AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They all took turns telling the story of what they found and what happened. They skipped the part about chasing the toy thief, but the women understood that there was something else there.
“We invited several families here today. In that glass-enclosed atrium over there are gifts for all of them. Would y’all like to help us pass them out?” smiled Gaspar.
“I love you so much,” said Alexandra. “Yes. We’d love to.”
Cam, Luke, Hex, and Eric herded all the families toward the atrium as the doors were opened and the scent of cookies, hot cocoa, and peppermint wafted through the air. Ray smiled at the big men.
“Y’all are somethin’ else,” he said, shaking his head.
“Oh, it’s our pleasure, Ray,” said Ian.
“No, I mean, you do all this, our homes, the fishing company, and you still had time to deliver gifts and food to more than a thousand families in the parish.”
“Food? We didn’t deliver food,” said Nine. Ray laughed, shaking his head.
“’Course you didn’t. It musta been Père Noël. Y’all are the best, absolute best men I’ve ever known,” he chuckled, walking toward his grandson.
“But, we didn’t,” said Ghost. “Did we? Am I losing my mind?”
“A thousand families. How in the hell would we deliver to a thousand families? I didn’t do it,” said Antoine. His brother smiled at him, nodding his head.
“No. Santa did it,” he said, smiling. He pointed toward one of the benches where Irene and Matthew were seated, their heads cradled against one another, their eyes closed.
“Are you saying…”
“I’m saying Santa did it.”
As they looked at one another, then back at Matthew and Irene, they all shook their heads. It wasn’t something they needed an answer to. For once in their lives, they would ignore the itch to investigate, ignore the urge to know all the answers. In this instance, it didn’t matter. Good was served and good won the day.
“We have your gift,” said Grace, walking toward the men. “Will you come with us?”
They nodded as the women took them on the boat back to their own little island paradise. Halo Island was in good hands with the younger men and women. It was time for them to have some peace and quiet.
“First,” said Erin, “we’d all like to apologize.”
“Apologize? For what, baby?”
“We didn’t realize how terrible it was for all of you to be forced into retirement. We didn’t recognize what was happening and how it affected you. And for that, we’re all sorry.”
“We love you. All of you,” said Ian. “We knew you were worried. But we were starting to lose our minds.”
“We know what you did,” said Grace, “and we love you all the more for it. The boys’ home, the village, all of it. It was amazing, and that’s the kind of thing you should be doing. Not shooting bad guys in a desert, but maybe something a little tamer.”
“Okay,” nodded Gaspar. “What’s the present?”
“This,” said Faith, pulling back a tarp. Behind it was a large wooden sign.
SILVER WOLF INVESTIGATION
“Silver Wolf?” smirked Ghost.
“Well, Silver Fox seemed a bit sexist and sneaky. Wolves are far more resilient and incredibly loyal, faithful, and intelligent. They are great protectors, and that’s what you all are. We think you should start your own investigation firm that looks into non-combat crimes.”
The men all chuckled, nodding their heads.
“We want you to help those that can’t help themselves. Serve them. Protect them. If you need the younger boys, they’ll be there. But this is your purpose. We know that now.”
“You’re all amazing,” nodded Ghost. “This is fucking perfect.”
