CHAPTER 25
EMMY TAPPED THE phone, and the symbol appeared on the big screen that dominated one wall of the room.
“La grenade à sept flammes. The seven-flame grenade. It’s the emblem of the French Foreign Legion. And if Ben Durham cared enough to get it permanently inked on his body, I very much suspect he was a legionnaire.”
“Legio patria nostra,” Xav muttered.
“What?” I didn’t understand any of that.
“Their motto. The legion is our fatherland.”
“It would also explain why we can’t find any trace of Durham after he turned eighteen. All recruits are required to join under an assumed name,” Emmy said.
“Why? Isn’t that dishonest?”
“Joining the legion represents a fresh start. Many of the recruits have, shall we say, troubled histories.”
The thought of a young Ben running to France to
