Chapter 18

GABRIEL

I thought it best to give Fontane a call and let him know we were coming. He's been living in the bottom of a bottle the last two weeks. This visit was as much for him as it was her; even though he didn't know I knew it, he should at least get to say goodbye. I may have overshot this one as well because she was visibly shocked by his appearance.

He looked gaunt as if he'd lost weight since the last time we saw him, and there was a sadness in his eyes that I personally thought was too little too late, but that's just me. She's his kid, and as much of an ass as she knows he is, I could understand how his appearance rocked her a little.

I guess I was here for myself as well to some extent. Maybe it was my last shot at giving him a chance to be some type of father to his daughter and not the selfish prick he's always been. I'm still not sure where we landed on that scale. First, he answered the door looking like a lost puppy.

His conversation was disjointed at best, with a