AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He tilts his head and stares. “I guess . . . Trent trusts you after all.”
I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the gut with the lie that’s lodged in my throat, threatening to choke me, but my instincts tell me it’s worth it for Henry to open up to me.
“You can tell me anything.” I pause, feeling so much guilt but laying it on thick anyway. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“My son,” he whispers. It’s a haunted, broken sound.
“What about your son?”
“We had a falling out, and my son”—Henry shakes his head—“he won’t talk to me.”
“Have you tried to reach out to him?”
He nods. “I have, but I don’t know where he is anymore. We lost touch, and every day I’m here, I wonder how much time I have left. I’m not the same man I once was . . . I have regrets. I don’t want to die without righting my wrongs.”
I reach for his hand and squeeze it, gentling my voice. “Tell me about your son.”
And this time, I forget about my mission.
This is one hundred percent about the broken man in front of me. The one I find a kindred soul.
Henry spends the next hour telling me all about his son. The good times. The tough times. The falling out. Every now and then, he stops, and it looks like he will cry.
It breaks my heart, and I know I must do something.
Tell someone.
An hour later, I settle on an answer. One that isn’t my first choice but is the best option we have.
I get back in the car with Trent when he picks me up.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.” He sighs.
If it were up to him, I’d probably never speak.
Well, that’s not true.
In a couple of weeks, he expects me to speak in front of his staff on the information I have turned in.
I can’t believe I’m going to have to do that.
Not the point.
“It’s about Henry.”
“What about him?” He glances quickly at me while he navigates traffic.
Now that I have his attention, I can see the concern. It’s obvious that he cares greatly for the man.
My gut tells me after Ronald showed his true colors, Henry replaced him as a father figure in his life.
“He doesn’t seem okay.”
Trent pulls over, double-parking in front of a cop car without a care in the world. His head turns to me fully. His jaw is tight, and his eyes are wide.
“Why? Did he look sick?”
