Chapter 10 - THE HARBOR KING’S DAUGHTER
The sun was setting over the Pacific Northwest, painting the Seattle skyline in brilliant shades of amber, violet, and deep bruised crimson.
The harbor was quiet. The massive container ships moved in a slow, orderly ballet across the dark water, guided by the lights of the terminals that now answered to one man and one man alone.
I stood on the stone patio of the estate, holding a warm cup of coffee in one hand, watching the white foam of the waves crash against the rocky cliffs below.
Behind me, the french doors slid open with a soft click.
Pattering footsteps rushed across the patio stones, followed by a joyful shriek.
“Dad! Dad, look! I made a drawing of the security guards, but I gave them all rabbit ears!”
I turned around just in time as Lily barreled into my knees, nearly knocking me off balance. I caught her easily, swinging her up into my arms as she giggled uncontrollably, holding up a piece of construction paper covered in green crayon and wildly inaccurate artistic interpretations of Vance and Garrett.
Clara walked out behind her, carrying a tray with two glasses of iced tea and a plate of shortbread cookies. She leaned against the stone balustrade, smiling as she watched me chase Lily around the patio.
“You know, for a man who claimed he was a retired king, you seem to be working harder than ever,” Clara teased, handing me a glass. I took a sip of the iced tea, looking out over the sprawling estate that had once been a prison and was now a home.
“A king doesn't retire, Clara,” I said softly, setting the glass down and pulling Lily onto my shoulders as she shrieked with delight. “He just makes sure his kingdom is safe enough for the next generation to play in.”
Lily reached up, tapping me gently on the nose with her crayon. “Mister—I mean, Dad! Are we going to get ice cream tonight or what?”
May you like
I looked up at my daughter—Audrey’s eyes, Audrey’s spirit, and the unbreakable light that had dragged me back from the dead.
“Ice cream,” I smiled, stepping forward with my head held high and my legs carrying me strong and steady into the warm glow of the evening, “is the only law the Harbor King refuses to break.”
