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The sick feeling inside of me expands again. It’s been growing bigger over the hour since we left the house. Black and putrid, like an oil slick that’s now permeating all my cells.
Watching me struggle, Max sighs with frustration. “I know.”
“Fuck. We need to take those pieces of shit down yesterday. We can’t wait until this evening. Put the screws to Niall now. Find out where they are taking any kids they grab.”
“I’ll go.” Max strides off, and Carra’s immediately at my side. “What was he saying?”
“He’s working on some ideas.”
The slender tips of her fingers bite into my arm through my coat when she grabs me. “Don’t shut down on me now. I need to know what’s happening.”
I do not want to tell her. Would give anything not to. This will crush her. Fuck. It’s almost crushing me. The only reason I’m still standing is the woman next to me. She needs someone to hold on to, and I won’t fail her, no matter how hard the weight tries to crush me.
As she tightens her hold, she begs, “Please. I have to know. It’s only fair. He’s my child, Kieran.Ourson. Don’t treat me like my father does.”
Letting out a rush of air, I cup her shoulders with my hands. As much to steady myself as her. “Max said there are some mafia groups grabbing women and kids off the streets not far from here. He suspects they have spread into this community as well.”
A choked sound comes out of her throat. “No. No.” Her voice rises to a piercing level. “No, this is not happening to Finn. We have to get him back.”
“We’re going to, sweetheart.” And as I make that promise to the both of us, I fold her into my arms, but she’s rigid and trembling in my hold, like a pane of fragile glass.
“Let’s keep moving. There are lots of businesses here, maybe someone has seen him. It doesn’t do any good for us to stand here.” Every second counts.
We move down the street, toward a group of kids that are hanging around the intersection. The oldest is in his mid-teens. The youngest is probably someone’s little brother.
My kid could be part of this group. He could be any one of them. The pain that he is not here, and he is not safe, slides through me, tearing me inside. But I have to push that feeling back and keep moving. Carra and Finn are depending on me.
As we approach, the older members of the group notice me. Some look at my suit with disdain, others with interest. “Hey guys, I’m looking for my kid and I wondered if you might have seen him?”
“Whatcha paying for information?” One of the brassier looking boys asks in a heavy Chicago accent.
“A hundred if you give me a good tip.”
Of course I’d give millions to find Finn, but I know these kids might be messing around with us.
Carra holds out her phone, showing the cluster of kids the images of Finn.
One of the smaller kids leans forward and says, “I saw him. Blue shirt, messy hair. Ugly shoes.”
Carra nearly fumbles her phone but catches it as I ask where he saw Finn.
The scrappy-looking little guy hooks his thumb toward the next intersection. “Saw him talking to some guy. Then they got on the bus.”
Carra’s hand flies to mine and squeezes hard. I know just what she is thinking. Fuck.
Focus.
“Do you know which direction the bus went?”
He points again. “Toward the city. I guess. It was about ten, I know because my ma was texting me that I had two hours before I had to be home for lunch.”
Carra turns her back to the kids. Her sobs break my fucking heart into a dozen jagged pieces. I pull out a hundred and pass it to the kid. “Thanks. This will help a lot.” From my coat, I take out a pen and a blank business card. I write my number on it. “Text me or call me if you see him.”
He gives me a salute. “For another hundred, I’ll do anything.”
As I turn to walk toward Carra, another kid appears at my side. This one’s skinny, in a shirt that hasn’t seen a washing machine in a long time. His face bears the green mark of a fading black eye. He resembles a feral cat, with a kind of cunning awareness in his eyes. The other kids float away, but this one is following me. “Hey Mister, can I ask you something?”
I force myself to take time to talk with him when all I want to do is get to Carra and to tear the world apart until we have Finn back. “Sure. But be quick. We need to find Finn as quick as we can.”
