Page 33 of Stranger Gifts

Flip concentrated on the heavy machines and with a flick of his wrist, turned each of them over, while Nat set the tanks on fire, watching hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of motorcycles go up in flames.

Above them, Hawke circled to keep an eye on the winds and fire, while Nash stood near the small pond, ready to douse the flames should they get out of control.

“What’s that smell?” said one of the bikers, looking around. As he turned from the distraction of the young couple fighting, he saw the impossible. “Fire!”

A hundred men ran back toward their camping spot, horrified at the speed at which the flames had destroyed their things.

It was too late. The tents were already dust, while the bikes were melting from the incredible heat.

“It’s not possible! This isn’t possible. Do you know how hot those flames had to be? We just turned for a minute!”

“I know, I know,” said another man. “What the fuck do we do now? We got no way of moving on or going back.”

Valentina slowly walked toward the men who all stopped to stare at the stunningly beautiful woman. Her long hair blew back from her face, her violet eyes nearly glowing in the firelight. She smiled at them.

“Bitch, any other day and I would eat you alive,” smirked the man. “Not today.”

“Your hate is too much,” she whispered. Mesmerized by the sound of her voice, the others turned to stare at her, tilting their heads as if hypnotized. “There is no place for hate here. Only love.”

She continued to repeat the words as Ian, Ghost, Nine, and Gaspar watched from the SUV. They were ready to jump to her rescue if needed, but it seemed their new friends were more than capable of handling things.

Valentina’s skills were unusual in that she had to be close enough to change someone’s desire for hate or love. She was never allowed to get close enough to the agency people but here, she was near enough, and the hate was heavy enough, that she had no problem tuning into it.

“Love wins,” whispered one of the men. The others nodded at him.

“Love wins.”

“I’ll be damned,” muttered Ian. “We’ve destroyed their tents, their bikes, and their desire for hate. This is fucking scary.”

“It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed,” said Gaspar. “I thought we’d seen it all back home. These guys are something else.”

“Fire department is about two miles out,”said Hawke.

“Thanks, brother. Let the bird go, or whatever it is you do. We’ve got this handled.” They could hear Hawke’s laughter in their heads, then watched as he appeared walking across the field.

“I don’t have to let him go. He’s free already. I just ask him for a little help and he gives it to me.”

“Whatever,” smirked Ian. “Pretty cool fucking gift if you ask me.”

“It gets easier as I get older,” he smiled. “We good here?”

“Yep. All good. Time to leave children. Mama will want us home for dinner,” said Gaspar.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Matthew walked the quiet streets of the small town, wiping his brow every few steps. When he came upon the church, he walked inside, touching his fingers to the holy water and crossing himself as he entered.

Taking a seat in one of the middle pews, he listened as the choir practiced, singing in beautiful harmony one of his favorite songs. He let the music float over him, covering him in feelings of peace and blissfulness.

“That’s enough everyone. We’ll practice again tomorrow,” said the woman. She turned to see the gentlemen fanning himself with his hat and frowned.

“Get me a bottle of water,” she said to one of the other women. The woman scurried away, bringing the bottle back to her.

“You look hot and tired,” she smiled handing him the bottle. She was at least as old as Matthew’s grandsons, or so he thought.

“That’s kind of you,” he said. “I saw the church and thought it was beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “Our convent is attached to the church. Most of those women you were listening to are young novices. They’ll be nuns soon enough.”

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