“There’s something else. The elite group or as Lucifer called them, their board of directors requires their members to offerservices or land in my case to the organization. And Franklin is a member of the elite.”
“They’re using his software application.” Ruger whistled. “Perfect.”
I glanced at Maverick to see his reaction. “If that’s the case, then why bother talking with me?”
“That’s an easy answer.” I waited to see if he’d get it.
“Leverage against the upper echelon of his own secret club. Plus, my FBI experience since I captured Ruger. I’ve been fucking used.”
“Think of it as an opportunity in which maybe we can use the information and reverse the situation.” I had another thought and if I was right, it was no wonder Franklin was nervous she’d talk. “Greed is always a mitigating factor in various friendships. We’ve seen men turn on their own brothers. What if Franklin had a feeling Lucifer already had suspicions?”
“The very reason for threatening Reese.” Maverick glanced from one to the other of us. “And possibly he was biding his time for the book to come out. He would set himself up in a position where he came out as the good guy. Walking away with millions.”
“Exactly. There’s a hell of lot of money changing hands.” I shook my head. “If I had to guess, I’d say hundreds of millions if not more. If they’re working together as a combined organization offering the women as incentives, they’ve managed to gain significant control over a global environment. Plus, if they’re able to get their hands on various companies, they could expand not only their wealth but their worldwide control.”
“One giant conglomerate with unbelievable power.” Hudson shook his head. “Keep the men happy and they’re willing to do anything including parting with their money.”
“Which means the elite are more in control than their members realize.” Exposing them was the true objective.
“Then we need to find bank accounts,” Reese suggested. “They’d need a shell corporation at minimum.”
“Already working on it, but we should try and discover more about their financial situations,” Chase offered. “I’ll check with my connections on that.”
“Reese is right.” I grinned on purpose as I took a drink from Chase’s hand. “Maybe Franklin wants Lucifer’s job. With a security company, you can glean any information you want. From everything we know about this organization so far, they act not only on a hierarchy but with their own internal rules.”
“God help them if one of them breaks a single rule,” Gabriel said, laughing.
Ruger laughed as well, pulling his eyes from the computer screen. “Well, you were right about Franklin.”
“What do you mean?” Maverick asked.
“Franklin Duffries is the CEO,” Ruger said. “So he has complete autonomy.”
“The security company who was the sole reason a sex slave trade route was destroyed can now keep another from being detected.” Chase shook his head. “Brilliant. I’m surprised he’s not the man in charge of the secret club already.”
“His capabilities are very much something Lucifer and the other elite members should fear. He’s setting the perfect trap.” I was musing out loud again. “Why don’t we check with Global Universal’s recent business activities? We need to know who he’s doing business with. We need to discover Lucifer’s identity. I have no doubt once we do, the unraveling will begin.”
Ruger nodded. “Do you honestly think I can hack into their computer?”
“Maybe. With Thomas Murphy gone, things could have changed.” I was dangling another carrot for him. The man had a voracious appetite when it came to absorbing information and boosting his skills.
“I’ll give it a try. When do I get a raise? How about I snag some funds from their bank account as well?” Ruger was having way too much fun with this.
“You forget I still have friends in the FBI,” Maverick reminded him. “I could very easily have you arrested.”
“Fuck you.”
The moment of laughter felt good.
“Let’s see what we can find with the fingerprints.” Chase had the slide created and the photographs uploaded into the system within a few minutes.
“Not bad,” Ruger said as he flipped through the pictures. “And you know what? I think I can use my sexy software to remove the masks the other two men are wearing.”
“Is that possible?” Gabriel moved closer to the system.
Ruger rolled his eyes. “You’re still questioning my skills, my friend? Please. I had to find viable, legal work after prison. Remember?”
He continued laughing while he got to work.
