Novels by JOSHUE IE STEVENSON

Alphonsus didn't acknowledge Eleanor. Instead, he stepped in front of Cindy and their mom, blocking the doorway. "You need to leave. This is a hospital room, not a place of business."Eleanor didn't seem bothered by his refusal. She simply set her portfolio on a nearby chair and folded her hands."I can wait. But Mr. Jameson, I should tell you that what I have to discuss will affect your entire family. Running from me only delays the inevitable."A nurse appeared in the hallway behind Eleanor, looking uncertain. "Is everything okay here?""Yes," Eleanor said smoothly, turning on a smile. "I was just leaving. I'll be in touch, Mr. Jameson. Very soon."She left, the security guard following behind her like a shadow. The nurse lingered. "Do you need me to call security?""No," their mom said quietly. "We're fine."But they weren't fine.Ten minutes after Eleanor left, a cardiologist named Dr. Patel came into the room. He wasn't the usual doctor. Alphonsus had never seen him before."Your

Alphonsus didn't call Eleanor back. Instead, he blocked the number and deleted the messages. He didn't know who she worked for or what they wanted, but he knew that answering would mean stepping into something he couldn't control. Not yet. Not until he understood what his mom had been hiding.Monday morning, he reported to the warehouse at 7 AM for his first official shift. Marcus Torres shook his hand and introduced him to the supervisor for the regular crew, a woman named Patricia who was actually competent and treated people like humans instead of replaceable parts. She assigned Alphonsus to work alongside Daniel on inventory management."You two work well together," Patricia said. "That counts for something."By midday, Marcus pulled Alphonsus aside and offered him an additional six hours on Wednesday and Thursday. That would bring his weekly total to fifty-two hours, which meant overtime pay. At eighteen dollars an hour, plus overtime, it was close to enough. Not enough to solve

Alphonsus almost didn't answer. But something in Eleanor's voice, the certainty, the knowledge, the way she said."I believe you may have something that belongs to my employers," made him pick up the phone instead of letting it ring."I'm listening," he said."Good. I'm going to be direct because I respect your time. There is an object that was in your father's possession. It's extremely valuable to my employers. We believe you may have inherited it or know where it is. If you do, we'd like to discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement."Alphonsus's hand tightened on the phone. "I don't know what you're talking about.""Your father's name was..."He hung up.His heart was hammering. He set the phone down on the nightstand next to the yellow envelope with the photograph inside. Who the hell is this woman? How does she know his father? She didn't just know his father's name. She was obviously working for people looking for him.He thought about calling his mom. But she needed more rest,

The divorce papers were finalized three days later. Alphonsus received the notification via email from Vivian's lawyer. A single paragraph with a case number and a statement that the dissolution of marriage had been processed. No ceremony. No final conversation. Just paperwork confirming that four years had been reduced to a legal transaction.He deleted the email and went back to the job sites on his phone.Vivian came back to his apartment and took the rest of her things and didn't even look at him. The photograph from his mom was still on the nightstand, tucked inside the yellow envelope. He hadn't looked at it again. Part of him wanted answers, but another part knew that whatever his mom was hiding couldn't be solved by staring at a picture of a dead man. Right now, he needed money. The photograph would have to wait.His phone rang at 9:47 AM."Alphonsus, I need to tell you something and I need you to not freak out," Cindy said immediately, which was exactly the preamble that ma

His phone buzzed at 6:47 AM with a payment reminder from the hospital.Alphonsus opened his eyes on the apartment couch, still wearing yesterday's clothes. For three seconds, before full consciousness arrived, the panic of the previous night felt like a dream. Then he checked his bank balance and understood it was all real.$127.43.His mom's next treatment cycle: due in five days.His rent: due in seven days.He got up and showered in the dark, not wanting to see his reflection. By 7:30 AM, he was at a warehouse on Fifth Street, filling out an application even though Marcus Webb had already terminated him. This was a different warehouse. The manager who took the application didn't even look at his face."You quit your last warehouse position?" the man asked, reading the form."I was terminated," Alphonsus said.The manager's expression hardened. "Why?""It's complicated.""Not interested in complicated things." He set the application in a trash bin next to his desk. Not on top of

He hung up the phone and time seemed to stop. 6:47 PM.Two hours and thirteen minutes until the pharmacy closed. Four thousand dollars he didn't have. A mother waiting at the hospital. A wife sitting behind him with her parents, waiting for him to make a choice he couldn't escape.Richard was still watching him. Patricia had shifted uncomfortably. Vivian's eyes were back on her hands."I have to leave," Alphonsus said quietly."Excuse me?" Richard's voice had that sharp edge again, the tone of someone accustomed to being obeyed."My mother. There's a medical emergency at the hospital. I need to go."He didn't wait for a response. He moved toward the door, and Vivian finally looked up."Alphonsus...""I'll be back," he said, which was both a promise and a lie, because he didn't know if he'd be back, and if he was, there was no guarantee anything would be solved.The bank wouldn't give him a personal loan without employment verification. He'd walked in at 6:58 PM and explained the situa