He Had $17, One Broken Guitar, and Nowhere to Sleep — Then America’s Biggest Band Called His Name
CHAPTER 10
Ethan stopped the tour.
Victor was furious.
“You have obligations.”
“I have questions.”
“You’re under contract.”
“I’m leaving.”
Victor laughed.
“You think you can walk away?”
Ethan looked at him.
“I already did.”
The news exploded.
America’s biggest band was falling apart.
Fans blamed Ethan.
Others blamed Victor.
Daniel said nothing.
Then Maya appeared.
She had been searching for Samuel.
She showed Ethan what she had found.
A bank account.
Opened under a false name.
Monthly payments.
For twenty-five years.
“Who’s receiving them?”
Ethan stared at the name.
Samuel Cole.
His father was alive.
Somewhere.
Ethan’s knees nearly gave out.
“Where?”
Maya pointed to the address.
A small town in Oregon.
They drove for two days.
When they arrived, they found a quiet house near the ocean.
Ethan knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again.
The door opened.
An older man stood there.
Gray hair.
Thin face.
Tired eyes.
Ethan stopped breathing.
The man stared at him.
Neither spoke.
Then the man whispered:
“Ethan?”
His son collapsed into his arms.
Twenty-five years of silence disappeared in one embrace.
But Samuel’s first words were not about love.
They were a warning.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“Why?”
Samuel looked toward the road.
“Because Victor knows you’re here.”
A car appeared in the distance.
Samuel’s expression changed.
“They found me.”
