Epilogue
Beau
Pearl Skye walks across the street, her head down. I watch her do this every morning. She arrives in town, buys four coffees, and then leaves without saying a word to anyone.
Sometimes she wears a scarf around her hair, sometimes her sunglasses are perched like armor. But her mouth is always a line drawn in warning. I don’t think she even knows she’s doing it. Like her body still expects a fight every time she steps into daylight.
That’s the thing about ghosts. They don’t knock. They just follow you until you forget what it was like not to carry them.
I wait until she’s past before I step out of my truck. Been parked here twenty minutes. I could’ve gone in already. Could’ve asked around. But I’ve learned the hard way that some things come unraveled if you pull too fast.
Like my daughter.
Like Pearl Skye.
The bell above the door of the café jingles as I walk in.
The waitress behind the counter glances up, then does a double-take.
I get that a lot. Partly the tattoos. Partly the size.
Mostly the air I bring with me because of my reputation.
People don’t like to see me coming when I’m not in a suit. It means the civilized version is gone.
“Hey, Beau. What are you up to today?” she asks, voice friendly but wary.
“I’m looking for someone. Her name’s Mallory. Sixteen. Someone said she was in here last night.”
The girl’s smile falters. “Runaway?”
I nod.
“She wouldn’t be the first. Or the last.”
God knows she’s right. Children seem to run as fast as they can from their parents. My ex-wife is proof of that.
My fingers tighten around the edge of the counter. “She’s my daughter.”
That word feels rusty in my mouth. Like it hasn’t been used in a long time. Maybe because it hasn’t. Maybe because I wasn’t around enough to earn it. The waitress glances toward the back, then leans in.
“You might try the old Treadwell ranch. That’s where Pearl Skye runs her halfway house.”
My pulse jumps.
I give a sharp nod, drop a tip, and leave.
I knew my path would cross with Pearl’s sooner or later. I just didn’t think I’d be running into ghosts so soon.
***Coming Soon: The Cost of Ruin***