Page 2 of Monkey Business

“You mean there are others that have ghosts on their property and speak with them,” said Ian.

“I mean, they have the ability if they have the will to do so.” Yori looked at the men and knew they were still confused.

“I want you to think about being a slave in ancient Rome. You are a fighter. Strong and powerful. Your master has chosen you to fight at the Colosseum with dozens, if not hundreds, of other men. Over a period of a few years, hundreds, if not thousands, are killed in the arena. Fast-forward hundreds of years, and as a living person, you are now living in an apartment building next door to the said Colosseum. The ghosts are bombarding you constantly, but the problem is you don’t hear them. You don’t hear them because you don’t believe or don’t have the ability to believe.”

“You have to believe in order to be able to hear and see the ghosts,” said Miller. “That makes sense. We were only able to see you all because of Mama, Julia, and Noah.”

“No,” smiled Martha. “You believed in them; therefore, you believe in us. It takes belief. But for many, they will go hundreds of lifetimes before someone actually sees them and speaks to them.”

“That’s kind of sad,” said Kegger. “I mean, it’s as if they’re out there just waiting for someone to recognize them.”

“That’s right,” nodded Tony. “Especially if they were murdered or died under suspicious circumstances. It’s very sad to think that they want someone to know how they died or who killed them but can’t tell you. Think of the historical implications if we knew who truly killed JFK or were able to solve unsolved murders.”

“But not all of you died under suspicious circumstances or were murdered,” said Miller.

“That’s true. That’s one of the many aspects of this that we can’t explain,” said Yori. “Here’s what we can tell you. If the spirit is available to us, we can find him or her and maybe help you in the future. In fact, we’re very pleased to be helping you and feeling useful beyond the love matches.”

“Wait. Are you guys responsible for the love matches? I thought it was Mama,” said Luc.

“Time to go,” said Martha. “Love you, boys.”

“I’m getting another headache.” Nine rubbed his temples, shaking his head from side to side while the others smirked at him.

“I don’t want to give my big brother a headache,” smirked Rafe, “but I do need to tell you that there’s some sort of huge circus festival happening at the fairgrounds.”

“Circus? Like with animals?” he frowned, appearing somewhat concerned and panicked.

“Apparently, it’s some sort of competition, not just with animals. There are acrobats, tight rope walkers, mind readers, clowns, everything. There are like fifteen circuses that arrived a few days ago, and they can earn a lot of money by winning this competition. It’s like the Olympics of circus performers. They’ve come from all over the world. But,” smiled Rafe, “yes, there are animals.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we’re going to be surrounded,” said Gaspar.

“Look, so far Lucy, Violet, Sniff, all of them, have kept their word, and the animals have been well behaved. You have to admit, that damn lion is fucking cool. Poor old guy doesn’t have his teeth any longer, but he’s loveable, which is surprising considering how he was treated,” said Bull.

“You’ve spent time with the lion,” smirked Nine.

“Hey, he’s good company. Semu won’t let you get near the baby tigers or elephant. She’s very possessive. The animals are safe on the island,” said Bull.

“Until a hurricane,” said Gaspar. They all looked at him. “If we get hit by a hurricane, those animals will be defenseless out there. Even with Alvin speaking to the other gators, and I can’t fucking believe I just said that, even with that, they’ll be vulnerable. We will have to move them to the K-9 sanctuary so that they can be protected. I don’t even know if we have proper places for them out there.”

“That wall is almost complete in the bayou,” said Angel. “I’ll give it to Finley. She’s a fucking genius, and Grant and his team have helped her make this happen. The depth that she had to place the pillars, stabilizers, and other things is absolutely mind-boggling. But this could change flood-ravaged regions around the world.”

“Just how is this going to work?” asked Whiskey.

“From what I understand, it’s like a dam that can rise and fall like a curtain. When the weather is good, we leave it down. It sinks to a depth that won’t inhibit boat traffic and won’t damage anything moving in and out of the bayou.

“But if it’s terrible, or someone is coming at us, it can be raised nearly twelve feet. It’s going to stretch from Belle Fleur to the island mansion, G.R.I.P., and Devil’s Island. It will surround the whole of our land eventually.”

“Let’s hope it works if we need it,” said Gaspar. “Alright. Down to business. What do we have this week?”

It was another hour before they finished their meeting, heading out to meet with potential new clients. Ghost and Whiskey walked over to the bike shop to check on some things while Gaspar and Nine went into the tattoo shop. Callan hired two tattoo artists, and they were both thriving at the shop.

The businesses as a whole were flourishing beyond their wildest dreams. In addition, the salon-spa, café, dance studio, and Gwen’s designs were some of the most sought-after in the country. Beyond those, the Robicheaux General Store was a tourist destination, as well as a haven for artists, writers, and foodies. Their online business alone would allow them to close the store if they wanted to. But visitors came from all over the world to visit their newly renovated and expanded store.

The details that went into making it appear like an old-fashioned general store were meticulous. Old plank wood floors and countertops, soda fountain, handmade shelving. It was a work of art in and of itself, and they could thank the craftsmanship of Grant, and ingenuity of Matthew.

“Would you have ever dreamed all of this when we were busting heads all over the fucking world?” smirked Nine. Gaspar laughed at his friend.

“Never in a million damn years. I thought we’d fight a few more good fights and be retired. This? This is not what I would have ever dreamed, but I’m so damn grateful.”

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