In Her Sights

by Perini, Robin

  Jazz saw doubt in Steve’s gaze. This had to be hard. He couldn’t go to his family to verify their information either. If he did, he was dead. But they were asking him to risk everything he’d given up his family for.

  “It’s not fair for you to take this kind of chance with your career,” Jazz said. “If they find out, you could end up getting tarnished with the same brush as me.”

  “Hell, what’s life without living on the dangerous side. Besides, it’s worth a shot. If it pans out, I get a promotion. But unless I hit triple sevens, it won’t stop the brass from coming after you, Jazz. Unless they can’t find you,” he said innocently.

  Silence battered the room.

  “You think she should run?” Luke asked.

  “I’m just saying I wouldn’t be opposed to having a little more time to do the search.”

  Luke walked over to Jazz and grabbed her hand. “It’s a good idea. You’re in danger. If there’s a plant in the sheriff’s office, we should avoid them. It’s not like you have an address anymore. They can’t expect to locate you immediately.”

  Jazz recoiled from the idea. “I’ll look even more guilty. Wexler told me not to leave town.”

  “Luke and Steve are right,” Seth said. “The cops can’t arrest you if they can’t find you. We need the time, and you’ll stay safe.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Caleb, who’d been silently watching, spoke, his voice raspy as he tugged at his scraggly beard. “What if the Pinto belongs to the woman who went after Joy?”

  “Then we’re in trouble. We don’t know who she is,” Jazz said. “Luke pulled up her composite sketch, but I didn’t recognize her. It’s possible I knew her when I was a kid, but I lived in a lot of places, and people change as they age.”

  Luke paced the room in frustration. “If only we knew the woman’s name.” He turned to Gabe. “Could she have touched something while she was in the SWAT den, something that would have her fingerprints? I heard she climbed all over you.”

  “She touched me in a few anatomical places I won’t mention in mixed company, but nothing that would help.”

  Jazz rubbed her face with her hands. “It’s a dead end. We have a face with no identity.”

  “We’re going to get you out of here while Steve heads to the station to run those names.” Luke gripped her shoulders. “I’m still looking into what happened to a family from Jazz’s past. If we all hit another blind alley, we’ll regroup and try something else. We won’t stop until we find out who’s doing this.” He looked around the room. “Right?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Gabe said. “Don’t you worry, Jazz. Once the Montgomerys sink their teeth into a problem we never give up.”

  “Ever,” added Seth and Caleb simultaneously.

  Steve turned to Luke. “Where can you go? They’ll be looking for you soon. You can’t head to your place. They’ll probably try there first. You need somewhere out of the way.”

  “Easy.” Luke said. “The cabin. Nick took Joy and Mom there. It’s isolated, and nobody but friends and family know about it.”

  Steve nodded. “Good idea. Then I’m out of here while you guys plan your attack.” He paused in front of Jazz and cuffed her arm. “You hang in there. We’ll take care of whoever is doing this to you.”

  “I hope so.” Jazz shoved her hand in her pocket. Empty.

  Luke gave her a small smile and pulled out a roll of butter rum Life Savers. He knew. He understood. She took the candy from his hand. Oh, how she wished she could let herself love him like he deserved. Who else on earth had ever been there for her like Luke Montgomery?

  No one. She had to make sure his family was safe. This might be her last chance.

  The woman toyed with the front of her stooge’s camouflage jacket as they crouched in a thicket outside the Montgomery cabin. She loved the way her red-tipped fingernails looked like claws waiting to strike. “You did as I instructed? Luke and Jane are coming here now?”

  His eyes narrowed. “I’m not an amateur. Luke’s family is drugged and bound. They have been for a while. Now give me those pictures.”

  Her teeth grated. This was her plan. She was in control. Not him. “All but the girl will die? Right? I need her alive.”

  “I know the dosage. They won’t survive much longer. The girl will live.”

  “Good.” Luke Montgomery had to pay. With his brother and mother dead, he’d finally understand how much ignoring the rules cost. “How long before Luke and Jane get here?”

  Irritated, he glanced at the GPS monitor. “About thirty minutes.”

  Relief washed through her. The pilot was on stand-by. Well paid to ask no questions. She still had time to finish the setup. “The flat tire was a good move. Gives us plenty of leeway. What about the explosives?”

  Paretti pulled out a bag, no larger than a baked potato.

  “That’s it?”

  “PETN packs a punch. With this amount, you could blow up an entire house.”

  She smiled. “Excellent. Now let’s check out our bait.”

  With quick and sure steps through the pine needles and past a cluster of aspens she headed toward the cabin, pulling on a pair of surgical gloves as she went. No sense leaving fingerprints. After opening the unlocked door, she scanned the room.

  The man and the grandmother lay on the floor, still. The little girl rested, cuddled on the sofa, hugging some stupid stuffed fish. A pink blanket covered most of her.

  Placing two gloved fingers against the kid’s throat, the woman smiled at the thready pulse. The Liquid K had done its job well. The kid would be out for at least another few hours. “Perfect. We’re ready.” She turned to him. “Throw the kid in the backseat of my car.”

  He frowned at her. “What are you talking about? Jazz and Luke haven’t arrived. You said we’d take care of them here.”

  She slid a .44 Magnum from her bag and pointed it at him. “I lied.”

  Luke couldn’t reach the cabin fast enough. He needed to get Jasmine to safety, and at least there they’d be defensible. He skidded around another bend. In a half hour they’d be safe.

  She stirred in the passenger seat and opened her eyes, unfocused with sleep. “How long have I been out?”

  “Not long. Check the cell phone for service. We’re close to where we should be getting something. Remind me to buy a satellite phone after this.”

  She tilted the phone so she could see it. “Looks like a signal, but it’s weak.” A tone sounded. “You’ve got voice and text messages waiting.”

  “Hopefully it’s good news.”

  They rounded another bend, and Luke pulled over to maintain the signal. He took the phone and scanned the incoming calls list. “Five from my editor—probably wanting that article. Three from Seth. He must’ve found something.”

  “Or there’s a warrant for my arrest.”

  The thought had crossed Luke’s mind, but he hadn’t wanted to say it aloud. He hit the speed dial for Seth, and when his brother answered, Luke pressed the speakerphone. Static crackled across the lines. “It’s Luke and Jasmine.”

  “About time.” Crackling cut off his next words.

  “Seth, this is a really bad connection. I can barely hear you.”

  “I said things are happening fast here. I called in a favor, hoping to get facial recognition info on the woman, and I put the Pinto in the request at the same time. I think I found the owner. It’s not good.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “A familiar name owns a registered ’74 Pinto with Colorado plates. Jeff Gasmerati.”

  A cold shiver tingled at the base of Luke’s neck. “Jeff Gasmerati? Steve Paretti’s cousin? The one Steve disowned because Gasmerati stayed in the family business?”

  “The one he said he’d disowned,” Seth said. “That’s not all. Steve lied to us. There was a warrant issued for Jazz’s arrest just before he came to the hospital. Sergeant Carder told me Paretti knew. My guess is the family got to Steve—if he ever bailed on them at all. Just
like they got to Derek’s father.”

  “It can’t be,” Jasmine said, her voice a bare whisper tinged with hurt. “He was helping us. I trusted him.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Luke muttered. “He knows we’re headed to the cabin. He knows everything we’re doing. You got a location?”

  “No clue,” Seth said.

  Static cut through as the call dropped.

  Luke banged his fist against the steering wheel. “I hate the mountains sometimes.” He turned toward Jazz. “I grew up with Steve. I can’t believe he’d do this. He knows Joy’s at that cabin.”

  “He wouldn’t hurt her,” Jazz said. “She’ll be okay.”

  He tossed Jasmine the phone. “Call Nick and warn him and my mother.”

  A chime from Luke’s cell signaled a text message. “Maybe Seth has more information.”

  Jasmine hit a few buttons. “It’s a text message from Nick.”

  She went silent.

  His stomach lurched.

  She shifted the phone so he could see the screen. One word, HURRY, screamed at him from the tiny window.

  “Damn it.” Luke thrust the car into gear. Too much time later, he whipped the SUV around the curves leading to the cabin. Tall ponderosa pines served as the only rail, and more than a few times he nearly overshot the turn.

  “Come on, baby, come on.” Jazz hunched over the cell phone. “We have a signal back!”

  “Get Nick. He’s speed dial four.”

  She pushed the button, then send, and swore. “It’s ringing, but he’s not picking up.”

  “Call him again! No, call the police.”

  “The signal’s gone again.” Panic tinged her voice.

  “Damn!”

  Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. The word pounded through Luke’s head, even as terror raked his soul. Joy. His baby.

  The car skidded, tires shrieking as the vehicle slid sideways. At the last second, the wheels caught, and the SUV catapulted forward again. Luke took the turnoff to the cabin on two wheels then yanked hard to the right to pull into the drive. Gravel flew from beneath the tires like shrapnel, and he jammed on the brakes when he reached the cabin. No one exited the door to greet them, and his throat turned dry.

  Jasmine flicked the safety off the gun Seth had given her as they left the hospital.

  Luke opened his door and crouched behind it, his HK in his hand. “We don’t know what we’re facing yet. If there are no shots fired, we’ll move in. Paretti’s a professional. He knows what he’s doing.”

  She nodded then mimicked his actions.

  “Let’s go,” Luke hissed.

  They belly-crawled toward the cabin. Moments later, Jazz made her way to the window and peered in.

  “Steve!” Her anguished cry echoed through the clearing.

  Luke took off at a run and slammed through the front door, then skidded to a halt as he saw the pool of blood. His lifelong friend lay on the floor in front of him, still as death.

  “Oh, Steve,” Jazz said. “If you’d only trusted us. We could’ve helped.”

  “Joy!” Luke tore into the living room, his heart pounding out of his chest.

  “No!”

  Anna and Nick Montgomery lay sprawled on the floor beside the sofa, their arms and feet bound with duct tape. His mother’s skin was ghastly pale. Luke fell to his knees in front of them. “Please, no,” he whispered. Trembling, he touched fingertips against his mother’s carotid artery to check for a pulse. “She’s alive,” he called to Jasmine.

  He quickly tore at his mother’s bindings and freed her. He patted her face. “Mom, where’s Joy?”

  His mother’s eyes didn’t flutter.

  Luke knelt beside Nick and unraveled the duct tape. “He’s out too. His eyes are dilated. They’ve been drugged.”

  “What about Joy?” Jasmine asked.

  A fear greater than any he’d ever known swept through him. He ran for the bedrooms, slamming doors open and tossing furniture out of his way. A tiny voice inside said he was destroying a crime scene, but he didn’t care. “Joy? Joy!”

  The bedrooms were empty. The bathroom. He tore closet doors open, praying she’d been hidden away from the terror of what had happened. Nothing.

  “She’s not here.” Everything inside him shook. “Sweet Jesus, where is she?”

  “Luke! Steve’s alive.”

  He raced back to the kitchen. Jasmine knelt beside Steve. “Can you hear me?”

  A weak moan escaped from Steve’s mouth. He opened his eyes. “Sorry,” he said. “Plan didn’t work.”

  Luke crouched down and gripped Steve’s shoulders while Jasmine dialed 911. “Where’s Joy?”

  Steve sucked in a pained breath. “Crazy bitch took her.”

  “Tell me where Joy is,” Luke said. “She’s only a baby.”

  Steve grabbed for Luke’s shirt, but his hand slid away. “Crazy woman…wanted me to kill…family. Fooled her. Changed dose. Tried to keep this from happening. She screwed up everything. Gotta believe me. Missed shot on purpose. Tried to protect you, Jazz. Keep you alive.”

  “You’re the plant? You’re working for your family? Why take Joy?”

  “Woman’s not part of plan. Jazz’s past.” Steve sagged with a weak, sputtering cough. “Need help, Luke. Saved your family. Save Grace. Always loved…”

  He passed out, and Luke grabbed his wrist. Still alive, but faint. “Damn it. Where’s Joy?”

  “Luke!” Jasmine pointed at the kitchen table.

  Four pictures were propped up on the table, as if playing pieces for the board game underneath. He moved closer, afraid to see who was in the photos. His throat closed off.

  Gabe in ICU, Anna unconscious, Nick sprawled beside her, and Joy, curled up on the couch. The now empty couch.

  Under each picture had been scrawled a word.

  Eenie. Meenie. Miney. Moe!

  Moe! slashed across Joy’s picture.

  Luke’s head snapped up. “What’s she trying to say?”

  “It’s a message. To me.” Jasmine’s voice shook. “The game is called Truth or Consequences. It was popular when I was a child. Everyone in town had one.”

  Jasmine couldn’t take her eyes off the game. “They were so proud of the connection to that old TV show since the town changed its name from Hot Springs in about 1950.”

  She lifted her gaze to Luke. “My mother died there. Gary Matthews died there. I stopped being Jane Sanford there. It all fits. I have to go home. Joy is in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.”

  “What’s this?” He picked up the note printed on one of the cards lying in the center of the board.

  I’m waiting, Jane. No cops or she dies.

  Jazz’s body thrummed with frustrated energy as she and Luke watched from the cover of trees. She hated lurking from afar. She’d done enough of that to last her a lifetime. But she had no choice.

  Jazz pushed aside a pine branch. Two sheriff’s cars screeched to a halt in front of the cabin. Help had finally arrived for Nick and Anna. The controlled rage humming through Luke should have terrified her, except she could just as easily murder the woman who had taken Joy. She’d never been more terrified in her life—not for herself, but for that little girl. She might not be mother material, but she knew she’d sacrifice her life for Luke’s child. She might have to.

  “Do you think Steve will make it?” she asked.

  “He didn’t look good,” Luke said. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “I can’t believe he betrayed us both. How could we not have seen it?”

  “I knew his family ties, and he still fooled me.” Luke shoved his HK into its holster. “Grace didn’t know. She would’ve told me.”

  “Do you think he and Tower were working together?”

  “We may never know. If Paretti dies, the investigation dies. Hopefully I can convince Grace to go into witness protection. But for now, the trail to Joy leads south. That’s the mission.” His face had turned to stone, his eyes focused, readying himself for battle.r />
  “To the redheaded woman in Truth or Consequences. To my past. She has a lot to answer for.”

  “Seth’s on the Matthews search. Hopefully he’ll find something so we can gain an advantage.” Luke watched as an ambulance pulled up. “I don’t want to leave Mom and Nick, but Caleb will be here soon, and Joy needs me more. We don’t have time to answer questions, and we can’t afford for you to be arrested. We’ve got to get to T or C.” Luke took one last glance back, and the pine tree branch snapped into place. “I should have sent them farther away.”

  “It’s not your fault. I’m the one to blame. Me and my past. I just refused to recognize it.” This was the true reason they could never be together. She hurt everyone she cared about.

  But that didn’t matter now. Nothing mattered except getting Joy back safely to her father.

  They trekked through the brush to their car, and Luke pounded his fist against the side of the SUV. “Steve was the man following you in the Pinto, not Tower. I should have clued in that day outside the sheriff’s office when he pocketed the cigarette butt. I knew he had a closet smoking habit. I let my own expectations rule me. I was looking for the facts, not the truth.”

  Luke wrenched open the door of his SUV. “Come on, we’ve got to find a way to get to T or C fast, and driving is not the answer.”

  Jazz hopped in the vehicle and buckled up. “What are you thinking?”

  “Regular airline won’t get us to T or C, but we can still fly. There’s a small airstrip not too far where Zach parks his plane when he visits here. Dad used to hang out and shoot the breeze with some of his retired army buddies. One of the pilots must have a plane we can charter.”

  Luke’s SUV raced down the road through Kremmling toward McElroy Airfield. His hands gripped the steering wheel, and he held onto his control by a thread. Jazz checked Seth’s weapon and pocketed the Beretta. They would be ready when they landed.

  Minutes later, the SUV skidded to a halt in the dirt parking lot. They jumped out of the car and hurried toward the entrance to the small airport.

  Luke yanked open the squeaky door. The counter in front of them stood deserted, but to the left four grizzled figures sat drinking coffee and studying a chessboard on the table between the sofas.