Page 29 of Saint

“Don’t ask me to explain the miracles of this land,” said Matthew. “Even Father Joseph can’t do that.” The priest raised his brows, nodding at them all.

“We are blessed,” said Irene. “Griffin did not give his life for nothing. He gave it for all of you because he is a protector and always will be.”

“I haven’t lost him,” whispered Marilisa. Saint kissed one cheek, Trevor kissing the other.

“No, baby. You’ll never lose him.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Realizing that the deceased is still with you changes the tone of a funeral. It becomes a celebration of life, heroism, fatherhood, and brotherhood. Griffin was amazed at his new self, the feeling of the strange new body he now inhabited.

“You knew,” said Kane, standing next to Matthew. “You knew he would appear to all of us and knew that we needed it.”

“When does a man not need to see his family one more time, Kane? I know your life has not been easy, son. Trust in me. Trust in us, and you’ll find that we won’t let you down.” Matthew kissed his cheeks and walked toward Irene, linking her arm with his own as they took their seats in the grove, listening to stories of Griffin and his brother, Gable.

“Will we be able to bring him home?” she asked her husband.

“Time will tell, my love. Time will tell.”

“He’s pretty remarkable, isn’t he,” said Saint to Kane. The older man looked at him, shaking his head.

“You know, when we arrived, I thought it would be all of us trying to explain who and what we are. I figured you’d either freak out, call us crazy, or kill us. I never expected any of this, nor did I expect that your world would be more mysterious than our own.

“What I do know is that Michelle has to be stopped before she kills one more person. She’s seen you and Brax now, Saint. You’re in danger, and I hate that for both of you.”

“He’ll be fine, worry-wart,” smirked Griffin.

“Jesus,” said Kane, gripping his chest. “You can’t pop in and out on me like that. You’ll give me a heart attack.”

“That’s the fun of this,” he grinned. He looked at Saint, seeing something in his eyes that disturbed him. “It wasn’t your fault, Saint. It was a lucky shot by her. She didn’t know what she was doing. Maybe there’s a lesson here that the stealth netting needs to include all vulnerable areas of the body. She hit my chest twice, and it did nothing. Had those been the only shots, I would have survived.”

“Still,” said Saint, looking down. “I’m not used to losing anyone on my team. Especially not the father of the woman I love.”

“You didn’t lose me, Saint. I’m right here, and thanks to whatever heavenly magic is here, I’ll get to see my daughter get married and maybe even my grandchildren. She’s in great hands with Trevor, as she always was.”

Griffin disappeared, and Kane just shook his head.

“Where would she go, Kane? If she’s not getting support from the DOD or the agency, where would she hide? Does she have family? Is there someone outside the country helping her?”

“I wish I knew. Spook did as much as he could using his own abilities, along with Regan. We tried to stay away from traditional technology.”

“Why?”

“We were worried if we typed in the wrong things it could be traced. Your team is levels above where we were on blocking that.” Saint saw Ashley and Akin across the grove and nodded.

“What’s their story? I mean, I know they’re twins, but they never married?”

“Another sick joke by Fryar and her lab. The twins were paired together with their own skills but unless they find matching partners, twins like themselves, they are doomed to forever be alone.”

“That fucking sucks,” said Saint. “I mean, I know twins are close, but shit, that makes blaming the other one pretty easy.”

Kane nodded, noticing someone running toward them in the grove. He heard cheers, then the whispers. Luke stood on the table, waving his hands to quiet everyone.

“Everyone! Everyone quiet down. I think we could use some good news today, and if we’re all quiet, we can go to their cottage.”

“What’s up, Luke?” asked Saint.

“Christopher and Ramey just gave birth to their second set of triplets!” Cheers erupted with laughter and tears, hugging and kissing. One life taken, sort of. Three more just across the paths.

---