Chapter 173 Milford

Chapter 173 Milford

Kieran's POV

I woke up at dawn to the vibration of my phone on the nightstand. For months, the screen had shown no notifications from Aveline. But when I unlocked it, I saw a single word at the top of the log.

Milford. There were no further messages from her. After months of Evelyn rejecting my calls and claiming her daughter was out on the coast, I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the screen. I wondered if she was giving me her location so the constant calls would stop, or if she wanted me to follow her. Either way, staying here wasn't an option anymore.

I went downstairs before the sun was fully up. My mother was already in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in her hand as she reviewed legal briefs for the firm. When I told her I was driving down to Milford, she immediately set her cup down.

"Absolutely not, Kieran," she said, looking straight at me. "Your final exams start next week. You cannot just pack a bag and disappear to another part of the town without telling anyone. It's reckless."

"Mom, please," I said, leaning against the counter. "It’s been months. Aveline finally sent a message. Just give me three days to find her, and I'll study the whole ride back. I won't mess up the finals."

"No, Kieran. I said no," she replied, her voice sharpening. "We don't know who is tracking her out there, or what kind of situation she's in. Going down there alone because of a text is dangerous. You're staying here."

"I can't concentrate in the classroom knowing fully well I know where she is," I said, stepping closer to the table. "You know what they did to her family. You know why she had to run. I'm not missing the exams; I'll take the books with me. But I still wish to go."

Amelia looked at me for a long time, her fingers tapping the edge of her tablet. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "If you go, you are not staying in a commercial hotel where I can't track you. I am calling Dr. Teleman near the harbor. You stay with them, check in with me every night, and return on Sunday morning. Understood?"

"Understood," I said.

By noon, I was on the intertown journey heading south. The drive to Milford took nearly three to four hours. The town was different from the sprawling suburbs around Crestwood, built tightly around a massive shipping harbor with narrow, uneven streets and old seafood shacks lining the waterfront.

It felt completely detached from the high-stakes hockey routine that had run my life since I was a kid.

I pulled up to the house near the harbor just before dark, a full day ahead of the timeline I had mapped out in my head. Dr. Teleman and his wife tried to make me comfortable during dinner.

They set out a large plate of roast beef and kept asking about my mother's firm, but I kept checking for text on my screen.

"Do you know any Carters around this part of the harbor?" I asked, setting my fork down when the conversation hit a lull. "A family with two kids? Maybe near the lower avenue?"

The doctor shook his head, reaching for his water glass. "No, can't say I do, son. I don't know any Carters around here. Most of the families near the lower avenue are clinic staff or work the seasonal shifts at the docks.

But if you're looking for newer residents, a lot of the temporary workers rent the small cottages down by the old salt marsh on the north side."

I looked down at my plate. The salt marsh was miles away from the harbor, on the opposite end of the town line. My lead was a dead end before I even started.

Seeing my reaction, his wife smiled kindly. "If you're looking for something to do tonight, Kieran, the kids are having a spring bonfire down at the point. It's just a mile past the lighthouse. We can lend you a wool blanket if you want to see the shore."

I didn't have any other options until morning, so I took the blanket and walked down the path toward the water.

When I arrived at the point, the bonfire was already roaring, throwing bright sparks into the dark sky. The beach party was noisy, filled with local high school kids standing around a jeep, shouting over music blasting from the speakers. I bypassed the main crowd near the benches, keeping my eyes toward the edge of the water, scanning every face under the firelight.

Then I saw her.

A girl was standing near the dock, her shoulders straight, her hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets as she laughed at something a guy next to her was saying. My brain didn't even process the distance. I dropped the wool blanket onto the sand and crossed the space in three strides.

I grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. "Aveline..."

The girl snapped around, her face completely unfamiliar under the glare. She frowned, pulling her arm back. "What's your problem, dude?"

"Sorry," I muttered, my hands dropping to my sides. "I thought you were someone else."

The disappointment made the noise of the party unbearable. I walked away from the dock, heading toward the parking lot to leave. Near the edge of the lot, a group of guys from the bonfire were standing around an old blue station wagon with a dented rear bumper.

One of them tossed an empty can into the back seat, and as the interior light flickered on, I caught a glimpse of a familiar dark green shirt with a Crestwood varsity logo stitched across the side.

"Hey," I said, walking up to the guy by the door. "Whose shirt is that?"

The guy looked at me, confused. "My cousin got it from a girl at the community rink where he works. The owner lives up near the old service road past the lighthouse. Why do you care?"

"Where's the service road?" I demanded.

He pointed toward the lane running parallel to the dark woods behind the dunes. "About half a mile down. There's a row of old coastal workers' houses."

I didn't answer him. I turned and walked straight onto the road, leaving the music and the fire behind. The road was quiet, the sound of the waves hitting the rocks growing faint as the trees blocked the shore.

Further down the lane, a girl stood beneath a broken streetlight, looking at her phone.

As I moved to pass her, she didn't look up from her screen, but her voice cut through the quiet air.

"Walking that path this late is dangerous. The local trucks take the turn too fast."

"Mind your business," I said, keeping my head down.

The girl stopped scrolling. She turned her head. Her hair was a bit long now. She wore a simple wool coat.

I stared at her.

"Kieran?" she whispered.

I didn't answer. I crossed the distance between us and pulled her into my arms.