Sergio shook his head, not sure who they were talking about. “Who is Carlo Stanton?”
“He’s the dancer who took off after Keagan Hahn, his dance partner, disappeared.” Kash filled in the rest with a look of impatience that was echoed on both Kyler and Gage’s faces.
“Sorry, I haven’t been working this case, so I didn’t get the specifics,” Sergio explained, but he should have gotten their names whether he was assigned to the case or not. His disinterest was in poor taste. “I should have known their names. I am sorry.” He admitted, and everyone seemed placated.
“He’s with his family in Idaho, so according to the search team, he’s safe and well.” Kash further added. “Master Hadden provided him monetary compensation for the way he was treated at the Ruby Light, which settles that. But he says that he has had no contact with Keagan. He doesn’t know where he went or if he’s still alive.”
“According to everyone present at the Ruby Light the night Keagan disappeared, he went to Cruise’s office to have it out with him, and he intended to quit,” Kyler explained. Both Kash and Sergio exchanged pained looks at the statement knowing full well that Cruise would not have abided such impertinence without grave consequences.
“No one saw him after he entered Cruise’s office?” Sergio asked the question that he already knew the answer to. Kyler shook his head and cast his eyes down to his lap.
“They haven’t found any sign of him anywhere. His apartment is still being paid for since he set up an automatic payment through his bank account, but it doesn’t appear that he has ever been back there. His cell phone, bank account, and credit cards remain unused since the night he disappeared.” Kash said as he hugged his two beloveds closer, giving them the comfort, they needed.
Sergio understood their desire to find this man and put their minds at ease, but the prospect of that happening was extremely unlikely. “He’s been missing for several months, and no one has heard from him. His money remains in his bank, and his cards are stagnant. No sign of life.” He said it before realizing the implication of his words.
“Keagan and Carlo helped us survive the Ruby Light. We have to find Keagan even if he is dead, we need to have closure on this.” Gage didn’t talk a lot, but when he did, it was poignant.
Sergio was the one to drop his gaze to his lap this time, feeling like an ass for pushing the obvious and not understanding what they wanted. “Okay, what do you want me to do? I’m here for a reason I know that, so just tell me and I will do it.”
“We both have the day off tomorrow. I’d like you to accompany me on a city-wide search.” Kash stated and waited for Sergio to respond.
“Do you have a photo of Keagan?” Sergio asked.
“Cruise took pictures of everyone who worked for him.” Kyler pulled a small picture from a file folder and handed it to Sergio.
The picture was of a dark-haired young man with deep dimples. Sergio loved dimples on a man. He was a handsome man with eyes bright blue and filled with hope, which was sad considering Sergio knew his outcome. He was too young to have endured what he did, and he did not deserve his end. Master Hadden was rectifying the damage caused by Cruise, but not all damage could be rectified, and that was the pain in all of this.
“What time do you want to meet?” Sergio would do whatever Kash asked. He knew the man was attempting to ease the minds of his beloveds, and Sergio would help him; however, he could.
“Early, before sunup.”
“I’ll review Keagan Hahn’s file tonight and meet you at five out front,” Sergio stated, and the relief in the room was clear. He just hoped that they could find something during the course of their search to provide the closure these two men needed.
“Sounds good and thank you.” Kash reached over and shook Sergio’s hand. “If you have any questions about Keagan’s information call me, I’ve stayed on point with this investigation since the beginning.”
“I will, and I’m sorry I didn’t realize how personal this was to you all. I apologize if I seemed less compassionate than I should have.” Sergio was getting the importance of this now and understood.
“No, you’re fine.” Kash waved his hand as if dismissing the need for an apology.
“Yeah, this is our issue, not yours,” Kyler interjected.
“You didn’t know Keagan, but we did, and we want to help him or, at the very least, see that he has a proper burial,” Gage spoke soft and sure, holding Sergio’s gaze. The message was clear. They would find him.
…
It was close to sundown, and he was still out in the open, so he tried to hurry, not wanting to be out and exposed after dark. If he couldn’t make it to the shelter, he needed to find a dark place to hold up for the night. The dangers on the street were numerous. He’d discovered that over the first few days, he was out here.
Those days were a nightmare in the flesh. Luck had saved him those first nights, nothing but pure luck. Now he knew to make it to a shelter or find a place to hide that was dark and would cover his human scent. He wished he’d still had some cloaking mixture, but that was back at his apartment, and he couldn’t go there.
Dumpsters, alleys behind restaurants, all worked to cloak his scent from
