Time of Fate (Wealth of Time Series #6) by Andre Gonzalez (e book reader online txt) 📗

store was only a twenty-minute flight away from Chris’s home in Idaho, Martin had insisted they stop to see the wreckage before moving to the final leg of the mission. He hadn’t seen the store since his last trip to the area with Gerald. Wealth of Time represented the death to those closest to Martin, and the amount of glee filling his chest nearly lifted him off the ground. He only wished he had been around to see its destruction firsthand.

“Hell of a job,” he said to Arielle, who had remained next to Alina in the small cluster they had formed in front of the fallen property. “Your team executed this to perfection—I’ll make sure they get the proper recognition and additional compensation they deserve.”

“Thank you, sir. I dedicated this mission to Gerald, and I know everyone on the team took that to heart.”

“This is pure justice. Does anyone else feel something in the air today? Things are actually going our way for once.”

The team cheered and howled, and Martin grinned. The loss of Sonya stung and hadn’t worn off, but he managed to come to terms with it, not wanting to waste her sacrifice. If they actually managed to pull off the unthinkable and live in a world with no threats from the Revolution, he had plans to build a new headquarters and name it after Sonya. He figured it had always been her destiny to be the hero in this war against Chris, considering she had the direct tie to him. And it would still play out this way if everything continued to fall into place.

Martin felt obliged to deliver a speech in front of the destroyed Wealth of Time store, even if it was only to the couple dozen of team members that had been by his side since they left Denver two weeks ago. He stepped forward, feeding off their energy.

“We’re doing it,” he started. “Each and every one of you, and all the other team members across the country and time. We are doing it. Hold your heads up high and be proud of what has already been accomplished. Today is the most important day in our organization’s history. We stand on the shoulders of those before us. Let us not forget the efforts and research they had already completed to make all of this possible. This has been a team effort spanning almost fifty years.

“I want you to take a moment and think about why you’re here today. Really think about it. For me, I was a lost soul who just wanted life to end. I held out a false hope that maybe one day my daughter would return. Chris lured me in that day, in this very store. And you know what? It actually worked. I’ll never take the credit away from Chris for allowing me the chance to learn the truth. I owe him that much, but it stops there. After that, he spun me into a world of lies, murdered my mother, and has forced me to live a life where I constantly look over my shoulder. I know all of our stories aren’t identical, but there are plenty of similarities.

“I never wanted to be commander—sometimes I still don’t. I felt forced into the election and had no clue how anything in this organization worked. I’ve had doubts about my ability to lead. Doubts regarding whether I’ve been used as some sort of pawn in this war. I don’t know why I’m a Warm Soul. I’m just a regular guy from Larkwood who dragged myself through the work week, only to drown out my problems with drugs and alcohol. I’m no one special.

“What I’ve learned since becoming commander is that each and every one of you is special. My title gets me respect, but it is undeserved. You are all the real heroes in this organization. You’re the ones who have dedicated your entire lives to this cause—I arrived late to the party.

“On the other side of the state border waits the final stop of our destiny. I don’t know how it will play out—we might even fail. I don’t want to assume anything. I have the distinct opportunity of closing this out by myself. And even if I succeed, I want to tell you now that all the credit belongs to you. I’ll be the one on TV giving interviews, but it’s you who made it happen. Give yourselves a round of applause for coming this far, and let’s get back on that jet for Idaho.”

The team erupted, shouting in the desert where no one else would hear them, alone in the world for this intimate moment with their leader.

Martin rejoined them, Alina stepping forward as she waved her cell phone in the air. “I recorded the whole thing—the organization deserves to see that speech after we kill Chris.”

Martin laughed and felt tears welling in his eyes. Tears of joy, something he couldn’t recall having ever experienced since Izzy’s birth. The cheering had died down as the rest of the team started back for the jet. Martin looked back to the remains of the store one final time, filling his soul with the warmth it needed after an excruciating morning.

It’s actually happening. Keep going.

They filed onto the jet and took their seats, Alina sitting next to Martin as she scrolled on her cell phone. “The situations are getting a bit out of control, Commander. Just thought you should know.”

“How so?”

“Fortunately nothing has turned violent, but the numbers are growing and it’s officially grabbing the attention of national news channels.”

She held up her phone that showed the homepage of USA Today, the headline asking the simple question of: Who are they?

The image showed a middle-aged man bundled up for winter weather, his mouth wide open mid-shout. Several signs could be seen in the background, blurred out except for one that said We’ve had enough!

“What are they saying?” Martin asked. “I’m sure reporters have tried talking to them.”

“The article says that the