"I know you did."
"He never reached out. I never saw him again."
"I know."
"Phantom."
"Yeah?”
"Let me come down. I'll bring two of my men. I want to be there when we put him in the ground."
"You're sure, Roan?"
"He went after my niece."
"I know."
Phantom looks at me across the table. I look back at him. "Get on the road. I want you here by sundown."
"On it."
"Roan."
"Yeah?"
"It's not your fault."
"I know it isn't, Phantom. But I'm coming anyway."
The line goes dead. Phantom sets the phone down on the table between us.
The sky outside the kitchen window goes from dark to gray while we sit there.
Phantom drinks the rest of his coffee and I drink the rest of mine.
Neither of us says anything for a long time.
The house is quiet. Hell, the whole property is quiet.
Around five-thirty, headlights swing into the gravel drive. Phantom stands up. Looks out the kitchen window. "Holt."
I stand too.
Phantom puts his hand on my shoulder before he walks to the door. Squeezes once. "You found him, Spur."
"I found a name, Prez."
"Same thing."
He walks to the front door, and I follow him. The screen door opens. Holt comes through with the dust of the road still on his boots and his hat in his hand.
Same dark hair. Same blue eyes. He goes to Phantom first. The brothers embrace—short, hard, both arms. "Brother."
"Brother."
Then Holt looks at me. He doesn't speak yet. He waits.
Phantom answers for both of us. "Spur found him. Kane."
