Reborn by Melody Anne
Epilogue
Joseph leaned back in his chair and listened to the chaos all around him. The room was filled with alpha men and women who all insisted on being heard. Normally, Joseph was right there in the mix with them, but this time he found it was much more fun to listen in than to be a part of the conversation.
“What are you doing here in the corner all alone?” his brother George asked as he sat in the chair next to Joseph.
“I think he’s pouting,” Richard, his other brother, said as he sat in the chair on the other side of Joseph.
“What would I be pouting about?” Joseph asked.
“Your newest project is neatly wrapped up. The bad guys are all in jail, the good guys have a victory, and your team of warriors is disbanding,” Richard said.
Joseph chuckled. “I might be a little bummed it’s all wrapped up.”
“You know they’ll stay if you give them another project,” George said. “You got them all married, but I’m sure you can find another crime to solve.”
“I thought about that,” Joseph said. “But I want to see what they’re going to do on their own. Each of the five men is a force to be reckoned with, and it will be great to sit back and watch. We’ve formed a bond, and nothing will break that now.”
“Well, with Smoke and Mallory taking Jasmine under their huge wings, you’ll see quite a bit of them,” Chad said as he took a seat next to the Anderson brothers.
Joseph smiled. “Jasmine will do great things in life,” Joseph said. “She couldn’t have better mentors.”
“Do you worry that she’s so excited about this criminal world?” George asked.
Joseph nodded. “I always worry, but I want all of those I love to follow their dreams. Besides, I almost worry for those criminals she wants to go after. I’d be terrified of her coming after me.”
“Yeah, and it helps alleviate the worry when you have her followed twenty-four-seven,” Richard said with a laugh.
“Yes, that certainly helps,” Joseph said, not in the least ashamed. He’d do anything for his favorite grandchild, though he wouldn’t admit that she was the favorite — at least not out loud.
Richard was about to say something else when Eyes made a comment.
“Wait,” Joseph said, holding up his hand. “I want to hear this.”
“Me too,” George said.
“It’s too bad we don’t have popcorn for the show,” Richard said.
The three men pulled out cigars and they had no guilt whatsoever about listening to conversations by these warrior men . . .
Eyes, Sleep, Brackish, Green, and Smoke narrowed their circle. The party was at its peak all around them, but they might as well have been in their own little bubble. They didn’t need privacy for their conversation, they were just happy to be where they were and to share the news with one another.
“Has everyone figured out what comes next?” Eyes asked.
Smoke laughed. “The team leader wants to know our plans,” he said. “Once a leader always a leader.”
“Damn straight,” Eyes said. “I’ll miss not working with you guys on a daily basis.”
“Me too. I’m sort of shocked by how much I’ll miss it,” Brackish said.
“Yeah, I’ve had the world at my fingertips for a very long time now, but this will go down in history as my favorite time,” Green told the guys. “Not only have I loved working with you guys, but I’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”
“I won the Super Bowl and now I’m going to Disneyland,” Smoke yelled as he jumped up and threw his arm in the air.
Chuckles erupted all around the room as people shook their heads. Leave it to Smoke to make a spectacle of himself.
“What are you really doing, Smoke?” Eyes asked.
Smoke brought his arms down and told the group, “I’m going to travel,” a big grin beaming across his face. “I’m taking my absolutely stunning wife to all the corners of the world for a year long trip where she gets to help other doctors treat Alzheimer’s patients, and we’re going to do a lot of swimming, fishing, and love making. We’ll have to come back for a few days every couple of months so she can keep an eye on her patients here who she loves, but we want to see the world.”
“You wouldn’t want to come back so often to check on your favorite student, would you?” Sleep asked with a laugh.
“I’m thinking Jazzy might have to come spend her breaks from college with us and get some training,” Smoke said, knowing exactly who Sleep was talking about.
“I don’t think you’ll have to twist her arm to do that,” Brackish said.
“No, the squirt and I are tight,” Smoke said.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty amazing to see that little girl shine,” Green said. “I think someday she’s going to be able to kick our asses.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Smoke said.
“What about you, Green? What’s next for the man who’s done it all?” Eyes asked.
Green put both of his hands in his pockets, looked down at the ground, and kicked the floor a couple of times, trying to put his thoughts into a sensible array. “We’ll probably stay in the area for a few months. The FBI asked Mallory to withdraw her resignation until after the trial, which she did, and just as all of that crap came to a thud they found an interesting new case to work on.”
“What is it?” Eyes asked.
“Can’t say quite yet, and she still hasn’t accepted, but if she does we’ll probably stay in the area. You guys know I’m an Oregon boy, and I’ll never give up my hunting, but I have to admit this area has grown on me. If any of you ever tell anyone I said that I swear you’ll never say—”
“GREEN LOVES WASHINGTON MORE THAN OREGON!” Sleep yelled to the crowd.
Green and Sleep instantly started wrestling, calling each other terrible names that only two friends could get away with.
Smoke separated the two, gave a bit of a shoulder roll, flexing in front of both of them while saying, “Don’t make me put the two of you in a timeout.”
“Your big brother won’t always be here to save you, Green,” Sleep shot out while looking over their huge team member’s shoulders.
“Does that mean you’re staying in the area? If so, I change my mind, I’m leaving tonight,” Green said, giving a feigned kick toward Sleep behind Smoke’s back.
“Of course we’re staying. Avery has a great thing going and I can work from here. Eyes already approved it and if the money men back in San Fran don’t like it, we’ll just open our own company. Until that part gets figured out, I’m going to learn how to hunt and show off how much better I am at it than Green,” Sleep said with a laugh.
“Sleep, the only thing you’ve been better at than any of us is running your mouth,” Brackish piped in, all the men laughing in unison at his timing.
“No one asked you, Nerd-Alert 5000. Don’t you have some screen to go geek out in front of?” Sleep replied. The two men had sparred verbally the entire time they’d been together, and they loved it.
Sleep found he was closer to Brackish than everyone else on the team except for Eyes. Though they were completely different, the two really clicked with one another. Maybe it was because when Brackish wanted to, he could be just as cutting and outlandish with his words, and few men stacked up as well as Sleep in that realm.
“I do and that’s why you’re actually sticking around, knowing I’m the only one who can actually turn on a computer for you. Erin and I just bought some land and are building a house on it. With the contract for developing the security for Mr. Anderson’s house, along with many of the Anderson buildings, I’ll be busy for a long time. And Erin’s pregnant again, so I might as well put down roots and raise a family,” Brackish finished with a massive smile.
The men crowded him, slapping his back, shaking his hand, and congratulating him multiple times over.
Then they all paused, recognizing the moment for what it was and silently acknowledged the importance of each of the team members. Each of them took a step back before Eyes lifted his drink.
“We were asked to perform a mission, and we completed it well. We were asked to change a city for the better and transform it we did. We were asked to do this in silence and to be unseen by the city we were fixing, and we were. I’m standing before you, brothers, to let you know you are seen and your work is beyond reproach. There are no awards, no medals, but I raise this glass to each of you now and tell you that no better men could have come together than this team. Thank you for allowing me to join you in the fight against an insidious monster. Moreover, thank you for allowing me to become a friend; a brother,” Eyes finished and in unison all of the men clinked their respective drinks together.
Each of them knew they could go on and on about how great this time together was, but they let their leader’s words be the final accolade before they moved on to laughter and life decisions. It was the perfect way to end this chapter of their lives.
“It looks as if those boys are going to change the world,” George said as he looked at Joseph.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Joseph assured his brothers.
“For many, they already have. Seattle’s as clean, beautiful, and safe as it’s ever been,” Chad said.
“I’m going to miss seeing them so often,” Richard said. “Plus, I feel overall safer with them here.”
Joseph laughed. “I know what you mean.
Suddenly the door was flung open, making everyone turn and look at the tornado that had whipped into the room. All five of the special ops men turned into hardened warriors ready for combat before the door had hit the wall. Their bodies instantly tensing, but as soon as they saw who it was, they relaxed and smiled.
“Now what has my beautiful granddaughter smiling so big?” Joseph asked as Jasmine stopped in the center of the room. She turned and gave her grandfather a beaming smile, then she met Smoke’s eyes and jumped into the air.
“I’m in!” she shouted.
“You’re in where?” Smoke asked. Brackish was always monitoring Smoke’s favorite student so he had a good guess of what she was about to present.
Jasmine held up a piece of paper that nobody could read.
“I’ve officially been accepted for an FBI Internship program!”
Thunderous applause erupted as Jasmine was circled by her family and friends. The next chapter of her life was coming — and it was coming in a big way. Smoke would be right there at her side.
After Jasmine made her rounds, thanking each person for helping her, supporting her and being a great friend or family member through all of the years, she finished the rounds standing in front of her grandfather.
“Hi gramps,” Jasmine said before the two embraced in a hug that squeezed the air from both of their lungs.
“Jazzy, you’ve grown up in the blink of an eye. From the day you were born, and I was holding you in the hospital, to this very moment, time has gone by faster than I could’ve ever imagined.” He paused as he got all choked up. “I wouldn’t change a single moment.”
He then pulled away, resolve in his voice to not crack under the weight of the emotion he was feeling. The rest of the party fell away, and all of the noise dimmed as the two of them stood face to face knowing this was a moment when one of those monumental transitions happened.
“I’ll miss you, gramps,” Jasmine said.
“No matter where you are kiddo, I’ll always be there for you. I know you have zero doubts about that, but I’m saying it anyway — never look back and proudly go conquer the world. No one, and nothing, can stop you from realizing your dreams. Work hard, study hard, and play hard. Fall deeply in love and have a wedding that is talked about for generations to come. You’ll be a phenomenal wife, an amazing mother and just like it is now, everyone in your life will be better for knowing you. Now, go have fun,” Joseph said as he gave her another quick hug and turned her toward the crowd of kids dancing and enjoying the party.
As Jasmine walked away Joseph said, no louder than a whisper to his two brothers; “With Jazzy begins a new generation of Andersons who will have a need for their grandfather to help continue with the circle of life. I wonder who will be man enough to take her hand in marriage.”
“I’m sure you’ll find him,” George said with a chuckle.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Joseph said.
The three brothers raised their fine glasses of Scotch and made a toast. Their story would continue on, and no one and nothing in this world would stop it.