Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(49)

He approached a table of deputies, their heads bent together.

“Did you hear Internal Affairs is after Wexler?” one whispered, before looking around. He caught sight of Gabe and paled. “Just a plate of appetizers and a pitcher of beer,” he rushed out, waving off the menus.

Gabe headed to the kitchen to put in the order. Been this way all day. Lots of whispering, lots of scanning other tables, lots of wary, somewhat fearful looks. It didn’t take a genius to guess why. Stolen evidence, rumors about Neil Wexler, Internal Affairs on the prowl.

Not a fun time at the sheriff’s office.

The entrance bell sounded again. Out of the corner of his eye, Gabe recognized two out of three of the musketeers. Where was Menken? Conversation hushed. They walked over and slid onto a couple of bar stools. Gabe gave Hawk a small nod, and he moved aside. This could be his chance. Menken was the leader. Without him there, the guys may have their guard down.

Gabe rounded the bar. “What’ll it be, gentlemen?”

He took the order and had just started to pull a draft for them when a familiar head poked in through the kitchen door.

Ernie? In the bar? In the daytime?

Gabe nearly dropped the beer. Forcing himself to remain calm, he slid the foam-topped beverage to one of the cops. “Hawk, can you finish up?” he said quietly and walked toward the kitchen.

The snitch ducked behind the door. What the hell was he doing?

Gabe snagged his jacket from the hook beside the exit and stuffed his arms into the down coat. Even in the afternoon, the winter chill snapped in the air.

“Ernie? I thought you said you’d never come into a cop bar.” Gabe’s breath puffed with each word. Had he finally caught a break?

The guy had plastered himself against the building. “Things change.” He turned to Gabe. “You gotta help me, Montgomery. I got information, but you have to get me out of Denver. Hide me or something.” His gaze swept the area wildly. “Bad things are going down. I need out.”

“Slow down, Ernie. What’s going on?”

“Promise first. I give you this information, you’ll help me disappear.”

Gabe nodded. A guy this scared had to be telling the truth.

“You know Grace O’Sullivan?”

“Yeah.” Gabe wasn’t about to admit exactly how. Grace had been Steve Paretti’s high school sweetheart. She’d also been Luke’s informant on the gritty exposé he’d done last year on the mob.

“Jeff Gasmerati knows about her. About her connection to Luke, and they just learned that she also contacted someone in Witness Protection,” Ernie said beneath his breath. “They’re going to kill her. Make an example out of her. Her husband has to do the hit to show his loyalty.”

She could bring the whole organization down. Gabe let out a loud expletive. “Wait here.”

He snagged his phone and called Luke.

“What’s up, Gabe?” his brother asked. “I don’t have anything more for you.”

“Can you contact Grace?”

“Why would you ask?” His brother’s voice grew cautious.

“Jeff Gasmerati put a hit out on her.”

“Damn.” Luke hung up.

Yep, Luke knew where Grace was. She must have been in contact again. Gabe turned to Ernie. “I’ll get you some money to hide. Stay out of sight.”

Gabe bypassed the kitchen to his small office and opened the safe. He pulled out some cash, then dialed another number.

“You shouldn’t call me here,” his brother Nick hissed. “You know that.”

“I need help. I need to put a snitch in protective custody and I can’t trust the sheriff’s office.”

“What’s going on?”

When Gabe mentioned Grace, his brother’s swearing made it clear he understood the severity of the crisis.

“Hole him up somewhere safe. I’ll be in touch.”

With the WITSEC process hopefully in motion, Gabe hurried outside. The asphalt was empty. As he walked the parking lot, Ernie shuffled out from behind the trash bin. “What took you so long?”

Gabe passed him a couple hundred. “Find yourself a motel out of the way, get a prepaid cell phone, and stay put. Call me with the number. We can help, but you’re spilling everything. I want Gasmerati and Tower.”

Ernie’s entire body sagged and he clutched the bills. “Thank you, thank you. Um. You should tell your brother Luke to keep an eye out.”

“What do you know?”

“Didn’t hear a hit, just his name.”

Gabe cursed. “Get out of sight. You know they’ve got ears everywhere.”

The snitch nodded and scurried across the parking lot and into an alley. Gabe let out a slow breath. If he could tie the ordered hit on Grace O’Sullivan to Gasmerati, or maybe Tower, this whole mess could be over. He made a quick call to Luke, but his brother had already made arrangements for Jazz and Joy to go to a hotel. They were safe. For now.

Gabe had to find a way to put Gasmerati away, but he didn’t know if the DA would risk Ernie as a witness. Still, people had turned state’s evidence before with worse records than Ernie had racked up.

With a last glance at his disappearing figure, Gabe opened the door to the bar, removed his coat, and strode inside. He had to let Zach know the stakes had just ratcheted up. His gaze slid over the customers. Tower’s goons had left. “They took off fast.”