CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“They have two pontoons that will be in the middle of the parade,” said Hazel, pointing on the bayou route. “We’ve made sure the trackers are on them, so they should be easy to find in the parade. Sophia Ann and Macie were able to place devices on the engines that will stall them when appropriate. You’ll have about eight minutes to get the boats in front far enough away, and the boats behind them stopped and moved away.”

“Eight minutes is good enough,” nodded Garr. “What about weapons? Where are they?”

“Here,” said Macie, sending a photo to the large screen. “We noticed the seams along the pontoons. They’ll have weapons that are stored within the pontoons, and they can open from the top. There are plenty of storage spaces for them. The men on the boats will be dressed as elves, and we have reason to believe so will Marilu Harris. Brockman will be dressed as Santa, seated on the throne of the second boat.”

“How do they think they’ll get away?” asked Samson.

“There’s a third boat,” said Sophia Ann. “A high-speed jet boat. It can go nearly one hundred miles per hour. I think they plan to get onto that boat and head toward Mexico.”

“Where is the boat?” asked Garr. Macie smiled at her fiancée, then looked at Sophia Ann.

“Well, it was parked at the marina near the General Store. I’m guessing that they planned to have a man waiting there who will bring it to them.”

“Wait, you said it was parked there,” said Garr. “What do you mean ‘planned’?”

“That’s right,” grinned Macie. “It was. It’s now parked in the police impound lot, being searched for suspected drugs and weapons. There are so many boats at the marina right now. They’ll have trouble figuring out which one they can steal and get away in.”

“And what if they do?” asked Samson.

“They won’t,” smiled Finley. “They’re going to meet a brick wall. Well, technically, it’s a steel wall, but you know what I mean.”

“I don’t think I do,” he frowned. Garr laughed, slapping his back.

“Don’t worry, brother. They won’t be getting away. In fact, it would be doubtful if any of them leave the bayou alive.”

“Georgie tracked down some of the orders for weapons from the companies that Brockman has been working with. They’ve agreed, on threat of federal prosecution, to hold off on fulfilling those orders. He won’t have anything to back him up,” said Macie.

“We’ve also been able to stop two more mass shootings that were planned,” said Eric. “It is possible that there are more, but we’ll stop those as well. We’ll do anything we need to do to end this madness and the killing of innocent people.”

“We can’t do anything on empty stomachs,” said Luke. “Let’s head over and have dinner. We’ll wait to hear what Cam and the team come back with.”

With the sun slowly setting, the air was brisk, temperatures around the bayou dropping. Walking along the paths, Jonas stopped in his tracks.

“Jonas? What’s wrong?” asked Garr, holding Macie’s hand. He looked down and laughed. “That’s Alvin. He’s friendly.”

“Friendly? He’s an alligator!”

“He knows he’s an alligator,” said Trak. “Come, Alvin. We need to get back to Tammy and the children.”

“Tammy and the children?” frowned Jonas, looking at the man as if he’d lost his mind.

“Alvin has a wife and children now. He makes sure they’re safe every night,” said Garr.

“I’m dreaming this, aren’t I? None of this is real,” said Jonas.

“It’s all real,” laughed Macie. “You’ll find that everything at Belle Fleur is very special. Especially on Christmas Eve.” She nodded toward Luke, Gaspar, and some of the others surrounding a familiar man in a red suit.

“Whoa, he’s cool looking,” smiled Jonas. “He looks just like Santa Claus. Where did you find him?”

“He’s mine,” smiled Irene, walking by the group. She had a large thermos in one hand and a clear plastic food container in the other, filled with sandwiches and cookies. She walked up to the Santa, kissing his cheek.

“Will you be okay, Pops? There’s a lot of craziness happening out there. We can go with you if you like,” said Gaspar.

“No need,” he smiled. “I have two new helpers this year.” Behind Matthew were his two helpers, and the team smiled at Jonathon and Grip, both wearing dark green velvet elf costumes. Somehow, he’d gotten their warrior, Grip, into an elf costume, and he’d never looked happier.

“Be careful, Grandpa,” said Luke, hugging his grandfather. For a change, he kissed his forehead, and Matthew laughed a deep, guttural laugh.

“So, is he going to be on the boat?” asked Samson.

“No,” smiled Garr. “He won’t be on the boats.”

Samson stared at the scene as the man in the red suit and his very large, very muscular elves followed him. There seemed to be a haze of gold dust behind them. But that couldn’t be real. Could it?

“Alright, now,” said Irene. “Let’s go. We got food inside. We need to get this parade done so Garr and Macie can get married tonight.”

“Wait, you’re in the middle of all of this and you’re about to get married?” frowned Samson.

“I guess we forgot to tell you that,” said Garr. “One of the reasons we went after Brockman was because of the shooting at Canal Mall. Macie was caught in the middle of it, which obviously pissed us off.”

Samson nodded with a pained smile, and Garr gripped his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t realize that this could be painful for you,” said Garr.

“No. No, it’s wonderful to see you both happy. I remember feeling that way. It’s been five years, but I still feel the pain. I buried myself in work to try and forget it all, but nothing actually worked. To be honest, this is the most alive I’ve felt in a long time.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” smiled Garr.

A young woman walked toward them, her silky black hair and almond-shaped eyes smiling at them. She set down bowls of gumbo and plates of cornbread.

“Mama Irene said y’all would be hungry,” she grinned. “Macie, your mama is waiting for you to do a final fitting of your dress at the big house.”

“Thank you, Khloe,” said Garr. “Oh, Khloe, this is Jonas Samson . Jonas, this is Khloe Jones . She attended our school and returned to us recently.”

“Your school?” he frowned.

“There’s a school here at Belle Fleur for children who are orphans, most of whom were rescued by these men,” smiled the young woman. “I was seventeen when I was kidnapped to be sold into a trafficking ring. Garr’s father, Wade, was the one who carried me out of there and brought me here. I received medical treatment, counseling, and the best education a girl could have asked for.”

“That’s wonderful. He said you returned. Where were you?” he asked with interest.

“Oh, I’ve been attending medical school. I’ll be joining the medical staff here starting in the new year. I’m a doctor of internal medicine.”

“A doctor,” grinned Jonas. “That’s wonderful. You should feel so proud of yourself.”

“I am, thank you. If you’d like a tour of the grounds later, it’s beautiful all lit up for the holidays.”

“Oh,” he said, looking from her to Garr. Garr nodded at him with a smirk. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d love that.”

“Great. I’ll find you after the parade. Great to meet you, Jonas.”

“Great to meet you,” he said quietly as she walked away. Jonas realized he was the eye of everyone’s attention and turned, grinning at the men.

“She’s a great girl,” said Macie. “Obviously, extremely bright, and most women wouldn’t have survived what she went through.”

“She’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone like her. Her features are so unique.”

“It’s funny,” said Macie with a sly grin, “she wasn’t supposed to arrive until after the new year, but Mama Irene asked her to come early. She arrived late yesterday.”

“I guess that makes me a lucky man,” said Jonas.

“Jonas, Jonas, baby,” said Mama Irene, walking toward them. “Jonas, I’m Mama Irene. You can call me Mama, Irene, or I prefer Mama Irene. You’ll be stayin’ through the holidays, so we have a cottage all ready for you.”

“Oh, ma’am,” he started. The men around the table groaned, and he looked at them.

“Don’t groan at him,” she fussed. “He’s new and don’t know. No ma’ams around here. Understand?”

“Yes, ma- uh, yes, Mama Irene.”

“Good man. Now, you’ll be staying through the holidays, and you have a cottage. The boys can get you some extra clothes if you need them. For now, eat up. You’re gonna need your strength for the parade. We’ve got a lot goin’ on, and I don’t want anyone hurt. Luke? Don’t be bringin’ blood into the weddin’ tonight. Garr and Macie deserve a normal wedding.”

“When have we ever had a normal wedding?” smirked Luke.

“Don’t sass. Eat up.” She walked away, and Jonas shook his head.

“I will never make fun of y’all for being afraid of an old woman again. Especially not that woman.”