Page 42 of Fearless Encounter

Gabriel put the phone on speaker so Brooke could hear. “What did you find out?”

“We obtained a warrant to monitor his financial transactions. Turns out, he’s received a substantial amount of money in his Swiss bank account recently.”

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “How much are we talking about?”

“Enough to make us believe that this entire operation is being funded by the Russian billionaire, Yakov Petrov. And we suspect there’s more to come once the encryption software is turned over to him.”

Gabriel exchanged a worried look with Brooke.

“I’m going to contact the FBI with what we have so far,” Abe said. “Not sure how quickly they’ll act on it, but it’s a start.”

“Good idea,” Gabriel said. “Keep me posted.”

Brooke’s eyes widened. “This is bigger than we thought, isn’t it?”

“It appears so,” Gabriel said. “Surveillance is scheduled for this morning. I’m riding along with my investigator. I want you to stay here, away from the action.”

Brooke frowned but didn’t argue.

“Amalie will be in shortly, and will get lunch for you later,” Gabriel said. “Weston will be in the office until I return, andhe’s trained in defense.” He touched Brooke’s cheek. “Not that I think anyone is going to come here to find you.”

Gabriel leaned in and gave Brooke a tender kiss. He didn’t want to leave her, but he certainly didn’t want her in any dangerous situations. He turned to leave before he changed his mind.

*****

Samuel, the investigator hired to assist with surveillance on Daniel Fontenot, waited at a predetermined location close to Daniel’s home. He sat in a nondescript sedan with blacked-out windows, ready for the stakeout.

“Daniel didn’t show up at Capstone this morning,” Samuel said as Gabriel slid into the passenger seat. “My team followed him home last night and there’s been no sign of him since. Chances are, he’s still inside.”

Gabriel hoped the surveillance would be productive. Samuel drove down the street then pulled the vehicle to a stop, positioning it for an optimal view of Daniel’s sprawling house. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he studied the property, looking for any signs of activity. The place appeared quiet—almost too quiet.

“Let’s see what our boy Fontenot is up to,” Gabriel muttered, settling in for what could be a long day of surveillance.

Minutes ticked by and time seemed to drag for Gabriel as he watched the home. Stakeouts were boring until there was action, and that might not be for hours. Gabriel wondered what Daniel was doing at home that late in the morning and why he hadn’t shown up for work at Capstone.

Then the garage door opened, and a white minivan backed out. As the vehicle entered the street, Gabriel got a good look atthe driver. “Go, go, go!” he said. “That’s the guy who attacked Genevieve at Jasper’s.”

Samuel started the car and began pursuit. “Was Daniel in there, too?”

“I didn’t see him, but he could be in the back,” Gabriel said.

The minivan traveled a couple of miles to a warehouse then stopped. When the driver didn’t get out, Gabriel got impatient. He wondered if the minivan was a decoy, and that made him mad. “I’m going to see what’s going on.”

Gabriel cautiously approached the minivan. Without warning, the driver leapt out. The Russian was muscular, and he carried a small handgun. Gabriel dove for the Russian before he could shoot and knocked the thug off balance, striking his left knee on the asphalt when he went down.

With lightning speed, Samuel was out of the car and on the Russian. As they wrestled to the ground, Gabriel grabbed the dropped gun and pointed it. “Don’t move.”

The Russian stared down the barrel of the gun without moving. Gabriel questioned the Russian, who claimed he didn’t know where Daniel was, only that he owed him money. That was all they could get out of him for the moment.

Samuel kept the gun pointed at the captive while Gabriel phoned Abe to tell him what happened and was assured that the police were on the way.

“If Fontenot isn’t at home or at work, then where is he?” Gabriel said, but Samuel had no answer.

Abe would arrive soon with backup and pry more information out of the captured criminal. He prayed that theguy would reveal a clue, a lead to what Fontenot was up to—yet he feared that he was losing the fight against time.

*****

At the office, Brooke cradled a coffee cup in her hands, warming her fingers. She sat in the small lunchroom, her thoughts drifting. Coffee did little to ease the knots of worry lodged in her stomach. She kept seeing Meg’s face—fearful, pleading. It had been too long since she’d last seen her friend.

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