Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(64)

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.