Page 95 of The Hitman’s Final Job

He lets me fuss over him, which reminds me of how amazing of a person my son is.

“Dad,” he says eventually. “I need to tell you about my case.”

“Oh?”

“The one I got when I said I couldn’t come to the festival. It came up with your name.” He pauses, working through the remnants of anesthesia, finding the words. “An anonymous tip. Someone sent a package to the FBI with files, photographs, evidence of threats. Documented threats against you, specifically. I tried to make sense of it from Denver, but I needed to talk to you. That’s why I came.”

“Rowan—”

A knock, then the door opens, and Dale Briggs enters the room.

“Good morning,” he says. “Both of you.”

“Dale,” I say.

He looks at Rowan. “Good to see you with your eyes open, son.

“I came by last night,” he says to me. “You were asleep, and Rowan was still in and out of consciousness. I didn’t want to wake either of you.” He pulls up a chair and sits down. “I have some news. Good news, mostly.”

“Tell me,” I say.

“We caught the man who shot Rowan. He’s in custody. Or he will be. He’s currently in this hospital, two floors up, under guard, and the moment he’s cleared for discharge he goes directly to a holding facility to await trial. Attempted murder of a federal agent. He’s not going anywhere.”

I exhale.

“The weapon used in the shooting has been recovered and sent for ballistic analysis,” Dale continues. “We expect it to match the bullet they took out of Rowan’s shoulder. And we also recovered Rowan’s service weapon.”

Rowan’s head comes up slightly. “My gun?”

“Your gun,” Dale confirms. “Silas took it when he saw the suspect moving in the crowd. He used it to pursue the shooter.”

Rowan stares at him.

“Silas chased him on foot through the side streets. He shot the suspect in the leg, engaged him physically and disarmed him. The suspect also fired at Silas during the pursuit. Silas sustained a graze wound to the arm.”

“Is Silas okay?” Rowan asks.

“He’s okay,” Dale says.

“Is the threat over?” I ask. “With this man in custody. Is it over?”

Dale turns to me. “The FBI has taken over the broader investigation,” he says. “Given that a federal agent was shot and the threat connects to a corporate entity with federal-level implications, it’s out of my jurisdiction now. But I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you, Rowan, and Silas are safe while the investigation runs its course. I have a guard outside this room. I’ll have someone at the farm.” He makes deliberate eye contact with me. “You’re not alone in this, Vaughn.”

“Thank you, Dale.”

He nods, then addresses Rowan. “Speedy recovery,” he says. “Your dad needs you in one piece.”

“Working on it,” Rowan says.

Dale stands, puts the chair back where he found it, and makes his departure.

The room settles again.

Rowan looks to me, but I turn to the window. The morning light is coming through it now. The sun is up and the birds are chirping. I’ve been here all night, and the world has continued to run without me, and somewhere in that world Silas gave a statement to Dale and then left, and I don’t know where he is.

“Dad.”

“Mm?”