Chapter 42

Ethan

AN ANGER LIKE I’D NEVER known sparked inside of me when I saw the line of people waiting to meet this fraud. I fanned through the pages of the book that everyone was so eagerly waiting to have signed and my fury deepened. My words, my story, my son. This guy was living the dream thanks to me, but not for long. Soon, it would all be pulled out from under him. I couldn’t take it anymore when I watched his readers fawning over him, reminding me I had to play this right. I couldn’t flip out or I’d risk everything. I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes when I caught a glimpse of a man and woman whispering to one another as they looked my way. The last thing I needed was for someone to recognize me.

Finally giving in to Tom’s relentless phone calls, I stepped outside and answered my ringing phone. “Yeah, Tom.”

“Ethan, where the hell are you?”

“I’m at the signing.”

“Do you realize that you being there right now could jeopardize everything? I’ve got the local police on it and now the FBI.”

“The FBI?”

“Yes, she kidnapped him and took him across state lines. That’s an FBI matter now.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t need anyone to help me. I’m getting my son back myself, and Darrah is gonna be sorry she ever met me.”

“Ethan, please just sit tight. I’m on my way. Don’t do…” Tom’s voice trailed off when I looked in the window of the bookstore and saw Edward standing by the podium while his protégé read an excerpt from my book.

I shoved my phone in my pocket and suddenly Tom’s advice and any reasoning went to the wayside. I was seething with rage, pushing my way through the crowd to get to that fuckin’ snake, Edward, and the imposter who’d taken so much from me, spewing my words to his loyal fans.

“....and the sun turned black never to be seen again…” I finished the passage for him.

His beady eyes locked with mine. “We-we need to pause for just a few moments.” His voice cracked, so different from the overconfident storytelling tone from just a few moments ago. Edward’s mouth was agape, and his skin paled at the sight of me.

“Do you want to tell all these people who stood hours in line to have their books signed where you stole it from or should I?” I glared at the so-called author. “And do you want to tell them what else you stole from me too?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about or who this man even is.” He let out a nervous chuckle.

I rushed at him and grabbed him by the neck, jacking him up against the wall as his “fans” looked on, gasping in horror. “I think you fuckin’ know who I am, douchebag.”

“Ethan, please, can we talk about this in private?” Edward pleaded, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Where’s my son?” I tightened my grip as the man struggled to breathe.

“With…Darrah,” he gasped.

I loosened my grip just enough for his words to be coherent.

But before he could get anything else out, two undercover officers who must have been in the crowd interrupted. The older man pulled me off him and the younger Hispanic woman took his hands behind his back and handcuffing him while she read him his rights as she paraded him through the crowd. “Mr. Withers, you’re under arrest for kidnapping Nolan Banks...”

“Marcus, don’t say anything. I’m calling your lawyer,” Edward shouted, following behind him.

The crowd looked on, trying to make sense of what just happened while the police did their best to move them along. I stood there speechless. It was all so surreal to me. I’d just awoken from a yearlong nightmare. My son was still alive.

“You’re a dumbass,” Tom said as he made his way front and center, shaking his head with a slow, satisfying grin. “But you got him to admit it.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No, but I’m sure Withers will start talking once he sees what he’s up against. Just relax, Ethan. I know you’re anxious to see him, but let the police handle it from here.”

I expelled a sigh. “What if Darrah freaks when she finds out what happened and really does do something to hurt him?”

Tom shook his head but didn’t seem too convincing, clearly viewing her as that same psychotic bitch I did. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Mr. Reed!” People shouted from the crowd as the police officers did their best to hold them back while Tom and I made our way through.

The frigid air hitting my face was welcoming when we stepped outside, instantly clearing my head. “What now?” I asked Tom once we were far enough from the chaos.

“We wait.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I can’t just sit here and wait. She’s here somewhere with my son, probably getting ready to bolt with him as we speak. I can’t just—”

“Ethan, what other choice do we have? We have to wait for him to tell us where she is. What are you gonna do, scour the whole city of Boston on your own to try and find her? She could be anywhere.”

“If you had just called off those officers, I could have gotten him to talk.”

“After he passed out from asphyxiation?” After walking for some time, I tapped my key fob and unlocked my door once my car was in view. “No, you’re coming with me,” Tom demanded. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He cut me off the second I tried to protest. “Lock the door, Ethan, you’re coming with me.”

I glared at him for a moment before hitting the key fob and signaling defeat.

I tapped my hand against the dashboard, drowning out the silence as we sat in Tom’s car.

“Really? We can do without the drum serenade.” Tom lifted his head from whatever he was reading on his phone and raised an eyebrow.

I clenched and unclenched my fists, ready to jump out of my skin. We were wasting valuable time by just sitting here doing nothing.

“Have you talked to Jenna?” Tom asked.

I stared straight ahead and shook my head.

“Well, why don’t you give her a call. She always seems to know how to calm you down.”

“Nah, not right now.”

“Is everything okay with you guys?”

I jerked my head in his direction, immediately going on the defense. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. I just thought you’d be on the phone with her right away to let her know what’s going on.”

“I think Jenna needs a break from all the drama that my life entails. Since the day I met her she’s been there for me. Putting up with my mood swings, dealing with my fucked-up past. Anybody else would’ve been long gone.”

“Did she tell you she needs a break?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I stared out the window. The clouds were winning the battle with the once abundant sunshine. “I told her I loved her,” I blurted out. “And she didn’t respond back. I knew it was too soon, and I probably freaked her out, but it just came out.” I turned my head in his direction. “But I never felt for anyone the way I feel for her.”

He nodded. “Well, I don’t think you should just assume that she got freaked out. Jenna has a good head on her shoulders, and I’m pretty sure if she felt like she was getting in over her head, she’d let you know.”

“Yeah, I don’t know about that.” She didn’t let her ex-fiancé know how she was feeling when she didn’t want to marry him, so why would I be any different? “I think it may have been too soon to spring that word on her.”

“What word? Love?”

I nodded, wishing I could go back in time and take it back.

“Well, did you mean it?” Tom asked.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

“Then it wasn’t too soon. Look, Ethan, you can’t deny how you’re feeling. There’s no rule that says you need to wait a certain amount of time before you can love someone. Ask your sister. I told her I loved her on our second date. Of course, the fact I was a teenage boy looking to get laid came into play a bit.”

I held up my hand. “All right, that’s my sister you’re talking about. I don’t need to know any more.”

“But my point is, I knew your sister was the one for me from that moment. It had nothing to do with raging hormones. I just knew. The same way you know Jenna is the girl for you.”

“I guess…but things are gonna change after today. What if she’s not ready to have the responsibility of someone else’s kid in her life? I just assumed—”

“Ethan, man. Just take this one step at a time. It’s going to be a big adjustment for everyone. Just give it time. Let things play out.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cool glass of the car window, knowing if I could have both Jenna and my son in my life, I would have that happily ever after I never believed in after all. My eyes were giving in to their heaviness until the ringing of Tom’s phone jolted me from my sleep.

“Damn it!” he shouted to the person on the other end. “Well, where the hell is she?”

My heart was beating at warp speed. I knew this couldn’t have been good.

“Yeah, call me when you hear something.”

“What?” I asked the second he hung up the phone.

“Darrah isn’t with him.”

“What?” I shouted.

“Calm down, Ethan. We’re gonna find out where she is.”

“Tom, she’s desperate now. I wouldn’t put anything past her. We need to find her…like now!”

An unfamiliar number flashed across my phone, and I was just about ready to send it to voicemail, but something inside told me not to.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Ethan.” Her familiar voice sent shivers down my spine.

“Darrah, where is he?”

Tom jerked his head in my direction. Keep her talking, he mouthed.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice wavered. “It was so wrong of me.”

“Darrah, where the hell is my son?”

Tom shook his head. “Calm down,” he whispered.

“I need to talk to you, but just you and me. No police. There’s a lot I need to tell you. Things I should have told you a long time ago. Please, Ethan, will you just hear me out?”

“Where?”

“The lighthouse we used to go to by my parents’ house.”

“I can be there in an hour and a half.”

“Okay,” she whispered before hanging up the phone.

“Where is she?” Tom asked.

“Tom, I really do appreciate everything you’ve done, but I have to do this on my own. I can’t risk the police showing up and screwing up my chances of getting him back. I’ll call you when I got him.”

I jumped out of his car and was already halfway down the street when I heard him shout, “Goddammit, Ethan!”