The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 162

"I heard you're still looking for a bodyguard? How about me? I'll give you a discount." The heavily bearded man leaned lazily against the car door, jingling his keys at Garrison.

Garrison stared at him for a long moment before finally realizing this was the police officer who had led the charge during Archie's kidnapping incident.

It was just that his outfit today was... way too rugged. He didn't look like a cop in the slightest.

"Captain Wyatt Young?" Garrison recalled the name from his badge.

"Just Wyatt. I'm on vacation right now. I'm not some captain anymore; I'm just my own boss."

Garrison paused. "...Alright, Wyatt. How did you know I was going to Antarctica?"

"Word gets around."

"You seem to hear an awful lot of words..." Garrison pressed his lips together in mild exasperation. "You aren't stalking me every day, are you?"

Wyatt laughed, his expression completely open. "I wouldn't call it stalking. It's more like... showing concern."

The evening light filtered through the gaps between the buildings, casting a dim glow between the two men. Garrison studied Wyatt. He looked at this former detective he had only met a handful of times, noting the unmistakable hint of resignation hidden beneath his carefree exterior.

He suddenly asked, "David Lancaster... he got away, didn't he?"

"You're sharper than I thought, Dr. Foster."

Wyatt offered a bitter smile. He tossed his coffee cup into a nearby trash can and dusted off his hands.

"Cut the crap. Are we going or not?"

Garrison stepped closer, taking in Wyatt's imposing, muscular frame and his sharp, unblinking eyes.

"How much to hire you?"

"Ten thousand a day. Sound fair?"

"Deal."

*

Antarctica, the forbidden zone for humanity.

The snowcat crawled slowly across the endless white wasteland.

"Mommy, I'm building a spaceship. When it's done, I'm gonna fly you all the way to the sky."

Sloane smiled. "Why do you want to fly to the sky?"

Archie tilted his head in thought. "Because there's no one else in the sky. Just me and Mommy."

Sloane froze.

Archie looked back down, returning to his Legos. His clumsy little fingers grabbed a block, placed it on top of another, watched it fall, and placed it back again.

"Mommy," he said suddenly, "why won't you come home?"

Sloane opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Do you not love Archie anymore?" He looked up again, his eyes welling with tears.

Sloane woke up with a violent jolt.

Her chest tightened as if someone had crushed her heart in their fist. The pain made it impossible to breathe.