Fearless Encounter

Chapter 12

After the unforgettable night, Brooke’s body hummed, and her heart ached with need for Gabriel. He was an amazing lover, and one evening had spoiled her for anyone else. She knew what true lovemaking was and would be unable to accept less.

But there was much to handle before she could hope for anything permanent.

After coffee and a light breakfast, Gabriel invited her to go with him to the office. “You shouldn’t be by yourself.”

Brooke couldn’t agree more, relieved that she could go with him. Maybe she could help. She certainly wanted to.

So, after showering and dressing, they went to his office, anxious for an update. On the way, it was difficult to focus. After the way Gabriel had touched and loved her, life had changed. Sitting next to him in the car felt different. The closeness was a welcome feeling, and her mind drifted to possibilities. At breakfast, the way Gabriel’s affection had melted her. His presence warmed her to her very soul. She’d nearly ended up back in bed with him, but settled for warm kisses filled with unrequited passion—to be satisfied later.

When they arrived at the office, Weston appeared immersed in his computer with Amalie looking over his shoulder. “Dad, you must see this.”

Gabriel stood next to them, and Brooke tried to figure out what she was looking at. It all looked like strings of computer gibberish. “You’ll have to explain all that to me,” she said.

“It’s the dark web,” Weston said. “Let’s start with your clue about the Russians. There is ample activity that could link to our crime. Use of code names and aliases, cryptocurrency transactions, and other signs indicate cybercrime.”

“Is it related to the abduction?” Gabriel said.

“That will take more digging,” Weston said. “But I’ll tell you what’s interesting: Daniel Fontenot’s internet history seems to match with the crime.”

“You hacked his computer?” Brooke said.

Weston didn’t even glance at her. “The dude made purchases of soundproofing materials, restraints, and more. It doesn’t take much to extrapolate from there. He is holding someone against their will.”

“Meg…” Brooke’s heart sank. It must be awful.

“And that’s not all,” Amalie said. “I’ve been scouring databases, social media, other stuff. And everything I’ve uncovered supports the fact that Daniel is involved. I’m working on piecing together his movements.”

“He thought that he was so smart,” Weston said. “It was no easy feat to uncover clues to his activities. I’m sure he thinks that he’s safe.”

“Well, let’s not make him nervous,” Gabriel said. “We need hard evidence for the authorities to act on, not just theory. Document everything, look for patterns, trace contacts and money flows.”

“Got it,” Weston said. “I’ll work on linking suspects to real identities.”

“Yes, if he is working with the Russians, we need to find out who his contacts are,” Gabriel said. “The feds will be all over that.”

Brooke had trouble keeping up. All of this was new to her. What she was aware of was that Meg was in deep trouble. Her friend had been held captive for nearly a week, and if the Russians were involved, it might be hopeless. Yet she refused to accept that.

“I’ll let Abe know the new information,” Gabriel said. “Then I’ll set up surveillance. We want eyes on Daniel to see who he connects with, where he goes. His activities might reveal a lot.”

“And I can search for any calls,” Amalie said. “I’ll find those, unless he’s only using burner phones.” She smiled. “But criminals make mistakes. If he communicates on his cell, I’ll find the call for us.”

Brooke followed Gabriel to his office, wanting to ask so many questions. But before she could get a word out, his phone vibrated.

“Abe, I was just about to call you.” Gabriel frowned. “Really? What did you find? Okay, we’ll be right there.”

Brooke grabbed Gabriel’s arm as he swept out the door. “We gotta go,” he said. “The detectives are at Meg’s house. Her cousin allowed entry, without requiring a search warrant because she’s concerned.”

Racing to the car, Brooke said, “What did they find?”

“So far, nothing revelatory.” Gabriel stopped at the car. “That’s why he wants you there. You know Meghan better than anyone. Let’s see if you find anything amiss.”

*****

At Meg’s house, a couple of officers were going through papers, so Abe waved them into the bedroom. “Take a look,” he said to Brooke. “See if anything indicates that Meghan had contact with her abductors or any evidence of a crime.”

Brooke took her time going through things, with Gabriel quietly following. She recognized Meg’s clothes, some outfits she’d worn to lunch meetings. Seeing books on the nightstand and other items made her miss her friend dearly. They had similar tastes in reading and music, plus more. It wasn’t fair that Meg was in this situation. “I’ve looked, but I don’t see anything unusual.”

“Let’s try another room,” Gabriel said.

The kitchen, bathroom, and library netted no helpful evidence. Brooke knew her friend well. If there was anything useful, she should be able to figure it out.

As she rummaged through papers in Meg’s home office, one sheet caught her eye. She studied it. “Oh my God.”

Gabriel watched her.

“Of course,” Brooke said. “If Meg had any warning, she would have left a clue. And she’s smart. If she was being watched, she’d leave something in her house, something that bad guys wouldn’t spot.” She held up the sheet of paper.

“The code,” Gabriel said, understanding.

“Yes, it is,” Brooke said. “It looks like a child’s game, just a grid, like I told you. And Meg would know that if she got in trouble I would know. And I’d be the one to see that this code was important. It’s her way of telling me how to help.”

Brooke studied the grid code, spelling out the word. “It’s a Russian name—Yakov Petrov.”

Gabriel took the sheet. “I think our friend Daniel made a big mistake here. It appears he shared the name of his contact.”

“Bragging, maybe?”

Gabriel smiled. “And Meg is a clever one.” He called Abe over to fill him in.

“I’ll hold this as evidence,” Abe said. “We have enough to suspect Daniel Fontenot. But we’ll need concrete evidence to link him to Petrov.”

“Who is Petrov?” Brooke said.

“He’s a businessman with ties to the underworld. He built his fortune by acquiring formerly state-owned enterprises for next to nothing,” Abe said. “He controls an empire spanning oil, gas, mining, and banking.”

“I assume he would buy an uncrackable algorithm,” Gabriel said. “All the better to conduct transactions in privacy, legal or not.”

Brooke figured out the guy she’d witnessed at the scene and the one who spotted her at the restaurant had to be the accomplices. That was frightening. It meant that Daniel wasn’t acting alone, and maybe wasn’t even calling the shots. Meg’s predicament hinged on a Russian billionaire, a criminal one at that. This seemed to get worse and worse.

Before leaving, Gabriel coordinated with Abe to set up surveillance. He’d use a reliable service provider, and Abe would get the phone taps started. It was agreed to be discreet until more was known. The goal was to gain enough documentation of Daniel’s crimes to nail him. Substantiating links to the Russian would be tricker. A lifetime criminal like Petrov was good at covering his tracks.

Gabriel took Brooke back to the office with him, unwilling to have her out of his sight. While he made arrangements to have Daniel followed, he sent Brooke to call Lisle to let her know she was fine. He cautioned her not to reveal any details over the phone. “If we can monitor phone calls, the Russians can too,” Gabriel said. “Just assure Lisle that you are safe, and you’ll tell her more later.”

It paid to be careful. Gabriel was under no delusion that catching Daniel would be simple. The new information about his connections was alarming. It would take the feds to deal with Petrov. But that wouldn’t happen yet. Meg’s wellbeing depended on Gabriel and Abe doing their jobs, and doing them well. Once she was found and rescued, all hell would break loose. But Brooke would be out of it. And Meg would be protected—if she was found before serious harm came to her.

Brooke sat in a chair next to his desk. “I assured Lisle that I’m well, and you’re still by my side. She will let Jasper know that I won’t be in for a few more days.” She sighed. “For Meg’s sake, it better be only a few days.”