Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(58)

Her gaze had narrowed in fury. “Is it Britney’s?”

“I can’t tell. It’s not very big, though.”

Luke’s cell rang. He glanced at the screen and grimaced. “I should let you take this.” He scowled at Gabe. With a deep breath, Luke answered the call. “He’s okay, Mom. Promise.” He placed his hand over the mouthpiece and glared at Gabe. “You didn’t make any friends by disappearing for several hours,” he whispered and handed Gabe the phone.

“Gabriel Francis, where have you been?” His mother’s voice choked around the question.

“I’m okay, Mom. Promise.”

He fielded her questions as best he could. The last thing he’d wanted to do was to hurt her, but he’d known Luke and Jazz would be at risk. He’d had to do something.

He finally got off the phone. “She’s upset.”

“You think?” Luke taunted. “Who wouldn’t be? By the way, Ernie called me earlier. Also upset you weren’t around. I was his last resort. He said he needed help. He also said something weird. He told me to tell you to look in Idaho.”

“What the hell is in Idaho?”

“I don’t know. He sounded pretty out of it, babbling a bit. He just kept asking where you were. He sounded frantic, but he wouldn’t stay on the line. That’s all I got.”

Gabe looked at the forensics techs taking samples on the porch. A chill pierced his nerves. Ernie had called. He needed help.

Which meant he wasn’t in hiding.

Please don’t let that hand be his.

“You got a minute, Gabe?” Neil Wexler walked over, his notebook in his hand.

“Yeah. You get around, Detective.”

“And you’re at the center of too much chaos . . . not to mention severed limbs. Any ideas on this? It may not be a homicide yet, but I get nervous when body parts show up.”

“The girl?”

Deb and Luke leaned in to listen.

Neil shook his head. “It’s not Britney’s hand. Definitely a male, but a small guy. According to Dr. Hanson, it’s pretty bruised. Some of the fingers look like they may have been broken and not reset correctly.”

Gabe swore under his breath. “I think I know. Check AFIS for fingerprints for Ernest Rattori, aka Ernie the Rat. He’s from around here, and he definitely has a file.”

“You know him, don’t you?” Neil asked. “I’ve seen him lurking around outside the bar a time or two.”

Gabe scanned his surroundings, then lowered his voice. Ernie had gotten careless if Neil had noticed him. “He’s a snitch.”

The detective drummed his fingers on his pad. “What’s going on with you, Gabe? Dealing with snitches and Gasmerati? Not a good idea.”

John Garrison walked over. “Detective, may I have a word with Mr. Montgomery? Alone, please?”

Neil stared at the captain curiously, then nodded. He turned to Gabe. “I’ll check out those prints.”

“Thanks, Neil.”

As soon as the detective left, Garrison moved in.

“Get out of sight now,” Garrison said sharply. “Take Deb. I haven’t said anything, but we found a John Doe in the landfill, so this is the third body in the last week with Gasmerati’s calling card. But this time it was left at your house. I don’t like you standing out here, exposed, with all these people milling around. Too easy for a sniper to take you out. We’ll secure the premises.”

“You heard him,” Luke piled on. “Move it. We have some talking to do.”

Both Garrison and Luke were right. He had to get Deb out of sight. Too many people had seen them together. He should have forced her to return to her apartment.

Like he could force her to do anything. She was one stubborn woman.

And he liked that about her. Too much.

Gabe grabbed her hand and they quickly rounded his house to the side entrance, followed closely by Luke. “I’m sorry about this, Deb. I’ve put you in a bad position. They may have seen you.”

With a quick survey, Gabe slipped the key into the lock, pushed it open, then sent his brother a sidelong glance. “Look, I’m fine. But I need you to keep everyone else safe.”

Deb gasped and pulled a gun from the side pocket of her pants. “Don’t move!” she said sharply, peering into the darkened room.

Gabe whirled around, gun drawn.

A ghost stood in front of him, barely visible in the dark.

Steve Paretti. Former SWAT teammate. Former best friend. Lying, traitorous son of a bitch.

“You bastard. You’re dead.”

Gabe lunged across the room and slugged the dead man in the jaw.

Paretti didn’t fight back.

Luke grabbed his brother’s arms. “I get to kill him first. He shot at Jazz. She almost died because of him.”

Nick Montgomery, U.S. Marshal, stepped out from the shadows. “You can’t kill him, Luke. Paretti’s in protective custody.”




The hubbub across the street drew all the officers away. They wanted to check out the garish display on Montgomery’s porch.

Sheriff Tower smiled. Exactly as planned. All was still and quiet in the detention center, except for that idiot Menken.

Two of Tower’s loyal deputies accompanied Menken down the hall and into the holding area. Lights-out was hours ago. Security cameras had been deactivated. The town drunks had been given the night off from arrest for DUIs in an unfamiliar surge of leniency from the sheriff’s department.