Hands grabbed at him. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. The hands were hard and rough. It didn’t matter how much he fought, he couldn’t get free. He was going to die, he knew it. The man was going to kill him. His assailant was faceless. No one was going to save him. He would die in the dark, empty void. Suddenly, there was light, blinding light.

“Wake up. Come on, Reece, wake up,” a familiar voice said, breaking though his nightmare fogged brain.

“Georgie?”

“It’s me, Cowboy. The boys are outside the room. Think it’s okay if I let them in? We all heard you screaming, they’re kind of worried.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Let them in,” he said, his voice raspy.

Looking at the window he noticed it was morning already. Usually when his nightmares were bad he would call Matt. His brother had slept beside him many a night, fighting invisible monsters.

Avery ran in and jumped on the bed, Sean and Caleb were more hesitant.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Avery asked.

Reece nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

“When I have bad dreams, Daddy lets me sleep in his bed. Do you want to sleep in mine?”

“I’m okay now but thank you.” He hugged his baby brother. “Hey, where is Harley?” He noticed his dog wasn’t in the room with him like he had been when he fell asleep.

“He wanted to sleep with me,” Avery said with a pout.

“Oh, well if that’s what he wanted.”

“We’re gonna go tour Savannah’s historic district. Do you want to come?” Georgie asked.

He had really wanted to go and see the city yesterday. But he just wanted to stay in bed now, he felt too raw to be out in public.

“Maybe another time,” he said, laying back down.

“Are you sure?” Caleb asked. Since he got his tattoo he had been on his best behavior, probably thought Reece would save him from their dads.

“I’m sure, you four go and have fun. No tattoo parlors though,” he said glaring between Caleb and Georgie.

“I want to stay with you,” Avery said, jumping back onto Reece’s chest.

“Buddy, it would be better if you go. I’m just going to sleep, I’m not feeling well. I bet Georgie has a fun day planned out.”

Georgie snorted. They all knew the man never really planned anything he did.

“Do you want me to bring you a surprise?” Avery asked.

“That would be really nice. Maybe you can find a matching watch for me,” he said gesturing at Avery’s superhero watch on his little wrist.

Avery looked at the sculpture, he knew Reece wanted a superhero watch but he thought his brother would like this better. He turned to aske Georgie if they could get it, but he didn’t see Georgie or his brothers.

The shop wasn’t very big so it didn’t take him long to realize they weren’t there. He ran outside the shop, looking one way then the other. There was a lot of people walking around, too many people. He couldn’t see them and it scared him.

“Are you alright, kid?” a smelly man asked.

His dad said if he ever got lost to look for a policeman or someone who worked in a store. He thought about going into the shop he just left but that meant going past the smelly man. Instead of answering the man, he turned and ran.

Georgie was going out of his mind. He had lost Avery. He thought the boy had followed them but noticed he wasn’t with them when they started to talk about lunch. They had run back through four shops. How had he not noticed Avery wasn’t there?

The woman in the last place he really remembered Avery at said she saw him leave thirty minutes ago.

“Let’s split up. Call me if you find him,” he told Caleb and Sean.

Caleb getting a tattoo was child’s play to this. Horrible things ran through his brain. How did this happen? He thought about calling Reece but he didn’t have a car, he would only worry.

Avery couldn’t find a policeman. But he did follow a furry cat into a shop that smelled funny, not bad just funny.

He heard a woman arguing in a language he didn’t understand. Instead of leaving he walked further into the shop.

“We’ hello, chil’d,” a lady behind a desk said. Avery didn’t see who she had been arguing with.

“Do you work here?” he asked hopefully.

“Sur do, cheri.”

“You talk funny,” he told her.

She laughed. “I’a been told. Wha’ a lil thin like ya do ‘er alone?”

“I can’t find my brothers.”

“I’a feel they be find us, no worry.”

It had been thirty more minutes and no closer to finding Avery. Georgie knew it was time to call the police. But first he had to bite the bullet and call Reece.

Reece answered on the second ring.

“I’ve lost Avery,” he blurted out. Silence. Dead silence from Reece. “Reece?”

“One second.” A moment later Reece came back with an address.

“What’s that?”

“Where Avery is. He has a GPS in his watch, Pop’s idea. Go get my baby brother and come back now. I swear if a hair on his head is hurt I’ll kill you myself.”

Georgie had no doubt that about that. He had majorly fucked up, he just prayed Avery was alright.

He called Caleb and Sean as he ran to the address Reece gave him. It was a small palm reader shop. It smelled of over used incense. As he opened the door he heard a laughing Avery. For the first time in an hour he felt his heart leave his throat.

“Avery,” he called as he rounded the corner, seeing the boy. Avery was playing with two cats, one black and white, the other tortoise shell.

“Hi, Georgie. This is Bula and Mori,” Avery said, pointing at the cats. “And that’s Madame Lovelie.”

Georgie looked at the older dark-skinned woman. She was smiling at him but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was judging him, not that he blamed her. He had royally messed up, he was lucky that Avery was alright. He knew if Reece didn’t kill him Justin and Brian would once they found out he lost Avery, not to mention Caleb’s tattoo.

Caleb and Sean entered the shop not too long after. Avery whined about leaving his new kitty friends but pointing out that Reece wanted to see him changed his tune. The drive back, his stomach knotted up more and more.

Brian flew through the hospital doors. He knew it was a mistake. Fuck the cops. Fuck all of them. He knew letting Justin go in wired to talk to Cody Bell was wrong. Brian had wanted to be there at the time. The police forbid that, he knew he shouldn’t have listened. Instead of listening to his gut, he listened to the police.

He had just gotten off the phone with Anna, who had landed in California. After Jenny left and the kids left she felt out of place, so she and Saayed decided to go back to California and get her settled in before Saayed left for Georgia. He was about to call Reece and check on him and the boys when Martinez called.

Justin had been injured by Cody Bell but Martinez wouldn’t tell him what had happened or how bad it was.

“I’m looking for my husband. Justin Taylor,” he told the woman at information in the hospital.

She typed the name in, her face suddenly blanched. “Sir, I’ll call the doctor down to talk to you.”

A strange calm came over him. “Is he dead?’ he asked blankly.

“Sir, it would be best if you wait for the doctor.”

“I don’t want to stay here!” a loud, familiar voice shouted.

Brian looked up to see his husband stomping down the corridor, he was in a hospital gown and holding his arm in an odd position.

Brian ran and swooped his husband into a bone crushing hug until Justin started cursing.

“Damnit Brian, my arm is dislocated.”

“What are you doing out here then?”

“Those assholes don’t know their head from their ass. Apparently, there is a Justin Taylor in the hospital. Well they kept confusing me with him. Well, it seems he died earlier. I swear to God they started to try and take ME to the morgue. I keep telling them I’m Justin Taylor-Kinney and I’m NOT dead.”

Brian burst out laughing. “Only you, Sunshine, could argue with people about if you’re dead or not.”