Justin tried again to get his hands out of the zip-ties. He couldn’t see much of what he was doing, because it was dark in the trunk of the car. He had kicked and hit until his driver pulled over and said that he had other ways of shutting him up. It had terrified Justin more than he was already.

How could everything go so wrong on what should be the happiest day of his life? He wanted to spend his last day as a bachelor alone. It was next to impossible to get Daphne to leave the night before. Luckily for him, her boyfriend wanted some couple time. He had wished Daphne had stayed, if she had…things wouldn’t have happened like it did.

He’d gone out after she left to grab something to eat. It was when he left the deli down the street he felt someone watching him. That wasn’t so unusual because usually he was with Brian, and Brian drew everyone’s attention.

By the time, he got back to his apartment he was on edge. He never wanted to admit it, but he always feared Chris would come and try to finish the job he started at prom. More so since the gun incident. He should have run the first time he saw Cody; the boy was a mess.

As he opened his apartment door he thought he was safe. He wasn’t, just before he shut the door a giant man pushed him inside the apartment. Before he had time to react the man pinned him to the floor, a gun shoved under his chin.

“Don’t say a fucking word,” the man growled.

He didn’t, he hoped the stranger would take his wallet and leave. He didn’t have have much money but hopefully it would be enough to satisfy the man with the gun.

“What’s your name?”

Justin, guess he could talk now. “Justin Taylor,” he said, his voice strained.

“Well, Justin Taylor, you and I are going for a little trip.”

“I’m getting married tomorrow,” he said weakly. He saw something once that you’re supposed to make you attacker see you as a human being.

“Don’t lie to me, boy. I know what you are. I knew the minute I saw you.”

“I’m not lying. I’m getting married. His name’s Brian. Please, just take my money,” he whimpered.

“Then I guess you need to write your fella a letter, huh? Make it sound good.”

After that he had forced Justin to write the letter. A small part of him worried that the guy already knew who he and Brian were, and was playing with him. So, he kept his letter as close to the truth as he could. He hoped the mix of the wrong information and that dumb code for Michael would have them looking for him. He had no idea where they were headed, but they had been driving since the man put him in the trunk. Besides the gun being pointed at the him he hadn’t been hurt, but people didn’t abduct people to give them ice cream and tickets to the ice capades.

One thing he really hope was Brian to keep his sanity. This stress wasn’t good for him. Justin always feared the cancer would come back. It was funny, his biggest worry was to lose Brian in some tramatic way. But it seemed that that was Brian’s past, present and future. Why couldn’t they just live happily ever after in their country manor with a stable and a pool.  

“It looks straight forward to me, Mr. Kinney. Mr. Taylor chose to not get married, it’s there in black and white,” Officer Holloway said, pointing at the letter.

“No, read the letter. He got key facts wrong. What about the code for Michael? Justin is in danger. Get off your fat, useless asses and find him,” Brian growled.

Officer Holloway was taking his statement while Carl was trying to calm frantic family members. Jennifer, Debbie and Emmett were the ones losing their shit.

“Sunshine, would never just run away like that!” Debbie yelled from across the loft.

“I’m sorry, but didn’t Mrs. Taylor say just a moment ago, that he ran away to New York at seventeen?”

“That was different, he just trying to get Brian’s attention,” Debbie said hotly.

“And it looks to have worked once. Maybe Mr. Taylor is just trying to get Mr. Kinney’s attention again.”

“Justin was supposed to marry Brian today. What better attention is there?” Daphne asked, a scowl on her face. “He’s wanted this since he was seventeen years old, he wouldn’t have left without actually speaking to Brian…or me.”

“I understand this is a difficult time. But you’ve all said this is Justin’s handwriting. The letter is a Dear John letter. I’m sorry Mr. Kinney but you’re not the first to get one.”

“Now hold it, Ruben. I understand the need to be cautious. But I’ve met the young man, I know him. He’s told me how he and Brian met, in too much detail I might add. Also, Michael has pictures of the night Gus was born. It’s Brian, Michael and Justin, there was no Emmett. He had to have purposely got these wrong. I believe he was trying to let us send a message,” Carl said

“What it looks like to me is a young man deciding he didn’t want to be tied down to a man twelve years his senior,” Officer Holloway said.

“Carl, if you would be kind enough to show Officer Holloway out. Some of us have to find my son,” Jennifer said, her cheeks flushed with anger.

It seemed Carl knew best not to argue with a WASP mama bear. She was holding herself up amazingly now, but soon she would crack. After Carl walked out with Officer Holloway, it was like free reign to yell.

“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled.

“What are we going to do?” Debbie sobbed.

“I’m sure Carl will make sure Justin’s name and picture is distributed around to other precincts. Emmett, do you think you can get Justin’s picture on the news?”

“Of course,” he said, his voice hitched a little.

‘Daphne, can you make sure everyone knows if they see Justin to get into contact with us?”

“Sure thing, I’ll head over to Auster Drive now.”

“You take care of everyone else, Daphne. Leave him to me,” Jennifer bit out.

It took a moment to realize they were talking about Craig. He wouldn’t put it above Craig Taylor to have kidnapped his son to try to turn him straight.

“Hold it, Jennifer. I want you take Tucker to go with you, look for anything suspicious.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Like, if he had anything to do with his Justin’s disappearance.”

“Dad wouldn’t. Not because he’s above it. He’s just doesn’t have the brains for it,” Molly, Justin’s thirteen-year-old sister, said.

“Molly, you shouldn’t say such things about your father. Although, I would have to agree with her reason. But I’ll look hard, I’m an expert on seeing through his lies now.”

“Michael, I need you and Ben to check on Hobbs. If we send Carl and he does have something to do with Justin disappearing, he could kill him.”

Emmett and Debbie gasped.

“Make sure he doesn’t see you,” he told Michael and Ben.

“Are you sure this is necessary. We haven’t seen Hobbs in years?” Mel asked.

Brian didn’t know exactly what happened last year, but he knew it involved Hobbs.

He didn’t think Justin had seen the piece of shit. The only reason he didn’t think so was because Justin had been a basket case last time he had. Last year though, he was angry. Angier than Brian had ever seen before. That was saying something because for years Brian had been to pushing Justin to the breaking point.

“Maybe I should go alone. I wasn’t around then. So even if he sees me he won’t bulk,” Ben suggested.

“Fine,” Brian agreed. “Hunter, I need you ask the hustler brigade to keep an eye out. They will be greatly compensated if they do find him.”

The boy nodded. “You bet.”

“What about me?” Ted asked.

“I need you and Cynthia to handle Kinnetik until Justin comes back.”

“You were already scheduled to be gone a month. Hopefully, Justin will be he home by tonight,” Ted said.

It was a nice dream but Brian’s life wasn’t in some fantasy land. And Justin’s life had been anything but flowers and butterflies, no matter what his usual sunny disposition said about him.  

Brain went to the bathroom so he could breathe. Everyone was off doing the jobs he’d given them. Except for Debbie, she was sitting by his phone waiting for Justin to call. He couldn’t take it anymore and left her there. When he got up today he thought his biggest problem would be keeping Justin’s feet on the ground. The only bad part in their future was Lindsay and Mel taking the kids to Canada, although Mel had said they weren’t going anywhere until Justin was home.

Turning the water on, he splashed his face. Looking in the mirror he remembered seeing Justin drying off once. A bruise on his back. His first instinct was wanting to find the guy. But Justin had admitted to starting it. For a few scary weeks, he thought Justin had lost what made him Sunshine. Then just one day, he was back. Brian decided not to ask that many questions, because he was sure he didn’t want the answers to them. He was just happy to have his brat back.

But then Brian had to try and stay the Stud of Liberty Avenue. He knew a lot of it was because of the ego punch he took when he got sick. It took a bomb for him to realize his mistake, he had almost lost Justin for good. The kid had way too any near death experiances for his young age.

“Brian.”

It seemed his breather was over. Opening the bathroom door, he saw Carl looking at him stonily. Whatever the man had to say he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

“Detective,” he said warily.

“I called in some favors and had crime scene look at Justin’s place.”

“And?”

“You got your wish.”

“Meaning?”

“This is officially a kidnapping.”