Game of Fear (11 page)

“So, you reached this high level on Justin’s machine. What about Ashley’s? I heard you guys snuck into the computer lab. Did you do it there, too?”

Mylo shrugged. “We got caught by Ashley’s advisor and a couple of guards so we used Ashley’s machine in her room instead. Her computer was superfast and she was one level away. We made it. Hit a record score.” Mylo grinned, almost preening with pride. “We got the free upgrade of levels and everything. Ashley rocks at coming up with the passwords to break into the systems. I don’t know how we’ll break into the congressman’s computer on the next level without her. How cool is it that the game has its own set of dirty politicians?”

Gabe sat on one of the four leather gaming chairs against the wall. “Tell me about
Point of Entry
. You said there are other teams across the country trying to do the same thing. Is it highly competitive?”

“Oh, yeah,” Mylo enthused. “When our team knocked the Destroyers off the top of the leaderboard, they were so pissed. Sent us a ton of messages threatening us . . . especially Ashley.”

“You keep the messages?” Gabe asked.

“You think they could be for real?” Mylo’s eye twitched.

“Just show them to me.”

Mylo logged in to the system. He accessed the message area and scrolled up. He scrolled down, then up again. He frowned. “They’re gone. The team’s gone.”

“What about their scores?” Gabe asked.

He punched a few more buttons and the leaderboard came up.

“You’re the Eradicators?” Gabe asked, studying the screen. Sure enough, they’d blown away the high score.

“Yeah. Justin came up with that one ’cause we were wiping everyone off the boards. The Destroyers’ scores are gone, too. Like they never existed. Weird.”

“You know any of the real names of the other team members?” Deb asked.

“Yeah. I e-mailed with one guy. He asked me who broke the level.” Mylo grinned sheepishly. “I told him I was the muscle of the team. I do the shooting, but that we had the smartest girl in the country—probably in the world—on our team. He asked about the rest of us and I told him Justin is almost as good as Ashley.”

Gabe’s instincts went haywire. He didn’t need his mom’s Spidey sense to know things had just hit the fan. “When did you start e-mailing with this guy, Mylo?”

The teen faltered. “I don’t know, a couple weeks ago, maybe?” He switched screens and quickly checked his e-mail. “There’s nothing here, but I had at least a dozen e-mails from him. That’s . . . kind of freaky.”

“Did you delete their posts?” Deb asked.

Mylo lifted troubled eyes. “No. Someone wiped all the messages on my computer clean.”

The SUV shuddered as if driving over a cattle guard, then slowed to a stop.

Ashley caught her breath. As stiff as she was, it was now or never.

The back doors flew open, and Niko yanked off the tarp. Ashley blinked at the harsh sunlight beating into the SUV, its intensity blinding her.

“Bring her to the main floor,” a disembodied voice called out.

Niko ducked into the back of the vehicle and untied her from the hook in the floor. Ashley waited for the right moment and kicked out. She scooted from the Escalade and jumped to the ground. Her legs nearly collapsed beneath her, but despite that and her near blindness she prepared to run.

Several metallic clicks sounded and she stopped, whirling around to see a dozen men with automatic weapons facing her.

A tall, bald-headed man stood in the center. He smiled. “I hear you are an unusually feisty one. You’ll soon learn better, or we’ll beat the stupidity out of you. I am known as the Warden. That should give you an accurate idea of your future accommodations.”

He turned and went up the stairs.

Desperately, Ashley looked around, panic making it difficult to breathe.

A huge warehouse loomed in front of her, but when she gazed at the surrounding area, she saw no other signs of civilization. They were in the desert, no discernable landmarks beyond a few low hills. It was cold here, but not as cold as Colorado, and the air was dry. New Mexico? Arizona? Somehow neither of those seemed right. They’d driven too long.

Niko pushed her forward. “Don’t bother memorizing the landscape. No one gets away from here. Ever.”

She balked at the stairs; she didn’t want to go into that building. What if she never came out?

He grabbed her arm and dragged her up the stairs and through the door. Once inside, she hesitated again and he shoved her hard. Unbalanced, she fell to her knees.

“Ashley?” a male voice called out.

Justin? She couldn’t believe it. She pushed to a standing position and stopped, shocked and elated, but even more scared now. Justin stood across the room in shackles, one eye blackened, his jeans torn.

“What happened?” she asked, terrified for them both. “How did they get you?”

“Silence. This isn’t social hour. You’re here to work.” The Warden walked between them. “You and Justin were brought here because you have shown an aptitude for
Point of Entry
.”

“You kidnapped us because of
Point of Entry
?” she said, bemused. “A video game? Are you nuts?”

Horrified, Justin shuffled forward, but not in time to stop the vicious backhander the man gave her.

“Never cross me again. You are a convenience, not a necessity. I can replace you in a heartbeat.”

Ashley held her palm to her throbbing cheek, but she refused to cry.

“As I said, you are here because of the game,” the Warden repeated. “You were playing very well. You achieved Level 88, but, according to the searches of your computer, you were becoming too curious, delving into areas best left alone. You and your boyfriend’s little digital sojourn into the NSA’s database has resulted in an additional firewall and other problems for us that we expect you to solve. You’re here now, Miss Lansing, to work. If you’re smart, you will become an asset to our team rather than a liability.”

“No way in hell,” Ashley spat back.

“Niko?” The man gestured toward Justin. “If you would . . .”

The blow came so fast and hard. Justin hit the floor without crying out.

“Justin!”

Someone held her back, while Justin’s unconscious body was carted away.

The Warden smiled. “Remember this little lesson, my dear. Everyone is expendable and your actions don’t affect you alone. I only keep the ones alive who are useful to me.”

CHAPTER SIX

G
ABE OPENED THE
door for Deb.
She climbed into the SUV as he shut it and stared back at the house. And at Mylo. The kid raised his hand, and Gabe waved back.

“We spooked him,” Gabe said when he slid behind the steering wheel.

“And we’re no closer to finding Ashley,” Deb whispered. He could see her struggle to control the panic. No matter what her experience, the stress of the last few days had taken its toll. Lack of sleep, worry. She’d break soon.

“A game. How can Ashley’s disappearance be connected to a video game? It doesn’t make sense.”

“We’re going to find out.” Gabe dialed his brother Luke. This case was getting uglier and more confusing by the minute. He needed someone who could follow trails down rabbit holes.

“Montgomery here.”

“Hey, bro. Can you get away to my house, or could Deb Lansing and I come to yours?”

“The helicopter pilot? She’s the reason Zach’s watching the bar, right? I had to crack up at that, little brother. Movie star, big, bad, super spy, reduced to being a bartender.”

“He owes me after almost getting me blown up,” Gabe said. “Besides, he’s retired now, the bum.” He twisted in the seat and took Deb’s hand. “Deb Lansing’s sister is missing. I’m helping her out. We’re in Colorado Springs doing some investigating, but we have a cell phone video I want you to see.”

“God, I’m sorry. What about the cops?”

“It’s . . . complicated,” Gabe said, stroking Deb’s palm, knowing nothing he could do would comfort her, not until they found Ashley. “I have another request. Could you research the game
Point of Entry
? I have a copy with me and I need to know how to play.”

“Don’t have to research P.O.E., Gabe. I have the game set up on my system. I’m pretty good at it. You might as well come here.”

“Thanks.”

Luke hesitated. “You have any leads?”

Gabe met Deb’s eyes and recognized the despair on the fringes of hope. He couldn’t make it worse. “We’re making progress.”
If you called getting more questions than answers progress
. “If you talk to Zach, tell him I may need his help for another day or two.”

“From what I hear, Hawk’s taking care of Sammy’s pretty well. Both Zach and Jenna went over to help. I guess having the Dark Avenger as a bouncer is keeping your rowdier clientele in line.”

Gabe laughed, despite his crushing concerns. “I didn’t even think of that when I asked Zach to fill in for me today. I may have to hire him permanently. What’s Jenna doing there?”

“Keeping the flood of new female customers away from her handsome ex-movie star husband and cooking in the back. She sends the kitchen guys out to bus tables and stuff whenever possible.”

“The cooks didn’t give her a hard time about it?”

“No sane man messes with a hormonal pregnant woman. Especially one that far along.”

Gabe didn’t speak for a moment. “Have Zach keep her in the kitchen as much as he can.”

Luke laughed. “Sexist much? Want her barefoot, too, since Jenna’s already pregnant and in the kitchen?”

“No, you jerk. I want her safe. It would be better if she wasn’t even there. I keep having that itchy target feeling on my back. Not sure what’s causing it, but I know better than to ignore the warning. Ask everyone in the family to be extra careful. Okay?”

The phone went quiet. “What aren’t you telling me, Gabe?”

A lot. “We’ll talk later.”

“Count on it,” Luke said tightly. “I’ll have more than a few probing questions of my own.”

Gabe ended the call.

“This entire situation is insane,” Deb said, leaning her head back against the seat.

Gabe pulled her into his arms. To his surprise, she immediately melted against him as if she’d been waiting for his touch.

She looked up at him. “I am so scared, Gabe. Ashley has been gone too long.”

“I’m here to help.” He kissed her forehead, then her lips, gently, giving comfort the only way he knew how. He was worried for her sister, too. “We’ll find Ashley,” he said, then sent up a silent prayer that if they did, she’d still be alive.

A sudden pounding on Deb’s window had Gabe reaching for his weapon. He pulled the Glock. Mylo saw the gun and fell backward. He hadn’t even stopped to put on a jacket, despite the frigid temperatures.

Deb slid down her window. “What’s wrong?”

“Britney’s mom just called to ask her a question, but I said she hadn’t made it here yet.” Mylo’s voice cracked. “Her mom said Britney left two hours ago and their hotel is only ten minutes away.”

Two stressful hours later, cold bit into Gabe’s face. He shoved his hands into his pockets at the entrance to Luke’s ranch-style house. Deb stood beside him, her hood up, her cheeks red from the icy wind.

Immediately the door flew open. Gabe couldn’t miss the worry on his brother’s face. He glanced at Deb, then relaxed his expression. “Took you long enough. What did you do? Take a detour to China on your way here?”

“We had to stop at the Colorado Springs Police Department again. There’s another girl missing. I wanted to reinforce the unlikely coincidence of three teenagers disappearing from the same town in a matter of days.”

Luke frowned, holding the door open for them to enter. “How long has she been gone?”

“At least four hours,” Deb said, her voice cracking with emotion. “Justin disappeared Saturday. Ashley on Sunday. Now, Britney on Monday. Even the police have to act on this now. I wish they’d call in the FBI.”

Luke closed the door behind them. “My wife and daughter will be home soon, so why don’t we go into the den. We can view the video clip in private.”

Gabe shrugged out of his coat, then helped Deb out of hers. They followed Luke into a wood-paneled room with a computer system and gaming equipment. Once everyone was inside, he shut and locked the door.

Gabe studied the impressive system. It wasn’t as elaborate as Mylo’s, but his brother was obviously no slouch at gaming, either. “Is this computer used for any of your newspaper work or investigations?”

“No, that’s in my office. I try to keep the murder and mayhem files there, away from Joy’s curious little eyes. As it is, I have to lock up any games not rated E for Everyone. She saw a few of the covers of M games I left out and was not happy she couldn’t play them. She’s all too eager to move past Hello Kitty and onto the big-kid games.”

“That girl is four going on fourteen.”

“Tell me about it. Have a seat.”

Gabe dropped onto the brown leather couch across from the screen, pulling Deb down beside him. Luke arched his brow, but didn’t say a word. He picked up a remote.

“Video first or the game?”

Gabe slipped his hand into Deb’s. “How familiar are you with
Point of Entry
? You know about Level 88?”

“Who doesn’t?”

Gabe and Deb exchanged a look.

Luke sighed. “Except you two. Level 88 is the Holy Grail in each version of P.O.E. I haven’t made it past Level 60 yet, but then I do have a life and a family who wants to interact with me once in a while. When your wife is a sniper, it’s a good idea not to piss her off.”

“Better you than me,” Gabe said. “Jazz can be damned scary when she’s in a mood.” He cleared his throat and pulled out his cell. “Let’s look at the video first. The kids wanted to document reaching Level 88. Mylo sent it to my phone. It may be hard to see on the small screen, though.”

“If you forward it to me, I can put it on the big screen.”

Gabe looked at the phone for a minute and grimaced. He and technology didn’t always get along. “I’m afraid I’ll blow it away if I try it, and I want to show it to Neil, too.”

“If you want, I can transfer it. I’m a tech guru, remember?”

Gabe found the video file, then handed his phone to Luke. “The one marked ‘twelfth attempt.’ It’s dated Friday.”

A minute later, the electronic magic was done.

“So what are we watching?” he asked, settling in next to Gabe.

“A mystery.” Gabe flicked his phone to vibrate and shoved it back into the pocket of his jacket. He didn’t want to be interrupted during the video. He had to stay focused.

“Sounds compelling. What do you mean by that?”

“Things happen in this video that I can’t explain. The three kids in it are a team. They’re about to hit Level 88 of
Point of Entry
. As soon as they do, it gets weird.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” Luke hit a remote and the lights went off and the screen flickered to life.

Deb tensed and Gabe slid his arm around her. He knew how hard it was to see her sister on-screen and not know her fate. Deb clutched his other hand, her fingers tight on his. She’d been incredibly strong through all this. She’d fit in well with the other women in this family.

The idea shocked him, but not as much as it might have a few days ago. Still, it was a jump from being attracted to someone, dreaming of a few long, sweaty nights, to thinking of her as a prospective Montgomery woman. But he’d seen her face trouble with strength, her willingness to fight for her sister—just as he would for his brothers—without hesitation, without fail. She could very well be the first woman he’d wanted who really fit.

Luke turned to them. “If you think I should know something, jump in. I’ll stop the video.”

The clip started.

A pretty blonde sat next to a dark-haired boy on the couch, and their intimate smiles let everyone know the two teenagers were crushing on each other.

“Hold it,” Deb interjected. “I guess I should give you some background. That’s my sister, Ashley, and her boyfriend, Justin. They met in high school, when she and my dad first moved to Colorado. After she left for the Academy, Justin and two others formed a P.O.E. team. It wasn’t long before he invited her to join them.”

Luke frowned. “Why her?”

“She’s a prodigy with computers and encryption,” Gabe said. “She and Justin did the NSA hack job.”

Luke’s jaw dropped.

“Anyway,” Deb added quickly, “Britney, the other girl who’s now missing, had been the third member on Justin’s P.O.E. team, but she’d moved away last spring. Ashley was thrilled to fill the opening. Soon, she was playing the game with them every weekend.”

After Deb identified Mylo as the other frozen image in the background, Luke started the video again.

An expensive new gaming system held court front and center on the mahogany coffee table in the living room. Mylo handed out sodas and bags of popcorn, then flopped down into a gaming chair. Justin tugged open the bag and passed it over to Ashley. She grabbed a handful, then he dumped the entire contents into the bowl next to the four controllers.

“This is the coolest game ever,” he said, grinning at her. “I can’t believe you’ve picked it up so fast. You’ve got our levels going up faster than they were before. Being on Level 87 is awesome. It would have taken longer without you.”

Ashley flushed and reached for a controller.

Mylo chugged back half his soda and grabbed a fist of popcorn. “Yeah, Blondie, you’re not bad for a brainiac.”

Justin scowled at him. “Back off, Romeo.”

“I’m not hitting on her. Jeez,” Mylo groused, turning to Ashley. “Seriously, it’s a damn good thing you are a genius. Justin’s smart, but these levels are getting too hard. Banks, spies, breaking codes and that kind of crap. Personally, I like the action-adventure stuff at the beginning of the game better. Guns, robots, and aliens are cool. These last ten levels have been frustrating.”

“That’s because Ashley is only here on weekends. She’s the one that catches the weird numerical patterns and stuff. And she coded that killer password application,” Justin said, pressing the power button and inserting the
Point of Entry
disk. After everything loaded, all extraneous talk stopped.

The three players concentrated on the game, following the clues, shooting the bad guys, and breaking through the various obstacles. Then they hit the safe. They tried several different password ideas, all without success.

Mylo threw down his controller. “I hate this. We’re never going to break the last clue. A twelve-letter account code? Plus a three-digit number? No way. Give me the guns and ammo back.” He fell back into his seat. “There better be something great behind that damn door.”

“Would you shut up?” Justin growled, as the sequence he’d keyed in was rejected. “We can’t concentrate with all your complaining.”

Ashley suddenly shifted forward, studying the screen, her face alight. “Oh my God, I think I’ve got it. Justin, I think you were only off by one number. May I?” she asked, nodding at the screen. He handed her the remote and she entered the new sequence.

Nothing happened.

“Okay, that number blew it up, too. What a pain in the—” Mylo’s voice trailed off as the large television screen showcasing the computer game went black.

“Did we do it?” Ashley asked.

Suddenly, a spinning sound echoed through all the speakers in the room. The noise seemed to explode around them.

“Congratulations, Eradicators!” a mechanized voice shouted. “You have reached Level 88 of
Point of Entry
. Please enter your individual e-mail addresses and contact information so you can receive your reward for attaining
Point of Entry
’s Secret Challenge. The world awaits your brilliance.”