Behind the Lies (Montgomery Justice #2)(95)

Zach’s eyes went solemn and Jenna reached out her hand to him. “Did you get everything done…over there? Is it over?”

He fiddled with his phone, then passed it to her. The screen showed a news flash that a terrorist camp had been destroyed in Afghanistan. Khalid, the man responsible for hundreds of deaths, was among those killed by a smart bomb.

She squeezed Zach’s hand. “You did it.”

“Actually, Farzam’s wife and son did. Hamed hid a small GPS in his cloak when he was taken. He smuggled out the coordinates to his mother. She gave them to me. I got her son out before the strike.”

“Hamed’s alive?” Jenna was shocked, remembering Farzam’s grief.

“Sterling found records of several of Theresa’s last phone conversations. She’d gotten desperate and careless. She lied to Farzam to push him over the edge to justify killing him.”

“It worked,” Jenna shuddered, trying to block the memories. “So, where is the family now?”

“I used my Bollywood contact to help them relocate to India. It’s one of the more progressive countries in that part of the world for women’s rights. Setara and Pendar’s daughters will have an opportunity for a good life—and Farzam’s son might have a shot at living without a constant threat. I just hope he stays on our side. He’s an amazing kid.”

Jenna kissed Zack’s cheek. “You’re a good man, Zach Montgomery. Not everyone would have helped them.”

“They didn’t deserve the life they inherited because of their parents’ beliefs.” Zach swallowed hard. “It was my fault Pendar was killed. I could have stopped him.”

“Pendar made a choice to try to change things. Farzam made a choice to destroy lives. Theresa made her choices, too. You can’t own every mistake, Zach.”

He couldn’t let the doubts go, but when Jenna looked up at him with such trust in her eyes, he knew whatever had happened in the past, he’d do everything in his power to keep her faith in him strong.

“What about the debrief? Are you still OK with resigning?” Jenna asked quietly.

“No regrets.” He took her hand in his. “Sterling confirmed they’ve found all Theresa’s moles. There’s nothing left to tie Zach Montgomery to Zane Morgan. And Zane Morgan was officially killed in the blast that took out Khalid. I’m through. Now I get to be an annoying ex-movie-star and house-husband.”

“And busboy,” Jenna snorted. “I doubt that lasts long.” Her smile faded. “What about Theresa?”

“She had ten million dollars in offshore accounts, but that’s not the worst of it. She was more than greedy and power hungry. She’d turned traitor. She’d begun to put together a network of buyers and sellers of technology. Somewhere along the line she lost her soul.”

Zach pulled into Captain Garrison’s driveway. His mom had moved in with John to take care of him during his rehabilitation and never left.

“Do you think you’ll miss the excitement?” Jenna asked quietly. “You’ve had three months to get bored.”

He turned and pulled Jenna into his arms. “I don’t need any more thrills, except maybe when I’m chasing after that guy.” He tilted his head toward their little drummer boy.

“Uh, Zach?” Jenna took his hand and pressed it to her belly. “Sam’s not the only little one you’ll be chasing around in about seven months.”

“What?” Amazement and delight filled his voice. “Are you sure?”

She nodded happily. “I just found out this morning.”

Zach pulled her close and held her for a moment. “I couldn’t love you more if I tried.”

A hard rap on the window and a loud cough broke them apart.

“Get a room,” Gabe said with a wink, leaning on his crutches.

“Looks like we’ll need more than one room. Jenna’s pregnant!” Zach exited the vehicle, then strode to his brother and grabbed him in a fierce bear hug. “I’m going to be a father…again. Sam and a new bambino!”

“Damn,” Gabe shook his head in disgust. “I guess they let just anybody do that job nowadays. Good thing I’ll be the favorite uncle, so I can straighten those poor kids out.”

Zach and Jenna laughed as they walked into Captain Garrison’s home, Sam trotting at their heels.

Zach’s mother sat next to the man who had saved her life.

John rose to his feet slowly and held out his hand to Zach. “Welcome back. Did you find out anything more? Did my digging into Patrick’s death stir up these snakes?”

“You and me both, John,” Zach muttered. “Dad’s past drew a huge red flag for Theresa. Sterling discovered an uncategorized file that I accessed. It recorded a payoff. Five million dollars. Sterling tied the transaction to her. When you started asking questions about Dad, she panicked even more. We think that’s why she hired Brad to kill you.”

“Makes you wonder what else we don’t know,” John mused. “Patrick had more secrets than even I realized.”

He looked down at Anna with a sympathetic and loving gaze. For the first time Zach recognized the strain in his mother’s eyes.

“Mama—”

“I’ll be fine, Zach. I have faith in Patrick. Whatever he did, he had good reason. Someday we’ll know why.”