Page 19 of Generation Lost

“There is,” said James. “This involves some of the most powerful families in the world. DiBenedetto, Xi, Varovski, and St. Pierre. They all own and run casinos around the world.”

“Where?” frowned Nine.

“Just remember, you asked,” smirked Seamus, always with a smile on his face. “Nacala in Mozambique; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Aden, Yemen; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Bushehr, Iran; Bengkulu, Sumatra in Indonesia, and we can’t forget the hottest tourist destination in the world, Chernaya, Russia.”

There were low whistles and headshakes around the room.

“There’s no fucking reason that any of those places would have casinos. None of them are tourist destinations, and some would consider gambling against their religion. What the fuck are they doing?” asked Ghost.

“Think about it, old friend,” said Conor. “What would they move through? Easily women, drugs, and counterfeit money. That’s something me granny could have figured out. But what else? All the shipments in and out of casinos every day?”

“Weapons,” said Trak. Conor jumped, gripping his cane.

“That sneaky bastard is still hidin’ out on me.”

“I never hide. It’s nice to see you, Conor.”

“You too, lad. Weapons. We believe they’re transferring weapons to anyone who is an enemy of America and her allies. North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, and the list is gettin’ longer by the day.”

Someone stepped in the door, and everyone stilled, wondering how she’d gotten there.

“Oh. I’m so sorry,” said Annie. “I was looking for Rose. We were working on the files for her, and we’ve found some unusual things. My apologies. I’ll see if she’s down the hall.”

“She should be on the second floor,” smiled Ghost. “No apologies needed, Annie.” Conor cleared his throat, staring at Ghost.

“Hello,” he said, smiling at the woman.

“Hello. I’m Annie. Just a guest here.”

“Conor, just a guest as well.”

“Wait a minute. Are you Conor Laughlin, the fighter?” He was shocked, staring at her in awe. “I was a huge fan of yours. Used to love watching the fights with my ex-husband. You were incredible, and you still look amazing.”

“I-I thank you, lass,” he said, stumbling over his words. Seamus grinned at his grandfather, then took the woman’s hand.

“Me grandfather and me will be here tonight for dinner, Miss Annie. I’d love to have you at our table, and you can tell me all the tales of his fights.”

“I’d be honored,” she smiled. “Sorry again for the interruption.” She left, and Conor found himself unable to speak.

“She’s single, one of the seniors whose homes were destroyed, and she’s been extremely helpful for our entire team since she’s been here,” said Ian. “You would appreciate knowing that she took care of the others by stealing food and medicine for them. That’s a resourceful woman.”

“I can see that,” smirked Conor. “And she’s got a fine Irish name. Annie.”

“How the fuck is Annie an Irish name?” laughed Miller.

“I’ll have to tell you the story of how the Irish saved the world and gave her names that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.”

The men couldn’t help but laugh but knew they had to get back to business. If this thing was as big as they thought, they just might need reinforcements. And not just the VG team.

“Where are they getting the weapons?” asked Nine.

“We think they’ve got their very own manufacturing site,” said Conor. “We’ll need to track backwards from where the ships arrived from and see if we can find a common port where they’re pickin’ up their goods.”

“Nothing about stolen weapons from our allies?” asked Ian.

“I’ve heard nothin’, lad. Doesn’t mean it isn’t happenin’, but I’ve not heard a peep from anyone. Of course, our businesses are a might cleaner these days than in the old days.”

“I heard you were here!” said Kat, running into the room. Whiskey smiled at his wife as she launched into Conor’s arms, her old friend. “You look wonderful!”

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