Page 45 of Fearless
Jerry’s eyes flit between the two documents. “The withdrawals from the Millstone account match the deposits into Alvarez’s account.” He clicks his mouse several times, and a few seconds later, he tells us more bad news. “Sergio Alvarez isn’t the only recipient of a funds transfer. Several payments were made to another account in Kazakhstan, belonging to Droyda Ospanov.”
“Who is Droyda Ospanov?” Roger asks.
Savannah pounds on her keyboard, and a minute later, she gives him an answer. “Droyda Ospanov is a Russian scientist who works for Global UraCorp, a uranium mining company based in Khazakstan.”
“Wait a second!” I shout. “Somethings not right. Why would my father be paying Sergio Alvarez when they aren’t working together?”
Savannah pulls up the account under Wesley Millstone. “The last transaction to Sergio was five weeks ago, so it’s anyone’s guess.”
“Maybe Sergio became a bit too greedy, and Finnegan cut ties with him. Now they’re at odds, and Sergio is taking his revenge!Muahahaha,” Jessie cackles, eyes wide and rubbing her fingertips together maniacally.
Roger rolls his eyes at Jessie’s overzealous delivery of her theory, but he also acknowledges its validity. “That’s one very real possibility. Alliances are often fragile and easily broken. It’s not as if The Demon Kings are a trustworthy group of individuals. Another possibility is that Sergio served his purpose, then reached out to the CIA and changed his alliance.”
I listen as more suggestions are thrown out there, each one crazier than the next. “What if the account that belongs to Wesley Millstone does not, in fact, belong to my father?” I ask. “The fact my dad had the files encrypted on his computer and highlighted the transactions would indicate he was investigating Sergio, not partnering with him.”
“I like it,” Ben says, and everyone else is in agreement. “Roger, you said that Zurkowski wanted to tell you the truth and that Finnegan wanted to bring you in on his plan, right?”
Roger sits on the edge of the sofa and cocks his head to the side. “I did, but Zurkowski never got the chance.”
“Roger, what’s your gut telling you?” Ethan asks.
“I wouldn’t trust my gut, my heart, or my head. Robert Finnegan mentored me throughout my career and has been like a brother to me. He, Eloise, and Harper brought me into their home and treated me like family. Iwantto believe they’re here to stop someone from building and setting off a nuclear bomb, but then why aren’t they doing it in an official capacity? Why the subterfuge? I have so many questions floating around in my brain, but there aren’t enough answers. If you want my honest opinion, Robert Finnegan deserves the benefit of the doubt. He’s had our back time and time again, and we owe him. We need to find him before we make any judgments.”
I smile at Roger and slip my arms around his waist, interlocking my fingers and looking up at him with pure adoration. “Thank you for believing the best of my parents.”
He kisses the top of my head and hugs me back. “They’ve never given me a reason not to, Harper. But…”
“But if they do, then all bets are off,” I reply.
Chapter twenty-four
Roger
The meeting finally concludes, and Carter departs for Marathon. Jerry assures us that he’ll get the file to our research analyst, Rosie, who will go through each and every document with a fine-tooth comb. He also sends a copy of the file to us so that we can get our eyes on it and see if anything in particular stands out.
Savannah signs off with a promise to update us after gleaning information from Carlos first thing tomorrow morning. Now that Carlos and his family are settled in, there is no reason to delay any further—even if we don’t expect to learn much. As far as Patrick is concerned, he tells us that Eloise was last seen entering a grocery store but has yet to come out. He’ll continue to keep in contact with Jaxon.
Ethan and Ben are the last to disconnect from the call, telling my team and me to get some rest—rest that we desperately need but won’t get for a little while longer. I glance at my watch andrub my eyes because the numbers begin to swim in front of me. “I need to lie down for a few minutes, but I’m waiting for the link that Agent Simms said that he would send,” I say to anyone willing to listen.
“It’s not quite seven, and the sun is about to set. You have four and a half hours before the showdown begins,” Jessie says with a wide yawn. “Go take a nap. Elijah and I can hold down the fort, even if we have to take shifts.”
Harper stands in front of me, holding both hands out in invitation. “You might have a concussion. Although it’s safe for you to sleep, someone should keep an eye on you in case there are any issues.”
Jessie snickers. “That’s the best excuse I’ve ever heard to get in some snuggle time.”
I half expect Harper to scowl in Jessie’s direction—once again offended by our group’s humor during times of stress—but I can’t stop the grin that appears on my face when Harper sasses right back. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
Harper winks and then drags me into the bedroom, closing the door behind us. She lets go of my hand to pull back the covers and pats the bed, urging me to lie down. “Can I get you an aspirin or ibuprofen?” she asks.
“That would be great, but I’ll have to decline,” I tell her. “Pain medication can increase the risk of bleeding. What I really need to do is rest and stop my mind from going into overdrive.”
Harper pulls the cover over my body and then shuts off the light. “I’ll get you a cold compress and then wake you in an hour.” She doesn’t wait for me to respond, and I get the feeling she needs to keep herself busy so that she doesn’t spend hertime worrying about me.
A few minutes later, Harper returns and sits on the bed beside me. She squeezes an instant ice pack to activate it, then presses it gently to my head. The cold feels amazing against my skin, but it’s her soft touch that eases my pain. I close my eyes and sigh in contentment. “Thank you.”
Harper is silent for a long moment. “You really had me scared today,” she whispers. “Carter and I prayed for you. Well, Carter actually did most of the praying because I was a mess. Thenotknowing was the worst part.”
I snake my arm around her waist and lace my fingers with her free hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m grateful that God answered your prayers in the affirmative and decided that it wasn’t my time just yet.”
