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“I dropped him off at the Kraken town last night,” Rodney said.

“The what?” I asked, trying to make sense of the words coming out of his mouth. “Explain.”

“He said the house was too loud, and he just wanted to be alone. He had me drive him that way,” he pointed up, which I was fairly certain meant north, “to some Kraken town—”

“Bracken Harbor?” I guessed because it was the only thing that made sense. And unfortunately, my brain connected Bracken to kraken—it was still stupid.

“Yeah! That one!” Rodney exclaimed excitedly. “It’s a cool little town.”

“And you left him there?” I demanded as I stared at him.

“Yeah.”

“How the hell was he supposed to get home?”

“Huh.” He nodded slowly like that thought hadn’t once occurred to him this entire time. “I hadn’t really thought about that.”

“Jesus fuck,” I muttered.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. My panic over Theo’s disappearance had only made this whole conversation more irritating. I did my best to focus on the facts and not the way I’d been given them.

Theo hadn’t wanted noise or people. He’d wanted somewhere isolated enough that nobody could find him unless they knew exactly where to look. And that meant that right now, Theo was sitting on the beach alone.

The fact that Theo had run to my safe place did something inexplicable to me. It made my heart ache in ways I didn’t expect. And more than anything, it made me need to get to him.

CHAPTER 85

Rhodes

Wyatt told me what happened, and I won’t begin to explain the conversation I had with Rodney about the goddamn Kraken town he dropped you off in. My point is… I’m on my way, and you don’t have to do this alone.

I’ll be there soon. I love you, Theo.

Don’t hold the flight for us,” I was saying as I turned down the road to the beach. “Just get everyone to Georgia. Just have one of the assistants book a commercial flight for McLaughlin and I in the morning.”

“Do you think that will be enough time?” McBride asked.

“Oh, I hope so,” I muttered. “Just make sure Wyatt knows he may have to take Theo’s place, and just be ready to take mine. If an assistant can’t book us an early enough flight, I can rent a car, and we should hopefully get there in time.”

The logistics had given my mind something to focus on as I drove. It was easier to focus on those things than to wonder what state Theo would be in when I found him. He’d spent the night in Bracken Harbor, but I had no idea if he’d done so safely. Had he rented a hotel? Slept on the beach? Was he fed? Warm?

Every question led to another, and I couldn’t let myself drown in them.

“Did you find him yet?”

“Not yet, but after Rodney’s whole bit, Jude told me where he’d go,” I lied. Thankfully, Jude was in on this predetermined lie and ready to tell anyone who’d listen since I told him he couldn’t come with. That last bit hadn’t gone over well, but our team couldn’t miss their quarterback and their star running back. More importantly, Theo didn’t need to be bombarded after going this far out of his way to be alone. I intended to protect his need for solace as much as possible. “Unfortunately, it’s some small town, and we won’t be anywhere near an airport.”

“Did his parents really kick him out for being gay?” he replied, taking me by surprise. “I heard Jude raging.”

I sighed. Of course Jude hadn’t been careful while wrapped up in his own anger. Apparently, privacy had stopped being a concept when he found out someone had hurt Theo. I knew Wyatt had talked him out of showing up at the McLaughlin’s to cuss them out.

“Yeah, they did.” Even saying it aloud made my anger flare.

“I can’t believe that’s still a fucking thing,” McBride said. I frowned as I turned into the beach’s parking lot. It wasn’t a sentiment I expected to hear out of him, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. “He’s a damn good kid. You make sure he knows we’re all here for him, okay?”

“I will,” I whispered. My drive to keep the conversation going died as I caught sight of Theo sitting on the beach. He was further down the shoreline, exactly where I’d expected to find him. His back was to me, his shoulders rounded beneath his sweatshirt as he leaned over and stared out at the water. “I’ll call you later, McBride.”

He said something else, but I didn’t hear a single word before I hung up at the first chance I got. I turned off the engine and sat there, watching Theo through the windshield. Relief flooded my system because I could see him. It did nothing to ease the anger I felt at what had happened, but at least I could physically see him.