66 People Like Him

Avery only nodded. However, instead of telling his story, Avery caught someone calling him from far away. The boy turned in a direction and quickly ran to hide behind Rowan again. There was even a whimper as if he was scared of the other person running toward them.

At the sight of the running man, Rowan frowned. He moved to keep Avery well hidden from view. "How did you find us? Is that a detective?"

"I received a report, Mr. Mercer. Treat this as a welfare check." The detective Rowan met in the hospital spoke even if he was catching his breath. He then moved his head to find a glimpse of the little girl behind Rowan. "Uhm, aren't we supposed to be looking for a six-year-old boy?"

"She is the six-year-old boy." The person, who called out the child's name, only hissed as he finally caught a break from running around. He cleared his throat and walked closer to pull Avery off of Rowan. "Avery, let's go home. Your mom is looking for you."