Full Balance (The Peachtree Series Book 3)

by Brigham Vaughn

  Russ stifled a curse. Goddamn it, everything in Atlanta was named Peachtree. “Does it say street or boulevard?”

  “Boulevard.”

  “Okay, that helps.” Not a lot but it was something.

  He got Austin to tell him the cross street, which finally narrowed it down.

  “Does it look like a pretty safe area?” he asked as he mapped out the route from the office.

  “Yeah, there’s just big houses and stuff around here. Fancy cars.”

  “Okay.” Not that bad things couldn’t happen in expensive neighborhoods but hopefully it would be safe enough until Russ could get there. “I’ll come get you now. It says it should take me twenty minutes to get there. It might be a few extra if traffic is bad. I’m at the office and I have to tell Stephen what’s happening and get to my car, but I’ll leave as soon as I do,” Russ said. “I should be there within half an hour, okay?”

  “K.”

  “Do you want me to stay on the line?”

  “No. I’ll be fine.” There was a little waver to Austin’s voice.

  “You call again if you need me, okay? No matter what.” Even as Russ spoke, he was methodically going through his typical evening routine, logging out of his computer, shutting it down, gathering his belongings. “And if someone hassles you, don’t be afraid to run. Find a public place like a restaurant or a gas station or something and stay there, okay? Then call me when you’re safe.”

  “Yeah,” Austin said in a small voice. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll be there soon,” Russ promised before he hung up. When he lifted his head, he realized everyone on his team was staring at him wide-eyed. Russ bit back a curse.

  “I’m sorry, guys. I have to go.” He scanned his desk, making sure everything was squared away.

  “Family emergency?” Sherri asked with a concerned frown. She was nosy as hell, but her worry looked sincere.

  “No, a kid from the youth center where I volunteer,” he said quietly. His team knew about his volunteer work, so hopefully that would be enough of an explanation. “It is an emergency though.”

  “Oh, well, I hope they’re okay,” Sherri said.

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Russ grabbed his bag and strode away from his desk toward Stephen’s office. Heads turned in his wake. He probably had a murderous look on his face. God, those foster parents. Telling a kid they didn’t want him? What the hell were they thinking?

  “You okay, Russ?” someone called after him.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said vaguely as he dodged a woman with her face buried in her phone who looked up in alarm at the sound of his voice.

  He made a beeline down the hall, ducked through a door, and burst past a surprised-looking Elizabeth as he pushed open the door to Stephen’s office.

  He looked up, frowning. “Russ, I’m on the phone,” he said, but his eyes widened and Russ’s wild expression must have convinced him that it was serious, so he said, “I’ll call you back, Jerry,” and hung up. Stephen got to his feet. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  “It’s Austin; he needs my help. I’ve gotta go, okay?”

  Stephen blinked at him. “Austin?”

  “The kid from Open Doors.” The words came out rushed. “It’s a long story, but he needs my help and I’ve gotta go and—”

  “Right. Go,” Stephen said. He reached in the drawer and handed his keys to Russ. “Did you let Peter know?”

  “Shit, no.”

  “I’ll tell him. And hopefully I can get a ride home from him or grab a ride share. Just focus on taking care of Austin, okay? I’ll manage the rest.”

  “Thank you. I love you.” Russ pressed a quick kiss to his lips, so grateful to have a partner who understood. “I’ll explain everything later.”

  “Of course. Be safe.”

  “Sorry, Elizabeth,” Russ called out as he rushed past her.

  “What is going on?” she asked, but he was halfway down the hall before he could hear Stephen’s reply.

  Russ clattered down the stairs and raced to his car. He felt like he had when his sister Addie had called him from Jacksonville after her assault.

  His stomach clenched with anxiety as he navigated the streets of Atlanta, heading north and west. Other than his GPS guiding him where to go, his phone remained silent. Nothing from Austin and he had to hope that was a good sign. It was fully dark now, which made it harder to see, so he slowed down as he approached the intersection, cursing when he realized had no idea which corner Austin was on. It was a fairly good-sized intersection and he couldn’t look in every direction at once, so he made a loop back around and on the second pass he spotted a familiar mop of reddish hair on the far side. “Oh, thank God,” he muttered, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

  He turned onto the quieter side street and pulled up next to Austin. He eyeballed the car warily and Russ cursed when he realized Austin wouldn’t recognize it and couldn’t see inside. Russ ducked his head as he put the window down.

  “Austin!” he called out. “It’s me, Russ.”

  The relief that lit up his face when their gazes met made Russ’s heart ache.

  “I wasn’t sure you were coming,” Austin mumbled.

  “I told you I would.”

  “Yeah.” Austin looked at the ground and Russ wondered how many people in Austin’s life had told him they’d do something and never followed through.

  “Would you like to get in?” Russ asked softly. “I can give you a ride somewhere.”

  “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

  Maybe he was rushing things. Maybe he just needed to sit down with Austin and get him to talk more. “I saw a burger place on my way here. We could go there and grab a bite to eat while we figure out what to do next.”

  Austin hesitated before he reached for the door handle. “Yeah, okay.”

  Austin stared out the window as they drove to the restaurant. Russ let him be. He didn’t need more pressure at the moment.

  When they were standing inside, staring up at the menu board, Austin gave him a hesitant look. “What can I get?”

  “Whatever you want,” Russ said with a shrug. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah. I had a granola bar for breakfast, and I didn’t have lunch,” he mumbled.

  “Oh, then yeah, get whatever you want,” Russ said. “Burger, fries, shake, whatever. I don’t want you to be hungry.”

  “Okay.” Austin fiddled with his backpack. Russ had told him he could leave it in the car, but he’d shook his head and grabbed it anyway. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Austin quietly ordered his food, and it wasn’t until they were seated at a table by the window that Russ coaxed him to talk again. “I was kinda surprised you texted me.”

  He shrugged. “I had your card in my bag. I didn’t know who else to text. I’m sorry.”

  “Austin, you don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Russ said. He popped a fry in his mouth. “You needed help and that’s why I gave you my card. I’m glad you called.”

  “I thought you might be mad.”

  “I’m not mad,” Russ promised. “I’m just kinda worried about you.”

  “I’m okay now.” Austin shoved more burger in his mouth.

  “Austin, you skipped school, ran away from your foster house, and got lost. That doesn’t really sound okay to me,” Russ pointed out gently.

  Austin sent him an annoyed look over his burger. “I’ll be fine,” he muttered around the mouthful of food.

  “Where are you going to go?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you can’t just stay on the streets, Austin,” he pointed out.

  “Kellie does,” he said sullenly.

  “Yeah, but you know that isn’t safe,” Russ said quietly. “I don’t know a lot about her situation, but I do know it’s better to have a place to sleep indoors, and hot meals and a shower. I’m sure she’d want that for you too.”

  “I know.” Austin frowned. �
��I just can’t go back to the Nashes though! They don’t want me anymore.”

  “Okay. What are you planning to do next then?”

  He shifted in his chair. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, that sounds like you might need some help figuring it out then.”

  Austin let out an aggravated sigh. “Yeah, okay. I guess.”

  “And I am pretty sure I need to call someone to let them know where you are.”

  “Not my foster parents,” he protested.

  “Have they ever hurt you?” Russ asked. “Hit you? Abused you in any way? With words or anything else.”

  “No.” He dragged a fry through a puddle of ketchup. “They never hit me. And they aren’t abusive. They just … they don’t want me anymore.”

  “They actually said that?”

  “Yes!” He paused and looked up at the ceiling. “Well, kind of. They’re moving to another state and they don’t want to take me with them.”

  Russ nodded, not fully understanding. He suspected it was probably more complicated than that, but it was hard to know because it was all being filtered through Austin’s point of view. They were either really shitty foster parents who callously told a kid he was no longer a part of the family or they legally couldn’t take him and he’d interpreted it that way. Russ just didn’t know which. And Austin probably couldn’t tell the difference. There had been an issue with them and the sister though.

  “Why did your sister decide to leave their house?”

  “Dunno. She had a job and she wanted to be off on her own.”

  Russ frowned. “How did she end up homeless?”

  Austin shrugged and shoved some more fries in his mouth. “Her girlfriend dumped her and she didn’t have anywhere to stay.”

  “Oh,” Russ said. “And your foster parents wouldn’t let her come back?”

  “I don’t know. They didn’t like that she was with her girlfriend and Kellie got super mad about it.”

  Russ nodded, still puzzled. Things weren’t quite adding up. Dan had seemed very positive about the them as foster parents, and Russ would have sworn he said they were good with LGBTQ kids, so that didn’t quite make sense.

  “What if no one wants me?” Austin burst out. “What if I don’t find a new foster family?”

  Russ frowned at him. “I am sure they’ll find someone for you.”

  “We had to wait so long to find this place.” Austin frowned. “We lived at the group home for a while before then. It sucked. And this time I won’t have Kellie there.”

  “Well, maybe we can talk to Dan about what the options are,” Russ said. “There must be a place for you somewhere.”

  Austin sighed, like the weight of the world rested on his narrow little shoulders. “I just … the Nashes are getting rid of me and I don’t know who I’ll end up with next. What if they get rid of me too?”

  Russ’s heart broke. “I don’t know what it’s like to be in your shoes, Austin. I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what it feels like to be moved from home to home and all that. I want to do something to help you; I just don’t know what to do.”

  Austin nodded. “It’s okay. Thanks for dinner.” He reached for his backpack like he was going to get up and leave, but Russ shook his head.

  “Wait, Austin. You don’t need to go anywhere. I don’t know what to do yet, but I am going to help you figure it out, if you’ll let me.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He slumped back.

  “Can I call Dan at the center?”

  Austin gave him a wary look, then sighed. “I guess. Can I have some more fries? I’m still hungry.”

  “Of course.” Stuffing a kid full of fast food wasn’t the healthiest option, but under the circumstances it was the least of their worries. He pulled cash out of his wallet and handed it over. “Why don’t you go get the fries while I talk to Dan?”

  “’kay” Austin darted out of the booth, but he turned halfway back and shot Russ a faint, fleeting smile that made him feel like he’d done far more than he had actually had. “Um, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” Russ said. He called Dan while Austin ordered, keeping one eye on him while he did so. He was less concerned about him running off with his money than someone hassling him. His backpack was still in the booth and Russ was pretty sure he wasn’t going to leave without it.

  “Hey, Dan, it’s Russ,” he said when the call connected.

  “Hey, Russ. How are you doing?” Dan’s voice was pleasant though there was a note of confusion in it, probably because Russ had never called him before.

  “I’m good. Look, I need to talk to you about Austin.”

  “Austin.” Russ could hear the alarm creeping into his voice. “Austin Carr from the center?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about him?”

  “Well, a few weeks ago, he looked really upset and I gave him my business card. I just told him to text if he had an emergency.”

  “Okay.”

  “He got ahold of me today to say he’d run away from his foster home and he got lost. I tracked him down and found him.”

  “Oh, thank God. He’s safe now? Amy Nash called me this afternoon when he didn’t show up after school and we’ve all been frantically trying to find him.”

  “Yeah, he seems fine. He was a little scared when he called me, I think. And he hadn’t eaten all day, so we stopped at a burger place. I figured I’d get some food in him, get him to talk about what happened, then contact you. I hope that was the right choice. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do,” Russ admitted.

  “It was a good call.” Dan let out a heavy sigh. “Damn it, I was hoping that placement would work out for him. Aside from the issue with Kellie, they’ve always done really well with our kids. Did he tell you what happened?”

  “According to him, they’re moving out of state.” Austin had reached the front of the line now.

  “Amy told me about that last week, but neither of us expected him to make a run for it when he heard the news.”

  “Has he run away before?”

  “Once, when Kellie left their home. He wanted to stay with her. He was only gone a few hours though.”

  “Hmm. Okay. So what should I do next?”

  “First, I am going to call the Nashes and let them know he’s safe, then notify Marcus, his social worker. Would you be able to drive Austin back to the Nash home? He probably won’t be happy about it. Or you can wait, and I can send Marcus over, if he’s available.”

  “I honestly think Austin’ll run if I tell him I’m taking him back to the foster home,” Russ said. “And I don’t want to lie to him about where we’re going.”

  “No, don’t lie to him. I’ll call Marcus. He and Austin have a good rapport. Do you think Austin will stay where you are now for a while?”

  “Sure. He just ordered a second helping of fries.”

  “Perfect. It sounds like you did everything exactly right. Thank you.”

  “Thank God.” Russ let out a sigh.

  “You’re going to be a great foster dad.”

  Russ smiled at the thought. “Thanks.”

  As he watched Austin carry a wobbly tray back to the table, a thought hit him like a lightning bolt.

  Dan had said he’d be a great foster dad. What if he’d be a great foster dad for Austin?

  “Hey, Austin.” An attractive black man slid into the booth next to Austin and held out a hand to Russ with a wide smile. “Marcus Parnell.”

  Russ shook his hand. “Russ Bishop.”

  Jesus, did Open Doors have any people working there who weren’t stupidly good looking? The short hair, neat goatee, heavy brows, and eyes that crinkled up at the corners were enough but that smile …

  Austin made a face at Russ, pulling his attention from the attractive social worker. “Oh, man! You called Marcus? Why’d you rat me out that way?”

  “I called Dan, and he called Marcus,” Russ explained. “We just want to figure out what’s best for you.”

  “Whate
ver.”

  “Okay, let’s talk, Austin.” Marcus looked over at him. “What’s going on with you?”

  “The Nashes are leaving, and I’m going to have to find a new family!” He scowled.

  “Did they talk to you about why?”

  “Brian got a new job in North Carolina,” he said sullenly.

  “Okay. Well, that sucks.”

  Russ hid a smile at Marcus’s frank tone and the way he didn’t sugarcoat the situation.

  “Yeah. I don’t know why I can’t go with them though,” Austin argued.

  “Well, your dad still has custody of you,” Marcus explained. His low voice was soothing, patient. “They can’t just uproot you without going through a whole lot of legal hoops. It’s just not possible for them to do that. It doesn’t mean they don’t love you.”

  “How can they love me if they don’t want me anymore?” Austin’s lip wobbled and Russ wanted to reach over and hug him. He definitely didn’t have that kind of relationship with him though. Marcus put his arm around Austin and squeezed his shoulder though. Good. Clearly they did.

  “Sometimes adults have to make really, really tough choices, Austin,” he said quietly. “The Nashes are good people. They love you. They are just in a situation that’s not easy on any of you.”

  “If they’re leaving me, I don’t want to stay with them anymore,” he said stubbornly.

  “Austin.” Marcus rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s gonna take some time to find you a new placement, you know that.”

  “I know.”

  “So your choices are the group home or the Nashes. I know you don’t like the group home.”

  “It sucks.” He sighed and slouched back against the booth cushions. “What about the center?”

  “We’re packed right now. You’d be taking space away from a kid who has been on the streets.”

  “Ugh. So I’m stuck with the Nashes until they ditch me?”

  Marcus sighed like he wanted to argue with Austin. Russ did too. It didn’t seem like the Nashes were trying to ditch him at all. But that probably wasn’t going to get them anywhere, and Marcus knew way more about the situation. The best thing Russ could do was keep his mouth shut.

  “Your choices are between staying with the Nashes or the group home,” Marcus said. His tone was kind but firm and Russ decided right then and there that was the kind of foster dad he wanted to be. “Obviously, you’ve proved you can run away, but was that the best choice?”