Page 112 of Hollow Heart

He lets go of me, heading down the hall.

“You’re not mad at me, are you? For what happened?” I ask, following him.

He heads into the workshop, toward a bench where he’s got a guitar that is broken up into parts. It’s hot, with the fan circulating air, but it smells highly of varnish and wood, and it’s comforting on so many levels.

Duncan shrugs. “No, Felix. I’m not mad. I’m just... keeping my hands busy,” he says nodding for me to join him. “Polish that for me, will you? It needs to be completely sanded off before I assemble it.”

I don’t argue with him as I do what he asks, my phone ringing off the hook.

“You should answer him, you know,” he suggests.

“I know,” I say, sanding off the chipped blue paint. “But I’m not ready to deal with the storm yet.” I glance up at him. “I think it was his plan all along. He couldn’t destroy me like he used to. So he tried to destroy the only thing left of me he could.”

“Yeah, and what’s that?” Duncan asks.

“My image,” I reply as I rhythmically sand off the chipped paint until there is nothing left but wood.

Until the last bits of what it was disintegrate, leaving forth a blank canvas.

CHAPTER 24

Duncan

I leaveFelix for a moment to grab us both some waters, when my phone dings.

I pull it out, seeing Lou’s string of emojis and worried texts.

Is he with you?

I tap out a yes. There’s no point in hiding it.

Lord knows Lou would send out a cavalry if he couldn’t find Felix, and I don’t want the damn news vans showing up here.

This town is peaceful and removed from Hollywood.

I’d like to keep it that way, for Bobby’s sake, but also for Felix’s.

And my own.

He’s okay. I’ll take care of him. Just do what you do best.

Lou types, the bubbles on the screen endless as another text comes through.

Dr. Philenstein’s office.

Panic ebbs through me as I swipe, opening the link to the patient portal.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I see my son’s clean bill of health.

Thank God.

I still my breath as texts from Lou come through, two in a row.

But for the moment, I have more pressing matters.

I scroll through the same paperwork, my heart in my throat as I settle on the results of my own testing.

All clear.

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