CHAPTER FOUR

“When will they come out?” asked Mags.

“When they’re ready,” laughed Walker. “Why don’t we leave them alone? They’ll come and see everyone when they’re done.”

“I know,” said Ellie, “but it’s so exciting. We’ve been waiting for them!”

“Hey! Everyone! Come quick! Moose and Erica’s baby is coming!” yelled Conor.

Em and Sebastian forgotten, they took off toward the clinic and waited with dozens of others as tiny little Erica gave birth to the man-child belonging to Moose. It seemed to be taking hours longer than it should have, but they were assured that everything was normal.

U-Jin paced the floors, waiting for news on his sister. They’d just found one another, so he hoped that this massive child didn’t take her from him.

“This is where everyone is,” grinned Sebastian. “What’s going on?”

“Moose and Erica are in labor,” said Conor. “I mean, Erica is in labor, but you know what we mean. How are you guys?”

The entire room gave a knowing smirk, and Sebastian just laughed, hugging Emelia to his side.

“We’re perfect, and we will be getting married once Em has completed her last case with the bureau.” There was applause, then blank stares from Moose standing in the doorway.

“What are you cheering? You don’t even know anything yet.”

“Just tell us everything is okay,” begged U-Jin. He smiled at his brother-in-law and nodded.

“A boy. Eleven pounds one ounce, twenty-two inches long.”

“Ouch,” said every female in the room.

Moose could only laugh, shaking his head. Erica was a very tiny Asian woman, and he knew she would struggle to give birth to a baby of his. In the end, the team decided to do a c-section to help the poor woman.

“She was so brave, so perfect. He’s perfect. Sergeant Jordan Sculler. ” He stared at his friends, the Jordan brothers. They’d brought him here. They’d selected him from their team to come home with them. He would forever be grateful to them.

“Brother, that’s awesome,” laughed Patrick and Christopher. Christopher turned to Sebastian.

“What about you two?”

“Just the usual Belle Fleur magic,” smiled Emelia. “As Sebastian said, I’ll finish this last case with the bureau, come home to work here, and we’ll get married. Maybe a beautiful outdoor fall wedding.” Her parents, along with Hex and Gwen, hugged them both. Rachel and Chief were particularly happy that a third daughter would soon be married.

A few moments later, Doc carried the tiny, large bundle out for everyone to see. His head full of thick black hair and scrunched-up chubby cheeks earned oohs and ahhs from everyone. Christopher and Patrick were the second to be able to hold him, next to U-Jin.

Taking his nephew in his arms, he stared down at the perfect face, kissing his forehead.

“You will only know happiness and freedom. I will guarantee it.” His wife smiled at him, kissing his cheek. They’d been trying to have their own family with little success thus far. The beauty was in the trying.

“When can we go home?” asked Moose.

“Not for a few days, brother. We watch our c-section patients for a few days. She’ll be fine here. We’ll make up the bed for you, and you can stay with her.”

“I need to get everything ready,” frowned Moose.

“We will take care of that,” said U-Jin. “Do not worry. My sister and nephew will return to the perfect home. My niece will stay with us until you come home.” Moose slapped him on the back, forcing him to take a step forward. U-Jin could only laugh.

“Thanks, brother.”

“Alright, everyone back to the grove,” smiled Claudette. “We’ll have a pre-celebration and wait on the rest of these babies.”

Over the meal, Emelia and her sisters talked about wedding plans and where to have the ceremony. She’d always wanted to have it in the gardens with her family and friends. No seats, just a short, quick ceremony with scents of Belle Fleur around her.

Then she wanted a huge meal in the grove with everyone. She wanted simple. Basic. She even confessed to everyone that she’d bought a simple, white wool dress three years ago while in Chicago.

“You did?” smirked Sebastian. She blushed, nodding.

“I always knew, Sebastian. It’s been in the back of my closet since then. It’s nothing fancy, a tea-length dress. But I knew that it would be warm enough to wear outside and yet be simple.”

“What would you like me to wear?” he asked dutifully.

“Your uniform,” she smiled. “I always dreamed of marrying my Ranger. I want you to wear your uniform.”

“Then that’s what I’ll wear,” he smiled, kissing her.

Over the next few days, they took long boat rides around the bayou, exploring islands they didn’t even know belonged to Belle Fleur. Matthew and the team had taken the time to post signs on each island with its individual name, and the very clear declaration that it was private property.

“I wonder what he’s planning for all these islands,” said Emelia, hugging Sebastian.

“My guess is he’s planning for the future. A future that you and I will be a part of for a long, long time. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, Em. I can’t wait for you to be my wife.”

“Same,” she smiled. “I dream of it, you know. I dream of being Mrs. Sebastian Vernon. When I was younger, I used to write it in my notebooks. My sisters would make fun of me and tease me. Thankfully, they knew how to keep a secret, or I would have been outed a long time ago.”

“That wouldn’t have been so bad,” smiled Sebastian. “Maybe we could take a vacation in Alaska, see where Mom was born and raised.”

“I’d love that,” she smiled.

“When do you have to leave?” he said with a sober expression.

“Two days. I don’t want to think about it. This case is kicking my ass. I’m good at what I do, Sebastian. When I’m in FBI-mode, I’m confident; I know where to go for my sources and information, but this one is tough.”

“Wanna talk it through? I could gather the guys, and we could chat about it. As much as you’re comfortable with.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you know, that might help me.”

Back in the grove, Leif, Major, Brix, Forrest, Alistair, Garr, and her sisters all sat patiently waiting for her to begin.

“This has to stay here,” she said.

“Em, we know,” smirked Mags.

Walking along the paths toward the offices were Doug, Chipper, Evie, Autumn, and the new pilot, Clark. Everyone smirked as Forrest followed the woman, watching her every move.

“You know that’s creepy, right?” smirked Ellie. “Just talk to her, Forrest.”

“What? No. No, it’s not like that. I mean. Never mind. Just continue.”

“Alright, so in the last four months, there have been seven bank robberies in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. They follow the same pattern, the same MO. They all happen just as the bank is about to close its doors. The robbers come in with sunhats, remove the hats, and they’re wearing masks.”

“What kind of masks?” asked Sebastian.

“Mostly character masks like rabbits, dogs, that sort of thing. They carry handguns but haven’t harmed anyone. They ask for the cash in the drawers but not the cash in the safe. There is always a car waiting outside, but when the police arrive, the car is still sitting there, and no one is inside. It ends up being a car that was parked a few blocks away and moved.”

“Moved? Like someone parked it, drove it a few blocks, parked it in front of the bank, and then left it there?” asked Leif.

“Yep. No one has been harmed, but I feel like it’s only a matter of time.”

“What about the alarms? Why aren’t the alarms bringing the police in on time?” asked Brix.

“They’re disabled,” she said, staring at the people around the table. She knew that saying that would get their attention. To disable a bank alarm system took skill. It had to be done precisely, and the timing had to be impeccable.

“Disabled,” muttered Forrest. “Bank alarms are complex systems. You have to know what the hell you’re doing to get that done. What about former employees?”

“Believe me, I’ve scanned through it all. Former employees, former guards, IT teams with the banks. I can’t find one link.”

“Are the banks all the same company?” asked Leif.

“No. All different banks. Here’s the thing that I can’t convince anyone of. I think these robberies are connected to some robberies that occurred two years ago. There were five robberies two summers ago in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. All were done with masks, but the masks weren’t animals. They were superheroes.”

“Superheroes? Like Superman, Batman?” asked Garr.

“Exactly. We’ve scanned street and traffic cameras, but it appears they disrupt those just long enough to take off the masks and move on. There have been no big spends with cash. No one is trying to buy luxury vehicles, watches, or jewelry in cash. It’s making me crazy!”

“It’s a tough one, Em, but I know you’ll figure it out,” said Ellie.

“I can tell you that suspects tend to be the last people you might think,” said Major. Emelia looked up at him, tilting her head sideways.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the usual suspects aren’t usual at all. My experience tells me that while everyone might be looking at an inside job or experienced robbers, it could be someone that we would never think of.”

“That’s actually really good,” smiled Emelia. Major laughed, shaking his head.

“Gee, thanks for having confidence in me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that! I just mean, maybe I’ve been looking at all the wrong people. I’ll have to think about that.”

For the next couple of days, Em rolled all the ideas through her mind while spending as much time in Sebastian’s arms as she could. When she left at the end of the week, she was sad but also hopeful.

“I’ll be home soon,” she said, kissing Sebastian goodbye.

“I know. I’ll miss you, baby. You’ll find me right here, waiting to make you my wife.” He held her for a long moment, something in his gut saying, ‘don’t let go.’ When he waved goodbye, his friends slapped his back, smiling.

“She’ll be back, brother,” laughed Brix. In his most unconvincing voice ever, Sebastian replied.

“Yeah. Yeah. She’ll be back.”