Chapter 9 - The Account Settled
By six in the morning, the rain had softened into a gray, cold drizzle over the lake.
The interior of the brownstone was quiet. Dr. Evans had finally been allowed to clean and bandage Claire’s wounds after Gabriel sat beside her, gently taking Eli into his own arms while whispering assurances into her ear until her grip finally loosened.
She was now sleeping deeply in the master bedroom upstairs, wrapped in heavy fleece blankets, her breathing steady and deep.
In the study downstairs, Gabriel Kane sat behind a heavy mahogany desk. His damp suit jacket had been discarded, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the heavy tattoos that covered his forearms—symbols of the old country, of oaths made and blood spilled.
Mason stood across from him, holding a dark leather folder.
"Cross’s main office in Hammond is empty," Mason reported quietly. "When he realized the woman escaped with the kid, he panicked. He’s trying to move his liquid assets out of the country through a shell company in the Caymans."
Gabriel didn't look up from his desk. He was holding Claire’s small silver hair clip, turning it over in his fingers.
"Which shell company?" Gabriel asked.
"Apex Global Trading."
Gabriel’s lips curved into a cold, merciless line. "Claire audited Apex six months ago. She identified three secondary routing channels they used to hide tax liability."
He reached for the desktop phone, dialing a short international code.
"This is Gabriel Kane," he spoke into the receiver, his voice flat and absolute. "Freeze account series 90-Alpha at Apex Global. Seize the reserve assets. Then notify the federal prosecutor’s office in Chicago that Damian Cross’s primary tax records are sitting on their main server."
He hung up the phone.
"Cross won't make it to the airport," Gabriel said, looking up at Mason. "The feds will pick him up at the toll plaza within twenty minutes. And if he somehow clears federal custody..." Gabriel’s eyes darkened, "...tell the boys in Indiana that he doesn't leave the state."
Mason nodded once. "Understood."
"What about the driver who took Claire into the convoy?" Gabriel asked.
"He died at the scene, boss. He took three hits trying to pull her back into the vehicle."
Gabriel was silent for a moment. "Set up a trust for his family. Double his life insurance payout from the firm."
"Yes, sir." Mason turned to leave, then paused at the door. "And Miss Bennett?"
May you like
Gabriel looked toward the ceiling, toward the room where she was sleeping.
"Miss Bennett," Gabriel said softly, "is never going back to the accounting department."
