CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Hi boy,” smiled Lennon as the massive Great Dane sat next to her in the gardens. He laid his head in her lap and she laughed at how heavy the head was. She rubbed between his ears and he snuggled closer to her, making her laugh out loud.
“Chaos! Chaos where the fu- Oh, hi there,” smiled Gaspar.
“Hello,” she smiled. “Gaspar, right?”
“That’s right. Good memory. You’ve met a lot of people in the last few days.”
“Yes, but I’m good with faces and names. You and all your siblings look alike, as well as your children. Although, you’re going to have to explain to me how adopted children end up looking like their parents,” she smirked.
“Honey, if I knew that I might win a Nobel Prize,” he chuckled taking a seat beside her. “How are you doing? Anything I can help you with?”
“I’m good. I mean, Brooks has certainly made me feel safe and secure here. I suppose the reporter in me is trying to figure out why Bora would believe he could get away with this. It just doesn’t make sense. Why throw away a great career in the Marine Corps?”
“You know, Lennon, I’ve been doing this a long time. First as an Army Ranger, then as a part of our teams here. Nine and I have been friends for more than fifty years. That’s a lot of missions and security jobs. A lot of corrupt governments, corrupt politicians, sick individuals.
“Hell, my own children were on a stage prepared to be sold to the highest bidder for God knows what purpose. My wife was nearly beaten and abused to death to satisfy the itch of an insane man.”
“God, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“If you haven’t met my mother,” he started.
“Oh, I have,” she smiled. “She’s really special.” He laughed, nodding at the young woman.
“Special is the right word,” he said nodding at her.
“My mother would say that the good, bad, and ugly all lead us to where we’re supposed to be.
The day we found Alexandra, we were training.
We were going to be on a different island but something in me changed it last minute.
She found safety on that island in an old tree house my brothers and I had built.
The very tree house I was going to tear down the next week. ”
“Okay, that’s seriously freaky,” she said staring at him.
“Freaky is a good word for it. Alexandra couldn’t have children after her attack. I didn’t care. I loved her, not her womb. That same month, my brothers and the men I call my brothers, rescued those six beautiful children I call my own. Tell me that’s not fate.”
“It’s incredible,” she smiled. “You should have someone write that story.”
“We’ve all spoken about that at one point or another. It’s a lot to write about. The beautiful things we’ve done in this world and that, now, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to attempt to do.”
“Why do you keep doing it?” she asked with a sideways glance.
“Why?” he frowned.
“Yes. Why? The world sucks sometimes. People fighting for no reason. Countries bombing one another for personal or political gain, not caring who they’re killing. Predators, murderers, rapists, child traffickers, it’s everywhere. It makes me so sad and I feel so helpless.”
“Even when you’re here?” he asked staring at her. Lennon thought about it a moment and then turned back to Gaspar.
“Actually, no. When I’m here, I feel as though the world will right itself or that you’ll all help the world right itself. But you’re a few hundred people. Can a few hundred people help millions?” she asked.
“We started with a handful of people,” he smiled. “Now look at us. We’re helping hundreds, sometimes thousands a year. We have helped millions when it involves preventing countries from doing something fucking stupid.”
Lennon laughed, shaking her head.
“I love that you all are so direct in your conversations,” she smiled. “Sometimes I felt as though my editor was shielding me or keeping things from me. Like maybe he didn’t think I was mature enough to handle the world.”
“Maybe he did think that,” said Gaspar. “Would it have been such a bad thing that a man, old enough to have been your father, wanted to protect you, even if just for a little while?”
“I never thought of it like that,” she said quietly. “No. I guess it wasn’t such a bad thing. I think he was protecting me when he died.”
“I’ve done this for a lot of years, Lennon. Even the worst of men will often have a turn in their final moments. Your editor was a good man and probably knew he was going to die. He wasn’t about to waste his last breath giving you up. Had you sent him photos or notes?”
“No. I hadn’t had a chance. The only notes I had were from those witnesses and I gave them to Brooks and Mitchell. No photos. They were too afraid.”
Gaspar nodded, Chaos now squeezed between him and the young woman on the bench. Lennon laughed at the dog, his tongue hanging out in complete and utter bliss.
“He’s such a sweet thing for being so big,” she giggled.
“He doesn’t realize that he is big,” frowned Gaspar. “Damn dog weighs almost as much as me and thinks he’s a lap dog.”
“A lap dog,” whispered Lennon.
“Yeah, you know like one of those tiny, yappy little things that just sit on your lap being lazy,” he smirked.
“Yes, I know. I mean, I was repeating that because of something one of the witnesses said. Mrs. Ruvienne had two Pomeranians. They were her prize possessions. She had no grandchildren and didn’t want them, apparently.
But one of the witnesses said the dogs barked at anything and everything, especially if it was strange to the palace.
She never let the dogs out of her sight.
If that’s true, they must have barked when those men stormed the palace or if they didn’t bark, they knew the people. ”
“I agree,” nodded Gaspar. “See. You are a great investigative reporter. If she got away, it was because of those dogs, which means she probably still has them. I’m going to go let the team know. Nice job, Lennon.”
She stood and hugged Gaspar, smiling at the sweet dog beside her.
“Can I sit with him a while longer? I think I’ve made a new friend,” she grinned.
“You definitely can. It’s almost feeding time so watch your fingers.” He ran toward the offices and Lennon laughed looking down at the sweet face. Then she sobered.
“He was kidding, right?”