Game of Fear by Robin Perini

“They used the words billion dollars . Swear to God.”
    Gabe let out a low whistle. “What else?”
    “The Russian guy seemed upset about a car accident. Jeff said not to worry. He had law enforcement connections. Just then someone came walking into the hallway, and I bolted. I’ve already been on the bad end of too many fists lately for screwing up, so I got the hell out of there.”
    And there was the first real proof—even if it was secondhand. Gabe leaned forward. “Did anyone mention where this accident was?”
    “Yeah, near Taos. Someone found a bus that went off the road yesterday, but also spotted a car that these guys apparently didn’t want found.”
    A small gasp sounded from the side of the bar.
    “Ernie, get out of here,” Gabe said sharply.
    The snitch’s eyes widened. “Oh God. I’m dead.” He scurried away as fast as he could on his injured leg.
    Glock in hand, Gabe eased around the corner of the building.
    A figure in a ski jacket hurried toward the street. Gabe raced after it. He had to know who’d overheard his conversation.
    Within seconds, he caught up. Gabe spun the person around, slammed the intruder against the brick wall, then tore off the hood. Auburn hair spilled out over the jacket. “Deb? What are you doing back here at two in the morning?”
    “Apparently, getting molested by you.” The frigid wind whipped her hair across her face. She looked deathly pale, despite the fact her cheeks were red with cold.
    “Hey, you’re the one lurking outside the bar.” He studied her face. “What’s wrong?”
    “I thought I wanted to talk to you. Now I’m not so sure.”
    “If you wanted to talk to me, why didn’t you just use the phone?”
    She scowled, shifting against him. His body went taut, suddenly aware of the soft curves pressed against him and the strength lying underneath that softness. He cleared his throat and stepped back. Her pupils dilated and his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to peel off his gloves and touch her skin, feel her pulse to see if his reaction was one-sided, but then her face turned to stone.
    “I was on my way to the sheriff’s office,” she said. “When you crossed the parking lot . . . well, after all of your brother’s newspaper articles about bad cops and deputies, I was worried about who to trust. I thought . . .” She rushed on, “Look, I know you’re not a cop anymore. At least, I thought you weren’t until that guy—”
    Gabe cut her off. “ ‘Until that guy’ what?”
    She hesitated, more wary now, but not backing down. “I didn’t mean to overhear anything, but then he mentioned an accident on the way to Taos, in conjunction with a mobster. It shocked me. That’s the rescue tonight that got me grounded. Do you think the church bus was sabotaged? And, why would a Russian care about any of this?”
    Damn good questions. He had to back her off from this line of thinking. Fast.
    “I don’t know, but I’ll make sure the police check into your suspicions.” Yeah, she’d be sure to fall for that line . “It may be a different accident.”
    “Do I look like I just got off the bus from the country?”
    Gabe swore again. “Okay, I said I’ll look into it. Now, why were you heading to the station at this hour?”
    At his question, all her bravado vanished. He’d never seen quite that expression on her face. She looked up at him, worry crinkling the corners of her eyes.
    “My sixteen-year-old sister is missing. Ashley left my house about ten, planning to beat curfew, but never made it back to the dorm. The student who lent her his vehicle called me, freaking out that she hadn’t brought the car back. We’ve both tried calling her, but there’s no answer. This isn’t like her. Something is terribly wrong.”

    Deb’s face felt half-frozen, but the rest of her body was warm from Gabe pressing against her. For some stupid reason, she felt comforted by the pressure, instead of trapped by someone who might or might not be a