I walked over to the couch and sat down next to Lily. She leaned her head on my shoulder, her hair smelling of strawberry shampoo.
“Daddy?” she asked, not looking away from the cartoon.
“Yeah, bug?”
“Is the bad lady gone?”
I kissed the top of her head. “Yes, sweetie. The bad lady is gone.”
“Did you make her go away?”
“The Colonel sent her away,” I said softly.
“Who’s the Colonel?” she asked, looking up at me with big eyes.
“Just a friend of mine,” I winked. “He looks out for us.”
I looked out the window. The leaves were still falling, covering the driveway where the black SUVs had parked. Peace had returned to the Blackwood estate. But it was a different kind of peace. It wasn’t the peace of avoidance. It was the peace of security.
As I looked at the front gate, I saw the “For Sale” sign going up in the neighbor’s yard—a beautiful property that shared our fence line.
I smiled.
“Hey Em,” I called out. “What do you think about expanding? I think we need a bigger buffer zone.”
Emily looked at me, confused. “With what money, John? I know you have savings, but…”
I pulled out my phone and opened my bank app. I handed it to her.
She looked at the screen. Her eyes widened. She counted the zeros.
“John…” she gasped. “This is… how?”
“Hazard pay,” I said, taking the phone back. “And I’ve had a lot of hazards.”
I put my arm around my daughter and watched the wind blow through the trees. The war was over. The occupation was finished.
The King had returned to his castle.
