault. But we need to figure out what happened after he got out of that cab."

"He didn't come home?" Carol asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"No, from what we can tell he never actually came back to the apartment. Or if he did, he left shortly afterwards," Woods admitted.

"Oh." She stared at the table, suddenly seeming a bit anxious. Her fingers twitched nervously on the table.

Sgt. Woods frowned. "Mrs. Foxgrove, is there anything else you could tell us that might be helpful?"

Her eyes darted to Bryan, obviously conflicted. Bryan's brows furrowed at the worry in his mother's eyes. "Mom?"

It was several more seconds before she faced the officers again. "Well, Wyatt seemed... he seemed rather... reticent to talk about planning the wedding."

"What?" Bryan blurted out.

His mother's light blue eyes looked anguished. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't want to tell you. I thought he'd change his mind. That's why, when you said he wasn't answering his phone, I thought he just needed time."

Bryan was already shaking his head, jerking clumsily to his feet. "No. We'd talked about it." His eyes darted to the police officers. "He was fine. I know he was. Yes, at first he had doubts, but—"

"Bryan," Sgt. Woods halted his rant, "stop. You know we have to consider it a possibility. We discussed it before."

"Bryan." Sarah was hurrying over to him. "Calm down. We both know Wyatt wouldn't just go off like that, even if he was doubting things. Your mother just doesn't know Wyatt like we do." Something crunched under her foot as she shifted. Everyone looked down in surprise. The envelope Bryan's mom had brought over. It must have fallen off the table.

Officer Lettman retrieved it from where it had nearly been kicked under the table when Sarah had hurried over and stared at it a moment. "Where did this come from?"

"Oh, it's just mail that came for Bryan in my mailbox at the manor. It's why I came over, to deliver it to him," Carol explained.

"Yeah," Bryan sighed wearily, reaching for it. "I forgot about it when you arrived."

Lettman cast a pointed look at her partner, and Woods' gaze narrowed on the envelope. "Bryan, may I see that?"

Bryan shrugged, tossing it over as he sank back in the chair. "Sure."

After studying the envelope a moment, Nathan Woods looked up at Carol. "Where did you say you got this?"

"Well, Simon handed it to me with the mail today. Why?"

"It's not postmarked. No return address, either."

Bryan straightened and looked more closely at the stamp in the corner. The sergeant was reaching in his patrol belt pouch for latex gloves, sending Bryan's heart rate skyrocketing. Oh, God, could this be something related to Wyatt's disappearance?

"Do you mind if I open it?" Sgt. Woods asked.

Bryan could only shake his head as the officer carefully peeled back the sealed flap. The envelope tipped on end and Bryan felt his heart plummet at the object that thumped on the table.

"Oh, shit," Bryan gasped. Sarah's small exclamation next to him as her hand flew to her mouth told him she recognized it too.

Woods picked up the strip of leather. "You recognize it?"

Bryan struggled to breathe. "It's... it's the leather band...that I gave Wyatt. When I proposed." He glanced between the two officers as the man slid a piece of paper from the envelope. Lettman was already retrieving a ziploc bag from her belt pouch, and Woods slid the band in it. Bryan realized why—evidence. His eyes focused on the paper the sergeant pulled out. "Oh, god, what is it? A ransom note? Is Darrin asking for money or something?"

The officer laid it out carefully on the table after reading it himself with a small frown. His gloved hand slid it closer to Bryan so he could see it. Bryan resisted the urge to grab it since the officer seemed concerned about anyone touching it.

"Well, what is it?" his mother asked impatiently, reaching out and sliding it closer.

"Ma'am!" Woods snapped, pulling the paper back. "This is evidence. Please don't touch it."

His mother looked affronted at the officer's brusque reprimand. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't think..." She quickly put her hands in her lap.

Bryan ignored the exchange, instead focusing on the words.

Bryan,

I'm sorry. Please forgive me but, I can't go through with this. I need some time alone.

Wyatt

Bryan could feel his hand trembling as he read the words. His mind slipped into a fog of disbelief. Wyatt really had left him? He didn't even want to talk about it?

He ignored the buzz around him-- Lettman asking Sarah if they had a large ziploc bag, Sarah searching the cabinets, the envelope and letter slipping into the clear plastic, his mother telling him it was okay, Woods getting a phone call on his cell.

"Bryan, sweetheart," his mother's voice crooned, her hand rubbing circles on his back, "maybe it's for the best—"

He gaped at her.

"You know, that you know now, rather than later," she rushed on. "I know you are feeling a bit sad, but at least you know he's okay—"

His mother's words hit him like a ton of bricks. "'A bit sad'?" he snapped. "What the fuck, mom?"

He knew he'd crossed a line at the shocked look on his mother's face. He rarely cursed in front of his mother, let alone at her. "Bryan!"

"Really, mom? 'A bit sad'?" Bryan shot out of the chair. "This is—"

"Bryan!"

"What?" Bryan snapped, then realized he'd done so to an officer of the law. "Oh, shit, sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Sgt. Woods was standing now as well, his cell phone in his hand. "Calm down."

Bryan raked a hand through his thick black hair, his stomach suddenly queasy as he thought about the words in the letter—I can't go through with this. Wyatt didn't want to marry him, didn't want to be with him. Why the hell couldn't he at least tell him in person? Son-of-a—

"This is good, sweetheart, don't you see?" his mother's soft voice tried to reassure him. "You know he's safe and—"

"Bryan, listen to me," Nathan Woods' voice drew his attention again. "I can see what's going through your head. But don't. This—" He held up the ziplocked envelope. "This isn't real. This isn't from Wyatt."

"What?" Both he and his mother said at the same time.

The sergeant held his phone up. "I just got a call. We've found Wyatt's phone and his hat and scarf."

"What? Where?" Sarah voiced the questions Bryan couldn't get out.

"In a dumpster a few blocks from Wyatt's apartment."

"But—but doesn't that just mean he threw them away before leaving Bryan?" Carol Foxgrove asked uncertainly.

Woods sighed heavily. "It's highly unlikely that a man just wanting to get away from his fiancé for a while would dump his costly cell phone—"

"—and his hat and scarf, probably coat too—" Lettman interjected.

"—to keep his boyfriend from talking to him."

Bryan frowned, confused as to what they were saying. "So you don't think the letter is from Wyatt breaking up with me?"

"No. I think, until we locate Wyatt Kinnon, we are going under the assumption that he was indeed kidnapped," Woods explained, "and this letter is an attempt to divert our attention."

Bryan's felt an odd mix of relief and terror. His emotions raced on overdrive as he tried to steady himself. He felt Sarah grab his arm, bracing him. His rock.

"So, what are you thinking? Are we back to Darrin again?" Bryan whispered, his hands clutching the back of the chair, his knuckles white.

Sgt. Woods nodded. "I'd say right now he's our prime suspect. We'll get these back to the station, see what prints we can get from them," he said, indicating the letter and leather band. "If Roque's prints are on them, then that gives us enough to get a warrant to search his house and issue an arrest warrant."

Bryan felt himself nodding. At least something was happening. They weren't just waiting around, he knew the police were working on finding Wyatt.

"We'll keep in touch," Nathan said as both he and his partner turned toward the door.

The silence that followed the closing of the front door was nearly deafening. Bryan felt Sarah shift next to him, and he turned abruptly, wrapping her in his arms. The sobs he'd held in check while the police were here flooded out of him.

"I can't lose him, Sarah. I just can't," he whispered against her ear.

He heard her sniff as she held him tight. "I know, Bryan. Me either."

He felt another hand smooth over his shoulder and he lifted his head to see the worried and wounded face of his mother. She looked so delicate, so distressed, that Bryan felt a pang of guilt at having lashed out at her.

"Sweetheart?" her soft voice questioned, obviously wondering if he'd even accept her comfort. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply—" She broke off. "I only meant to help ease your pain."

Bryan knew that his mother hadn't intended to hurt him. She'd obviously only been thinking about making it easier for him, to soothe away the heartache of losing his love. She stared at him, begging forgiveness with her clear blue eyes.

He released Sarah and embraced his mom. "I know, mom. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm just so..."

"I know, sweetie," she breathed in relief at his acceptance, patting his back as she held him. "And I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't know about Darrin and what Wyatt went through with his ex, so you couldn't know. I understand you just wanted to protect me, thinking Wyatt had left me." Bryan mumbled against his mother's shoulder, breathing in her scent. He felt like a little boy again, needing his mother's comfort to make all the hurt go away.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm here for you. I'll help you get through this." Bryan melted at his mother's words. She drew back, taking Sarah's hand as well with a small smile. Sarah was obviously surprised to be included in the maternal moment, but she smiled and nodded as well when his mother added, "We'll help you get through this."

And for a moment, Bryan truly believed everything would be alright.