When love by domination is not love

Chapter 10

Carlos knew that every hour spent on a kidnapping was one less chance of finding the victim. Twelve hours after arriving at the hotel room, finding TK's phone under the bed, the blood on the sheets, which he still didn't know if it belonged to TK or not, and searching the entire hotel from top to bottom to find that the paramedic was not there, he still knew nothing.

He had been told to go home because he was involved in the case, it was personal to him, but Carlos had refused.

"I'll leave you the badge and the gun if you want." He told his captain. "But I'm not leaving this station until someone tells me some clue about TK."
"And then you'll go investigate that lead, even if it gets you in trouble."
"That's a lot of years in your service I guess." Carlos smiled, not happy, but no one would have expected it.
"Let's just say I haven't heard that. I also hope you're aware enough of where the boundaries are of what you can do to stay out of trouble."

Carlos nodded and went to the lab to see if they finally had the results of the blood sample analysis. However, in the elevator, he ran into Owen.

They had spoken on the phone, obviously, he had been forced to call him as soon as TK had disappeared. Although at first, he had hoped to find him quickly, that he hadn't been kidnapped, that he had escaped, or that it had all been a mistake, he had decided to keep the captain informed about what little he knew about his son.

It had been a few hours since they had spoken, mostly because Carlos did not have much more to tell him.

But there he was, just like him, waiting for news and from his dull and saddened expression, it was clear that he didn't know much more than he did.

"Captain."
"Carlos."
"Don't think I didn't want to tell you anything else.
"I wouldn't think anything of the sort and please, call me Owen, at this point we're too close to each other to continue treating each other with such formality."
"All right. Owen, what are you doing here? I mean, excuse me." Carlos ran his hand over his head, flustered and feeling terrible about what he had just said. "What I meant to say is..."
"I know, don't worry, the guys at the barracks are handling my bad mood today as best they can."

Carlos smiled for the second time that day, with the same sadness as a moment before.

"Did they call you from here to give you some information about TK?"
"No, not really," Owen replied. "I've come to give you some information that I don't know if it has any importance."
"What is it about? If I may know, of course."
"Yes, of course, no problem. I found a note from TK, he had written down that he was meeting someone tonight and I know that...if it's about who I think it is, it can only mean trouble for TK."

Owen showed her the photo he had taken of the note before dropping it off at the police station.

The address was the address of the hotel where he had gone, Carlos, and the time was what the desk clerk had said TK had arrived. It all made sense for TK's appointment. He didn't put a name on it, but from what Carlos had found out by researching TK's phone and the name of that unknown DaddyNY, Carlos had concluded that this was fucking Alex, TK's fucking ex, the fucking bastard who had terrorized him in every way for so long.

"Did you say Alex?" Owen said clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. "I didn't think I'd ever heard that name again, not since we'd come to live in Austin."
"TK has told me a pa of things about his relationship with Alex, it sounded horrible; I've never met him, but it made me want to find him and be able to confront him."
"I know, I sure as hell know." Owen took Carlos aside. "Alex was a big monster with TK. I thought... I'm very sad to say it, but in a way, I must be thankful for the overdose that almost killed TK. That was what TK needed to turn his life around."
"Do you really think he could have taken Alex and hurt him...again?" Carlos asked, dreading the answer.
"TK was too ashamed of a lot of the things that happened with Alex, so I don't know how far he could go now."