CHAPTER FIVE

"Mama, I'm not going to yell at you or Pops. I just want to know if you did something to Marcel," said Gaspar. "This is close to the weirdest thing we've ever experienced, and I don't want to see him or this nice girl, Amy, get hurt."

"Son, I told you that I asked for a companion for him when all the ghosts came forward. I didn't do anything recently. I'm not sure how he's suddenly alive, flesh and blood, with a heartbeat."

Gaspar frowned at his parents, wanting to ask his father the same questions, but he also didn't want to piss him off. I mean, as an angel, was he capable of taking his life?

"As me anything, Gaspar," grinned Matthew.

"Okay. Did you, I mean, are you capable of, I mean, is he back?" His brothers were seated around him, all of them looking at their parents. Nine, Wilson, Trak, Tailor, Whiskey, and a few others were present as well.

"Your mother made the call to help him. I only prayed for her wish to be answered. Marcel died before his time, Gaspar. Long before his time. He should not have been killed on that ship. It wasn't his time, and everyone has a time. He should have survived the storm and made it to shore safely so that he could continue his good works. Someone else made certain he didn't.

"Sometimes, in cases such as these, the individual is given another chance. Usually, it's not so far off from when the event occurred, and usually, he's not in the same body. In this case, he is. Now, that could be because he knew Amy's ancestor, or it could have something to do with the painting. I don't know.

"What I do know is that none of that is important. The only thing important is proving that young woman's innocence and helping her to have a thriving career again. If she becomes a part of our family, then so be it. If not, at least we know that we did our job."

"Okay. Thank you both for being honest with me," said Gaspar. Nine smirked at Irene and Matthew, shaking his head. They were something else. He just wasn't positive what they were exactly.

"Something you want to ask me, son?" asked Matthew, staring at Nine.

"Well, sir, we were just curious as to Irene's gifts. You told us not to discount them, but it was never made clear what they were."

"No," said Matthew, nodding his head. "It wasn't, was it?"

With that, he and Irene walked off toward their own cabin, not saying a word to the men. As they left, Kari and Kat arrived, the team of brothers still shaking their heads.

"What's the news?" asked Nine.

"Well, they won't file charges against her as long as she resigns. They'll give her two months' salary and a good recommendation," said Kari.

"What the fuck? She did nothing wrong, and we've proven that. Why in the hell do they want her gone?" said Antoine.

"We can't figure that out. She's been a stellar employee, raising more than twenty-five million in the last few years. She works harder than anyone there and follows every project from start to finish. I'm not sure what their game is," said Kat. "We encouraged them to rethink this because if she wants to file for wrongful termination, we're going to help her, and we believe we'll win."

"But she won't get her job back, will she?" asked Whiskey.

"No, babe. She won't get the job back. She'd probably get a bigger severance and a small settlement, but that's all."

"Damn. That's so unfair." He looked at Code. "Anything else on these people taking money from the accounts and moving it around?"

"Nothing yet, but Monroe and the other kids are working that angle for us. Those guys are unbelievable at finding the trails, but I'm telling all of you, this is the most efficient and savvy program I've ever seen."

"How so?" asked Tailor.

"Normally, I can find the trail back to where it started. It's usually an IP address bouncing off other IP addresses, satellites, servers, that sort of thing. This program is using the target organizations' own servers and satellites to get what they want.

"In the case of Prometheus, someone called the office to report that there had been a corrupt file downloaded, and they were with their software company to help get it off. They convinced the head of IT that what they were doing was legit. They had all the right answers when he asked the questions. Once he opened the gates for them to get into his computer, they were in and could randomly select what they wanted and choose who they wanted to use."

"Maybe we need to speak to the IT guy, and maybe we need to point out to the Prometheus board that we'll expose that shit and show how inept their systems people are," said Trak.

"I would recommend it, but I would also suggest that we get into their systems and find out what all they saw. If they have personal information on Amy, we can't let her go back to her home."

"Agreed," said Baptiste. "Where is she now?"

"Wherever Marcel is," smiled Jean. "I'm not sure how long his new life will last, but I sure as fuck hope those two don't fall in love and then he disappears."

"Hold on," said Gaspar, "I've got a call coming in from Molly and Asia. Hi, ladies, what's up?"

"We need some tech help down here ASAP," said Molly. "Something was going haywire with our network, and we got a call from someone saying they were with our software company and needed to come and test it out. We knew it was bullshit, so we told them we'd be available in an hour."

"On my way," said Code. He turned to head toward the docks, then turned back. "I'm taking Hiro with me, Bull, Whiskey, care for a ride?"

"Love one," grinned the two men.

"Good idea," said Gaspar.

He wondered what would have happened had they allowed the supposed tech support to just show up. Would they plant a device on their computers? Would they have dared to attempt to touch Molly or Asia? Both were trained former military, but that didn't mean they could handle a full-grown man or two.

They watched as Marcel walked toward them, Amy beside him. He held her elbow as if to steady her, and she walked slowly beside him.

"Hi, honey. How are you feeling?" asked Wilson.

"Still a bit dizzy, but my faithful companion makes sure I don't fall," she said, smiling.

"I worry that she still is not well," said Marcel. "The bump is large, and she gets queasy and dizzy when she stands too swiftly."

"It's to be expected," said Wilson. "She needs a few days to let that bump go down and to get used to what happened."

"Amy, we've spoken to the attorneys with Prometheus, and although they've dropped all charges and recognize that you are not to blame, they would like you to resign." She stared at the two women, her lip quivering.

"Why? I've done nothing wrong. I've always worked hard, I've been the top fundraiser for Prometheus, and no one understands my accounts like I do. I didn't do anything wrong," she repeated.

"Honey, we know that," said Kari, "but the board seems intent on not allowing you to continue for fear that something could come back in an unfavorable light. We can sue for wrongful termination if you like."

"But I still won't have my job, will I?"

"No, sweetie, you won't," said Kat. "There are other jobs, Amy. Lots of other jobs, and they wouldn't dare to give you anything but a glowing recommendation. We can help you."

"I know," she sniffed, "but that's not the point, is it? I've worked there for six years, building the base of continuous donors, spending time with them, even their families. I've made Prometheus more successful than they've ever been. I believed in what they were doing. It feels so traitorous."

"It does feel a bit that way, doesn't it?" frowned Miller. He looked at the others, their silent language taking over. "Is there anyone there that would want you to be gone?"

"What?" she whispered. "Do you mean someone with an axe to grind? Someone who doesn't like me?"

"Exactly. Maybe you got the job someone wanted."

"I-I don't think so. I mean, we get small bonuses based on what we bring in for donations. It's not much, though. We're talking a few hundred extra bucks a year. That's all. We all do fairly well in the donor area. I just happen to do better. Besides, most of them don't have donors in my area. Their donors are further out. Covington, Maringouin, Kenner, places like that."

"Still worth checking into. If someone is put in your place, it might tell us there's a reason for pushing you out. Maybe they wanted to do it before, and this gave them a reason. I know it's shitty, honey, but sometimes people are assholes," said Nine.

"I guess so," she said quietly. "Can I get my things from my house? I mean, I know I should stay out here for a while, but what about my personal belongings?"

"We can send someone to get them for you," said Kari. "It's probably not a good idea for you to go into the city right now. We don't know if there's been anything leaked to the press or if someone is waiting for you."

"Waiting for me? Why? Why would anyone wait for me?" she turned to Marcel, who was seemingly as lost as she was.

He turned her shoulders to him and slowly put his arms around her. When his arms enveloped her, she began to cry. They watched as Marcel's eyes filled with water, weeping with the woman who was breaking his heart.

He brushed back her soft brown curls, holding her securely against his big chest. The men sobered, realizing that if this love were only for a brief time, they both might be crushed by the weight of it.

"Marcel, take her to your cottage," said Wilson. "I'll send a text to Kelsey to come over and take a look at her and be sure she's okay. We want to make sure everything is healing as it should."

"Alright," he nodded. "Do you think, I mean, do you think it's possible for me to leave the property? All of it? I believe I should like to visit Prometheus and her home."

"Maybe," said Gaspar. "Take her back, and we'll go from there. I'll be by in a little while to get you." Marcel nodded, walking slowly with her toward their boat. When they were out of hearing range, the men all stared at one another.

"This is two mysteries in one," said Angel. "We've got a two-hundred-plus-year-old man, alive and well, and someone pulling strange strings on non-profits." Miller nodded, standing from his seat.

"Then let's do us."