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Tate didn’t say anything even once ere inside his apartment He just carried Matty to the little boy’s room and then shut the door I didn’t follow hio in the less room I used the time to search out the contents of Tate’s kitchen and shook e had a few items in it, but since I knew Tate had likely left the apart the week before, I didn’t trust that the food was any good I searched out my phone to find the closest pizza delivery place and ordered soave Tate a few more minutes and then went to Matty’s room to find him The door wasn’t locked so I quietly pushed it open

The first thing I heard was crying - no, not crying – sobbing Big, heart wrenching, bone deep sobs…the kind that made it hard to breathe I didn’t see Tate as I pushed the door further open, but I saw that Matty was asleep under the covers I had to open the door all the way to find Tate He was sitting on the floor near his son’s bed, his back against the wall His legs were drawn up and he was resting his elbows on his knees as he wept into his hands I hated that I wanted to go to hiainst me and tell him it would be okay…whatever it was At that exact ht I saw it His naked need for me to do exactly just that But then his eyes shuttered and he leaned his head back against the wall and turned his face away from me

My chest felt tight as I closed the door and I actually found ers over the middle of it as if that would so I stood there for, but it wasn’t until I heard a sharp rap on the front door that I remembered where I was and why I was there As I went to the door, I kept glancing overout of the roo help froun from the back ofthe pienerous tip, I took the pizza into the kitchen and put it on the sone and when I didn’t hear Matty’s door open, I pushed the pizza away and leaned back in the kitchen chair and studied s

Everything about this job was going to shit I was no closer to finding themore information than I ever had before - inforh to lead uy as clearly struggling to be a good father to a kid that wasn’t his And the kid - a fucking cute little kid as sick…very sick if the look on Tate’s face at the hospital had been anything to go by

And none of it mattered

Because I was still left with one undisputable fact – Tate Travers was ed my entire life…who’d been my entire life I steeled et out of Tate what I wanted Because after all this was over, the young man would still have the kid he’d chosen to raise as his own and I would have nothing

Nothing except knowing I’d finally kept my promise

It was al towards the kitchen I was still sitting in the same chair, but as Tate entered the kitchen, I looked up and held his gaze as he stood in the wide doorway

“How did you find us?” he finally asked

“Tracking device in Matty’s backpack,” I said “I put a bug in there too”

“You were listening to us?”

I nodded I’d tracked Tate to the hospital, but I hadn’t planned to go in until I’d heard Tate talking to the woman about his account The desperation in his voice as he’d talked about his kid needing the tests…

“You knew I’d run,” Tate murmured

“You knew I’d be back,” I countered I nodded to the chair across fro down

“You only find Buck when he wants to be found,” Tate responded quietly Although his tears had dried up, his eyes were swollen and red He looked like hell so I got up and grabbed a few slices of pizza from the box on the stove and tossed them into the microwave I searched out a cup and filled it with tap water and placed it in front of him He didn’t respond, but he did reach for the cup to take several long drinks But when I slid the pizza in front of him, he didn’t touch it