Game of Fear

by Robin Perini

  Deb crossed her arms in front of her and frowned. “Because the notes left for the parents are probably all forgeries. The one Ashley supposedly left me was close. Someone who didn’t know her or her handwriting really well would think she wrote it. Some parents gave up; some police departments just didn’t investigate.”

  Gabe touched her arm gently. “Well, we don’t give up. The Montgomerys are a stubborn lot. Sometimes too stubborn.”

  Jazz walked into the room, carrying a tray of coffee and snacks. “Are you casting aspersions on my husband, best friend, and family members?”

  “You caught me.” Gabe laughed.

  “Well, cut it out.” She set the tray down, pulled up a chair next to Luke, then slid her arm through his. “Miracle of miracles, the pint-sized Energizer Bunny has worn herself out from her excursion and has fallen asleep in the middle of her princess collection. She didn’t even wake when I picked her up and put her in bed.”

  She looked over the array of files on the coffee table and sent Deb a sympathetic glance. “Have you found anything yet that’ll help?”

  “Not enough,” Luke said. “But this box of materials my father hid is full of potential. I can’t believe he kept this investigation secret.”

  “Dad was good at keeping secrets.” The words were out of Gabe’s mouth before he realized, and he hadn’t even attempted to block the anger in his voice.

  Luke stared at Gabe. “Care to explain that?”

  “No.” He squirmed in his chair. “I’m just exhausted.”

  Damn. He’d thought he’d buried the disgust, but after reliving that night over and over again in the last days, all the frustration he’d pushed aside simmered beneath the surface, ready to explode. If he didn’t leave now, he’d say something he regretted. He’d vowed eight years ago to never reveal his father’s affair, or Whitney. Gabe refused to hurt his mom like that. He had to protect her—even from her own husband.

  He rose, unwilling to give Luke a chance to push. “I’ve got to get over to the bar and see how they’re doing.”

  The phone rang and Luke answered it. A minute later, after grunting agreement a few times, he hung up and threw Gabe a sympathetic look. “That was Mom. She’s coming over. John’s coming, too. She’s been calling your phone all morning and you haven’t answered. She said don’t even think about leaving before she gets here. She’s seriously angry with both you and John and she says you, especially, have some explaining to do.”

  Sammy’s Bar had a full parking lot, but Gabe Montgomery wasn’t inside. Ernie slouched against the wall, praying he was invisible. He’d watched and waited for hours. Gabe had to show soon. God, where was he? This was suicide to be waiting anywhere near here. If Gasmerati ever found out, Ernie would be cougar food.

  He’d vowed never to put himself at risk by going in that cop bar, but now . . . maybe he should. He’d already called Gabe four times. Where was he? The guy hadn’t left the place for any length of time in months. He wasn’t home, either.

  Ernie knew how to block his own number, but could someone find out he’d made that many calls to Gabe, even if he deleted them? Ernie didn’t understand all this cyber-techno junk everyone was using today.

  He was old school and if he wasn’t careful, Ernie knew Grace O’Sullivan wouldn’t be the only snitch with a hit out on her.

  Luke Montgomery was already a target. With that kind of bait, Ernie was betting Gabe would help him stay alive. Ernie just hoped he was still in one piece when Gabe finally decided to get back to work.

  The scent of pine filled each breath Gabe took. Luke’s front porch was as close as he could get to being alone. He’d considered just grabbing Deb and heading back to her place to finish what they’d started. Now there was an idea.

  If it weren’t for everything around him hitting the proverbial fan. He sighed and pocketed his cell. He’d forgotten he’d shut off his phone before going in to see Wexler. He’d meant to turn it back on after, but Sheriff Tower’s power play had distracted him.

  A ton of missed calls greeted him, ranging from his mom to John Garrison, to his brother Zach. Then there was the series of blocked calls every ten minutes or so for an hour. Gabe even had a few from Mylo. He’d never been quite this popular. Unfortunately, he’d only made it through half his voice mails.

  John’s had him worried. If the captain had news he risked calling for, that meant something big was happening on the undercover op. Just what he didn’t need, not with Deb’s sister missing and his father’s past swirling around him.

  He needed to see his boss. On the other hand, it sounded like his mom knew something, and she was someone he couldn’t look in the eyes right now.

  He’d fought her intuition for years to hide the truth. Knots twisted the muscles on the back of his neck. He kneaded them and groaned when the tension didn’t release.

  The creak of the front door sounded. He stiffened, gripping the porch rail.

  A flash of auburn hair in his peripheral vision made him relax a bit. Deb stepped out on the patio. “You’re off the phone. Was there any news about . . .”

  She couldn’t even say the words.

  He turned around. “Nothing about Ashley.”

  Her disappointment showed, but she, in turn, studied his expression. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. No. Who the hell knows? Things are . . . complicated right now, is all.”

  She looked into his eyes. “They love you,” she said. “I can see that. Don’t . . . don’t take it for granted. Work it out.”

  He pulled her to him. He couldn’t believe how much she’d engrained herself into his life in just days. How much she saw of the real him, and not the man everyone else assumed. The irony was, this wasn’t how he’d envisioned spending time with Deb during all those long, lonely months in the bar.

  “I don’t know what to say to my mom, or John . . . Captain Garrison.”

  Deb looked at him, her gaze steady and knowing. “Sounds like she knows you’re investigating out of the bar, doesn’t it? You may not have to say anything to her.” Deb’s expression turned solemn. “My asking for help with Ashley’s disappearance is screwing your job up.”

  He gripped her hand. “You’re not the only one who needs answers. There are things I’m not prepared to talk about yet. Family situations that factor in, especially with my mother, but I want to help Ashley . . . and find justice for Shannon Devlin.”

  “You can’t do it all, Gabe,” Deb said. “You’ve already done enough. Detective Wexler is on the case—”

  “I’m going to help you,” Gabe said. “Look, my mother is almost here and it’s going to get awkward. Just go with me on this one. Maybe your presence will keep her from reaming me too badly.”

  Deb shook her head. “Gabe Montgomery, are you asking to hide behind a woman’s skirts?”

  “You’re wearing pants,” he pointed out.

  “Regardless. You’re never going to make it to superhero status doing things like that.”

  Gabe sighed. “My family already has a superhero. My brother Zach was the Dark Avenger. I’m just trying to survive the next few minutes.”

  “Your mother can’t be that bad,” Deb insisted.

  “You think so?” he responded. “Mom not only inherited the Irish Sight, she got the Irish temper, too. That red in her hair isn’t just for looks. It’s a warning sign for the unwary.”

  Deb raised her brow. “Mr. Montgomery, may I remind you that you’re speaking to someone with auburn hair? Very, very reddish auburn hair.”

  “Yeah, and I’m not crazy enough to mess with you, Ms. Lansing. I’ve heard rumors. Those guys on your team would rather not spar with you, they say your knee should be registered as a deadly weapon.”

  “True.” Deb smiled coyly. “If I get mad at you, though, I think I’ll aim elsewhere. Wouldn’t want to endanger an area I’m looking forward to ex
ploring.”

  Gabe perked up, in more ways than one. She slid her gaze over him and grinned.

  He groaned. “Whatever you’re thinking, hold that thought.”

  Her eyes sparkled and he moved closer and put his arms around her. He lowered his mouth to hers, tasting her lips. She sighed and kissed him back, eager, hot, and wanting. Her hand eased down the front of his body, giving him a soft squeeze.

  A grumble sounded in his chest.

  He widened his stance, then lowered his hands down her back to her curves. Two could play at that game.

  A whimper escaped and she nipped his lower lip.

  A car’s engine purred. Gabe groaned and opened one eye. Sure enough his mother and John Garrison pulled up in front.

  Their timing sucked.

  * * *

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  GABE OPENED LUKE’S front door. “Mom’s here,” he announced.

  “Grandma’s coming?” A sleepy Joy padded over to her uncle from the hallway leading to her bedroom, dragging her blanket behind her.

  He knelt down and smiled at the blonde-haired beauty. “Nap time over, short stuff? Maybe Grandma would like to look at your room when she gets here. I heard you have a pretty nice princess setup in there.”

  Luke raised his brow. “Wimping out, little brother? Man, what have you done?”

  “Mom hasn’t told me yet.” Gabe felt bad for an instant about getting his niece to distract his mother, but he needed to talk to John alone.

  “Maybe you could show Deb your room, as well?”

  Deb’s eyes widened. “You barely introduced us. Joy might not want my company.”

  “Are you Uncle Gabe’s girlfriend?” Joy asked.

  Deb’s eyes widened and Gabe bit the inside of his cheek. Joy could charm anyone.

  “You’re almost as tall as my new mommy,” the littler girl chatted. “You can see my room, too. Do you like princesses? My mommy has hair like Rapunzel.”

  Deb knelt down to speak with Joy and Gabe chanced a look at Jazz. She crossed her arms and glared at him. The jig was up. She knew him better than most. They’d been SWAT teammates for several years before his attack. “What’s going on, Gabe?”

  “Nothing.” He picked up the phone. “Hey, why don’t I order pizza for dinner?”

  “Yay!” Joy ran around in circles. “Pizza, pizza, pizza.”

  He placed the order while Luke stood next to him, cursing. “You’re digging yourself in deeper and deeper, and now it’s not just with Mom.”

  “For heaven’s sake,” Jazz said, “your mother isn’t scary. She raised six sons and not a bum in the lot. Don’t let these guys fool you, Deb. She’s amazing. She just doesn’t let them get away with anything.”

  “Why thank you, Jasmine.” Anna Montgomery stood at the front door. Gabe’s boss—and her boyfriend—Captain John Garrison stood at her side. John shifted his feet, his eyes low, clearly uncomfortable.

  She’d obviously torn into John already. Gabe swallowed. He was in for it.

  “Grandma!” Joy raced toward her grandmother. “Come see my room. Uncle Gabe said you’d want to see my princesses.”

  Anna’s brow arched, the movement identical to Luke’s. “He did. Nice ploy,” she said, staring down Gabe, before turning to Joy with a warm smile. “I’d love to see your room, honey. But first, I’d like to meet Gabe’s friend.” She looked pointedly at Deb.

  Gabe tugged her forward. “Deb Lansing, Mom.”

  Anna’s lips frowned. “I heard about your sister.” She patted Deb’s hand. “You’ll find her.”

  “I have to,” Deb said simply.

  The two women’s gazes met and Anna nodded. “You have the grit that will see you through this.” She turned to the captain. “John, I’m sure you want to consult with Gabe since he’s working undercover for you now. I want to see that princess room.”

  John winced and gave her a quick nod.

  Gabe swallowed hard. “Oh, sh—”

  Anna whirled on her youngest son. “Gabriel Francis Montgomery, do not say that word aloud. You are in enough trouble with me already. Swearing in front of my four-year-old granddaughter isn’t going to win any points with me, and believe me, boyo, you need them.”

  Anna grabbed Joy’s hand and she, in turn, latched on to Deb’s hand and they walked away.

  Luke blew out a breath. “You’re working undercover and you haven’t left the sheriff’s office? No wonder she blasted you with all three names. She’s pissed.”

  John rubbed his eyes. “I’m sleeping on the couch. We need to wrap this case up quickly.” He nodded toward the porch. “Let’s talk, Gabe.” He turned back to Luke and Jazz. “Excuse us, please?”

  Gabe didn’t wait for a response. He walked outside. “How did she figure it out?”

  “I needed to talk to you and tried to slip the calls in while she was painting. Unfortunately, she forgot something and came back in the room. I had put my phone down and it showed three calls to you this morning. She immediately knew something was wrong. A few pointed questions later, and she guessed. It wasn’t pretty.”

  “Why did you call me?”

  “Believe me, I wouldn’t have if I’d had a choice.” John paused. “The DA’s case on that gun-running charge against Jeff Gasmerati is falling apart. The key witness disappeared. They found his body, minus a hand, in the landfill.”

  “You have his taped confession, right?” Gabe didn’t like the look on his boss’s face.

  John slammed his fist against the railing. “We might be able to use it. If we could find it.”

  “What do you mean? It’s in the evidence room. I heard the deputies talking about it under their breaths in the bar.”

  “That reassures me. Anyone could have overheard them.”

  “So what’s missing?”

  “Several confiscated files. Neil Wexler was the investigator in charge. He says he hasn’t touched the evidence in months, but the log shows he signed it out at the same time he checked out the files from the bus terminal shooting. Now, everything has vanished.”

  “Shannon Devlin’s case files, too?”

  “Yes. It looks bad for Wexler, no matter what he claims, and Tower has a grin that turns my stomach. The fallout is going to be fierce.”

  Gabe studied his boss’s grim expression. “What do you want me to do?”

  “As your commanding officer, I want you to ratchet up the pressure on your contacts. We need someone to break, whether it’s the cops you’ve been watching or a Gasmerati insider. I want this investigation closed. And not just for the criminal reasons.” John rubbed his neck. “I feel like I’ve aged five years sleeping on that damn couch. If I want to salvage my relationship with your mother, I’d better get you out of the undercover business fast.”

  The knots in Gabe’s shoulders tensed up. What he’d wanted for months, and now just what he didn’t need.

  He followed John back into the house to find everyone except Joy gathered in the living room. The sounds of her playing in her room echoed down the hall.

  Deb stood against the wall, watching the byplay, her face curiously devoid of emotion. What had his mom said to her? What had Deb told his mom? A lump formed in the base of his gut.

  Anna strode to Gabe and stared up at him, her green eyes flashing with an expression he’d seen all too often his senior year of high school.

  “I’m tired of secrets, Gabriel. Secrets hurt. I’m tired of being hurt, too, by people who withhold information from me . . . for my own good.”

  And he’d been keeping secrets from his mother since he was eighteen.

  She grabbed Gabe’s hands in hers. “I get that you and John are cops and can’t tell me everything. Your father was the same way, but this is different. I almost lost you more than once this last year. Consider me need-to-know, wheneve
r you can, because I’m not letting silence destroy this family. I won’t go through that heartache again.”

  She whirled on John. “Why is it that you sought out my son to be the one undercover?”

  “I volunteered,” Gabe hissed.

  She turned to him in bewilderment. “But why, after everything that’s happened this year?”

  “Because it was the only way I could stay a cop.”

  Jazz gripped Luke’s hand. “Oh, Gabe. If only I’d—”

  Gabe whirled on her. “This isn’t your fault, Jazz. Your weapon was sabotaged. I don’t blame you for anything that happened, but . . . I. Am. A. Cop. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I need to see this through. I need my family to be safe. Let me do my job.”

  “Oh, boyo,” Anna whispered, her hand going to her mouth.

  “Mom, stop.” He sighed.

  Luke approached and laid his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you come to me for help? My investigations cover a lot of the same ground.”

  Gabe turned to his family. “I couldn’t make your position more dangerous. I may not be SWAT anymore, but I can end the threat of Gasmerati and Tower. I can protect my family this time and make up for not seeing that Steve Paretti was a traitor.”

  Ashley groaned when she saw the avatar she’d been assigned. Obviously a guy had been playing this game before her and designed this . . . supposedly erotic woman. She was clad in a football jersey, pads, and short-shorts. The woman turned and smiled seductively, her computer-generated breasts too big, her waist too small, and her hips too . . . something. Her fist pumped in the air, and all the loose lady parts jiggled enticingly.

  Gag.

  She glared at Niko. “I can’t believe you’re forcing me to play this bimbo.”

  “We don’t have time to change anything. The Warden wants you to break Level 88 on this computer today. It’s imperative.”

  Ashley tugged on the computer headset. “It’s BS, that’s what it is.”

  Forty-five minutes later, the screen went blank and an orchestra of music sounded through the system. Ashley waited, gazing at the screen. Had she made it?