Page 39 of Zero
She nodded.
“Okay.” I pushed the gun back into my holster, but I didn’t strap it in. Still standing away from her. I searched my brain for more of the language. “Nwen rele Rei.. Ki non ou?”
“Clear.” Patrick’s voice came in my ears. “But there are monitors down here. We can see almost the entire yard. It’s state of the art too.”
“Clear in the basement.” Dude reported through the earpiece. “But there’s a lot of food down here.”
“That’s because there’s someone living here.” I replied in my wrist. “Hang on, I’ll explain. Stay put.”
“Roger.” They chorused.
The woman stared at me. She was now holding a pillow to her chest.
“Ki non ou?” I wanted to know.
“Fabienne.”
“Anchante, Fabienne.” I smiled. “Eske ou pale angle?”
“Some.” Her voice cracked.
I sighed in relief. Hopefully, she spoke enough English for us to have a basic conversation. I was trying to figure out how to ask her what I needed in as little words as possible when an idea hit me. “My name is Rei Hakama. I am friends with Justice.”
Her eyes lit up. “Justice? He okay?”
“We don’t know. He’s—um—we’re trying to find him.”
“Find? Where he go?”
“We don’t know—um,Mwen pa konnen.”
Thinking she has a little more trust in me, I drew up a chair and sat next to the bed. Fabienne didn’t move from where she was wedged at the wall, but her eyes wasn’t as afraid as they were before. “His sister, Bailey—”
“She okay?”
I nodded. “She’s fine. Do you know what could have happened to Justice?”
Fabienne nodded. “Justice saved me.”
“From?”
“Luis Morena. He bad man.” Fabienne sobbed into her hand. “He owns me. Justice didn’t like.”
It dawned on me then as clear as day. Patrick had been right—this was about a woman.
“Guys.” I spoke in the receiver at my wrist. “We found what he’s been looking for and it’s not what you think. Get up here. But holster your weapons.”
“Roger.” They replied.
When they stepped into the room, Fabienne freaked out again.
“It’s okay.” I promised her. “Friends.”
She looked from me, to them.
“This is Faulkner,” I told her, pointing at Dude. “This is Patrick.”
Both men waved at her and she offered a curt nod.
