Behind the Lies (A Montgomery Justice Novel) by Robin Perini Read Free Book Online Page A

small, hidden door at the side of the driveway. Once at the front door, with practiced fingers, he ran the tips around the doorjamb and perused the sensors hidden in the hedges on either side of the threshold.
    No sign of intruders.
    So far so good.
    He pushed inside the house and closed the door behind him. A loud beep sounded from the security system. Zach hit the code and scanned the log. No one had tripped the system.
    Safe, for the moment.
    Zach kneaded the muscles at the back of his neck in an attempt to stave off the building headache. First things first. He crossed the tile and headed straight for the bar. He placed his 1911 on the marble, pulled a longneck bottle out of the small refrigerator, and slammed a swallow of cold brew down his throat. With a flop he landed in a large leather chair and rubbed at the stubble on his chin.
    Maybe he’d let it grow out. Fewer people would recognize him that way.
    Another swig and he sighed. A beard wouldn’t stop his enemies. He couldn’t stay here. Too many people knew about the address. Hell, he was on the B-movie-star tour of fame.
    He tapped the half-empty bottle and hit the remote for the large-screen television. A scan of the national and local newsrevealed nothing about the abandoned airplane or two dead bodies at Montgomery Field. No locking down of the San Diego airport. No security concerns.
    Someone had to have found the plane by now, which meant Theresa had done a thorough cleanup job. Now he had to do his part.
    Thank God for his backup plan. Under an assumed name, he’d purchased a small piece of property hidden on the western edge of the Holy Cross Wilderness in the Colorado mountains. Just in case.
    He’d always hoped he’d never need it unless he retired there.
    Zach placed the bottle on the coffee table and stood. He stretched his back and made his way to the rear door. Could he afford the time for a soak in the hot tub to ease the aftereffects of oxygen deprivation?
    With a flip of the floor and ceiling dead bolts, he unlocked the glass door. He slid it open. The strobe light flooded the pool and hot tub with light. Quickly, Zach shut it off. He didn’t need to advertise his presence.
    He looked longingly at the water. One switch and he’d be in heaven. He tugged at his shirt and stepped into the backyard.
    A loud buzzer sounded from the security panel.
    Zach tensed. The front gate. He could ignore the summons. He filtered through the possibilities. He needed to know how close his enemies were—whoever they were. And truthfully, anyone really wanting to kill him wouldn’t announce their presence, they’d simply attack.
    He reentered the house, crossed to the security panel, and glanced at the screen on the wall. A lone man stood at the gate, peering inside.
    Zach pressed the button. “Yes?”
    “This is your neighbor, Brad Walters. I need help. My wife and son are missing.”
    Zach stilled. He recognized the name. He’d requested a scan of his neighbors when he’d first moved in. Nothing out of the ordinary had appeared on the initial report. Damn it. He’d hoped to come and go completely stealth, but he couldn’t turn the guy down. His family was missing. Zach pressed the code. The gate swung open. “Come in. The gate will close behind you.”
    The man hesitated, then walked in. Alone. After he passed through, Zach entered the code to lock the gate.
    He set the bottle on the bar, stuffed his 1911 in the back waistband of his jeans, and strode to the front door.
    He peered through the peephole. The grainy view from his surveillance camera hadn’t lied. A nondescript man stood outside. Someone who would fade into the background. Not a typical look for this neighborhood with most faces either perfect from birth or sculpted to look that way.
    The guy could be anyone…including the man sent to kill him. Zach would know the truth before Walters left. Poised for an attack, Zach eased open the front door, his hand gripped on the weapon.
    “Thank