Chapter 6 - A Father's First Promise
Arthur drove with a bullet in his shoulder.
His men tried to stop him.
He ignored them.
The last phone signal placed Norah 19 miles away near a shuttered summer resort on the coast.
Rain began falling.
Of course it did.
Arthur almost laughed at the cruelty of it.
Three years earlier, rain had carried Norah away from him.
Tonight he intended to walk through hell before he let it happen again.
The resort consisted of 8 cottages surrounding an empty swimming pool.
Arthur found Cottage 6 unlocked.
Inside, furniture had been overturned.
A lamp lay broken.
There was blood on the floor.
"Norah?"
Nothing.
Arthur moved deeper inside.
Then he heard a tiny sound.
Sniffling.
He followed it to a closet.
His hand trembled as he opened the door.
A little boy crouched inside.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
Stuffed rabbit clutched against his chest.
Arthur forgot every language he knew.
The boy stared at the blood covering Arthur's shirt.
"Are you hurt?"
Arthur slowly knelt.
"Little bit."
"Mommy says blood is scary but sometimes people are okay."
Arthur swallowed.
"Your mommy is very smart."
The boy studied him.
"You're Arthur."
The words struck harder than the bullet.
Arthur's eyes filled.
"How do you know?"
Eli pointed at his face.
"Mommy has your picture."
Arthur lowered his head for a moment.
Norah had kept his photograph.
After everything.
"Where is your mommy?"
"The bad man took her."
Arthur's expression changed.
"What bad man?"
"The one with the shiny shoes."
Vincent.
Arthur reached toward Eli but stopped.
He had no right to assume the child wanted him.
"Eli, I need to get you somewhere safe."
The boy stared.
"Are you my daddy?"
Arthur's composure shattered.
He could not lie.
"Yes."
Eli looked at him for several seconds.
Then he stepped forward and touched Arthur's cheek.
"Mommy said you were lost."
Arthur shut his eyes.
Not evil.
Not cruel.
Lost.
Norah had protected even his son's image of him.
Arthur gently covered Eli's small hand.
"I was."
He opened his eyes.
"But I'm going to find her."
"Promise?"
Arthur thought of every promise his world had broken.
Then he said:
"On everything I have left."
Arthur's men arrived minutes later.
He gave Eli to Clara, who had been moved from the safe house after Vincent's network was compromised.
Arthur expected the boy to cry.
Instead, Eli held out the stuffed rabbit.
"For Mommy."
Arthur took it.
Then Eli wrapped both arms around his neck.
Arthur froze.
His son whispered:
"Bring her back."
Arthur held him carefully.
"I will."
Anthony traced Vincent to the old Costello shipyard.
The same location from the earlier message.
Arthur understood.
Vincent wanted the ending staged where he had planned Arthur's original death 3 years earlier.
Arthur arrived shortly before dawn.
He entered alone.
Norah sat tied to a chair beneath a hanging industrial lamp.
Arthur stopped.
Three years disappeared.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Norah had imagined this moment a thousand ways.
In none of them did Arthur look so broken.
Blood darkened his shoulder.
His hair was wet.
His face seemed older.
But his eyes—
Those were the eyes she remembered.
"Hi," Arthur whispered.
Norah's lips trembled.
"You're late."
A laugh escaped him.
Half sob.
Half disbelief.
"Three years."
"Three years."
"I found your letter."
"I figured."
"I'm sorry."
Norah closed her eyes.
"Arthur—"
"No. I need you to hear it."
Footsteps interrupted them.
Vincent emerged from the shadows.
He held a pistol.
"Reunions make everyone stupid."
Arthur did not look away from Norah.
"Where's Eli?" she asked.
"Safe."
Her entire body relaxed.
Vincent smiled.
"Beautiful. Now we can finish."
Arthur finally faced him.
"You lost."
"Did I?"
Vincent produced a remote.
Arthur saw explosives wired along the warehouse supports.
Vincent laughed.
"If I can't take the Costello empire, nobody gets it."
Norah looked at Arthur.
The old Arthur would attack.
The old Arthur would gamble.
This Arthur looked at her first.
"What do you need me to do?"
Norah understood.
Trust.
He was giving her the thing he had denied her 3 years ago.
Her eyes moved toward an electrical panel behind Vincent.
"Keep him talking."
Arthur nodded.
Vincent scoffed.
"You two really think this is romantic?"
Arthur looked at him.
"No."
He slowly removed his jacket.
"This is marriage."
Norah kicked the chair backward.
The legs struck the electrical panel.
Sparks exploded.
The lights died.
Vincent fired.
Arthur moved through darkness.
A second shot.
A grunt.
Then silence.
Emergency lights flickered red.
Vincent lay beneath Arthur.
Arthur's hand closed around his throat.
"Three years," Arthur growled.
Vincent smiled through blood.
"Do it."
Arthur tightened his grip.
Norah whispered:
"Arthur."
He looked at her.
"Don't become him for me."
Arthur's breathing slowed.
Then he released Vincent.
Sirens approached.
This time, actual police.
Anthony had delivered evidence of Vincent's financial crimes, conspiracy, extortion, and attempted murders to a federal prosecutor before Arthur entered the building.
Vincent stared at him.
"You called cops?"
Arthur stood.
"No."
He looked at Norah.
"My wife taught me revenge isn't the same thing as justice."
Norah stared at him.
For the first time in 3 years, something inside her defenses cracked.
But when Arthur stepped toward her, she flinched.
Barely.
Still, he saw it.
Arthur stopped.
May you like
And that tiny movement hurt him more than the bullet.
Because finding Norah was not the same as getting her back.
