Page 67 of Small-Town Secrets

"I'll make you some cookies later if you just tell me now." Yeah, bribing my kid wasn't A-level parenting, but I needed to know where Tyler was before he could drive my phone bill up through the roof.

Finally, Chris looked up from his game to muster me. "Really?"

"Really."

"He's in the backyard."

"Thank you."

"Don't forget the cookies!" Chris called after me as I rushed down the stairs, but I paid him no mind. I opened the door to the backyard and let my gaze sweep over the snowy scenery.

Tyler wasn't anywhere to be found.

I was just about to turn back around and head inside again when my eyes caught on something lying in the snow next to the gate that led to the driveway in front of the house.

My phone.

What the hell was Tyler thinking that he could just throw my phone out in the snow? We weren't millionaires! I wouldn't even have a phone if Raph hadn't been so kind! Suppressing the surge of anger that bubbled up in me, I unlocked the screen to see if it was still working.

To my relief, the phone responded to my input without a hitch. The battery was a little drained, but that probably wasn't Tyler's fault. It had been bad when I got it.

Speaking of Tyler, though...

I tapped on the phone's screen to see what he'd been doing. I brought up the call history.

My blood froze in my veins—and not because a gust of wind whipped stray snowflakes into my face.

Tyler had called Howard.

My ex hadn't picked up the first five times, but Tyler being Tyler, he'd just kept trying until Howard finally answered the call the 6th time.

They'd talked for a full two minutes.

I had no idea what they'd talkedabout, though. I didn't even want to think about it. Howard could have told my child any number of horrible things.

I looked around the yard again.

Where was my child?

Not anywhere nearby.

I stormed back inside the house. "Tyler?"

There was no response. He was either hiding because he felt guilty about stealing my phone or... or...

"You look pale," Aaron said, ripping me out of my thoughts.

I whirled around to him. "Have you seen Tyler?"

"Not since you guys came home earlier."

Fantastic. I exhaled, trying to keep myself from panicking, but it wasn't working. "Start looking," I snapped at Aaron before turning away from him to check the kitchen first and then the living room and even the pantry, just in case.

"Tell me what's wrong?"

"I don't know where my son is!" Did I need any more reason to be upset?

"Okay. I'll look upstairs," Aaron said in a manner that let me know he was smarter than to poke the bee's hive I was transforming into. Good man.