BXBX NOVEL Chapter 253: Happiest day [2/2]
As the Sirens and my family assembled in the living room, Earl forced me to sit in the middle.
"John, these are gifts from us. The one on the left is from Alana and me. The one on the right is from Noelle and Bless. Happy birthday in advance, son!"
"Johnny, open them! I'm sure you'll love them!" Alana cheered.
Bless looked excited as she eagerly waited for my reaction. Noelle had an awkward smile on her face for some reason. My girls, on the other hand, watched quietly as they beamed.
"Thank you all, you shouldn't have."
I opened the boxes one by one and saw two guns in different colors. Both were Heckler & Koch, USP Matches. One was two-tone chrome and one was all black. Along with four white boxes of hollow point .45 ACP ammunition, I became speechless at their gifts.
"Surprise! You were always talking about ebony and ivory, right? We finally found them!" Alana exclaimed.
Growing up with the two of them, the sisters saw my fascination with black and white guns. Every Halloween, without exception, my costumes always had an Ebony and Ivory as their weapons.
The H&K USP Match was a limited edition version of the USP. USP stood for Universal Semi-Automatic Pistol. It was meant to be exactly what it was named after. Unfortunately, while it produced great results, it failed to reach the status of 1911s or Glocks.
Still, the USP Match was known for two things. Having insanely good looking built-in compensators and being featured in the Tomb Raider movies as Lara Croft's weapon of choice.
Feeling my inner child screaming with excitement, I quickly checked both pistols for problems. Where there were none, I worked the controls and dual wielded them. Unable to stop myself, I copied akimbo poses just because it was cool.
In my enthusiasm, I forgot about everyone else. It was only when I heard several giggles that I turned around to see Bella, Jo, Jas, Lilly and Aki all recording my antics on their phones. Noelle was also unable to contain her laughter at my childishness.
After regaining my composure, I returned the guns to their boxes and hugged the Simmons family one by one. What made these pistols special was not that they were the best or that they were expensive.
"John, I don't know what's going on, but I hope these guns help you protect your new family," Earl whispered as we embraced.
"I understand, thank you Pa."
Noelle, on the other hand, gave me a stern warning, "Dipshit. Remember, you owe me an explanation. I was very much against it. But you know how stubborn you are. Only use them if you absolutely have to, okay?"
"Thanks Ma, I love you. I will be careful."
"Johnny, do you like them? It took months to track them down! You should thank Bless!"
"I will, thank you Alana. I love them to bits."
"Johnny, stay safe. Protect everyone."
"Thank you Bless. I will, thank you for everything."
No, I loved them because they were from my 2nd family. Even though it had been so long, they all remembered tiny details about me. It proved one thing, that the time we spent together was something they treasured.
After I let go, I belatedly noticed the time. We started eating at two. It was now five thirty in the evening. With darkness approaching, the Sirens were all in a somber mood. Noelle and Earl, remembering what I had said earlier, also seemed reluctant to end the celebration.
Since I still had to finish my preparations for tonight, I needed to meet with Vincent again.
"Ma, Pa, Alana, Bless, thank you so much for today. This was the best birthday ever! My new job is completely remote, so expect me to crash here almost every day."
Accepting my bullshit, my parents said nothing, Alana and Bless, who were smarter than the typical teenager, just threw themselves into my arms again.
Then the Sirens all bowed in unison to the Simmons. "Ma, Pa, sisters-in-law. Thank you for having us. We will come again soon."
After their polite farewell, the girls all ran and gave my second family loving hugs. When the clock struck six, the Sirens and I left and drove to my hotel.
With another night beginning, the Seeker War was now less than two days away. Everyone was silent, as if they had much to think about.
When we arrived at the hotel, a bald man in a business suit was waiting in the lobby with over twenty burly people around him.
Vincent stood up quickly when he saw me and bowed respectfully.
"I greet my lord and the Seven Sirens. The preparations are finished, my lord. I have brought the armory. Do you wish to discuss matters now or tomorrow when you return?"
"Take me to the armory Vincent, everything can wait until tomorrow."
"Ah, I also have another matter, my lord."
"What is it?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Probably the new bounty honey."
"What do you mean Bella?"
"Savior has increased the bounty on you once again. 750,000 alive, 500,000 dead."
"Yes, you are right, Mistress Isabella. I wanted to warn the Master of what might happen. It seems it was not needed"
Vincent gestured towards the elevators with a smile. "Anyway, please follow me, my lord."
We took the elevators and descended to the underground parking garage. In one corner of the area were the crates of weapons I had bought with my blood. Nodding in approval, I walked over to Lilly and gently took her hand.
"Dear, can I ask you to bring these to Hellsgate? They are for the 2nd Amendment."
"You are an incorrigible man! You treat me like a pack mule! Me! Of all people!" The untamed complained.
"Please, Lilly, you are the only one I can ask. I would not trust this to anyone else."
"Is that so? Hmph! I guess it can't be helped."
Despite her complaints, I noticed my woman's pleased face. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging right now.
Even with my upgraded [Inventory], I couldn't even store half of the guns. While Lilly sent the crates of weapons to her storage. Bella silently approached me.
"Mr. Code. You agreed to turn them into Reapers?"
"I have."
"Are you sure, honey? They are notorious American gangsters, you know?"
"You girls tend to forget that I am no saint either."