12Lance“Are you going to shoot me, Bear?” I say.
I try to put laughter and disbelief into my voice, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Bear. Sure, he basically raised me, he trained me, he brought me into the life. He’s about as close to a father figure as I’ve ever known. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t changed in the interim. Maybe to him I’m not Lance, his adopted son, but just a reminder of the life he once lived.
“I’m not sure yet.” His voice is deep and crackly and his one eye watches me closely. “How the hell did you find me? I picked this place with care, Lance. With damn close care. No one from the life has found me . . . until you.”
“I’ve always known you were here,” I say.
His eye—and the mass of scars and flesh around his gaping eye socket—goes wide.
“Is that so?” h
