Game of Fear by Robin Perini Read Free Book Online Page A

County had turned into a lifetime job.
    “Last call,” Gabe announced, checking the time again.
    Most of the cops in here tonight had come for a few beers, a game or two of pool, and were now packing up to go home to their wives or husbands. The honest cops, at least.
    A few more of the Blue Brotherhood had shoved back a couple of shots, disappeared with a badge groupie for a quickie, then headed home to play the Good Daddy, tucking the kids into bed. Had Patrick Montgomery been one of those?
    Gabe hadn’t wanted to believe that about his father, but the longer he’d worked behind the bar, the more he’d seen what he hadn’t wanted to know.
    Dirtbags, like the three musketeers, made Gabe’s stomach turn. They acted like saints in the bar, but Gabe knew better. His gaze moved from one face to the next, ticking them off his mental list. Maybe Ernie’s info tonight would nail one and Gabe could feel like a real cop again.
    He glanced at his watch. “Five minutes to stools up.”
    His announcement brought groans, but most finished their drinks and started bundling up to face the freezing temperatures outside.
    Hawk cleared the dirty glasses and hauled them into the kitchen.
    Soon the place would be empty.

    Hawk’s taillights headed down the street and away from the closed bar. Gabe watched from the shadows, making sure the ex-spy was well out of sight. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his down parka.
    No birds chattered this time of year. A few engines sounded from the road, the occasional horn, but mostly the streets had gone quiet in this neck of Denver.
    Shifting his stance to ease the ache in his leg, Gabe searched for movement. He tried to concentrate while he waited for Ernie, but his thoughts drifted to Deb Lansing. This attraction to Deb was crazy. Could a woman with a seeming death wish and a burned-out vermin catcher with a bum leg and no dreams left, find anything in common? Somehow, he doubted it.
    He’d caught her watching him on occasion. She’d seen him limp across the floor, and her eyes had flashed with pity. He wanted to shed the role he played, but he couldn’t. So he let her feel sorry for him even if it stuck in his craw.
    To Gabe’s right, a shadowy figure ducked behind the trash bin. Gabe tensed and eased sideways, adjusting his stance, his hand behind him, ready to draw his weapon.
    “Psst. SWAT.”
    The nasal tone and familiar nickname had Gabe relaxing his fingers. Ernie.
    “You’re late and I’m freezing my ass off. Hope you have something decent this time. Your last tip led nowhere. I don’t give second chances.”
    Ernie nosed out from behind the bin, dragging his right leg behind him. “I was . . . unavoidably detained.”
    “What happened?” Gabe asked.
    The snitch shrugged. “Walked into a door . . . tripped down some stairs. Take your pick. They all work.”
    When the parking lot light hit Ernie’s face, Gabe winced. The guy’s skin was a rainbow of bruises, and one eye was swollen shut. “You need a doctor?”
    “No, but a bag of ice and something to eat would be good. I missed dinner . . . and lunch, come to think of it,” Ernie said, his expression full of hope. He climbed over a small snowbank, his limp obvious as he approached. “At least I can walk on this leg now. Thought I was gonna be on crutches.”
    Gabe shook his head. Ernie would do anything for a buck, but he’d come through a few times, so Gabe would humor him. He kept hoping Ernie would spill something big on Gasmerati or Tower and ask for protection. Poor guy was like the town punching bag for bad guys, and one of these times he wouldn’t recover from their torment.
    “Hold on. I’ll be back in a minute. Stay hidden.” Gabe retreated, making his way across the lot and into the bar’s kitchen. He grabbed a baggie and filled it with ice, then snagged the sandwich he’d made for himself and stuffed it into a paper bag.
    Ernie would never come inside the bar. Said he couldn’t be seen