Page 28 of Rowe

“Just you?” frowned Kai.

“No. The other women, the ones you found, they also asked questions. In the evenings we’d often study together via video calls and we’d question everything. The language in those policies was so disturbing, and it made no sense at all.”

“What happened?” asked Rowe.

“The last day of training they were cutting it short because the storm was coming. We were training in a beautiful mansion on the lake.” Everyone looked at one another and nodded. They knew the mansion she spoke of. “They said they would buy us all lunch, and they did. But we knew it was odd.”

“How was buying you lunch odd?” asked Cowboy.

“It wasn’t the lunch. It was that they split us into two groups for lunch. Seven women and two men were removed from the main class and taken into the big open space of the mansion. We were all told to eat at our desks.

“Almost immediately we all felt strange. Sick to our stomachs, heads spinning. I tried to leave and they told me to lie down until I felt better. Lenora took me upstairs and into a dark room. I woke several hours later chained to the wall. The other girls were gone.”

“Where were they?” asked Patrick.

“I learned later that they could only fit a certain number of us in the boats. I pretended I was still out of it, but I was awake. I just kept thinking someone would see two men and a woman loading women into a boat in the middle of a storm.”

“Most of the residents around there were already gone, taking cover further north,” said Sonny. She nodded.

“I figured that out later. I’m not sure how far we got into the lake before another boat took me. They were much rougher and I could tell that they were used to doing things like this.” She took a deep breath, and Kai brought her a bottle of water. She took it, smiling up at the man with a nod. “There were three men in the boat with me. They were talking about Mr. Rossi. That’s when I remembered.”

“Remembered what, honey?” asked Patrick.

“When I arrived early that day for training, there were several cars in front of the house. Usually, it was just two. I parked and opened the door but didn’t hear anything. When I went inside, I decided to just sit in the outer foyer until I heard someone.”

“And you did. Rossi?” asked Rowe.

“I didn’t know it was him at the time. He said that once the storm was over, they needed to transfer all funds into his account. Voss was angry. He said the payments belonged to them. I couldn’t see what was done but judging by the gasps and coughing, Rossi choked him and said, ‘It’s my money. Remember that.’ Rossi told him that he needed the money to buy out the southern docks all the way from Algiers to Baton Rouge. He said that no one would get by him without paying.”

“That’s crazy,” frowned Sonny. “Those docks have to be union run. The unions have enough issues without partnering with a man like Rossi.”

“Maybe,” nodded Cowboy. “Or maybe Rossi has something on the unions. If the bodies beneath the concrete are any indication, it’s been their graveyard for a while.”

“Th-there were others?” she whispered. Cowboy realized his mistake but didn’t hide it. There was no sense in hiding it.

“Yes. I’m sorry, Mara. There were others found out there, but many were men. Probably just men that worked for him and refused to work for him or with him.”

“I can’t stay here,” she whispered to herself. But it didn’t matter. Apparently sound traveled miles at Belle Fleur.

“Like hell you can’t,” said Rowe. “You can’t leave. This is the only place where you will remain safe.”

“But those men, they found me,” she said staring at the group.

“They got lucky because our defenses were down temporarily. Everything is back up now,” said Patrick. He looked at Cowboy and he nodded. “Mara, you worked dispatch for the NOPD and NOFD, right?”

“That’s right,” she nodded.

“The equipment they use, have you ever seen anything like it before?” he asked.

“No. I mean, I’ve never worked dispatch before that job, but I can tell you that when I went to conferences, other departments talked about their equipment, and it didn’t have near the capabilities of ours. Why?”

“We developed that equipment. Not us in this room but a group that works for us. G.R.I.P. They manufacture some of the most amazing technologies in weapons, computers, security, and so much more. This entire property is covered in a stealth shield that from the air looks like a canopy of trees. On the ground, that main road out there is diverted. One side is a stealth net that looks like a fenced line of trees, the other toward the diverted road.”

“Wh-why? Why would you do that? Why do you need to do that?” she asked.

“Are you hungry?” asked Cowboy.

“What? Y-yes, I suppose I am but what does that have to do with my question?”