“Daddy.”
Jonah opened his eyes.
Saw her.
Relief.
Then he looked beyond her.
At Rowan.
For several seconds neither man spoke.
Jonah's eyes filled.
“Hell.”
His voice was weak.
“Still ugly.”
Rowan almost laughed.
Instead something cracked inside him.
“You bastard.”
Jonah smiled faintly.
“Good to see you too.”
Emma climbed into the chair beside the bed.
Rowan approached slowly.
He stared down.
Twenty years of imagined arguments vanished.
Every speech he had rehearsed about betrayal felt stupid beside the machines.
“You're alive.”
Jonah's smile disappeared.
“For now.”
Rowan looked at Emma.
She was drawing circles on the blanket with one finger.
“How bad?”
Jonah looked toward her.
Then back.
“Cancer.”
Rowan closed his eyes.
“Liver.”
“Spread.”
“How long?”
“Doctors don't know.”
“That's doctor language for not enough.”
Rowan sat.
Anger returned because anger was easier than grief.
“Twenty years.”
Jonah looked at him.
“Yeah.”
“You disappeared for twenty years.”
“Yes.”
“You let us think…”
Rowan stopped because Emma was listening.
Jonah saw.
“Sweetheart.”
Emma looked up.
“Can you ask Nurse Carla if she has those crackers?”
Emma frowned.
“She isn't Aunt Carla.”
Jonah almost smiled.
“I know.”
Emma looked suspicious.
Then left reluctantly.
The door closed.
Rowan leaned forward.
“What happened to the money?”
Jonah stared at the ceiling.
“I didn't take it.”
Rowan's entire body became still.
“Don't.”
“I didn't.”
“Your credentials.”
“Used.”
“Your bike disappeared.”
“Stolen.”
“You disappeared.”
Jonah turned his head.
“Because the man who took the money told me he'd kill Boone's wife if I stayed.”
Silence.
Rowan stared.
“What?”
Jonah closed his eyes.
“It was Dale Mercer.”
Rowan felt the room tilt.
“Eli's brother?”
Jonah nodded.
Dale Mercer.
Older brother of Eli.
Bookkeeper.
Occasional helper at the garage.
Trusted.
Family.
Dale had gambling debts.
Serious ones.
He discovered the garage account.
Copied Jonah's authorization.
Transferred the money.
Jonah caught him.
Dale panicked.
Then threatened everyone.
“He had people after him,” Jonah whispered.
“Loan sharks.”
“Not movie stuff.”
“Real ugly men.”
“He said if I went to police, they'd go after families.”
Rowan stared.
“So you ran?”
“Not immediately.”
Jonah coughed.
Rowan reached toward water.
Then stopped.
Jonah nodded.
Rowan helped him drink.
Jonah continued.
“I confronted him.”
“He gave me back twelve thousand.”
“Said the rest was gone.”
“I wanted to tell you.”
“Then Boone's wife got followed home.”
Rowan's face changed.
“You remember?”
Yes.
He remembered.
Boone's wife, Amanda, had mentioned a car following her twice.
Everyone thought coincidence.
“Dale showed me photographs.”
“Your house.”
“Travis's kid.”
“Mason's wife.”
“Everybody.”
Jonah swallowed.
“He told me if I disappeared, he'd make it look like I stole the money and the pressure would end.”
“So you let him?”
“I thought I could fix it later.”
“Did you?”
Jonah's eyes filled.
“No.”
“Dale died eighteen months later.”
Rowan knew.
Car crash.
Tennessee.
Everyone attended funeral.
Eli cried.
Jonah continued.
“By then, I was in Arizona.”
“No money.”
“Working under another name.”
“I wanted to come back.”
“Then I heard what happened to the garage.”
“Boone's house.”
“All of it.”
“Shame kept me away longer than fear.”
Rowan stood.
“You could've called.”
“I know.”
“Written.”
“I know.”
“Anything.”
“I know.”
Rowan's voice rose.
“We hated you.”
Jonah's face broke.
“I know.”
“You let me hate you for twenty years.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
Jonah looked toward the door where Emma had gone.
“Because eventually I became exactly what you thought I was.”
Rowan stared.
“What does that mean?”
“A coward.”
Silence.
Jonah breathed carefully.
“I wasn't guilty of stealing the money.”
“I was guilty of disappearing.”
“Every year made the next year harder.”
“Then I met Emma's mother.”
“Had Emma.”
“Thought maybe I'd build something new.”
“Her mother couldn't handle me getting sick.”
“She left two years ago.”
Rowan looked toward the door.
“Emma's been with you alone?”
Jonah nodded.
“Mostly.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I know.”
“Why now?”
Jonah's eyes moved toward Rowan's tattoo.
“Because I'm running out of time.”
Rowan sat again.
Jonah whispered:
“I needed to know she had somewhere.”
Rowan looked at him.
“You sent a seven-year-old child across Asheville alone?”
Pain crossed Jonah's face.
“I didn't know what else to do.”
“You call social services.”
“She'd go into foster care.”
“You call us.”
“I didn't know if you'd answer.”
“So you sent her?”
Jonah's voice cracked.
“I told her if I couldn't wake up tomorrow, she had to find Millstone Café on Thursday.”
Rowan stopped.
“How did you know?”
Jonah smiled faintly.
“I've known where you were for years.”
That hurt more than anything.
“You watched us?”
“Online.”
“Occasionally drove through.”
“You were here?”
“Twice.”
Rowan stood again.
“Twice?”
“I couldn't walk inside.”
“You coward.”
“Yes.”
No defense.
That took the anger out of Rowan.
Jonah looked toward him.
“I deserve that.”
Rowan turned away.
Outside the window Asheville stretched beneath gray afternoon clouds.
He wanted twenty years back.
Impossible.
He wanted a villain.