Page 33 of Dan

“This is not a good sign,” smiled Sophia Ann. “In fact, this is a very bad sign for you.” Gator gripped the woman’s shoulder, shoving her into the chair in front of him. Chief did the same to her husband.

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?!” she screeched.

“I think I’m confronting a woman who thought she could throw her own daughter to the wolves, torture her, and use her brilliant mind to get what she wanted.”

The silence in the room, other than the heavy breathing of the husband and wife, was deafening.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Zach. “As I told you before, my daughter is not normal. She’s mentally ill.”

“She’s not mentally ill,” growled Eric. “She’s fucking brilliant. A genius.” He tossed the copy of Science and Engineering on the table, Finley’s beautiful smile gracing the cover. They both stared at one another, swallowing.

“Didn’t you know?” said Sophia Ann softly. “Didn’t you know that your daughter was a certifiable genius? Didn’t you know that her formulations and calculations could quite possibly change the way everything from bridges and roads to dams and levees are constructed?” Both squirmed a bit.

“What’s the matter? You two don’t like dams or levees?” asked Eric.

“I think we should leave,” said Yancy. She tried to stand, but the iron-like grip on her shoulder forced her back down. “This is outrageous! We will report you to the authorities!”

“Authorities? What authorities would those be?” asked Eric. “Would that be the FBI, Homeland, CIA, NSA, local sheriff, police? Tell me. Who. The fuck. Would it be? Because whoever you call, I can assure you, I can trump your call.”

“What do you want?” growled Yancy.

“I want to know why you tortured your daughter,” said Sophia Ann. “Why would a parent do that?”

“She knew things that we needed to know, and she wouldn’t tell us. It was the only way to get it out of her fractured mind.”

“She doesn’t have a fractured mind. You were attempting to fracture it, but her mind is just fine. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“You don’t know a thing about our daughter,” said Zach. “She’s been a problem child since she was born. Always taking things apart, ruining everything around her. Counting to herself! God, when I remember the times she was counting to herself at the table! We couldn’t eat for her prattling on about numbers.”

“Yes, I can see how annoying it would be to have a brilliant child with the brain capability of creating a potentially devastating weapon.” Eric glared at the couple, his dark eyes boring into them as they squirmed in their seats.

“Where is she? Where is that ungrateful little bitch!” yelled Yancy. Sophia Ann stood so quickly, even Eric couldn’t stop her. Her open hand slapped the other woman, causing her head to reel backwards. Gator and Chief both raised their eyebrows, smirking at her.

“Don’t you ever speak of your daughter that way again. For you and whoever you’re working with that attempted to kidnap and torture her again. Let them know she is under the protection of G.R.I.P., and you will never ever see her again.”

Zachary Xavier looked at his wife in shock. How was it possible that she was with G.R.I.P.? Did she go behind their backs and seek employment with them?

“I want to speak with her,” said Yancy.

“You will never speak to her again unless she wants to speak with you,” said Sophia Ann. “I have never judged another person’s parenting style in my life. But you two should have been sterilized when you got married.”

She turned to leave the room, then turned back to her husband and the others.

“Leave them alive for now but hurt just enough to know what we’ll do to them if they ever come near Finley again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“I can’t believe she did that for me,” whispered Finley, staring at the others. “She’s risking her own life.”

“No, she’s not, baby,” said Dan. “Eric would never allow her life to be in danger. Neither would Gator or Chief. What she was doing is letting your parents know that they can’t get to you now. They can’t touch you.”

“But if they know I’m working with G.R.I.P., can’t they get to me there?” she asked.

“No one can get there,” smiled Antoine. “You’re going to help ensure that no one can get there. But even if you weren’t building the new flood structures, it’s like a fortress out there.”

Finley just nodded, curling her knees to her chest and rolling into Dan’s side. It was only a matter of moments before she was asleep, and the team was staring at her angelic face. He gently lay her back on the seat, covering her with a blanket as the others moved to the front of the plane, spread out around small tables.

“I wish they would have pressed them on who took her in Mexico,” said Dan, frowning at them.

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