Page 43 of Maverick

“Not at that level. Someone must have hidden it for him after they appointed him. Was he appointed by the new POTUS?” asked Luke.

“No. He was appointed by the previous one, but everyone seemed to favor him. The new POTUS didn’t want to rock too many boats at one time, so he left him in place,” said Georgie. “He was a high-ranking official in the agency prior to becoming deputy director.”

“Alright. Make the call,” said Luke. Georgie sent the request to connect, and a few seconds later, Enzo’s pinched face was on the screen. He stared at the two people and frowned.

“Mrs. Robicheaux, I believe I requested a meeting with you and only you. Apparently, I didn’t make myself clear.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky? You get two for one. And just for clarity, I always follow instructions when they make sense and serve a purpose. Your request did not. You may or may not know my brother-in-law, Luke Robicheaux.”

“I’m aware of him, although I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him in person,” he frowned, looking down at something on his desk.

“What is it you wish to discuss?” asked Luke.

“You had a contract employee working on a delicate project for the agency, and now she’s disappeared. She is an enemy of the state, and I have to tell you that if you’re hiding her, you will be prosecuted.” Georgie laughed, shaking her head.

“Mr. Bruloni, don’t be absurd, and please don’t insult our intelligence. Miss Smith, of whom you’re speaking, was not a contract employee. She was and is a full-time employee. She was working on a technology owned, patented, and copyrighted by G.R.I.P. of which we would determine who gets access to it for lease, purchase, or other. She is not an enemy of the state, nor is she a traitor.

“As of 0912 today, we filed a counter suit in federal courts, with the express knowledge of the POTUS. We will be suing the agency, specifically you, for attempting to kidnap our employee, steal our technology, and attempting to destroy the careers of the three Rangers you manipulated to be in your control. If evidence surfaces, as we expect it will, you will also be charged with the murder of one of those Rangers.”

His face turned an unhealthy shade of purple as he squirmed in his seat.

“You have no idea what you’re doing,” he murmured, leaning toward the camera. “I will ruin you.”

“Will you now?” smirked Luke. “Like you’ve ruined those children in your special schools? Like you tortured them, injecting their brains?”

He continued to glare at them, his breathing now rapid and unnatural.

“You’re not the only one capable of being covert and digging up information that others thought was hidden. Let me ask you something. Did you send these kids to Russia? Maybe Italy or Germany. Or was this just a fun little experiment to amuse you?”

“Mr. Robicheaux, I think you forget what I have at my disposal. An entire agency and, potentially, an entire army.”

“And you forget what we have at our disposal. The military won’t follow you. They hate spooks as much as anyone. You have no control over them, and given my recent conversation with the POTUS, you’re being watched. Closely.” Luke stood, leaning toward the camera, so close you could count the hairs on his chin.

“One more thing. We’re coming for you, and if one child was harmed, if one child was lost, sold, killed, I will personally peel the skin from your body and feed you to a very hungry group of hyenas, film it, and release it on the internet.”

“I will destroy you!” yelled the other man. “I’ve recorded this entire conversation, and I will destroy you all!” There was an abundance of laughter, so much so that he thought it was an echo.

“You really are slow,” smiled Georgie. “Your recording abilities were disrupted the moment you answered our call. We have, however, recorded you and will be releasing this to the POTUS and Congress. If you don’t tell us where those other children are, we will be sending this to the whole world with a few tweaks of our own. We’ve got magic at our fingertips.”

The screen went black, and Luke looked at Georgie.

“Well, that was rude.”

“We’ve pissed him off, Luke. You gave a lot of information that I wasn’t prepared to tell him yet.”

“It’s alright. We’re going to send the conversation to the POTUS. He’ll be forced to do something if he hasn’t already done it. But I need him to tell us where those kids are. If we can’t find them on our own, which will be a monumental effort, I need to know what happened to them.”

“Luke!” He frowned at Georgie, and they turned to see AJ at the door.

“Why are you yelling?”

“Because we did it. They did it!” he smiled. “We’ve had ninety-three responses so far. Men and women. They got the message. They got it!”

“Damn,” he smirked, staring at Chelsea, Katelyn, and the others. “Well done. Let’s make sure they’re all okay and don’t need any help.”

It took more than twenty-four hours to speak to all of those who had responded. Their stories had been similar. Taken from their schools and moved to other temporary locations, most were coming off their drug-induced stupors and able to escape on their own. Apparently, although they were breeding geniuses, they didn’t expect them to actually escape and find their way out on their own.

Those who were young children found help from authorities, making up stories of lost, dead, abusive families, memory loss, or any other story that would keep them free. Some were adopted. Others were able to be placed in foster care.

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