Page 56 of Factory Controller

“Admittedly, the jaguar.”

Andrew takes a long drag on his cigarette, eyes twinkling with cunning as he looks at me. “So, tell me everything that happened. Spare no details.”

To my surprise, Andrew takes out a notepad and pen. He takes notes while I regale him with the story of my time in Brazil. I’m not sure what language he’s writing in. Possibly he’s writing in code, but he takes a lot of notations.

“Sounds like you performed admirably under the worst type of scenario. Well done, Heather. You can consider your Favor repaid.”

My excitement at being free from the Factory is tempered by Isabella’s threats.

“Not so fast. You have to protect me from Isabella. She—”

“Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head about Izzy,” Andrew says, sipping from his coffee and sighing. “Man, what is it about this place and great cups of joe? I have to ask the waitress what blend this is.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, a scowl blossoming on my face.

“I mean it’s rich, full bodied and roasted to perfection. I think I pick up notes of maple and chocolate. This morning I got a Kenyan blend that went perfectly with my croissant—”

“I wasn’t talking about the coffee,” I say through gritted teeth. “I mean, why shouldn’t I be worried about Isabella.”

“Because she was taken into custody shortly after you two lifted off from Macapá International.”

My eyes widen. “She was?”

Andrew nods. “Yup. It’ll take us some time to dismantle the human trafficking ring, of course, but eventually we’ll get most of the children reunited with their families.”

“Andrew, you don’t understand,” I say firmly. “Isabella says she has friends in the Factory, friends in high places.” Andrew’s face goes still.

He’s ageless and wears a perfect poker face.

Especially when the stakes are high.

“She said that to you?”

“That’s all you have for me? A question? I’m telling you a human trafficker has ties to the Factory!” He remains complacent, sucks at his lips for a moment, then rolls forward in his chair and taps his cigarette over the ashtray.

“It’s being looked into. Isabella has been on our radar for a while.”

“If you already knew all this about Isabella, why did you send me down there in the first place?”

“We didn’t know the full extent of her operation, and you uncovered a whole rat’s nest down there in the rainforest. I assure you, we didn’t waste your time for naught, Heather.”

Trent drums his fingers on the table.

“Mr. Andrew, earlier you said that most of the children would be reunited with their parents. What did you mean by that?”

Andrew shifts in his seat, a rare moment of anxiety. “Some of the children could have potential to be Factory wards. We’ll see to it, if their parents agree, obviously, they get the best care and training.”

“I don’t know if I’m okay with that,” I say.

“Don’t worry, your friend Aberto and his sister are safely back with their family.”

That brings me a flood of relief, but I can’t let it go.

“But it’s not fair. Why would you send the kids to a Factory school instead of putting them back with their families?”

“But you see, Heather, you’re making faulty assumptions about many of them.”

“What do you mean?” Trent asks.

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