Martin went to the bar where a drink had already been poured for him, and he watched his team commemorate the grandest achievement of their lives. Never could he recall seeing so much joy in one room. He saw Alina and Arielle across the way, knowing the bright futures ahead for both.
They all had one, Martin included, and the thought brought a smile to his lips as his thirty seconds of alone time were up. He’d be in and out of different conversations until they landed in Denver in the wee hours of the morning.
Chapter 31
Two days later Martin sat in his office, enjoying the lack of constant commotion as he stared at his computer screen, a never-ending list of emails that he attempted to sort through. They had piled up over the weeks he was missing from the public, resulting in the earlier emails to contain cries for his appearance, some worried, some enraged, while the later ones were nothing but congratulatory messages.
He had been hard at work since they arrived back to Denver, first fielding a heated call from the rest of the commanders. His choice to utilize a foreign member to freeze time was a major violation to their Bylaws, punishable by removal from the commandership, but Commander Blair surprisingly served as the voice of reason, citing the time of peace that now graced North America for the first time in the Road Runners’ existence. They let him off the hook, choosing to focus on what their futures held instead of falling into a political fight with no obvious end result.
After the phone call, Martin headed for the conference room next door, where a mortician and orthopedic surgeon had set up shop for the separation of Chris’s body. It had been a gruesome process to watch, spanning over six hours as they broke the body into thirteen different parts. He watched as the body parts, intentionally severed mid-limb, were packed into different six-cubic-feet steel safes, the locks promptly damaged as soon as they were sealed shut, ensuring no one could ever crack them open.
Multiple crews waited on standby, each ready to take a box to a different part of the continent. Some were dropping them in the oceans, others to be buried in secret islands in the Caribbean, but one in particular was to remain in the Denver office, and that’s what Martin waited for behind his desk today, after the conference room had been cleared out and restored to its regular function.
The knock came on the door, Alina entering with the solid black safe in her embrace. “Good morning, Commander, I take it you heard the body has now been successfully distributed to all of our target locations?”
“Sure did—it’s still taking time to feel real, you know?”
“Absolutely. I never realized how conditioned I was to constantly be waiting for bad news to break. Now, it kind of feels like vacation.”
Martin chuckled. “Wait until your actual vacation. You all packed for that?”
“Commander, I packed the night we arrived home from Winnipeg. Two days away from Hawaii—I can already taste that first Mai Tai on the beach.”
“Good for you. Is that what I think it is?” he asked, nodding to the box.
“Yes—here is the head of Chris Speidel, forever locked in this safe, and to stay within the office of the commander for as long as we exist.”
She stepped forward and placed it on the front of his desk. Martin stared at it, both amused and disturbed by the thought of what lay inside. A human head, he thought. That’s some mafia shit.
“Honestly, Commander, I don’t think anyone would care if you held on to this, even beyond your term. You’ve earned it, and it’s very much yours.”
Martin raised his hand. “This is official property of the Road Runners. Maybe I’ll take other mementos when my term comes to an end, but this needs to stay right here where it belongs, to forever serve as a reminder of what we had to go through.”
Alina nodded. “Are you about ready to head out?”
“Absolutely.” Martin grabbed a light jacket and pulled it on. He had wanted to visit the gravesites of Izzy and Sonya, buried next to each other at the cemetery in Larkwood, as Martin had instructed. Alina volunteered to drive, knowing it would be an emotional event for Martin.
They climbed the steps to the marketing office above, passing through and stepping outside to a world that smothered them with unlimited freedom. In a matter of two days, nearly all the Revolution had gone under the radar. Homes of known Revolters were checked, and no one ever answered. A good amount were also in local prisons thanks to their public attacks in the days leading up to Chris’s death. Martin had expected as much, just not so soon. He still had security guards whenever he stepped outside, only they didn’t cling to his every move. For this trip, they would follow behind in a vehicle of their own, and would remain about fifty yards back once at the cemetery.
Martin got into the passenger seat of Alina’s BMW, and sunk back as they pulled onto the road, weaving through the familiar traffic of downtown Denver. Alina had punched their destination into the GPS that predicted the trip would take fifteen minutes.
They rode in silence until reaching the freeway, Martin gazing out the window. When they had passed the Sixteenth Street Mall, he imagined the ghosts of the life he once had, Lela and Izzy leaving him behind at work, never having to worry about a gunman opening fire right next to them. He thought of collecting his fortune after arriving back from his first time travel trip, he and Sonya planning a life together that had been nothing but a game for her. The pain of the past always fades, but its scars remain forever, a reminder of what had been endured.
When they reached the outskirts of downtown, headed north to Larkwood, Alina broke the silence. “We found something you need to know about.”
Martin sensed the shift in her tone, causing him to squirm in his seat. “What is it?”
“Well, as you know, we’ve been going through all of Chris’s property, just rummaging for whatever we might find, and we’ve struck something that is both powerful and dangerous. At first we came across a book—it seemed odd at first, considering Chris had no other books with his possessions. It’s called the Book of Time, and it contains all the secrets from the past Keepers of Time: their special abilities, how to use them, rituals, initiation processes, pretty much everything you can imagine.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Martin gasped. “Is the recipe for creating Juice in there?”
“It sure is.”
“Holy shit—this is life-changing.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I am having the book delivered to the office later today. We’ll have to look through it and decide what we want to do. But there’s more to it. The book was one thing, but we found an actual vial of liquid that we are certain transforms a person into the Keeper of Time. Based on the brief reading of that particular section of the book, it all lines up.”
Martin let out a nervous laugh. “Well, that’s something we need to dump down the drain. If it exists, there will always be a possibility of another Chris rising to power.”
“But Commander, it’s in our possession. We can handle it responsibly. I think you’ll want to read through this book before making any final decision on it.”
“And is this coming with the book? How do we know someone hasn’t already drank it themselves and is preparing to conquer the world?”
“The transformation process is . . . brutal. And it takes forty-eight hours to complete. The vial will come with the book tonight.”
“Look, there is no reason for a single person to hold that much power. I’m not interested, and neither should you be. I’ll keep an open mind and will read this book, but don’t count on me becoming the Keeper of Time.”
“I understand, Commander, and even agree. But it appears there are some things we can make happen. Multiple Keepers, replication of the fluid, and lots of good that can come with these special abilities. I look forward to discussing it all in more detail once we have the book.”
Martin leaned against his window, staring out as they turned into the cemetery. That this all existed seemed like one final way Chris had left his legacy behind, on
e final thing to cause stress for Martin Briar. Would he truly be able to live in peace? Or was this going to set up a new, fresh list of worries?
He shook the thoughts from his mind, shifting his focus to his first visit to Sonya’s grave.
The cemetery’s inner roads were three connected loops. Alina rounded the first one and stopped toward the back of the second, killing the engine. “Do you want me to come out with you?”
Martin shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with them in private.”
“Of course. I’ll be here.”
He stepped out of the car, legs wobbly as the nerves assembled throughout his body. He had been here at least two dozen times since they buried Izzy’s and Marilyn’s remains.
Martin crunched through the few leaves laying scattered across the ground, their earthy stench filling his nose as the hum of passing vehicles from the nearby freeway created a backdrop of steady white noise.
He reached the three graves, straddling the space that separated Izzy and Sonya, his mother to the left of Izzy. He looked to his daughter on the left, Sonya on his right, and shook his head, liquid immediately welling in his eyes. Two minutes passed as Martin stood in silence, letting the tears stream down his face, their salty flavor seeping into his mouth through pursed lips.
“Never in my life would I have imagined seeing both of you buried underground, let alone next to each other. Izzy, you were always the sparkling light I needed to get through the dark days that followed your disappearance. Just the thought of you could turn my day around. You’ll never understand how much I loved you. I came into this whole mess just to see you—to save you. I failed that particular mission, but I learned so much about myself during that time. Even in death, you still brought light to my life. And I’ll never forget how you came to see me in the woods, at a time when I truly thought my life was minutes away from ending. You gave me everything I needed that night.”
Martin sniffled and wiped away the tears and mucus that had pooled on his chin and nose, turning his attention to Sonya, her big-lettered GRIFFITHS not having an obvious affiliation to Izzy Briar next door, their connection being Martin’s own secret. He had considered having her remains laid to rest in Colorado Springs, next to her mother, but figured since he was the last person alive who actually loved her, that it would be better if she was closer for him to visit.
“And you, Sonya,” he said, a small grin forming. “I can’t say our love story was one to ever be made into a movie—I’m not even sure what it was. I loved you, that’s all I know, and that’s all that mattered to me. I know the feelings were there. And the way it all ended only confirms that your love may have been even stronger than I thought. I know what you did wasn’t for your father—it was for me. For all of us. I’ll forever cherish the time we had, and will always wonder what could have been. And you’d better know that I’ll always defend your name when it comes up in conversation—you’re the one who made all of this possible. I’ll never forget you, and can’t wait until the day we cross paths again.”
He shuffled to his left, standing over his mother’s grave. “Mom, I don’t even know where to start. Thank you for everything. I doubt you knew any of this would unfold by our simple visit to that antique store, but it has changed me for the better. I never thought I’d be able to conquer the mountain of grief following Izzy’s death, but this has shown me a new life. One with hope and happiness. Purpose. I don’t know how it all happened, but you saved my life with the message you relayed through Izzy that day in the woods. I love you, and will always work to make you proud.”
Martin stood there a moment longer, savoring the nostalgia that ran through his head, dreading the thought of having to return to his new life as a commander of peace. He only wanted to sit in the cemetery all day and carry on these conversations with the muted gravestones.
Your term isn’t forever—there will be plenty of time for that.
While Martin understood this, his perception of time since joining this secret universe had been pure confusion. It had only been two years since he took that initial pill in the Wealth of Time store, but everything that had happened since made it feel like a decade. In the grand scheme of things, his two-year term was sure to fly by, soon to be another memory that he’d reflect back as a life-changing event.
For now, he dropped to a knee and kissed each of his hands, planting them on the grass that grew above the women who had reshaped his mid-life and beyond. With one final wipe of the tears, Martin Briar rose to his feet and returned to the car where not just Alina waited, but the road to a hopeful future ahead. As they drove off, Martin leaned his head against the window, staring to the graves, knowing the hardest part of his commandership—and his life—were now behind him, promising to never let anything threaten what he had accomplished.
I will never let any of you down.
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Acknowledgements
It’s hard to believe this series has ended. When I first started, I didn’t have a plan for how many books it would run, but as I finished Keeper of Time, the fourth book, I felt two more were enough to complete Martin’s story. Even though I have worked on some other projects during this series run, the prior three years have felt entirely dedicated to the Wealth of Time series. I suppose I’ll always look back to the time frame of March 2018-May 2021 as the time I grew and learned the most as an author.
Writing a trilogy, which I’ve done three, is simpler to structure out the series. Writing a fourth book and beyond, however, is an entirely different beast. It takes a particular dedication to keep the story-line fresh and moving forward (but not too fast!). As the author, the characters can become repetitive once you’ve drilled into as much of their backstory as you can find. It’s strenuous work, but rewarding to reach this point.
With every ending comes a new beginning. I have some ideas lined up for life after Wealth of Time, and I hope you’ll stay with me on this journey.
Before we turn the page, however, I need to thank those who have helped make this series a possibility. First is my editor, Stephanie Cohen-Perez. Our first project happened to be the first book of this series, and there has been no looking back. Readers may not understand just how much an editor contributes to make the book a cleaner reading experience. My success is your success, and I hope you take equal pride in this Wealth of Time universe as me.
People say to not judge a book by its cover, but that is precisely what we do as readers. Thank you to Dane Low for having the perfect vision for this series. I can’t envision these covers any other way.
Writing can be a lonely gig, and it’s important to have friends who understand the grind and struggle. Thank you to the Dizzy Dragons for being there every step of the way.
Thank you to Arielle. A seemingly ordinary moment we shared sparked the premise for this entire series. I suppose the extraordinary can happen anytime, and it’s important to be ready.
Felix and Selena, don’t think you’re out of the woods just because Arielle sparked the idea. Similar moments have occurred, and I can’t wait to create a new universe where you are all the stars of the
show!
Thank you to all of the family, friends, and fans who have supported me. You all make this possible, and I am forever indebted to you.
Lastly, thank you to my wife, Natasha. I could write an entire book on the help you provide, both behind-the-scenes and openly. Whether it’s new marketing ideas, or bouncing around new thoughts for stories, you always come through. I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side as we climb this mountain. I love you.
Andre Gonzalez
November 1, 2020 — March 17, 2021
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Also by Andre Gonzalez
Wealth of Time Series:
Time of Fate (Wealth of Time Series, Book #6)
Zero Hour (Wealth of Time Series, Book #5)
Keeper of Time (Wealth of Time Series, Book #4)
Bad Faith (Wealth of Time Series, Book #3)
Warm Souls (Wealth of Time Series, Book #2)
Wealth of Time (Wealth of Time Series, Book #1)
Time of Fate (Wealth of Time Series #6) Page 20
