CHAPTER THIRTY

Macie stood near the banks of the bayou along with her mother, soon-to-be mother-in-law, Sophia Anne, Susie, Montana, and others. Standing near them was Finley, holding a strange-looking remote control. They all had a job to do, and they would not let the team down.

“Here come the boats,” said Mama Irene. “Everyone, cheer them on.”

Hundreds of Belle Fleur residents stood along the water waving and cheering as their neighbors went by on their boats. They were decorated with lights, trees, ornaments, even animated exhibits. As the Belle Fleur boats began to come around the bend, the team cheered louder.

“Whose idea was this?” frowned Luke, looking down at himself.

“Your grandmother’s,” smirked Eric. “Just go with it and smile. Look at the kids. They’re loving this.”

“We’re a bunch of six-feet-three plus, two-hundred-and-thirty-pound elves in a makeshift workshop. I’m not finding humor in this,” growled Luke.

“Well, they all think it’s hysterical,” said Cam, pointing to the banks. Children were laughing and jumping up and down, waving. The parents were waving frantically as the two dozen elves smiled, waving their white-gloved hands.

“Pay attention,” said the harsh voice of Hiro. “Their boats are one behind you and two in front of you. We’re going to trigger the engine trouble for the one in the rear in two minutes. The other boats will be directed to maneuver around it until we have them far enough away.”

“Got it. Thanks, Hiro,” said Luke. “Alright, elves. Pay attention.”

The boat in front of the team had Brockman and his sister on it. Although the sister looked to be asleep in her chair. Brockman simply covered her to her chin with a fur blanket and smiled at her.

In some ways, it seemed tender and sweet. In others, it was just creepy.

Boss – the boat is having engine difficulties. Should we do it now?

“Shit,” he muttered to himself.

No! It has to be at the right moment. Get the damn boat fixed.

Incompetence. He was surrounded by incompetence. They could still make an impact if they started shooting now, but they wanted it to be bigger. According to the parade route, they would be passing an island that was decorated with trees, a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and paths lit for the holiday season. There would be hundreds, if not thousands, of people they could get to.

In the distance he could see the lights and felt the giddiness of reaching his goal. Just a little further, and everything would belong to him. He would have partners in other parts of the world wanting more weapons, he would have chaos in this country, leaders divided, and he would ultimately play the hero.

Boss, we can’t get the boat started. Someone is giving us a tow.

“Great, just great.”

“Looks like you boys are having trouble,” said the man in the small boat. He wasn’t dressed in costume, but his smaller boat had lights around it. There were three other men in the boat with him that looked friendly enough.

“Yeah, we don’t know a lot about these boats,” said Arvel. “We just need to catch up to our friends.”

“Sure, sure, no worries,” smiled Ryan. The man noticed his prosthetic arm and frowned at him. “Oh, don’t worry about this. I can do anything anyone else does. I’m a bit of a mechanic, so let me see if I can lend you a hand. No pun intended.”

The men on the pontoon boat laughed, welcoming him on board. Ryan stepped up, followed by Chief and Gator.

“Nice job on the decorations,” grinned Gator.

“Oh, it wasn’t us. Some fine-ass-looking women from the church helped us. I might have to stay and see where they live,” smirked Cord.

“Is that right?” grinned Gator with a snarl.

“Hey, this engine is a mess,” said Ryan. “We’re gonna need to give you a tow to get this fixed.”

“Really? Damn, boss isn’t gonna be happy about this,” said Arvel.

“Boss?” asked Ryan.

“Oh, we have two boats, and our, uh, act was together.”

“Well, don’t worry about it, boys. We’ve got a different act for you,” smiled Chief. The men stared at one another, then back at the other men. Realizing that they might be in more trouble than they could get out of, they reached for the weapons beneath their seats, only to be met by blinding fists and then blackness.

“That was fun,” smirked Ryan. “I’ll drive this back toward the lake and anchor it. The timer will be set for a spectacular parade of fireworks.”

“You’re really on your puns tonight,” grinned Chief.

“I try. I never mind giving up a hand for friends.” Ryan couldn’t help but laugh at himself as Chief and Gator groaned at his pun. They followed him into the lake, where he anchored the boat, leaving the ammunition behind but taking the guns. The two men were cuffed to the boat, unable to move.

Gator tapped his comms.

“Packages are wrapped and ready. Have fun, fellas.”