Chapter 40

Finally, she could get up and move around again. It was a bit of a struggle at first because she hadn't really used her legs in two months, but she was getting the hang of it again. Before anyone knew it, she was running up and down the stairs. The feeding schedule was hectic, but she managed. She and the other wives tended all of the children.

David, Dan, and the other guys had gotten bored, so they started writing again. A brand new album. They needed to get the word out to their loyal fans that they were still alive and hadn't permanently fallen off the face of the planet, they were just in hiding. Thank God the agency had put a basement recording studio in the safe house or David was going to call HQ and pitch a bitch.

The pieces were coming together, but there hadn't been any news from the outside. What was going on with this war? Was anyone winning? Had the Establishment taken over? No one knew anything.

That was until the day that David got the worst phone call he'd ever received.

His beautiful twins were now about four months old. God, time was flying by. He spent every moment he wasn't writing or recording with his family, as did the other guys. Kristen was pregnant and wanted the same midwife that Brie'd had. Tiffany graciously agreed.

The guys were taking a lunch break, eating with the "fam- damily" as Brie had taken to calling the group as a whole. They were all laughing and having a great time, until David's phone rang. He was still laughing when he answered it. "Hello?" his face went sober in an instant. "I see. Ok. Uhuh. Uhuh. Thank you for calling. Good- bye."

"Who was it, David?" Dan asked.                                     

"The four of us need to talk. NOW", David said, his voice extremely unhappy.

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When they got to a different room, he looked at the guys. "Bad news, brothers", he said.

"What's going on, David?"

"The Agency is in utter disparage. The Boss is dead, murdered in his sleep by the Establishment. The General is still trying to find the HQ for the Establishment, and the agency has no leader. They want the four of us to come in and reorganize everything."

"We need to put this to a vote, David. This isn't something that one of us can decide for all of us", John said.

"I don't personally want to do it, John. I've kinda gotten used to it here, and honestly, if we go do this, we're gonna have targets on our heads forever. I don't want to LEAD an ARMY. Hell, there are times I don't want to deal with the agency anymore. I'm tired of all that bullshit."

Dan, Mike, and John's eyes all grew to damn near the size of saucers. "You really feel that way, David?" Mike asked.

"Look, Mike, as far as I'm concerned, it's been great , it's been fun, it's been great fun, but it's time for the ride to end when it comes to the agency."

"Wow, David", Dan said. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Since the day Brie told me she was pregnant. I'm tired, guys. I want life to go back to how it was before the agency interfered and screwed our lives up. True, I would't have Brie, Malachai, Jordan, OR Jacob if it weren't for that interference, but I'm done with all of it now. I want this being in this hell to end."

Dan, Mike, and John all exchanged a look. "Wow", Mike said.

"Shit", Dan said.

John just looked shocked.

"What?"

"Ok, brother, if that's what you want, then we're behind you 100%", Mike said.