Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(88)

Within moments they stood beside a Bell chopper.

“This okay?” he asked Deb.

With rushed movements, she inspected the helicopter. “It’ll do.”

While Deb completed her preflight, Gabe watched her closely. She was running on empty, they all were, having flown across a half dozen Western states since this morning. Winslow had been a blow, but for the first time since he’d recognized Ashley had been taken and wasn’t on the run, Gabe had to admit he had hope they might actually find Deb’s sister.

If they could find Justin.

Zach sidled up beside Gabe. “She’s something else.” A helicopter pilot himself, Zach studied her inspection. “She’s good at what she does. Doesn’t have to think about the next step,” he said. “How is she holding up, Gabe? Really?”

“She’s strong. She’ll do what it takes to find Ashley,” Gabe said. “Later, she might fall apart, but not until the job’s done. She’s a lot like us that way.”

“God knows I’m not one to lecture—” Zach started.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Much,” Zach continued. “But you need to rethink Steve. Nick vouched for Paretti. We haven’t heard the whole story on his undercover status, but I know from you the guy is a good shot. Not as good as Jazz, but good. We could use two positions if the building is as large as the footprint at Winslow.” Zach placed his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I know what he’s done, but we need him, Zach. And you need to trust Nick’s judgment on this one.”

With a scowl, Gabe shoved his hands through his hair. Anger still roiled inside him. It had barely lessened at all. “I’m not ready to trust him that much.”

“I am,” Deb said. “I’ll beg him, if I have to. Because my sister’s life is more important than hurt egos at the moment. Betrayal sucks. I know that firsthand. You know I do. But your brother vouched for him. In the time I’ve known you, you’ve bragged about Nick more than once. I’m willing to trust his judgment. It’s my sister’s life at stake. Bring him in.” She crossed her arms. “Now, are you ready to find Justin?”

The truth of Deb’s words slammed into Gabe. Man, what the hell was he thinking? Deb was right. Besides, he didn’t have to trust Steve. He just had to let him shoot.

“I hear you, Deb. There’s only one hitch.” He looked back and forth between Zach and Deb. “What if Gasmerati shows up? Do you think Steve can actually kill his own cousin?”




A tinge of orange bathed the Nevada desert sky. Deb strapped in, her hands steady, even though her heart pounded with anticipation.

“Put on your headsets,” she ordered Zach and Gabe, then slipped on her own. “All set?” she asked through the mic.

“Let’s go,” Gabe said. “We’re running out of light.”

The whirr of the rotors emitted a high-pitched squeal and, a few minutes later, Deb lifted the center control stick. The chopper rose in the air and started north.

Zach set out binoculars and opened a large duffel. A slew of weaponry overflowed. Semiautomatics, a couple of clubs, knives, rifles. God knew what else. “The owner didn’t see your stash, did he?” Deb asked.

“Nah. We’d probably be under arrest if he did, but if we’re in a firefight, we’re going to need it. We’re not leaving without those kids.”

“Have an extra set of binoculars?” Gabe asked while he spread out the map.

“Yeah.” Zach dug around in the bag. He found the second pair and passed them over.

The sun had fallen even lower in the sky. “Maybe an hour or so of daylight left,” Deb said, peering at the ground.

She pushed the steering bar and the bird headed north, veering down slightly. “What are the coordinates for that weigh station? If the trucker they hitched with is dead, the kidnappers aren’t far behind. When they learn Justin and his friend weren’t killed, they’ll call out the troops, en masse.”

Gabe studied the map and circled an area. “Luke’s looking into the weigh station. We’ll have to guess until he calls. From what Justin said, the camp is probably near Saylor Creek Bombing Range. It’s south of Mountain Home Air Force Base. That’s a good eighty miles as the crow flies to the Nevada border.” He shifted the map. “If I were them, I’d head for an area that’s not totally flat. They’d want someplace to take cover, if they need to, though even this area doesn’t offer much.”

“Good eye,” Deb said. “That’s where I would have headed, too. Let’s hope it’s as obvious to Justin and Dave on the ground.”

“Nick is arranging a safe house and guards for the boys to go into as soon as we find them,” Gabe said smoothly. “Plus, I called Caleb and gave him a heads-up. He’s got everyone in our family in Denver packing.”

“So what’s the plan?” Zach asked, all the while scanning the desert surface with the binoculars.

Gabe did the same on the other side of the chopper. “Luke is gathering the troops. As soon as we know where to go, we’ll finalize plans.”

The sat phone rang. God, she hoped Luke had come through with the location.

“See you there,” Gabe shouted. He twisted in his seat. “A local news report said the police found a truck and weigh station blown to smithereens off of Highway 93. Not a whole lot to identify, but enough of the driver remained to determine that he had been shot through the temple. Before the bomb hit,” Luke said.