Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(18)
“I guess it has been now. There were three skeletons inside and they’d all been shot.”
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CHAPTER FOUR
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ASHLEY HUDDLED AS best she could in the back of the SUV. The frigid temperature outside made it so she could barely feel her fingers and toes anymore. Niko kept the heat down really low. She blew against her frozen hands; her warm breath made them sting.
She tugged at the zip ties binding her wrists, but she’d rubbed the skin raw. She bit back a small whimper. Even the smallest movement burned like fire licking her skin.
Her head dropped against the carpet. She didn’t bother trying to sit up and look outside. They’d covered her with a blue, heavy-duty plastic tarp. She couldn’t see anything.
And no one could see her. The vehicle sped down the road. The rhythmic thud of seams in the asphalt pounded into her brain. She had no idea how long they’d been driving. She’d lost all sense of time. It could have been two hours, five, or even eight.
She shifted her body and her calf muscles seized. She tried to stretch out her legs, but she had to make do with flexing her foot to ease the cramp. She had to go to the bathroom, and her jaw throbbed from her kidnapper’s fists. She hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink since Deb’s and her stomach ached as much as her head.
Don’t let it get to you. She could almost hear Deb’s voice. Fight.
She moved her head toward the edge of the tarp, nudging it aside. Maybe she could tell if it was daylight.
Someone’s fist smashed down on her back. “Smarten up, Lansing. We’ll be there in a few hours. Don’t blow it now.”
A few more hours? Where the heck were they taking her?
The traffic pattern seemed to be more congested, more stop and go. Were they passing through a city? Would they stop to get gas?
She wished she dared to look out, try to attract attention. Signal for help. They’d have to stop again eventually.
That might be her last chance to get away. If they opened the back hatch, she had to be ready.
Snow crunched beneath Gabe’s every step. Even the nonthreatening sound scraped across his edgy nerves the last few feet to Deb’s car. One photo had provided Gabe with more new information than he’d gathered in years of searching. He needed to look at his father’s old case files to confirm his suspicions—that the car contained the remains of Shannon Devlin’s missing teammates—but he had little doubt.
Deb leaned against her car, silent and obviously distracted. Despite the frigid air, she didn’t move. “I can’t just go home. I’ve got to do something.”
Her words broke through the eerily silent night.
Gabe studied her face under the streetlight, her rigid features, the shadows under her eyes. She jiggled her car keys in her hand and he tensed, her uncertainty disconcerting. He’d never seen her as anything but assured in her actions. Until tonight.
“You planning to head to Colorado Springs?” he asked.
“What else can I do? I have to find her.”
He didn’t blame her. If one of his brothers went missing, he’d be tearing the town apart.
“You’re too tired to drive—”
She stiffened. “I know my body’s limits.”
He raised his hands. “Look, I know someone who might help, but he works days.” He gestured to his house. “It’s not that long until dawn. Want to come in?”
“Come in?” Suspicion laced her words and she stepped back.
“I know how it is when family’s in trouble.” He didn’t try to touch her. “Let me help. I have some files to check out. Maybe Ashley will call and this will all be over. If not, have something to eat and drink until it makes sense for us to drive to Colorado Springs.”
“Us?” The words were wary, like she had trouble believing all he wanted was to help and not take her into his arms.
Gabe led her across the parking lot. “Us. Seems like you could use an ally.”
For a few seconds she didn’t answer. Finally, Deb sighed, her face marked with worry. “Okay. Thanks. I’m jumping out of my skin. I can’t believe this is happening. Last night, I was talking to her and now—”
“We’ll find her, Deb.” Gabe unlocked the front door and held it open.
She went inside, brushing against him—not as an invitation, though. His body thrummed at her nearness, but he’d received her message loud and clear.
“Do you really think Detective Wexler will do the BOLO?”
“He doesn’t believe he needs to, but he promised. He keeps his word.” Gabe entered, then closed and locked the door behind him. “Neil is a good guy. He’s a natural skeptic, and not easily swayed by emotion, but we’ve got him curious.”
“He could bury the request.”
“He’s a smart detective. He can’t do much officially right now, but he’ll keep an eye out for any related bulletins. Besides, we’ve laid the foundation for Ashley’s case and, if I’m right, provided Neil a lead on a cold one.”
His house’s warmth took the edge off the cold. Deb headed through the living room and dropped her jacket on the back of the couch. “Why would Neil be so interested in three kids dying near Taos? Were they originally from Denver?”