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“The church again,” frowned Pierre. “Why is this making me nervous?”
“Because you’re smart, and you know there’s something going on here. We need to find the other church and Sister Josephina.”
The team did what they do best. They asked questions of the men and women around the fire. What had they seen? What did they know to be true? Were there any commonalities between the abductions?
Before they laid their heads down to sleep, their small group met to confer.
“Kids are taken in groups, never just one at a time. Isn’t that strange?” asked Conn.
“It is, although not unheard of,” said Ham. “It’s like getting two-for-one. Makes their jobs easier, which tells me these aren’t people who want to work harder or smarter. It’s a risk taking more than one at a time. If one were to get loose, they would be able to identify the people taking them.”
“They’ve taken mostly boys,” said Tucker. “I’ve counted only about six girls taken, and it was because they were walking with the boys.”
“Team, you read?”asked AJ.
“We’ve got you loud and clear, AJ,” said Pierre. Tucker and the others stared at their leader, then back at one another.
“We’ve been following some chatter online about kids for sale, especially boys, and we didn’t find anything that led us your way.”
“Shit,” muttered Ham.
“Hold on. I didn’t say I found nothing. Just not that. Someone is building an army. An army of boys. Someone is pulling a Joseph Kony.”
“Shit. Kony,” frowned Pierre.
“Kony?” questioned Winslow.
“Joseph Konyis a Ugandan militant andwarlordwho founded theLord's Resistance Armyor LRA, designated as a terrorist group by theUnited Nations Peacekeepers, theEuropean Union, and various other governments, including theUnited KingdomandUnited States,” said Frank.
“He kidnapped boys from various tribes, forcing them to become child soldiers or sex slaves. It’s estimated more than sixty thousand children have succumbed to him.”
“Have we killed him?” asked Winslow.
“Not yet,” frowned Ham. “But maybe he’s found a new way to obtain soldiers. Maybe it’s too difficult where he is now.”
“I’ll let you know if we find anything else, but things are looking like this is what’s happening to those kids. I just don’t know where they’re going yet.”
“Thanks, AJ,” said Pierre. “Well, that will ruin sleep for me.”
“Don’t worry, son. It’s underrated. Besides, get used to no sleep,” smirked Frank. “You’re marrying a triplet, from a triplet, from a triplet. Odds are your days of sleep are done.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Elliott, Marjorie, and Ambry stocked the cabinets in the treatment rooms, ensuring everything was ready for the next possible wave of patients, while Fatima logged everything into the system.
They had a rhythm that worked for the experienced trio and helped to ensure that they were ready for just about anything that might come their way.
“What’s next for you, Elliott?” asked Ambry. “I know your contract is about done, like mine.”
“Yep. I haven’t thought much about it. I’m enjoying my time with Helena, and I have you to thank for that. I appreciate what you said to her, Ambry.”
“You’re a great guy, Elliott, and she’s a wonderful woman,” said Ambry.
“I owe you as well,” smiled Marjorie. “I know he’s been married before. A lot. But I really like Butch. He’s sweet and funny, handsome, sexy, all the things a woman would want. I can’t figure out all the divorces.”
“Well, I can tell you that Pierre said the first two were mistakes made because he was young, scared, lonely, and deployed. It’s common in the military. Not my family,” she smirked, “but it’s normal. The third, she cheated on him, and the fourth nearly sent him into financial ruin. I don’t get the impression that it had anything to do with him other than him trusting and loving too much.”
“That’s comforting and concerning,” frowned Marjorie. “I don’t want him to think I’m after anything or need anything from him.”
