“What’s hard to believe is that we needed the help of a Rancourt to do it,” Lucas said. He crossed the room to the window. “But you always knew that might be the case, didn’t you? It’s why we did not spend a whole lot of time, money and energy looking for him. You knew that when the time came he would show up.”

“It was a hunch, that’s all. Harlan Rancourt was a black box mystery. That’s why we didn’t focus on him. It wasn’t at all clear how he fit into the picture. But one thing was obvious—if he had wanted to regain control of the Foundation or take revenge against us, we would have heard from him long ago. He would not have waited five years to come calling.”

“Think he might be a problem in the future?”

Victor was surprised to find himself smiling. He had not smiled a lot in the past few years. “Probably, but not in the way you mean. He’s smart, he’s a high-grade talent and he’s got strong opinions. I think it’s safe to say we will be hearing from him on a regular basis. But Olivia was right; he’s not out to avenge the past. He’s got another agenda, one that aligns with ours.”

“I agree we need to expand our intelligence gathering and analysis. We’ve been living within the cocoon of the Foundation and its secrets since the beginning because we were focused on the fallout from the Bluestone Project.”

“Which is still going on,” Victor said. “We’ve just scratched the surface. We found Vortex, but who knows what other threats will turn up? The excavation and research on the Fogg Lake lab has barely begun. We haven’t even started on what’s left of the Vortex facility. And now we have to worry about the Swan sisters. Meanwhile, we have almost no idea of what else is happening out there in the paranormal underworld.”

“We need an organization that can deal with whatever comes at us. That means we need information.”

“It occurs to me that we really ought to have seen Harlan Rancourt coming,” Victor said. “It shouldn’t have been such a surprise when he knocked on our door.”

“We were looking too hard in another direction,” Lucas said. “That’s often how it is when it comes to the important things.”

“Is that so?”

“Case in point—I never saw you coming until I sat down at that poker table all those years ago.”

Victor snorted. “I saw you coming when you walked through the door of the casino. Watched you cross the room. By the time you got to the table I already knew you were the one.”

Startled, Lucas turned his head. “Seriously?”

“When it comes to game changers, I’m always serious. You were a game changer.”