CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ro found her husband sitting in the grove by himself. He was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, and just staring at the bayou. She'd received a text from his brothers saying that he might need her, and it looked as though he did.

Although just as fit, just as strong, just as fast as all of his brothers, Jean was more cerebral in many ways. He thought deeply, felt deeply, and couldn't hide his feelings very well. It was why she loved him. Or at least, it was one of the many reasons why she loved him. Others were more obvious.

"Hi, handsome," she smiled, taking the seat beside him. "Care for some company?"

"I'm not much company, Ro. Not today."

"That's okay. We can just sit here together. You and me."

He didn't say anything, but neither did she. She knew when to be quiet and allow him to process what he was feeling. She also wasn't stupid. She'd reached out to his mother and sisters. Today, he needed them.

He looked up and saw seven nearly identical women walking toward him, and he shook his head.

"You asked them to come?" he frowned.

"I told them their brother, son, needed them. They decided to come," she smiled. "I love you, Jean. I will never apologize for providing you with what you need."

"Hi, big brother," smiled Suzette, kissing his cheek as she took a seat on the grass.

"Hey, Suze," he said solemnly.

"Baby, what's goin' on in that big brain of yours?" asked Irene.

"Mama, I don't think I can even explain it. Nor do I want to. You all know enough about what we do that this would only make you sick."

"I expect it would," nodded Irene. "But if it makes you feel better to talk about it, then let's talk about it." He just shook his head, and Irene didn't push.

Marie took her brother's hand and pointed to an island off their shore in the distance. It was one of the smaller ones that their father was building up for whatever purpose he'd dreamed of.

"Do you remember when we were little, and Gaspar and Miller would take us all out there to give Mama and Pops a break?" Jean gave a hint of a smile and nodded. "Gaspar always wanted to play hide and seek because he was older and could climb the trees. We made up teams, and it was you and me and Alec. He was so little back then I carried him on my back."

"You always carried us, Marie," he said, staring at his sister with love and affection. It was true. She'd carried the little ones for as long as she could, then hated it when they wanted to go on their own.

"I did," she nodded. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You're twice as big as me, twice as heavy, but I'd find a damn way to carry you. We wanted to beat Gaspar that day, so I took your hand, and we hid."

"I remember," he whispered. "There was a snake near you, and I told you not to move, that I wouldn't let it get you."

"That's right. Seven years old, and you were going to take on a water moccasin. Brave as shit then, brave as shit now. I was terrified. For you, not me. I couldn't fathom the idea of losing one of my siblings. I started to move to try and save you from that snake, and you snatched him at the head and tossed him into the bayou. I couldn't believe it. You looked at me with a big smile, your front tooth gone, and said, ‘I'll always protect you, Marie.'"

Jean laughed, nodding his head.

"It's who you are, Jean," said Camille. "All of you. You're protectors. If you didn't get upset by these heinous things, you wouldn't be human. You protect, you watch, you make things right. You can't help yourselves. You were one of the first brothers that came to help me with my ex-husband. You were one of the first to tell me that Cruz was a good man."

"One of the many reasons we love you, Jean, is your fierce ability to love and do what's right. Always," said Claudette. "We owe part of that to Mama and Pops, but part of it is just who you are."

"You were one of the first faces I saw when I woke up in the hospital," said Rachelle. A pained look filled her brother's face. "I see that face all the time when I need comfort. You and Adele and the others, you all hovered over me. That's what we do for one another. But you just kept talking to me, holding my hand, reading to me. You gave Adele the breaks she needed so that I didn't drive her mad."

Irene smiled as her children healed one another. She kissed the cheek of Jean's wife, Ro. She was a good woman. The right woman for her son and had proven that time and time again.

"I don't know what to do with this one," he said, looking at them. "What he's doing to those men, those young girls…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"You do what you always do," said Adele. "You find a way to stop him. Together. It's not just you, Jean. It's the entire team of Gray Wolf, and VG if you need them. You can stop this man, and just like you freed those women, those women that are now healing and safe in Japan, April, you will stop all of it."

Jean looked at Ro and kissed her passionately in front of everyone.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but thank you for always knowing what I need. I needed them, and I didn't even know it."

"I love your brothers, Jean, but sometimes, they're all testosterone and fight and kill and blow shit up," she smirked. "There's a time and place for that, but there's also a time to be reminded of the good in you. Don't ever lose that."

"Now, what do you need from us, baby?" asked Irene. He laughed, shaking his head at his mother.

"I could use some gumbo and bread pudding. Can I have that?" he laughed.

"It's already on the stove for dinner. You use that beautiful brain and heart that God gave you and help them figure out what to do. You always do right, Jean Robicheaux. Always. I know you'll do the same this time."

"I love you all," he said, hugging his sisters with his long, strong arms. Ro laughed, watching him envelop all six of them, then picking his mother up to kiss her cheek. He started to walk back toward the offices and turned to them.

"I really do love you all!" Irene smiled at him, whispering to the others.

"We know you do, baby. We know you do."