Page 28 of Gone (Gray Wolf Security #23)

Peter didn’t understand where he was or why he was being treated like a war hero. Beautiful women, handsome men, and the most polite children were coming in and out all day carrying flowers, medicines, hand-knit blankets, and the best damn food he’d ever eaten.

“Where am I, exactly?” he asked Gaspar.

“You’re at my parents’ home and property. We all live here.”

“Yes. But where is here?” he asked.

“Peter, we keep this place somewhat quiet for good reason. We have our enemies and want to be sure we’re all safe.”

“I can understand that, but I’m not your enemy. I just want to know where I am so that Barbara can come and pick me up.” He blushed, and Gaspar chuckled, realizing what he was asking.

“Barbara, huh?”

“Well, yeah. She was very sweet when I was in the hospital, and her sister and her husband are back now. So, the kids are with them, and she offered to let me recuperate at her home.”

“I think that’s very nice of her. Why don’t you give us the address, and we can have one of our pilots take you to her?”

A few hours later, Peter was saying his goodbyes and thank yous to everyone on the team. Mama Irene and Ruby had an entire cooler full of food for him to take with him, ensuring that he wouldn’t go hungry.

“Call us if you decide to make a change, Peter. We can always use a good man on our team,” said Nine.

“I think the last thing you guys need is another man,” he smiled. “But thank you for even suggesting that I would be good on this team. I think I’d rather be an outside partner for all of you. At the bureau.”

“Seriously?” asked Ghost.

“Seriously. I know that you’ve had relationships like that in the past. Some worked out well, others not so much. I’d like to create a new legacy for your team. I’ve been promoted to section chief for the Midwest. Once I’m released from medical leave, I’ll be moving to Chicago.”

“Chicago? Isn’t that where Barbara lives?” smiled Ian.

“Yes,” he laughed. “Strange things happen when I’m around you guys. My current section chief resigned last week, kind of out of the blue, and he recommended me as the replacement.”

“Is that so?” questioned Gaspar. He turned to look at his mother behind him and only shook his head. “You’ll make a great section chief, Peter, and we look forward to partnering with you. Or at least our sons look forward to partnering with you.”

“Are you leaving the business?” he asked.

“It’s time we start backing away, and that’s what we’re going to do. The kids might rebrand the agency, which seems appropriate. They want it to be theirs.”

“Well, whoever I’m dealing with from this group will be better than anything I’ve dealt with thus far. Thank you all for what you’ve done for me.”

“Good luck, Peter,” waved Erin from the crowd. He smiled at the beautiful woman and nodded.

Gaspar turned to face his mother, who was grinning from ear to ear. He walked up to her, looking down at her mischievous grin.

“Mama? Did you have something to do with his section chief retiring?”

“Gaspar, your imagination knows no bounds. How would I know Chief Teegarden? Seriously.” She laughed as she and Ruby walked away. Gaspar turned to the other seniors and shook his head.

“How did she know his name was Teegarden?” asked Ghost. Gaspar stopped in his tracks, looking back at his mother, and burst into laughter.

“She really is a witch,” he laughed. “I’m just glad she’s a good witch.”

“What now?” asked Alexandra, hugging her husband, as the others circled around them. Gaspar looked at Nine and nodded.

“Now, we live our lives and enjoy them. Truly enjoy them. We have a few cases to close out, but the plan will be to turn Gray Wolf over to Luke, Eric, Cam, and Hex by the new year.”

“Is this for real this time?” asked Erin, looking up at her husband.

“It’s for real. We all want more time with our families, and especially with Ruby, Sven, Matthew, and Irene. Time is the one thing we can’t make more of, so let’s enjoy it.”

Ruby and Irene were standing off to the side, smiling at the group of adults that they called their children.

“Funny that they think we can’t make more time,” chuckled Ruby.

“We’ve been making more time for years now,” said Irene. “Sometimes those children just don’t catch on very quickly, do they?”

“Well, let’s give them grace. They’ve been so wrapped up in savin’ the world they haven’t realized that they were the ones needin’ saving. I think they’re pretty much there now.”

“I agree,” nodded Irene. “Now, it’s Claudette, Gabriel, and the others’ turn to teach the new generation.”

“What will we do, old friend?” asked Ruby. Irene laughed, shaking her head.

“Mischief and mayhem, Ruby. Mischief and mayhem.”