by Robin Perini
She faced him. “How are you doing?”
“No one ever asks me that.” He touched her cheek. “Not bad, except I wish we hadn’t fallen asleep in that hotel room. Not how I’d planned to spend our first night in the same bed.”
She stared at the collar peeking over the neck of his sweater. “Me, either, but it was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
Gabe leaned close, his presence seducing her in the middle of disaster. “Too bad it took a fire and a break-in to force us into what we both want. Want to try again? Soon? Like tonight?”
God, he was charming. They hadn’t spent the night in that hotel for a quick—or long—night of hot, wet, slow kisses. They went there because his place reeked of smoke; hers was a disaster, but more importantly, too many people knew where they lived.
He wouldn’t take a chance with her safety. He’d been betrayed, but he still fought . . . for her sister and for his family. She knew if she needed this man he would be there. She couldn’t say that about everyone.
Certainly not her father.
She couldn’t even say that about herself. Not after what had happened in Afghanistan.
A comforting warmth emanated from him. Just a few more inches and he would kiss her. She placed her hand just over his heart. She wet her lips and a small groan purred in his chest.
“Am I interrupting?” Neil Wexler asked.
Deb started and sprang back.
“Great timing, Detective,” Gabe muttered.
A small smile crossed the detective’s exhausted face. Neil shook his head. “Just couldn’t resist. Sorry.”
He nodded at the arson investigator who knelt beside the gas line leading to the kitchen. “The fire department called it a very efficient attack. The perp used acid to eat through the gas lines, here and inside. As soon as the gas hit the air near the grill, the place went up. Simple, but effective.”
“They knew exactly what they were doing,” Deb said quietly. Gabe was in his own small war, and right now, the bad guys were winning.
“The explosion was definitely intentional,” Neil said, thumbing through his notepad, “though it could have been chalked up to a gas leak if the section of pipe out back hadn’t remained relatively intact. The regularity of the acid damage on the copper negates that.” With a speculative look, Neil studied Gabe. “Exactly how many enemies do you have?”
Gabe let out a long, slow breath. “All former cops have enemies. Nature of the job, right?”
“You seem to have more than your share of people who want to kill you. Two incidents an hour apart. These are serious warnings, Gabe. We might want to put you into protective—”
“No way.” Gabe ignored Neil and looked at Deb. “I’m not disappearing.”
“Maybe you should . . .” Deb’s voice trailed off when a car screeched into the parking lot. She tensed until John Garrison stepped out of the vehicle.
Anna Montgomery followed quickly. The wind whipped her coat open. She didn’t seem to care, she just jumped out of the car and ran to Gabe.
She clasped him close, clinging to him, her arms firm and tight. Gabe hugged her back and closed his eyes for a moment.
Unconditional love. Deb could barely remember the feeling.
“I wanted to come last night, but John made me wait.” She glared at the man to her side, then stepped back, looked Gabe over, then hugged him again. “I swear, the stress of mothering you boys is going to be the death of me. Can’t you all settle down and be accountants or something? Work behind a desk and give me grandchildren to deal with instead of fear for your lives?”
Without hesitation she pulled Deb into a fierce hug. “You were wonderful last night, young lady. Saving that man who stopped breathing. Did you know he has two kids and a pregnant wife? She’d have been lost without him. You did a very good thing. You should be proud.”
Anna touched Deb’s face gently. “You’re a hero.”
Deb’s heart constricted. Not having a mother much of her teen years, this kind of tenderness stunned her. This woman barely knew her and she’d just opened her heart.
A few blinks and Deb cleared her throat. “I’m glad he’s all right. I wasn’t sure when the ambulance took him away what would happen. It was relief when I called last night that he was being released today.”
“You called.” Anna grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “Do you know how rare that kind of caring is? Well I do.”
She looked over at Gabe. “She’s a keeper, Gabriel.”
Anna threaded her arm through Deb’s. “I was a law enforcement officer’s wife for a long time, and now the new man in my life—not to mention my sons—risk their lives every day. That man’s wife lived in dread of the phone call she received yesterday. You made sure she didn’t have to accept that folded flag. That means a great deal to me. I won’t forget it.”
“I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Which makes me like you all the more.” Anna grabbed one of Gabe’s hands and squeezed. “This one can’t seem to stay out of trouble. I’m glad you’ve been around to help. You know, I’ve never officially thanked you for getting Gabe to the hospital that night.” A dark cloud fell across Anna’s expression. “We almost lost him that day. Thank you for being there.”
Anna hugged Deb again, and a lonely place inside her cracked open. Her defenses were almost gone. Gabe’s mother had torn them apart and shredded them piece by piece.
Deb had missed this kind of caring since her mother died. She’d had to do the nurturing. For her little sister, and her brothers.
Her father had turned her away.
No one had ever just hugged her like Anna Montgomery.
Deb hardly knew what to say.
“Thank you,” she whispered, just letting Anna hold her, the wall around her heart crumbling to rubble.
Ashley sat in front of the computer monitor, staring at several all-too-familiar algorithms. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
The worst mistake she’d ever made, and she was seeing its results. She and Justin hadn’t really been black hats, hacking into computers for crime and profit. They’d been more gray hats. Not quite altruistic in their breach of the NSA’s database, but they hadn’t exactly wanted to bring down the free world, either.
She recognized these algorithms. She knew the back doors and the traps, even though these were a bit more intricate. Cybergeeks had their own signature. She had hers; the NSA security team had theirs.
P.O.E. was the means for the Warden and his cronies to break into the NSA computer system. God knew what else.
It had just become even more important than ever for Justin and Dave to escape. She just prayed they were both on track.
Hoping Niko didn’t notice, she leaned forward and peered down the row of gamers until she saw Justin.
He sat at his station, twisting and turning the game controller in his hands, playing the newest version of P.O.E.
Version VIII was a huge leap. Graphics, story, challenges. And now, Ashley knew, once a player reached Level 88, the downloaded bonus game would provide a way for black hats to root through national security systems. All on the skills of those who had a gift for numbers and encryption.
Justin had those gifts. She couldn’t take her eyes off the boy whose intelligence had seduced her and whose warm kisses made her feel special. She never wanted to forget those feelings.
He met her gaze, raised his fingers to his lips, and turned back to the monitor. A few minutes into his next mission, his joy dissolved into confusion, then flashed to fear as comprehension dawned.
Oh God. He’d recognized the truth behind the game. He dropped the controller to his lap and lowered his gaze.
He wasn’t quick enough.
The red-haired guard strolled over. “Congratulations, Mr. Connell. Come with me. We’re transferring you to the primar
y testing room to complete this mission.”
Just as they’d planned, except now she and Justin both knew the real stakes of the escape. Billions of dollars, so many lives. This was bigger than three sixteen-year-old kids.
God, Deb, what have I gotten myself into?
It was more important than ever that Dave get past Level 88, too. He and Justin needed to be in the same location or their plan might fail.
She squinted at Dave. His brow was furrowed; his entire body tensed and he looked panicked.
This was not good. Maybe she could set another time bomb so the grid to this room would blink off as well. It was risky, but Ashley doubted she could hide what she’d done more than a few hours anyway.
Floyd had warned her of as much.
“They check the security logs and keystrokes every night. Anything unusual, they’ll know it,” he’d said.
With shaking hands, Ashley brought up a window and dove into the security codes. Fear drove her as she slid past one wall after another. Her layers ran deep. The timing had to be perfect.
“Ashley.”
She jumped.
Not Niko. The sleazy voice of the red-haired man whispered in her ear. “This isn’t the section of code the Warden assigned to you. What are you doing?” His voice was low, menacing, and horrifyingly pleased to have caught her.
She swallowed. She hit a button and the window disappeared, but she knew it was too late. She closed her eyes. Had she just killed them all?
“This is the section that came up,” she protested. “I’ve had a few glitches on my computer today, but my assignment is nearly done. See?”
She pulled up the window she’d been working on as slowly as she could get away with.
The redheaded man turned off her monitor. “Go to the Warden’s office. He’ll deal with you.” The man smiled, his eyes much too eager. “Or, maybe I’ll be lucky and he’ll turn you over to me.”
The sheriff’s official car screamed into the Sammy’s parking lot and pulled up next to Garrison’s. Great, just what they needed. Gabe had dealt more with the sheriff in the last few days than in his entire tenure as a deputy.
He preferred the latter.
Sheriff Tower threw open the door and slammed it behind him. He hitched his hands in his back pockets and a sneer creased his face. “Well, isn’t this a nice cozy group? I have some questions for the bunch of you.”
John Garrison stepped in front of Anna, and Gabe did the same with Deb.
Deb elbowed Gabe. “I don’t need your protection,” she hissed under her breath.
Anna pinched John’s arm. “What she said.” She winked at Deb.
“Sheriff Tower,” Garrison said, by way of greeting, though his voice sounded cool. “What brings you here?”
The captain might be sleeping with Gabe’s mother, but the guy was stand-up. He didn’t back down from the sheriff. Gabe had to respect that. He’d just ignore that whole sleeping in the same bed idea.
“My town is going to hell and I want some answers, Captain.” Tower’s sharp gaze narrowed at Gabe. “Do you have any for me, Deputy?”
“No longer wear the badge, sir.” Gabe tapped his leg.
“So the captain told me.” Tower looked around at the destruction. “The ME’s office identified Ernie Rattori as the former owner of the hand left on your front porch. Fingerprint match.”
Gabe’s stomach sank. He’d suspected, but he’d hoped the hand wasn’t Ernie’s.
“What have you got to say about that, Wexler? Why did I get a call from the press wanting a confirmation of the story when my own detective didn’t see fit to inform me?”
“I’ve been working the explosion this morning, sir,” Neil said through clenched teeth.
“Rattori was a snitch the vice squad used on occasion,” Tower said, as if Wexler hadn’t even spoken. “A known informer. You are no longer on the force, Montgomery, yet he showed up to talk to you several times. Wexler, you’ve been less than forthcoming with your investigations. If I were a suspicious man, I’d think you were working together. Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Gabe shrugged. “I wish I could help, Sheriff. With the struggling economy, I’ve got beggars coming to the back of the bar all the time asking for handouts.” Gabe shrugged. “I gave him a meal a few times.”
“I thought you might deny any involvement. You’ve spared yourself an interrogation. For the moment.”
Two more sheriff’s cars pulled into the parking lot. Four deputies exited. Two with smiles, two looking as if they’d just downed a bad batch of wings.
Gabe’s urge to slip his hand to his weapon nearly overcame him. “What’s going on?”
One deputy pulled out his handcuffs. “Detective Wexler?” The guy gulped. “I’m sorry, sir. I have to arrest you for conspiracy and theft of official evidence.”
Neil stood, stoic, while the deputy’s voice shook. The officer pulled Neil’s hands behind his back. His jaw jerked, but he said nothing.
“This is crazy, Tower.” Gabe stepped forward, but two of Tower’s musketeers placed their hands on their weapons.
“Take him away.”
The deputy read Neil his rights. He looked over at Gabe. “I didn’t do this.”
“I know.” Gabe was certain, but innocent men went to jail. Especially when the brass wanted you to, and Tower looked much too confident.
“I’ll call your rep,” John promised.
“More important business first,” Neil said. “Call my wife. Tell her I love her . . . and I miss her.”
The deputy pushed Neil into the vehicle. Tower placed his hand on his weapon and faced Gabe. “If I discover you’re in collusion with the detective, I won’t hesitate to arrest you. I suggest you stay out of trouble, Montgomery.”
The sheriff turned on John Garrison. “Meet me in my office first thing tomorrow morning, Captain. We’ll be having a discussion about how you run your division . . . and exactly how little control you have over your staff . . . and ex-staff. I believe it’s time for some changes.”
Sheriff Tower sauntered away.
“He’s a piece of work,” Deb said. “What are you going to do?”
“Gabe’s not doing a damn thing but continuing his investigation,” John said. “I’ll take care of Neil. Tower just overplayed his hand. I have friends, too. In the Justice Department.”
“He’s been planning this,” Deb said.
“You’re right.” Gabe surveyed the scorched parking lot and what remained of the bar. “What I don’t get is why, along with the Gasmerati evidence, they accused Neil of taking the information on Shannon Devlin’s case. It doesn’t make sense. Tower had plenty of cases to choose from.”
“Unless he’s planning to pull you into his web,” Anna said, her eyes worried.
Gabe touched her cheek. “I’ll be fine.”
She shook her head. “No, you won’t. Not until this is over.”
His mother was right. As always. “We do know one thing,” Gabe said. “It won’t hold water in a court of law, but I think we just got our proof that Tower is in bed with Jeff Gasmerati.”
The cold January air whipped from off the Rockies and sent a shiver through Deb. Gabe followed her up the stairs to her apartment, though this time they went more slowly in deference to his leg. “I’ll just change clothes.”
“Pack for more than one day,” Gabe said, his hand hovering over the holster sitting under his jacket. “Until this is over, I don’t want us staying in one place.”
When she reached the landing, Deb paused. A package rested on her doorstep. “Weird. I didn’t order anything. Especially overnight delivery. That’s not in the budget.”
“Step away from the package,” Gabe ordered sharply. He set down the duffel he’d packed before leaving his house, unzipped it, pulled out a small leather kit and a cotto
n swab. Gently he swiped the outside of the package, then placed the swab into a test tube. He shook it.
The liquid turned green.
“No explosive residue. But that doesn’t mean it’s not rigged—”
“You always carry an explosive detection kit around with you?”
“After last night, I carry a lot of things on me that I never did before.” He handed her the padded envelope.
“Oh my God!” Deb stared at the address label. “Ashley.” Her knees shook. She threw her arms around Gabe. “She’s alive!”
“How do you know?” He took the package from her and studied the address label. “From Intelligent Solutions?”
“No, no. Look who it’s addressed to.” Deb pointed to her name. Admiral Deborah Lansing. “No one but the family uses that nickname. She’s alive.”
Deb couldn’t stop grinning. She unlocked the door, hurried across the room, and checked her answering machine. “No messages. Ashley didn’t call.” Deb scrubbed her hands over her face. “But, somehow, she sent me a message.”
Her legs couldn’t hold her any longer. She collapsed on the couch, nearly overwhelmed with relief.
“Hopefully there’s a note or something telling us where she is.” Gabe pulled out a pair of latex gloves from his duffel and sat down beside her. She leaned forward watching his every move. Her leg bounced with urgency. Was it almost over? Was this the key to finding Ashley?
Carefully, Gabe opened the flap and pulled out a box. “Point of Entry.”
“There’s got to be more,” Deb said.
Gabe opened the packing and peered inside. “Nothing.”
“No note?” Deb’s body sagged with disappointment, like she’d plummeted from a plane with no parachute. “There’s got to be something.”
For several minutes they carefully scanned every inch of the package. Deb shook her head. “Nothing on the outside or the inside.”
Gabe flipped the case over. “Intelligent Interactive makes the game. But that’s not who sent the game. What is your sister trying to tell us?” Gabe slipped his new phone from his pocket and hit the Speaker button.
