Page 63 of Capturing Hearts

I walk in the cave and see Brendan’s waiting for me, and Annie’s eyes rise as I come in. “Annie told us more of what happened.”

“Look, Brendan, I should have taken her to a–”

“Also the part of your coming back even though you knew I’d throw you back in prison.”

I pause. Shrug. “I tried to leave. Couldn’t. I’m not a hero.”

Annie ignores this, bounces the baby lightly, looking at me without a smile, her expression unreadable. “You want to look at him?” Brendan’s mouth tenses, but he doesn’t object. He’s on guard and I don’t blame him. I would be, too.

“Yeah.” I walk forward slowly, carefully so they know I’m not a threat. Kneeling a little off to the side, I look at the baby, now washed up. “Hey little guy. Someone gave you a bath. Much needed, too, I might add.”

Brendan’s eyes lighten, and Annie’s grinning at the little one.

“You did good, B-man. Wish I could say the same.” Rising up, I start walking to the exit.

“Where in Canada are you headed?” Brendan calls over.

I huff, and shake my head. “Don’t worry. I know I’m going back in. You don’t have to send a search party anywhere to find me.” I’m about to step outside.

“I just wanna know where to avoid.”

My feet halt and I turn slowly around. Annie’s looking at me and I glance from her to Brendan, my mouth slackened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Go before I change my mind.”

“Brendan…” I quietly whisper, struck hard with emotion. “Don’t play with me.”

He looks at me with his eyes hard and filled with the pain of everything he’s been through since she disappeared. It takes him a moment to speak, and when he does, his deep voice breaks a little, even as he tries to control it, to be a man. “If it hadn’t been for you, this would have turned out very differently.” He kisses the side of her head, closing his eyes to gather himself. Inhaling, he looks at me. “Tommy, I owe you.”

A seed plants itself in my chest and I can’t speak either at first: Hope. I scan around the place, because I can’t look at them. I’ll lose my shit if I do. “Wow. I don’t know what to say. What are you going to tell the cops?”

Annie answers. “I’m going to tell them it was your dad. I’ll tell them you saved me and that when I escaped the house, I ran and hid. That you gave me a phone to call Brendan. That I didn’t have the number memorized so I dialed the last number in the phone.”

“Rebecca’s,” I say, following her path.

“Yes, so she’s going to have to say you called her.”

Huffing with disbelief, I struggle for words. “I really don’t know what to say.”

“Goodbye is a good start,” Brendan smiles.

I smile with him and shake my head, overwhelmed. “Goodbye,” I mumble, growing excited. “Goodbye indeed.”

Turning to the exit, I stop, and pull out something from my pocket. Walking back, I hold it out to Annie. She squints at the glinting object and her eyes widen.

“My ring! How did you get that?”

Dropping it into Annie’s outstretched palm, I smirk. “I’m a thief, remember?”

* * *

Iwalk out into the golden light feeling like the sun is shining just for me. Rebecca’s still here, facing the cave, standing off to the side with her hair blowing, her eyes turned toward the Bay. Mark and his girlfriend are watching from the bottom of the hill, resting on the car, looking like miniatures of themselves.

“They’re letting me go free.”

Rebecca turns, her pretty eyes rounding instantly. “Really?”

I grin, rubbing my arms for warmth. For the first time, I can feel, and it is damn cold out. “Yeah.”

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