Page 19 of Operation Père Noël

“Grandpa,” he said, falling against the old man, hugging him fiercely. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know ‘ya are. You’re a good boy, and you’ll pay your debt to these men. But he’s right,” he said, looking at Nine and Gaspar, “them boys and Tolbert will come back and try to take what’s theirs.”

“Let them try,” said Nine. “They’re going to have quite a surprise. Do you know where he put all the other things he stole?”

“An old fishing boat,” said Joshua. “I think it mighta been one of Mr. Couvillion’s old boats. It don’t run anymore, but he was letting Tolbert live on it.”

“Where is it docked?” asked Nine.

“It’s not really docked. It’s run aground near Lighthouse Lodge in Venice.”

“Venice? That’s about as far south as you can get without swimming,” frowned Gaspar. “He’s not going to give that stuff to other people. He’s going to sell it. Is it just toys and things for kids?”

“At the boat, yes, sir. But the older boys steal televisions, cell phones, all kinds of things, and those go somewhere else. I just don’t know where.”

“Okay. That helps. Thank you.”

“What do I do if those boys come lookin’ for trouble?” asked Ray.

“We’re going to put some security cameras on the road,” said Nine. “Grant and his team are putting up a gate. It will give all of you some security being here. You are now officially part of Belle Fleur property since Matthew bought all of this. You’re going to have the same security as we do.”

“Ain’t that overkill considerin’ the size of these places?” said Ray.

“Maybe, but your safety is worth it. Besides, your home is as important as mine or anyone else in my family. My brothers will be over later to speak with everyone,” said Gaspar. “Joshua? Stay close to your grandpa, son. We’ll make sure you get to and from school safely until all these boys are caught.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said, nodding. Nine nudged him, having another silent conversation.

“In fact,” he continued, giving a head jerk to Nine, “we think you should switch schools and come to our school.”

“But it’s private. I can’t afford that,” he said, looking at his grandpa.

“We offer scholarships, and if your grades are as good as you say, it won’t be a problem.”

“Really!? Grandpa! I’ll get into a good school if I do this. Please! Please, can I?”

“If Mr. Robicheaux and Mr. Dougall says it’s okay, then I say it’s okay. Thank you. Thank you, both.”

“Our pleasure.”

They spoke to Ray and Joshua for a few more minutes, then checked in with Grant to be sure everything was progressing as it should.

“The gate is up,” said Grant. “The only people who have an entry code are us and the residents. Sly and Pigsty are installing the security cameras now, and we’ll be watching the cameras. The fence will be electrified the instant we see something suspicious. We’ll explain everything to the residents.”

“Good man, brother,” said Gaspar. “Now, what do we do about that damn boat down in Venice?”

“Well,” smirked Nine, “it’s been a while since we sunk a boat.”

“Let’s go piss off an asshole.”

Gathering a few more of the senior team, the men made their plans at dinner, ready to head out after midnight. Their plan was to get as much of the merchandise off the boat that they could, then sink the rest. They’d report it to the sheriff, who would find a sunken vessel with stolen merchandise.

“Whiskey? When are you going to move that dresser for me? I want to get the new chair in place before Christmas.”

“Oh, yea,” he nodded. “I’ll get to it tonight, babe.”

“You said that last night. What the hell are y’all doing so late at night?” Kat stood staring at him, her hands on her hips, and Whiskey swallowed, trying to find his words.

“Babe, it’s Christmas. We can’t tell our secrets.” Kat frowned at him, not believing a word he said, but she turned and went back to the other wives.

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