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“You know the passengers from Carlton’s plane that Lyla said were taken off Jhootha Island by Taylor?”

Juan nodded

“According to the scientist’s notebook, they’re currently being forced to work aboard the Colossus 1”

FORTY-THREE

CYPRUS

On the dock beside the Colossus 5, Xavier Carlton sloalked around his Bugatti Chiron, which had been brought from his estate in the mountains outside of Larnaca The two-toned red and black sports car shi sun Worth more than three million dollars, the sleek roadster boasted a fifteen-hundred-horsepower engine and a top speed north of two hundred and fifty miles per hour

He had pulled the car fro to Jhootha Island There had been no sense in stranding one of his favorite cars on the tropical island He had intended to give it back to his son Adaht Carlton decided to keep it for himself

“Do you see any blemishes?” asked Natalie Taylor, alked slowly beside him

“No, they’ve taken good care of it in iven what he’d do if there was soin the paint

“Why are you taking it to Australia?”

“I want to see what it will do on the wide-open roads down there The roads on Cyprus are too constricted” He was looking forward to blasting through the Outback at top speed, a just reward for all his hard work and sacrifice over the last few years

As he opened the rear cover to gaze at the sixteen-cylinder ine, Taylor said, “We can’t keep Gupta here forever It will start to look strange if he stays with us and doesn’t contact his company back in Canada”

“I had an idea,” Carlton said “We’ve been keeping a lid on the deaths of the other Nine at the Library, but it’s starting to beco around about so CEOs, and eventually the path will lead back to India”

“What are you proposing?”

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