Home Free - Fern Michaels [94]
“Since Mr. Snowden’s people didn’t have any problem picking the lock, I assume you ladies won’t have a problem, either. There is no alarm system, something I personally find strange,” Charles said.
“He’s lived in that house for years, and nothing happened. Now, if he acts like he’s done something wrong and has security out the ying yang, then, yes, that would be cause for concern,” Annie said.
“He feels safe,” Myra said.
“How many people do you think know his best friend passed away? Probably no one, and if they do remember a friend dying, it is doubtful they would remember the name. I think Mr. OO is very confident and also very clever,” Nikki said.
“Not clever enough. We found him, and the best part is that the man doesn’t have a clue that his world is going to come crashing down around him,” Kathryn said.
“So what’s our game plan?” Alexis asked.
“This is what I think we should do,” Isabelle said. “Let’s round up Jason Parker and invite him to Mr. OO’s house. We, of course, will already be there waiting. We bring him in early, work him over, pick his brain so that when Mr. OO arrives, we have it all nailed down. Quick in and out, and we collect from the president and go about our lives.
“One more thing. This might not be the right time or the right place, but my heart and my gut are telling me it is. When we finish up here, I want to give back my gold shield, and I don’t want to do this anymore.”
The silence in the room was so deafening, it was eerie. All Charles could do was stare at his chicks in stunned surprise.
“Oh, Isabelle, I am so glad you had the courage to say it first. I have been trying to find a way to say it since I arrived. With the baby coming, I just want to be a mother. I want to spend all my time with my little family. Harry feels the same way. He is trying to find a way to tell Bert and Jack he doesn’t want to go to the trials in Hong Kong. He is determined to look after me while I’m pregnant, and I cannot deny him that. We also want to give back our gold shields,” Yoko said.
Alexis jumped in and said, “I made the decision to take Nikki up on her offer and go to law school full-time. If I can, I’ll work part-time. Joseph and I talked about it, and we will get married at some point but not right now. Neither one of us wants the gold shields. We want to live someplace where we have neighbors so we can put down some roots. Grady needs me to spend more time with him, too.”
“Jack and I have been talking about this for months,” Nikki said. “We both agreed that after Harry went to the trials, we would also pack it in. That was in the spring, but after Yoko’s announcement, right now is looking even better. We had our time in the sun, we made a difference in quite a few lives, and I, for one, have no regrets. But I do want a life with my husband. We’re thinking of buying a bigger house with a yard, and we are seriously thinking of adopting. We want some dogs and neighbors we can count on, and like Alexis said, we want to get our lives back. Jack is going to join the firm. We, too, want to turn in our gold shields.”
“There’s nothing much for me to say other than that I agree with all of you,” Kathryn said. “I told Bert I would marry him when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Bert is going to join Nikki’s firm with Jack. I’m going to keep trucking for a little while, and we’re also going to look into adopting and getting a companion for Murphy. I, for one, can’t wait to give those gold shields back.”
Annie was so stunned, she didn’t know what to say. She was finally able to get her tongue to work. She knew what she said now was probably going to be the most important thing she ever said in her life. “Please, you all look like you’re going to cry. You should be happy that you will be getting your lives back, and each of you deserves that