Epilogue
Reece King sat outside the old church in downtown Denver. His father should be finishing up with his NA meeting shortly. Reece had arrived home about two hours ago. He knew his mom was at home, and he’d go there after with his dad. But tonight, he needed to talk to his dad. Man to man.
When people started to wander out of the community hall at the church, Reese stood up and waited.
His dad was almost the last out of the meeting.
He leaned on his cane heavily tonight. The effects of being buried under cement.
If his Uncle Jacob hadn’t been with his father, he’d be a distant memory. But he was here, and he was alive.
His dad saw him and stopped walking, a smile a mile wide spreading across his face. Reece walked over to him, and damned if his dad didn’t crack a rib or two with his hug. “What in the world are you doing here? I thought your team was still in the hot seat?”
“It is.” He shrugged. “I asked for time off.” They turned and started walking together as Reece spoke.
His father’s head jerked in his direction. “Why?”
He drew a deep breath and then shook his head. “Did you ever get that feeling that you’re supposed to be doing something different? Don’t get me wrong, I love being on my team, and the people are great, but, God, Dad, how do I explain this?”
“There’s something more,” his dad said.
“Yes. Exactly.” Reece stopped, and so did his dad. “I’m good at what I do. I can wage war and take down the toughest people on the face of the earth. But …”
“I know exactly what you mean. Let’s get in the car. It’s chilly tonight.”
Reece nodded and walked with his father to the car. His chauffeur extended a hand to him. “Reece, good to see you again.”
“Hey, Carl. How’s life?” The Guardian had been his dad’s driver since the Siege. He was one skilled son of a bitch, and his dad was in the best hands with Carl behind the wheel.
“Absolutely no reason to complain,” Carl said as he opened the door for his boss. He took his father’s cane and waited for him to settle in before giving it back and shutting the door. “You want me to open your door?” Carl smirked at him.
“That’ll be the day.” Reece moved around the car and got into the back. His dad had raised the privacy screen by the time he was in his seat.
“When Guardian was new, before Gabriel handed me the reins, I was a lawyer.”
“You were?” Reece frowned. “How did I not know that? I mean, I knew you had a law degree, but I thought you went straight to work for Guardian out of the Navy.”
“No, and I don’t talk about it because it was a brief period in my life. I’d beaten the addiction once and knew there was something else out there … I thought it was a career in law. Contract law to be exact.”
“God, that sounds boring as hell.” Reece chuckled.
His dad laughed. “It was. When Gabriel dragged me into my current position, kicking and screaming, I might add, I didn’t want to make a change, but …”
“There was something more out there for you.”
“Exactly. He knew it, and so did I.” His father turned to him. “Guardian and your mom were my something else. Find out what it is for you. Life is too short, son. You have the resources, and now, you have the time.”
“What if I’m just restless?” He sighed and looked out the window. “I don’t want to disappoint you or mom.”
“Disappoint us? Reece, the only way you could do that …” Jason lifted his hand.
“Son, you couldn’t disappoint us. You and your brothers and sister are our world.
If your search brings you back to Guardian, so be it.
If it takes you away, follow your intuition.
But know that we will always be here for you. Always.”
Reece nodded. “Mom’s going to have a fit.”
“Yes, but not for the reason you think. She’s going to be happy you’re off a team and pissed that you didn’t tell her you were coming home. She would’ve made all your favorites for dinner.”
Reece laughed. “She hates lasagna.”
“But you love it, so she makes it.” His father chuckled. “It’s good to have you home.”
“It’s good to be home, Dad. It’s damn good to be home.”
“Where are you going to start?” His dad asked after a moment.
“Going to go see Grandpa and Grandma for a bit, I think, then, maybe I’ll just drift.”
Jason smiled. “Grandpa Frank. That’s a good idea. If anyone can direct you to whatever it is out there you need, it would be him.”
“And you. I don’t know how Mom and I got so lucky, but you’ve always been my hero, Dad. I love you.”
Reece pretended not to see the tears in his dad’s eyes. “I love you, Reece. I always have, and I always will.”
The drive home was quiet after that. Reece was lost in his thoughts. What was he chasing? What was he after? What was missing that was nagging so damn hard he couldn’t sleep at night? He didn’t know, but he knew he had to look. If he didn’t, it would always be a what-if that would haunt him.
And enough already haunted him.