Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(76)

“Luke made arrangements for Mom, Jenna, and the kids to stay at Caleb’s cabin. That place is hidden so far out in the boonies that even the wildlife doesn’t know it’s there. They’ll be safe. And Caleb can handle more weapons than most.”

“Caleb? Yet another brother?” Deb asked. “That’s six boys? Your poor mother.”

Gabe met Zach’s gaze and they burst out laughing.

“Feel sorry for us, Deb,” Gabe said. “Not Mom. You’ve met her. We didn’t get away with a thing.”

Still chuckling, Zach went into the building and retrieved the keys to the car. “I’ll bring the Jeep around. You know where we’re going?”

“That’s what GPS is for,” Gabe said, pulling out the new satellite phone Zach had forced into his hand, one with an extra-long battery. So the baby of the family can call home regularly, Zach had taunted. His brother’s expression held just enough concern, Gabe hadn’t slugged him. He’d taken the phone. This one even worked in the mountains. Deb’s calls were being forwarded to his phone, too, since reception was spotty.

Of course, Zach’s phone could probably get a signal on Mars. Gabe was dying to know how much it cost.

He tapped several numbers. “Shannon Devlin’s parents haven’t moved from their original home. Be ready, though. Mr. Devlin told me last night when I called that they never updated her room. It’s set up like a shrine.”

“That’s tough,” Deb said, but her face looked tortured.

What would Deb do if Ashley’s fate was not what they hoped? He gave Deb a sympathetic hug, then dialed the Devlins to let them know they were on the way.

“Hello?” a strange woman’s voice answered. Younger than the woman he’d spoken to the night before.

“Is this the Devlin residence?”

“Yes, who may I ask is calling?”

“Gabe Montgomery.”

The gasp at the other end of the phone twisted Gabe’s gut. Only one other person he knew had also known Shannon Devlin.

“It’s Whitney Blackstone. Why are you calling my parents?” she demanded. “This is a very difficult time for them. They don’t need more trouble.”

Her parents? Was he about to meet the woman with whom his father had the affair? Today was getting better and better.

“I have an appointment to see them. It’s important.”

“What’s this about?” Suspicion laced her voice.

Knowing he was a half second from getting hung up on, he laid out the truth. “I need to talk to them about Shannon,” he said. “Her death may be related to some missing kids in Colorado.”

Deb looked over at him, worried. He gave her a confident smile, when he felt anything but. The last time he’d tangled with Whitney hadn’t gone so well.

She cursed. “Come on then. I guess it’s good that I’m here. They’ll be a mess after you leave.”

“What are you doing there?” he asked. “I heard you’d moved to the east coast.” He was sure he’d read a notation like that somewhere in his father’s notes. At least, she’d gone to school out there.

“Not that I’m not interested to know why you think you have a right to know where I live, but I’ve taken a few weeks’ leave from my job.” Whitney lowered her voice. “They found the bodies of some friends of mine and Shannon’s on the side of the mountain. My parents took the news badly. I’m out here to stay with them until after the funerals, provided the coroner releases the remains soon.”

“I’m sorry.”

She paused. “How could Shannon’s death eight years ago be related to a current case?”

“That’s what I’ve been asking myself,” Gabe admitted. “Over and over.”

“Are you sure you need to come now?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Gabe groaned inwardly. How the hell was he supposed to keep Zach from recognizing Whitney as their half sister? With luck, she’d changed a lot over the years.

But that was not the way Gabe’s luck had been running lately.

He and Deb walked to the four-wheel-drive Jeep that Zach had brought around. Before she got in, Gabe grabbed her and pulled her close, holding her tighter than he probably should, but needing her steadiness to stabilize his world in some way before seeing Whitney Blackstone totally blew it apart.




The stainless-steel table pressed into Ashley’s back, the cold metal making her freeze. She twisted her wrists against the leather of the restraints, then her ankles. The lightweight pants and shirt looked a lot like hospital scrubs. They were two sizes two big and engulfed her, but at least it hid her shape. Not that the Warden cared.

She tried to bend and twist her hands enough for her fingers to reach the buckles. She had to get out of here.

Steel boots clanked on the concrete floor. He had to purposely wear those boots just to freak people out. Even though Ashley believed that, she couldn’t stop her Pavlovian reaction. Her side still ached from the last time he took the scalpel to her.

Niko opened the door and the red-haired man entered the room. She couldn’t stop the whimper from escaping. The Warden followed them in, plus another man who delivered a tray of medieval-looking instruments, then back out swiftly, his face a tad green.