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Frowning, I leaned closer, trying to follow his train of thought. “Hospital?”
“Yeah, to get those stitches in your leg.”
I blinked at him. That was twenty-two years ago. The day mom died.
“What are you talking about?”
“I tracked those fuckers down, and I killed them. I shot both of them with that ancient gun.”
My jaw dropped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to. A million times, I wanted to. But I didn’t want you hating me.”
“What? Why would I hate you?”
“Because I’m a murderer, just like them.”
“You’re nothing like them, Dad. They murdered for trinkets. You killed them because they killed Mom, and they nearly killed me. They deserved to die.”
A sob burst from his throat. “But you wasted all those years searching for ghosts.”
Tyler was a blur against the blaze as he backed up the stairs. The flames seemed to follow him as if daring him to have a go. He sprayed the foam, left and right, but the fire brushed it off like a dog shaking water off its back. Tyler’s jaw was clamped with determination. He must have been boiling in that wetsuit. Or maybe it was protecting him.
Flames reared at him as he raced farther along the deck and blasted foam onto the air compressor’s rubber hose. His bravery was incredible.
But it was useless. That fire was in control now.
“You can stop giving Tyler a hard time. Trust him, Indy.”
“I already do, Dad.”
“He’s a good man. And the cops weren’t the bad guys. It was me.”
“You’re not a bad guy, Dad. You’re a hero.”
“I can’t hold it!” Tyler yelled and glanced at me over his shoulder. “Get out of there.”
His command was also a plea.
My gaze darted between the two men in my world. One slipping away, and the other trying to save what little I had left.
Dad yanked my hand off his stomach. “Go, Indy.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Tears streaked down my face.
Pain crawled across Dad’s face as he reached up and cupped my cheek. “I’m so proud of you, and your mom would have been so proud of her beautiful, strong daughter.”
A sob burst from my lips.
“Indy, when I killed those men, I took back the things they stole from us.”
My jaw dropped. “The gold coins?”
He nodded. “And the rest.”
I frowned. That treasure was the reason Mom was murdered. “What did you do with it?”
“I returned it to where we found it.” He squeezed my hand. “You remember where that is, don’t you?”
