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While he drove towards his destination, Lance willed his mind to stay calm. His army training kicked in. In war, he often directed troops under him into dangerous and life-threatening situations. At times, he faced the worst. There were moments when he thought he was going to die, but the fear he felt then was nothing compared to what he experienced right now. He’d hidden it from Jenna, because it would’ve made things worse.
His blood ran cold and his heart raced. Jayden’s face swam before his eyes. His warm smile, his suspicious eyes and his unease too. Did the boy run away from home because of him? No...He wouldn’t believe Jayden hated him so much. Jayden was a good kid and he loved his mother. He wouldn’t want to hurt her.
Please God! Let him be safe! He prayed like never before as he rode over the slick roads. Piles of snow heaped over the sides. He hoped Jayden had dressed warm. If he didn’t find Jayden, what would he do? Lance couldn’t think of an answer. His mind raced with possibilities. If he felt this upset about his disappearance, what must Jenna be going through? Jayden was her only child...the reason for her well-being. Losing him would devastate her and Lance was determined to protect her at all costs.
And damn it! He liked the kid. Loved him even! No way would he let this happen. He would find Jayden and bring him home. Lance parked the car in the lot and ran towards the entrance of the bank. The bitter wind drove into him, knocking him back a few steps. It was only then he realized that he wasn’t wearing gloves. It didn’t matter. All he needed to do was find Jayden. He entered the building. The bank was still open for another hour—the last working day until everything closed down for Christmas.
Where could he be? He wasn’t in the lobby or the adjacent sitting area.
“Excuse me, miss?” He gained the attention of the lady who manned the reception desk. “Have you seen a kid about twelve years of age, this height?” He raised his hand to emphasize his point. “His name is Jayden.”
“No, sir. I haven’t.”
“Shit!” Lance ran a hand through his hair. He’d been so sure Jayden would be here that he didn’t consider any other possibility. Maybe Jenna was right...did Jayden run away to avoid him? Somehow, his heart didn’t agree with that. Surely, Jayden sensed the love he felt for his mother and also for him. No, he knew the boy. Jayden was on some mission. Maybe he went to another bank. He turned to head out.
“Excuse me, sir?” The lady called out from the desk
He retraced his steps.
“I just came in from upstairs to man the desk. The receptionist who sits there...that’s her.” She pointed towards the cherubic brunette who was standing in a corner. “She said that a child did come in about a couple of hours ago. He was alone and wanted to see the manager. When she asked where his mother or father was, he said he would go get them and he never came back in.”
His hunch had been correct, but he was nowhere closer to finding Jayden. “Thanks.” If Jayden came here such a long time ago, where the hell did he disappear to? He should’ve been home by now. He actually fooled his mother, told her lies, so he could escape to the bank and then return without her knowing anything about it.
But he failed.
“Maybe you should check with the guard?” she suggested. “Have you lost him? Should I call the police?”
“His mother is at the police station already.” Lance walked over to the guard and questioned him. The kid did go out. The guard didn’t see him lurking around afterwards.
Where the hell was he now?
Defeated, he walked back to his car. He’d lost. Jayden just disappeared and no one knew where he was. When he put his hand on the door handle to open it, Lance thought of something. Abandoning his car, he strode towards the back of the building. A narrow alley ran alongside the side of the building. Sure enough, like he’d envisioned, seated on the ledge of a window huddled against the wall—was Jayden.
Relief flooded through him. “Jayden!” Lance rushed over. He lifted up the child and hugged him. The feeling of happiness that careened through him became so strong that tears swam in his eyes. “Oh, thank God! Young man, you’re in a lot of trouble. Do you know how upset your mother is?”
Jayden glanced up. He looked contrite. “I didn’t mean to—I was going back home.”
“Why did you come here?” He set Jayden back down on his feet.
Putting his hand into his jacket pocket, Jayden drew out the papers. “I’ve got thirty survey forms and all of them have excellent feedback. Everyone loves mom’s baking. She’s wonderful. And I wanted to give her something she really wants. If I could convince the manager that she deserved a loan, then she would be so happy. I even brought her original proposal she’d thrown into the trash bin.” He offered the lot to Lance as if it would explain everything. “But it didn’t work. I couldn’t even get past the receptionist.”
Lance sucked in a breath. His assessment had been right. “This wasn’t the right way to go about it. You should’ve asked for my help or someone else’s. Going away without letting your mother know hurt her. Let me call her. She’s at the police station.” He took out his phone. “Man, when she hears about this.”
“Don’t tell her why I came here,” Jayden pleaded.
“Dude, you’re in trouble. Might as well come clean.” Lance put a hand on the boy’s shoulder as they walked to his car.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Jenna, I found him.”
“Oh, my God! You found him? Where?”
Lance glanced at Jayden’s disappointed face. An idea percolated in the back of his mind. “Um—he’s in the city. I’m bringing him back. You can go home and wait for us there. It will take us half an hour, because I’ve got an errand to run before that.”
“Can’t you bring him straight home?” Her voice sounded peeved. “I want to see him.”
“Right. I’ll rush back...as soon as the work is finished.” He cut off the line and put the phone in his pocket. “Okay, now. We’re going to finish what you started.” He motioned his head toward the car.
“What do you mean?” Jayden asked as he got in.
Lance drove out to the street and made his way over to the next one. He found a parking spot and turned off the engine. “Let’s just go in and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Was mom mad?” Jayden asked as they stepped into the warm lobby. “I bet she’ll ground me for a month.”
“A month would be too easy. If it were up to me, I would ground you until you turned eighteen. Nearly shaved off five years off my life—can’t even imagine what your mom went through.”
Jayden held his hand. “Thank you for coming to look for me. I would’ve gone back the way I came but I didn’t realize it would take me so long to walk here.”
“So, you were too tired to walk back home?”
“Yep!”
Lance nearly laughed out loud. Now, when he held the boy’s hand in his he could afford to find the humor in this situation. “Didn’t you have money for a taxi?”
“I did, but he would’ve asked me why I was traveling alone. That’s why I didn’t risk taking a bus also.”
The kid was smart; Lance had to give him credit. But it was time for a serious talk. He bent down to look Jayden in the eyes. “Listen buddy, what you did was very wrong. You’re not supposed to go away alone without telling your mom. She was extremely, extremely worried. I’ve never seen her look like that ever before and I hope never to again. Now, I want you to promise me that you will never do something so impulsive ever again. You could’ve been lost or kidnapped. What do you think would have happened to your mother if we never found you?”
Jayden grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“You need to tell her that.” Lance patted his head. “Now, come on. Let’s get this done.”
Jayden glanced about as Lance talked to the receptionist.
She called someone and soon, they were led inside.
“What are we doing here?” Jayden whispered as they took a seat inside one of the offices.
“Wait and watch, young man. And it wouldn’t hurt for you to learn from the master, the art of getting things done.” Lance grinned at the boy. He introduced Jayden to his friend who worked in the bank and soon, they were deep in discussion.
Jayden listened to their discussion and his baffled expression gave way to a smile that bloomed across his face.
Thirty minutes later, Lance shook hands with his friend, picked up all the papers and inserted them into a large manila envelope. “Thanks Miles, it was great doing business with you.” Lance and Jayden walked out. “Let’s go and face the music, boy. We’ve gotten late here and now, both of us are going to get into trouble with your mom.”
Jayden skipped along as they walked to the car. The wind had picked up while they were busy in the bank and clouds gathered in the sky. A storm was headed this way and before it hit, Lance wanted to get Jayden home. Jenna wouldn’t appreciate why he delayed so long in getting her son back to her.
“I’m sure you can charm her,” Jayden quipped as he sat in the car and buckled his seat. “You’ve got moves, man!”
Lance fiddled with the heater to warm the car. “Really? Thanks.” Jayden was coming around. It felt nice to be able to talk to him like this.
“I did talk to that girl,” Jayden confided.
“Right.” Lance grinned as he drove slowly, mindful of the snow and sleet. “Good for you.” Before long, he was listening to Jayden’s tale as the boy gave him all the details about how he managed to woo the girl he was pursuing. Within ten minutes, they reached home and he parked the car. Jayden and he walked inside, hand in hand.
It was time to face the music, but together, they could do a lot.