The guards vanished. I heard the front door open, followed by several sets of footsteps.
Jason was here.
He stepped into the room with Scott, the guards at their sides. Despite everything, I was overjoyed to see him.
“Daddy!” shouted Willa.
She tried to get up, but Shauna’s hand shot out and held her in place.
“Not so fast, you little brat.”
Jason raised his finger. “You touch her again, and—”
“And what?” asked Shauna, her tone haughty. “You’re not in a position to do anything.”
Jason formed his mouth into a flat line before turning his eyes to me. We communicated without speaking, the words on his mind seeming to be “don’t panic.”
But were we screwed?
“Pat him down,” said Anton to one of the guards. “I want to make sure he’s not trying anything.”
Jason raised his arms, and the guard did as Anton asked.
“He’s clean.”
“Good.” Anton turned his attention to Scott. “You manage to get him to see things our way?”
Scott nodded. “It took some doing, but he’s seeing the light.”
“Right,” said Jason. “You want the company, it’s yours. You want to keep running the money laundering, fine. I tried to do the right thing, but I guess that wasn’t enough.”
It was strange hearing Jason talk that way. He sounded defeated, like he’d given up.
That wasn’t the Jason I knew, the one I’d fallen in love with.
“Hate to see your spirit so broken,” said Anton. “But it’s good to hear you finally speaking sense. Now, I’ve got all the papers in order—you sign, and we can start the process of turning the company over to your brother.”
“Right,” said Scott. “It’s been a long time coming. But it’s the right call.”
“I know,” said Jason. Before he went on, he stopped and turned his attention to Willa.
“Dad,” she asked, her expression suggesting she knew she was in her over her head, hopelessly lost in the world of adults. “What’s going on?”
“Sprout, I know this is hard to hear. I’m sorry. But I’m trying to make things right—for you.”
She nodded, and I wondered if she really grasped what was happening.
He turned back to Anton. “All of this—the stealing, the threats, the violence, I’m done with it. And Anton, you want it? You want to run this illegal operation all on your own?”
“Of course I do,” he said, as though it were the dumbest question he could’ve imagined being asked. “Your father was a good businessman. But he always had a soft spot for his family—a weakness, if you ask me. I should’ve been the one in charge.” With this, he jabbed his chest hard with his thumb. “And now I will be.”
Jason didn’t say another word. Instead, he stepped over to Willa and dropped to his knees.
“It’s going to be OK, Sprout. Don’t worry about a thing, all right?” His voice was soft and sweet and reassuring. Willa nodded back, and I could tell she was keeping her fear at bay.
Then Jason took the papers from the table and looked them over.
“Pen?”