Page 6 of Witch
CHAPTER FOUR
It took almost five hours to let the entire team know what was happening. They couldn’t believe it. They’d not been privy to the knowledge of who and what Matthew really was. Now, knowing their secrets, things started to make sense.
Planning the car accident was even more important. They would make sure that photos were taken of the flipped SUV with five elderly people who should not have been driving anyway. There would be an enormous funeral, eulogies, a service, all of it. There were even headstones prepared for the family plot.
“It creeps me out,” said Gaspar, staring at the headstones. “I hate this.”
“They won’t really be gone,” said Alexandra. “You heard your father. They’ll all still be here. Think how lucky we are.”
“I know. I know you’re right,” he said, shaking his head. One of the chimps grabbed his hand, and he started to laugh. Pretty soon, he couldn’t control it. He was laughing so hard, Alexandra started to laugh, then the others circling them. He shook his head, wiping the laughter tears.
“Damn chimp told me to stop acting like a baby,” he chuckled. “Why didn’t I admit it sooner? I hear them. I hear them all. This should be Sniff’s gift, Lucy’s. Not mine.”
“It is my gift, Dad,” smiled Lucy. “I just never told you about it.”
Gaspar nodded. Nothing surprised him anymore. Nothing. Of course, they all had gifts, and it was his mother and father who ensured that those gifts were honed and appreciated.
“Pops? Did you have anything to do with the gifts given to Kane and his team?” Matthew smiled at them all.
“I didn’t give them their gifts, but I directed them here. To all of you, where their gifts would be used for good and celebrated.”
“Wow, I can’t believe this,” said Aislinn. “You knew about us?”
“Of course, I knew about all of you,” smiled Matthew. “You were destined to be our children one way or another.”
“What happens with Gray Wolf?” asked Cam.
“That’s for you all to decide now,” said Nine. “We will be backing away from it. It would probably make sense for some of you to retire into Gray Wolf, or rename it, rebrand it, whatever you want to do. Or. You can shut it down.”
“No,” said Luke, shaking his head. “No, we won’t shut it down. I think it’s the right place for a lot of us. We’ll think about rebranding, just so people don’t get confused, but it won’t be a drastic difference.”
“Well, it’s always been here for you to take over,” said Gaspar. “It’s your legacy.”
Luke looked at his father, a slow smile creeping across his face. Then he looked at Cam, Eric, and Hex, all grinning in his direction.
“I believe you’ve just helped us with a new name, Dad. Welcome to Gray Wolf Legacy.”
“Legacy. I like that,” smiled Tailor. “It’s what we’ve given you, left you, and you are all our legacies. It makes sense.”
“Well, there you go,” smiled Irene. “Legacy. I like that. Every parent wants to leave one, and we’ve all left a doozy.”
“You sure have, Mama. Pops. You’ve left an amazing one,” smiled Camille.
“You all will, too. Who all will be movin’ to the new Legacy?” she asked, staring at the group seated around the grove. Luke looked at all the faces and knew. Somehow, he knew in his soul who would want to move over.
“Obviously, the four of us. Stone, Sly, Max, Titus, Axel, Phoenix, Pigsty, Zeke, Eli, RJ, Noa, Carter, Lars, Trevor, Fitz, Chris, O’Hara, Rory, and Zulu. Gunner, Tango, Razor, Skull, and Blade have asked to spend more time in the shop.
“Ace, Eagle, Hawk, Noah, Tristan, Griff, Bryce, King, Striker, Dex, Jax, Hunter, Carl, Keith, Joseph, Ryan, Nathan, Ben, Liffey, Kiel, Ian, Adam, Marc, Wes, Aiden, Parker, Dalton, Frank, Hiro, Dom, Bron, Thomas, Fitch, CC, Callan, Duncan, Remy, Garrett, Robbie, Cade, Bodhi, Magnes, Wade, let me think.
“Oh, Sam, Tiger, Jalen, Chief, Milo, Torro, JT, Chase, Will, Benji, Bogey, Tanner, Mo, Ethan, Irish, Hoot, AJ, Bone, and HG.”
“That’s almost ninety people,” frowned Nine. “Can VG spare that?”
“VG will be rebranding as well,” said Cam. “They’ll be voting on their own leadership team and deciding what to call the new group. We’ve been on a precarious perch of identification for years now. We’re going to resolve that issue.”
The others just nodded, understanding what that meant. Changes were coming for everyone, not just for the senior-seniors.
“We’ll keep our homes here, on the main property,” said Luke. “No one needs to move. Grandpa has expanded the main property living acreage, and we can welcome dozens of new members if needed. And, he and Grandma have assured me that there will be plenty of new members joining our teams.”
