Zane nodded. “They’re some of the hardest-working people I know.”
“Thankfully, God blessed our family in a wonderful way. One of the men we went to church with knew of Mom’s situation, and he offered her a job as an administrative assistant at the company he owned. She would be working under another AA, which meant the work would be light. But that wasn’t even the best part. As long as she performed well, he agreed to let her work until she was too tired to go anymore.”
“He sounds like a kind man,” Zane said.
“He was a godly man who truly lived out his faith.” Danielle took several sips of coffee before continuing. “Anyway, you asked about David. He was a godsend too. Even though Mom was able to work about six hours a day, she would collapse on the couch when she came home. Her body could only take so much. That’s where David stepped in. He was just a teenager, but I think he realized we might not make it as a family unless he took on a larger role. So he grabbed the reins and became a de facto parent. He cooked dinner for the three of us, he did all the laundry, and he even managed to keep the house somewhat clean.” Danielle laughed. “Granted, we ate some really bad food during those times. It’s why to this day I’m obsessive about eating healthy food. I never want to eat another can of ravioli or frozen pizza again.” She looked at Zane. “But who could complain? I know this sounds cliché, but he really was our knight in shining armor.”
“Most are so self-centered at that age,” Zane said. “I know I was.”
“Me too.”
“So when did you find out that David was missing?”
“Shortly after the events in Paris. Actually, I didn’t find out right away. Mom waited a while to tell me because she knew I was in pretty rough shape.”
“Do the police have any idea what happened?”
Danielle shook her head. “Mom thinks it had something to do with some jobs he applied for.”
Zane frowned. “What kind of jobs?”
“David served in the Army for a number of years. It was a good career for him, but when he got out, he had difficulty finding work. At first, he thought about going back to college to get an engineering degree. But he eventually gave up the idea when he realized how much it would cost.
“Around that same time, he told Mom he had heard about these companies that were hiring smart, ex-military men and women to work in dangerous parts of the world. They do things like guard commercial facilities from terrorist attacks.”
Zane nodded. “Private security firms. The work is extremely dangerous, but the pay is astronomical. I know a few people who did that for a decade then retired.”
“That’s exactly what David told Mom. He said he’d make enough to retire, and he’d also give her some of his pay to make her life more comfortable.”
“Let’s get back to his disappearance,” Zane said. “Your mom said she believed it was related to one of these interviews. Is there something in particular that made her think that?”
“Not really. It’s just that he had these interviews set up around the same time he went missing. Just an odd coincidence, I guess.”
Danielle’s mother was right. There was little doubt that David Holland had been taken by one of the companies that interviewed him. Zane was familiar with a few private security firms because Delphi often recruited some of the same people. He knew they frequently conducted field tests to assess the applicants’ physical capabilities and their proficiency with weapons. Those tests were often completed at remote locations, which would be perfect for an abduction.
Zane now realized why Ross had wanted Danielle to be a part of the current operation. The Oracle probably believed there was a link between Danielle’s captivity in France and the disappearance of her brother. Zane believed that too. The odds of that being a coincidence were too high to even consider.
But why Danielle and David? At first, Zane believed it was simply because both had served in the military. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was probably something about their genetic makeup that made them good prospects for gene editing.
After a few minutes of silence, Danielle turned toward him and said, “Zane, I never got the opportunity to apologize for the way I acted before.”
Zane felt his chest tighten. He didn’t mind discussing the matter. In fact, apologizing might be a sign that she was in a healthier place. He just wished she could have broached the subject after the mission was complete. But she had brought it up, and now he needed to respond. “Danielle, I—”
The door opened behind them, cutting him off.
Pratt leaned out and said, “Brett’s ready. Time to get started.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
BRETT SPOKE WHILE looking at the screen of his laptop. “There are two ferry boats that will begin taking guests over at five.” He looked at Zane and Danielle, who were sitting next to each other on the couch. “I’ve placed both of you on the registry. According to everything I found online, you’ll simply need to present your identification. Once that’s verified, you’ll be given a name tag that will give you access to the event.”
Amanda looked at Danielle. “Do you have the passport our people put together?”
Danielle nodded. “I have two copies, actually. I guess they were afraid I might lose one.”
Amanda smiled. “It’s nothing personal. We always order two. A lot of time and expense goes into these operations. As you can imagine, we can’t afford to make all of that investment then have to abort because someone’s identification has been misplaced.”
“Where do you get them?” Danielle asked.
“The US government operates a logistics group that manufactures all fake identification, including passports,” Brett explained. “Delphi isn’t part of the government, but we can still order IDs through the agencies we work with. Their work is flawless. When your passport is swiped at a point of entry, it matches official US government records.”
“That’s incredible,” Danielle said.
“They even have a way of inserting fake stamps in order to make them appear more realistic,” Amanda said.
Zane wanted to keep things moving. Looking at Brett, he asked, “What can you tell us about the event’s agenda?”
“There’s a cocktail reception at six, followed by the presentation at seven. Although the material doesn’t say exactly what he’s going to present, we found some emails that suggest it’s going to be big.”
“Interesting,” Zane said. “Unfortunately, we may not get to see it. That’s going to probably be the best time for us to slip away and search the building.” He looked at Pratt. “What about you and your team?”
“We’re going to take three pontoon boats over to the island,” Pratt replied. “We’ll travel to the outer fence, arriving around six. Brett will then shut their security system down for a few minutes so we can cut our way through.”
“Can you handle that?” Zane asked Brett.
“That won’t be a problem.” Brett nodded at his laptop. “I’m already in, and as best I can tell, they don’t even know I’m there.”
“Once we’re through the fence, it should only take a few minutes to reach the three buildings at the rear of the compound,” Pratt said. “We’ll start our search there.”
During their recon mission two nights before, Zane, Skinner, and Mortensen had gotten close enough to see all the structures. There were four buildings: a large one at the end of the entrance road and three smaller buildings a short distance away.
“Let’s get back to the gala.” Amanda looked at Zane. “Do you have a plan on how to search the building once you’re there?”