Lucas wasn’t much for frequenting bars. He didn’t have much of a taste for alcohol in general. He liked to have his senses about him. That was a necessity for his job, when he was doing it correctly, and it had carried over into the rest of his life. His father had taught him that.

Then again, Franklin liked a beer or two on the weekends and there was nothing wrong with him.

This wasn’t a weekend, but here they were, father and son, sitting in a bar, sipping their drinks, avoiding looking at each other.

Lucas had water with lemon. His father had some microbrew or other.

Lucas stirred the curled rind around in his drink, watching the seeds swirl around like fish caught in an undertow. He’d called Franklin and said there was something important they had to talk about. He hadn’t given details, and his father hadn’t asked, but there had clearly been something in his voice that signaled the need for some conversational lube. Franklin suggested they meet at this bar, the Hooked Flounder later that night when he finished up with his work for the day. Agreeing, Lucas had hung up the phone.

Now, they were here. Waiting in silence, as if hoping the conversation would start for them.

Finally, Franklin set his bottle down and leaned back in his chair. They were alone in their corner of the bar, with the other patrons scattered out few and far between. This was a weekday, after all. Not many people frequented their local watering hole in the middle of the week unless they couldn’t control themselves, or they had a problem.

Seeing that Lucas had quite a problem on his hands, that was fitting.

“So, what’s going on, poodle? You sounded pretty troubled on the phone.”

Lucas continued stirring his drink, making ice cubes clink together. “I am pretty troubled.”

“Then, why don’t you talk about it? Seeing as that must be the reason you’ve got me here in the first place. Unless you just wanted an excuse to drink with your old man.”

“I can’t,” he said quickly. Too quickly. His father raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think I should, is what I meant to say.”

I have no idea if drinking is actually as harmful for a baby as they say it is. I don’t know anything. I’m not going to risk it.

No matter his feelings, the unborn pup was an innocent creature. It had done no wrong, and it deserved no wrong done to it.

“Hmm,” was all Franklin said in response to that. “Talk to me, Lucas. Whatever it is, I won’t be upset with you for it.”

Lucas looked down at the table, at the crumbs which hadn’t been wiped up after the last person to sit here had left. This was it. There was no turning back now. “I’m going to have a baby.”

Franklin said nothing for a very long moment. He held very still, his eyes half-closed. Then, he said, “It’s Austin’s.”

“Yes.”

“And where is Austin? Shouldn’t he be here, giving this joyous announcement with you?” Franklin’s features twisted with bitterness, but not all of it was because of what was going on right now. He was remembering the past, what had happened with his own mate.

“Don’t do this, Dad. Please,” Lucas begged.

“How can I not?” Franklin growled. “I mention his name and you look like I just hit you. The only conclusion I can draw is that he knocked you up, then jumped ship when you told him. I knew he was nothing but trouble. Goddammit, I knew it. That son of a bitch. Breaking your heart twice.”

“Stop it!”

Franklin stopped, mostly because Lucas had never raised his voice against his father before. It was a new experience for both of them.

“I didn’t tell him yet. I don’t know where he is right now, and I don’t want to know.”

“So, he left you before you even had a chance to tell him.”

Lucas shook his head, although that was technically correct. “I didn’t know until a few days after he left. Well, he didn’t leave. I left.” Each sentence felt like he was ripping out a part of himself and offering it up for his father to study and pass judgment upon. “It’s hard to explain. I told him that I love him, Dad, and he told me to go away. So, I did.”

“And you haven’t heard from him since?”

“No.”

Franklin nodded. “Good. That’s the way it has to be. No third chances. I don’t think you should even have given him a second chance. That shit never works out. If only I’d known that ages ago, I could have avoided all that shit with your mother. I was hoping you’d take a page from my book in that regard.”

Lucas sighed. He had known this was going to be what his father focused upon, the similarities between this and what had happened between Franklin and his mate.

Lucas didn’t know his mother’s name. Like any young child, he only referred to her as Mom, and Franklin had never told him, not even after all this time. Maybe he was afraid Lucas would go looking for her and get his heart broken all over again.

He had been too young to remember the first abandonment, only a few months old. Franklin had come home from work to find the infant Lucas all alone in the house, wide awake in his crib, having clearly been there for hours and hours. There was no sign of his mate. She had taken some clothes, her makeup kit, and her purse, then left a note on the refrigerator before leaving.

The note explained that she was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of responsibility it took to raise a pup, and she didn’t feel capable.

Franklin suspected at the time that she would be back by the end of the day. Then, before the week was up. Then the end of the month. Surely she would be back before her son’s first birthday, not wanting to miss that most precious of milestones.

She hadn’t turned up, and Lucas grew up only knowing his father until he was about five years old. Out of nowhere, his mother returned. She seemed, according to Franklin, like a completely different person. Mature, serious. She said she was ready to be a mother, and Franklin believed her, welcomed her back with open arms.

Lucas still didn’t remember much from that time. He couldn’t recall any of his mother’s features, not her shape or the sound of her voice. Franklin had long since destroyed any pictures of her, any video tapes, so he couldn’t even insert these into his rememberings to create false memories.

The only thing he could really remember was being uncertain, questioning, and then accepting. He had a mother? Well, okay.

Did he have more fun during that time? Did he like having a mother? Did it fill a hole in his heart?

He had no idea, although in his adult years he was pretty sure the answer would be no, no, and no. Franklin had been the best parent possible. He left no stone unturned, no need untouched. There had been no real room for a mother, because he had played all the parts.

Shortly after Lucas turned six, his mother disappeared again. There was another note, in exactly the same place where she’d left one all those years ago. She stated that she was glad to see how her son was coming along, but she missed her freedom too much.

After that, nothing.

Lucas didn’t know if she’d ever tried again, if his father had flatly denied her any further attempts. He didn’t ask, because he didn’t care to know. He was Franklin’s poodle, and that was all he needed.

“I guess it doesn’t work like that,” Lucas said eventually. “I have to make my own fuck-ups.”

“I guess you’re right,” Franklin said. He nodded toward Lucas' stomach. “So, what are you going to do with it? Do you know?”

“I’m going to keep it.”

“You know it will remind you of him. For years and years.”

Lucas nodded. Something inside his heart trembled. “Do I remind you of Mom?”

Franklin grunted and took a drink of his beer before answering. “You used to, mostly when you were very little. You looked so much like her. And I missed her so much. Looking at you made me hurt. Then you got older, and I realized you weren’t her. Weren’t me, either. You were becoming your own little man, and that was all that mattered to me. I wanted to do my best by you, no matter how you came about.”

Lucas placed his hand over his stomach, imagining again that he could already feel the little life inside him stirring around. “That’s what I want to do, too. But I know it’s going to be so hard to do it alone.”

“Lucky for you that you’ve got an expert living on the same street as you,” Franklin growled. He smiled, then. It was an uneasy little smile, but genuine. “I’ll help you, poodle. You and your pup won’t ever be lacking for anything, not as long as I’m around.”

Tears burned Lucas' eyes. He nodded, unable to say anything because his throat was closed off by a sudden lump. He was always so doubtful about everything and he had no idea how he was going to do this, even with his father’s help.

The one thing he didn’t doubt was that he wanted to do this. Somehow.

Franklin nodded back and then also looked away, probably because his own eyes were watering. He wasn’t afraid of his own emotions as many alphas were. Rather, he probably didn’t want anyone to see him crying in public.

In the silence between them, the sounds of the bar took over. Patrons swallowed deeply, then set their glasses or bottles down with a thump. There was occasional chatter, usually whenever someone went up to the counter to ask for another. Someone in the kitchen was washing dishes, as sometimes running water and the clattering of dishes could be heard.

There was also a television over the counter, hanging suspended on the wall. The low murmur of voices and the occasional louder burst of sound from a commercial created an atmosphere inside the room, cutting them off from the outside world. That was actually rather funny to think about, how they couldn’t hear what was going on in the world immediately around them, but could watch it on the news.

Lucas didn’t have much patience for the news. Blood and death. Incoming war. The threat of planetary annihilation. What was wrong with kids these days. It was the same subject delivered in a different package each time. He could hardly stand how gloomy it was. If he wanted to feel doom and dread, all he had to do was focus on himself for a little bit and it would surely happen.

However, just this once, watching the news playing on that large TV provided a welcome distraction while he got himself together. He had less qualms about crying than his father did, but that didn’t mean he wanted to do it anyway.

Whatever topic the newscaster had been discussing had apparently reached its natural conclusion, because she was moving on to something else.

“In other news, a police officer has gone missing from the tourist city of Pensacola, Florida. Twenty-five-year-old Austin Night didn’t show up for work earlier this week. His colleagues were concerned, but not overly worried until they couldn’t reach him for over two days.”

No.

Everything inside Lucas froze.

The woman continued, calmly reading from her script as if this was the most natural thing in the entire world. “Night could not be located at his apartment residence. The PPD have released a statement saying that they are following several leads which may lead to their missing officer’s whereabouts. Night was apparently playing a key part in a quiet investigation, details of which are not being released. Is his disappearance related to his investigation, or is this only a sad coincidence? The police aren’t saying.”

Lucas became aware that he was gripping the edge of the table, crushing the wooden surface with the force he was exerting upon it. He couldn’t make himself stop. His entire world felt like it was coming apart at the seams.

An image of Austin appeared on the TV screen, right beside the news anchor’s head. It must have been taken fairly recently, as it showed Austin more or less as he had been the last time Lucas saw him. He wore his uniform and was smiling in that forced way only ever found in photographs taken against someone’s will.

“If anyone sees Austin Night, or believes they may have an idea as to where he might be, they are strongly urged to contact the police. It’s always better to be safe, than sorry. Moving on to a more uplifting story…”

Lucas tuned out as the newscaster started to talk about a litter of disabled kittens and their recovery, thanks to the person who found them and spent thousands of dollars creating unique devices to help them get the best out of life. Yes, it was an uplifting story, but he didn’t care about it, and it low-key made him furious that Austin’s story should be thought of in terms of whether or not it was uplifting.

He was fucking missing.

Lucas gripped the table harder than before, hearing the wood crack under his fingers, feeling sharp splinters spearing his skin. The world was spinning. His stomach burned with nausea. He could hardly breathe.

How in the actual fuck could this have happened?

“Well.”

Turning to face his father, Lucas waited for the advice and support that was sure to come. This was, after all, the reason he had needed to speak with him in the first place.

“Good riddance,” Franklin said, snorting. His features were tight. “Looks like he didn’t just skip out on you, but did it to everyone else who was depending on him. Just like your mother.”

“Austin isn’t mom,” Lucas whispered.

“No kidding. At least she tried.”

The words were like a punch in the heart. Furious, Lucas shoved up from his chair so hard that it toppled over behind him. Some of the other patrons in the bar glanced in his direction. He wasn’t paying attention to them, hardly noticed that he had become a spectacle.

Austin had been angry like this when Lucas said he loved him. Angrier, even.

Why?

Austin didn’t get angry like that for no reason. The last time they had broken up, he hadn’t acted like that. He had been upset, not filled with rage.

And the anger had come so suddenly. Almost like it hadn’t been aimed at him at all.

Then, there was the way Austin seemed to be trying to prevent him from going onto the street in that direction. If he had wanted Lucas to leave, really and truly, why would he have cared about the direction Lucas went?

And he had disappeared.

Could he have been trying to protect me from something? Did he see something related to the investigation, the murder of that woman?

Lucas pulled in a quick, tight breath. All of his thoughts were only based upon unanswered questions. That didn’t matter. He could feel it in his gut. He had been mistaken about Austin’s intent, and something had happened to make him go missing.

“Lucas?” Franklin stood up and reached out to Lucas, looking worried. “Are you okay?”

For the first time in his entire life, Lucas pushed his father away. “No!” he said. “I’m not okay! Austin is missing, and I have to go find him!”

“What?” Franklin shook his head, reaching for him again. “You couldn’t find him even if he wanted to be found. He probably just gave up on you.”

“Well, I’m not giving up on him,” Lucas snapped. He pushed his father’s hand away again and tried to get around him so he could leave the bar. There were definitely people watching him now. He cared even less than before. They probably wouldn’t remember it tomorrow anyway. “I’ve always let my doubts get in my way. I’m not going to do that this time. Not until I know what really happened.”

“A minute ago you were ready to give up!” Franklin said. He spread his arms. “Sit back down. You’re causing a scene.”

“Let them watch,” Lucas said. He ducked under his father’s arm and lurched for the door, grabbing it and forcing it open. “A minute ago, I didn’t know that he was missing! And you weren’t there. You didn’t see what I saw. I know that he didn’t just run off on me. I know that now.”

As he spoke, he was striding across the parking lot in the direction of his bike. A quick Google search earlier had told him that riding a motorcycle carried no real risk for a pregnant person during these first couple of months. The danger came from potential crashes more than anything else.

That was good. He could follow Austin’s trail much quicker on his bike than he could on foot, although he would do that if he had to.

“Wait.”

It was only habit that caused him to stop walking so he could see what his father wanted to stay. The rest of him didn’t want to listen. Another second standing still was a second Austin was missing.

Franklin approached from behind him. Lucas braced himself to be grabbed again, knowing he would do whatever it took to get around his father. If his dad never forgave him for this, then that would just be it.

Of course, he might regret thinking that later on, but his only concern at the moment was finding Austin.

“Is this really what you think you have to do?”

“There’s no doubt in my mind.”

“I wouldn’t be lying if I said that’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me in your entire life.” Franklin shook his head. “You’re crazy. Just like me. I raised you good.”

Lucas grabbed onto his bike and mounted it, since it didn’t seem like Franklin was going to try to keep him from leaving now. “Yeah, you did. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. There isn’t anyone. And that’s why you understand that I have to do this, even if it’s crazy.”

Franklin bowed his head. “Yeah, I guess I do. Just promise me a couple of things before you go.”

Fidgeting impatiently, Lucas jammed his keys into the ignition but didn’t turn them. The moment he did that, he would be committed, and he would be driving away in an instant.

“First, don’t do anything risky. It isn’t just yourself that you have to call the shots for.”

“I know.”

How could he possibly forget about the precious little life growing inside him?

“Secondly, if you need me to come get you from wherever you wind up, call me and I’ll get you. No questions asked.”

Lucas nodded. “Thank you.”

“And last, if you find him and he’s in trouble, don’t be a fool. Get the local cops to follow you there and let them handle it. They’re trained for this. And you’re only a contractor.”

Lucas gave his father a smile. He might be only a contractor, but that meant he was a man who knew how to plan. However long it took him to get to Austin, he would be considering all his options, all the various possibilities. And when the moment came, he knew he wouldn’t doubt himself at all.

“Promise me you’ll get the police if you find him, Lucas. I can see that look in your eyes.”

“I promise,” Lucas said.

I promise to get the police. But if I can, I’ll save him first. And then I’ll take the cops back to where he was.

He didn’t know when things had turned from “Austin is missing” to “Austin needs saving.” He only knew that was what felt correct. Austin wouldn’t have gone anywhere without letting someone know unless something was terribly wrong.

Lucas turned the keys in the ignition and a sense of peace and determination came over him. His journey had begun.

Carefully, he backed up his motorcycle and sped out of the parking lot. He rode on down the street much too fast, before remembering that he had someone else to take care of. He slowed down to a few notches above the speed limit, and continued on to the police station.

At this time of the day, the station looked almost completely abandoned. A few police cruisers sat in the lot, along with a handful of other vehicles. Lights were on in the lobby and in one office that Lucas could see from this side of the building. Everyone must have been at home or out on duty. A majority of Pensacola’s crimes probably occurred during the day, when muggers and thieves could hide amidst the tourist crowds.

Lucas parked in one of the spots and climbed off his bike, then strode up to the front entrance of the station and entered. There was one set of doors after another, probably a safety precaution, because by the time he got through the second set, the officer on duty was already staring him down as if she expected him to try and jump her.

Lucas stared back at her, abruptly tongue-tied. For a planning man, he sure hadn’t thought this part through.

“Do you need help?” the officer asked. She came out from behind the counter and walked to him. “I’m Lieutenant Heart.”

He thought her uniform looked a little more decorated than Austin’s had been, and now he knew why. “I’m Lucas.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Austin’s missing.”

Lieutenant Heart’s expression went guarded. She was only a human, and an older one at that. Lucas pegged her as being in her mid-40s and, from the scent of her, she was quite dedicated to her job. He couldn’t detect the presence of any children, grown or otherwise, and she seemed to be without a spouse.

“Yes, Officer Night is missing. I imagine you saw that on the news? I’m surprised at how much time they dedicated to it. That was almost all the information we gave them. And not a bit of speculation or cop-dragging to be found.” She gazed at him more intently. He felt like he was wearing a skirt and she had just lifted it up to peer under it. He was exposed in an instant and she knew everything about him, even things she shouldn’t. “You haven’t come here with information, have you?”

“I think I did,” he said. “But I also think you might have some information for me, too.”

“That’s not how a police station works.”

“Austin’s my boyfriend.”

For a moment, her eyes widened. Then they narrowed again. “If that’s true, why weren’t you the one who reported him missing? I had to do that myself. I had to be the one to go to his apartment and discover that he hadn’t been there for at least two days. Where were you?”

Lucas thought of the pup in his stomach, a pup who someday might like to know who their other parent was. Then, he told Lieutenant Heart about the botched date, his confession to Austin, and the subsequent way the alpha had acted.

She didn’t say anything for a long moment after he stopped speaking. Then she said, “Why don’t you come with me?”

She took him around behind the counter, which was almost its own separate room. There were a couple of chairs nearby and she grabbed one, setting it against the counter. “Sit down, and let’s talk.”

Lucas sat, though it made him anxious to do so. He wanted to be moving again.

“Now, I 100% believe your story.”

“You do?” he exclaimed, startled and delighted all at the same time.

“Yes. We already had witness reports of Austin at that Chili’s around that time. It seemed like he might have been arguing with someone, or threatening them. There was no possible way for you to have known that information unless you were there, so now we know for certain it was you.” Lieutenant Heart frowned and tilted her head. She tapped her lips with one finger. “The question is why he acted like that. He hasn’t been prone to fits of anger or violence around you before, has he?”

“No.” Short, firm, resolute.

“Good. As mediocre of a cop as he is, I was actually starting to warm up to him. He might even have amounted to something someday, if only he could keep up the work he was doing.”

“I think I might have an idea about that,” Lucas said, and told her about the way Austin kept him from going in the direction of the sidewalk. “I ended up running through the bushes behind the restaurant. It was like he saw something that he didn’t want me to get near.”

“That also makes sense to me, based on something I am not at liberty to tell you.”

“I’m his boyfriend and he’s gone missing. Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because you are a civilian and not part of the ongoing investigation. Lucas, you seem like an intelligent young man.” Lieutenant Heart patted his hands, which were knotted together in his lap. While that might have looked like worry to her, it was actually caused by his extreme frustration. “What you have to realize that any information I tell you may potentially wind up in the wrong hands.”

“Why would I go around telling people what you tell me?” he demanded.

“If you believed it would help you find Austin, you would do anything. I know you would. I can see it on your face. So, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can share with you that you don’t already know. I would advise you to keep the information you know to yourself. We will find Austin. You don’t have to worry about that. You just need to be patient, and keep your eyes and ears open.”

And that was that. There was nothing he could do here. It had been a waste of time. Even when Lieutenant Heart took down his number so she could let him know immediately if there was a development, he knew there was no point to it. She wouldn’t have any developments, because Austin wasn’t in this city anymore.

As Lucas went out to his motorcycle, he was already settling on his next course of action. Austin had been talking about problems going on with the Everglades. He was investigating people related to those problems. He had gone missing.

The only conclusion was that Austin was also in the Everglades. Lucas felt that truth deep in his bones.

He got on his bike and rode off through the silent streets, heading for the highway so he could begin the long journey southeast, where Austin was.

He didn’t know how he was going to find one wolf in the middle of so much empty land. He just knew that was what he was going to do, no matter what.

I’m coming. Just hang on, he thought, and hoped Austin heard him.