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Lisa Jackson's Bentz And Montoya Bundle Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the Lisa Jackson's Bentz And Montoya Bundle novel. A total of 274 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : Lisa Jackson's Bentz & Montoya Bundle.by Lisa Jackson.To John Scognamiglio, who was
Lisa Jackson's Bentz & Montoya Bundle.by Lisa Jackson.To John Scognamiglio, who was not only the editor of this book, but a major player in the creative process, just as he was with all my books for Kensington, especially during the writing of If She
- 274 "Why do you think Cam-er, Sister Camille was wearing a bridal gown?""I don't know." He shook his head, biting at his lower lip, thinking hard. "The dress looked old. Not overly expensive, I'd guess. Like the kind a nun m
- 273 The older woman shook her head slowly. "Everyone was asleep. I can't see what good waking them will do.""They might have heard something. Or maybe someone was up, pa.s.sing through the hallway on the way to the restroom. There's a chance someone saw
- 272 "Sick. Twisted." Bentz's eyes looked tired, the crow's-feet near his eyes p.r.o.nounced. "Aren't they all?""Yeah.""Looks like our guy made some kind of necklace with her blood.""Or his," Mon
- 271 "Hey! Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, angling her chin toward him, practically begging for a kiss."Oh, yeah!" He walked to the closet, found the locked box holding his sidearm, and retrieved his weapon. After strappin
- 270 CHAPTER 4."Still up?" Freya's voice cut into her fantasy."Always." Val tried to ignore the worries about Camille. She tossed the tea bag into the sink and glanced over her shoulder toward the archway leading to the main house. Whe
- 269 A door shutting as the church bells pealed.Just like before.The whisper of evil brushed the back of her neck again. She nearly stumbled as she raced forward, her bare feet slapping the cold stone floor, echoing to the high, coved ceiling.This can't b
- 268 "Death," she whispered.Sheer terror curdled her blood. Oh, G.o.d! Oh, G.o.d! Scared out of her mind, Camille tried to scramble to her feet. Scared out of her mind, Camille tried to scramble to her feet.In that instant, Fate struck.The rosary was
- 267 UNSPOKEN.IF SHE ONLY KNEW.HOT BLOODED.COLD BLOODED.THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE MORNING AFTER.DEEP FREEZE.FATAL BURN.s.h.i.+VER.MOST LIKELY TO DIE.ABSOLUTE FEAR.ALMOST DEAD.LOST SOULS.LEFT TO DIE.WICKED GAME.MALICE.CHOSEN TO DIE.WITHOUT MERCY.DEVIOUS.Published b
- 266 But not the boat keening. No...it was different. Shouts? Shouts?Footsteps?Could someone be on the boat? Oh, G.o.d, please! Oh, G.o.d, please!The lights flickered again.She took in another huge gulp of air mixed with salt water. Coughing, sputtering, hangi
- 265 "d.a.m.n it!"Again!Nothing.The camera remained unscathed. Standing. The red light a small malicious and mocking eye staring at her, recording her futile movements. "You son of a b.i.t.c.h," she said and took another swipe.Another hit.
- 264 No leniency if she pulled the "I'm a cop" card, or looked at him piteously.And if Hayes was involved, then he'd go down, too.A muscle worked in Bentz's jaw. He just kept tapping his finger, his gaze straight ahead as they flew down the freeway.His ce
- 263 Jada looked from Bentz to Montoya before focusing on the gun still trained on her. "Oh, c.r.a.p," she said, biting her lip and obviously struggling with her decision."It'll go much easier on you if you tell us about your boyfriend," Montoya urged."B
- 262 Where had she been?Under the streetlamp?Near the ficus tree?He started walking faster and faster across the dusty, uneven lot, beneath the flickering, humming neon lights of the So-Cal's advertising board offering free wi-fi and cable TV.Was that a movem
- 261 "You really don't know?" She paused, thought for a second. "He left me. Not once, but twice, for the same b.i.t.c.h that kept breaking his heart." She looked toward the wall, but seemed to focus on the middle distance, to a place only she could see.
- 260 The Blue Burro was hopping, the dinner crowd spilling into the bar where colorful pinatas and fake parrots hung from open beams painted in bold primary colors. Dressed in dark slacks and white s.h.i.+rts with bandannas at their necks, the waitstaff bustle
- 259 Montoya landed at LAX, picked up his bag, and went straight to the rental-car desk. As he was taking steps to collect the Mustang, a much newer model than the one he had in New Orleans, he put in a call to Bentz. "I'm in Los Angeles," he said when his
- 258 "I checked the roster of recent parolees with a history of violent crimes. Looking for suspects who might fit the profile of the Twenty-one killer," Bledsoe said as he approached Hayes's desk.Hayes leaned back in his chair. Martinez perched on the edge
- 257 I don't have a lot of time. It's broad daylight, the d.a.m.ned fog is lifting, but I have to take the risk.So I leave work and drive straight home, download my picture of Olivia, and print it out. I'm wearing thin gloves...no reason to get sloppy now.
- 256 Who else?And yet he was jittery. Tense. Expecting the worst. He began to sweat despite the cool temperature. The men with shovels were just getting to work when Hayes arrived in a tan suit that looked as pressed and crisp as if it had just come from the d
- 255 No, she had to find another way out. If her abductor returned, which Olivia a.s.sumed she would, then Olivia had to lure her into the cage, somehow steal the keys or physically restrain her.It wouldn't be easy. The woman who'd abducted her was not only
- 254 Now, time for the news. I walk to the living area with a quick pause at the refrigerator where I find a chilled pitcher of martinis waiting for me. I drop two olives in my stemmed gla.s.s, pour the cool concoction over them, and settle in the living area
- 253 Glancing over his shoulder, Hayes suppressed a groan. Bentz was out of the car, standing in the pool of light at the chain-link fence, murmuring something to Rufus, who had finally stopped barking. "He's fine out there," Hayes said, trying
- 252 And she was scared to death as she lay in a dark, smelly enclosure, a cage deep inside a boat of some kind.This madwoman Petrocelli, or whatever her name was, intended to kill her. Because she was married to Rick. That's why the other women were dead
- 251 "Not yet.""I don't like this," Bentz said as he climbed into the pa.s.senger seat.Hayes dialed his cell phone with one hand and started the engine with another. "Hey, Sherry. Hayes here. Just wondering what's the holdup.
- 250 d.a.m.n it, could the b.i.t.c.h just show up?I called her, left a message from Petrocelli's phone...The cell phone jangles.Finally!I answer quickly, forcing the name off my lips. "Officer Petrocelli." "Hi, this is Olivia Bentz. I think
- 249 Sherry Petrocelli answered the phone and confirmed that she would pick up Rick Bentz's wife from LAX. She was off duty, but hey, she owed Jonas Hayes a favor or two. Not that she gave a d.a.m.n about Rick Bentz. She didn't know the guy, but she&
- 248 d.a.m.n it all to h.e.l.l! He ran after her as she disappeared over the edge of the cliff, her feet kicking up dust. He ran after her as she disappeared over the edge of the cliff, her feet kicking up dust."Son of a b.i.t.c.h!" Bentz was on her
- 247 "No, don't!" she cried."Too late."Her lips twisted and she shook her head. "Who are you calling?""Who do you think?""The police." "Bingo!""You shouldn't.""Yeah, right.&qu
- 246 After all, she had had received some hara.s.sing calls. received some hara.s.sing calls.She poured herself a cup of tea, walked into the den, and logged on to the computer. She'd already scouted out the best deals on flights to the West Coast and had
- 245 For a millisecond he wondered if he'd made a mistake, if she really had no idea that she resembled Jennifer so closely. Except that she was in the same d.a.m.ned car he'd spotted in San Juan Capistrano and on the freeway. This woman had been d.o
- 244 Frantic, she kept fighting, trying to roll away from her a.s.sailant's viselike grip. To no avail. The person, strong and lean, didn't budge, just kept applying pressure.The fumes were horrible, burning down her windpipe and into her lungs, sear
- 243 "It's easy. Aim. Pull the trigger.""After I load it and flip off the safety.""You lied; you do know how.""But-""Humor me. Just until I get home, okay?" "And when will that be?""Soon,&qu
- 242 He stared down the dark street where the runner had disappeared just as flas.h.i.+ng lights strobed the night and a police cruiser screamed around the corner.Who had killed Lorraine?Jennifer?Bentz knew in his gut that Lorraine's murder had everything
- 241 Caller ID showed that the phone was registered to L. Newell. Lorraine? Jennifer's stepsister?He answered before the d.a.m.ned thing rang twice. "Bentz.""Oh. Hi. It's Lorraine." She sounded tense. Breathless. What was this all
- 240 Ramona Salazar.The name rang no bells for Bentz, none whatsoever.Using his d.a.m.ned cane and feeling his knee twinge, he walked the short distance from the sandwich shop to his motel in the new shoes he'd picked up at a store in Marina del Rey. Like
- 239 Hayes hadn't been so quick to judge. "You don't think he had anything to do with the Springer twins' murders."Bledsoe had glowered at Shana McIntyre's monitor. "Didn't think so. But this one..." He'd scrat
- 238 Far in the distance she heard someone yell. "Rico!" her neighbor screamed at the dogs. "Daisy! Little Bit! You all hus.h.!.+"But the Chihuahuas were rabid and kept up their high-pitched barking and wails as the night closed in on Shana
- 237 He'll be the one who will have to deal with the torment, the pure, soul-sick torture of knowing that, because of him, the woman he loves will be subjected to excruciating, mind-shattering fear and deep, abysmal pain.But I can't get ahead of myse
- 236 "I'll bet."She caught his sober tone and let out a long sigh. "So. Tell me. What do you want to know and why?" As she loaded her book bag and purse into her Volkswagen Beetle, Bentz told her. While the sun lowered and a few stragg
- 235 Life went on.Except for Jennifer.Something was definitely off there.Rick clicked on the remote lock for his car as he crossed the street. He was bothered by what he'd learned, about things he hadn't known, things important to Jennifer. Her frien
- 234 He punched in the address, headed for the freeway, and barely moved. The 10 was jammed in the middle of the day, but he kept at it, inching past an accident, then picking up speed.As he headed east he checked his mirrors, on the lookout for a tail, watchi
- 233 "Thanks for the drink." Hayes left and Bentz took a long draw on his zero-alcohol beer.Leaving L.A. wasn't an option.At least, not yet.The shower feels good. Hot water streaming down my body as I think about what happened on the pier. I kne
- 232 Yes?No?G.o.d, where was she?Confused, convinced he'd find her hanging from the railing, he grit his teeth and hurried to the rail to the very spot where she'd climbed over. Below the s.h.i.+fting water was dark as ink, no swimmer or body visible
- 231 CHAPTER 17.Hayes slapped the files shut and leaned back in his desk chair. It squeaked in protest, adding to the cacophony of sounds-computer keys clicking, phones ringing, conversations buzzing. And beneath it all was the ever-present rumble of the ancie
- 230 "Do they?" She moved out of the doorway and led him into a living room that was straight out of the late eighties, when her husband Earl, a car dealer, had been alive. Bentz remembered the plaid chairs cl.u.s.tered around a long forest green cou
- 229 A whistle blasted, shrieking so loudly she thought her eardrums would shatter.No! Oh, G.o.d, no!"Rick! Help!" she cried as the end of the tunnel seemed to shrink, becoming smaller and farther away.Her heart drummed and her legs were heavy, so he
- 228 It was exactly what Hayes would have thought if anything ever happened to his Maren."You'll catch the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who did this," Corrine rea.s.sured him."I hope so.""Have faith, if not in divine intervention, then in the sk
- 227 No one.Dead or alive.His leg on fire, he hitched his way to the nearest exit and found himself in what had been the lobby of the old inn, the main entrance to the small mission.The air was stale and unused.Except for the slight scent of Jennifer's pe
- 226 Narrowing his eyes as he stared at the run-down buildings, Bentz had a hard time turning back the clock, thinking about the old mission as it once had been with manicured lawns and gardens, stained-gla.s.s windows, and flowing fountains.He stepped over a
- 225 "It was a long shot," Bentz admitted, spotting his exit."I've got the lab a.n.a.lyzing the type of ink on the doc, but it probably won't be something that will help.""Doesn't hurt to try." Bentz eased up on the
- 224 Staged to look like they were still in the womb. Just like the Caldwell twins.Hayes's jaw tightened. "Any ID?""Yeah...their clothes and purses, even their jewelry and cell phones, all over there. Along with their birth certificates, ti
- 223 Her hands fell to her sides and she was vaguely aware that whoever was holding her was letting her fall onto the concrete stoop.As the merciful blackness rolled over her, Lucy's last thought was of Laney...dear sweet, trusting, stupid Laney.CHAPTER 1
- 222 "This is so far-fetched," Hayes said, though his eyes strayed to the photographs again. "Man, oh, man. You and JFK? Okay, I'll bite. Start from the beginning."Bentz filled him in. From waking up in the hospital, to see and smell a
- 221 But she didn't see either of her roommates flopped on the secondhand couch Kim had found. And they weren't nuking popcorn or boiling ramen in the kitchen.Odd.Hadn't she heard one of her roommates return?Dabbing at the sweat on her face, she
- 220 His jaw was set. Rock hard. Eyes as steady as his voice. The cop. Cold. Distant. Had seen it all. "Anything else you remember?""Only that she was sorry," she said in a moment of bare, honest-to-the-bone truth. "For hurting you.&qu
- 219 Last night he'd found a number for her and had tried it, only to get her lofty voice on the answering machine. "You've reached Leland and Shana. Leave a message. We'll get back to you...sometime."Nice, he'd thought and didn&#
- 218 Fortuna Esperanzo had become a friend of Jennifer's when they'd both worked briefly at an art gallery in Venice.Then there was Lorraine Newell, Jennifer's stepsister, who hadn't liked Bentz from the get-go. A dark-haired prima donna wi
- 217 "We have a few that have wonderful views of the pool," she said, quickly flipping into salesperson mode. "They've each got a sliding door to a private sitting area that opens up to the pool.""Are they the cheapest?"Her s
- 216 "And I thought you were a straight shooter," she said aloud to her own watery image. "Aren't you the one who never backs down? What the h.e.l.l happened to you?"She let her hands fall to her flat belly.A baby...a life that right n
- 215 "Yeah, right." Beneath the cover of a striped awning, Bentz shook the rain from the umbrella, then held the door for her. Inside, tiny lights were strung from the open rafters, appearing like stars over head, and the walls were paneled with warm
- 214 "h.e.l.l, I don't understand.""Exactly."Pus.h.i.+ng his empty cup aside and resting his elbow on the table, Montoya asked, "So what do you want me to do?""Keep it quiet. For now. But I might need some favors."&
- 213 No one was watching him from inside the house.Or standing behind a magnolia tree outside peering at him.He let out his breath slowly.Ignored the sense of panic that gripped him.For the love of G.o.d, Bentz, pull yourself together! Was he going completely
- 212 "It's Monday.""That's why we're celebrating."He snorted but smiled as he climbed off the machine and swabbed his face with the towel. "Life must be pretty boring if Monday is cause for a celebration.""I th
- 211 He swallowed.Hard.A ghost?Or real flesh and blood?The woman, a dead ringer for his first wife, stood deep in the woods, staring at him with wide, knowing eyes and that s.e.xy little smile...G.o.d, that smile had turned him inside out. His heart went still
- 210 Her heart froze.A dark figure stood behind the panes, a shadow with a cruel, twisted smile."s.h.i.+t!"The light s.h.i.+fted on the blinds and the image was gone-maybe just a figment of her imagination.Or was it? She didn't wait to find out,
- 209 And yet...She shuddered as she imagined his rage. She played her trump card. "Kristi will wonder why you're not home. She's already asking questions.""And what do you tell her? The truth?" That her mother can't keep her
- 208 CHAPTER 21.CHAPTER 22.CHAPTER 23.CHAPTER 24.CHAPTER 25. CHAPTER 26.CHAPTER 27.CHAPTER 28.CHAPTER 29.CHAPTER 30.CHAPTER 31.CHAPTER 32.CHAPTER 33.CHAPTER 34.CHAPTER 35.CHAPTER 36.CHAPTER 37.CHAPTER 38.CHAPTER 39.Acknowledgments.There are many people I would
- 207 Scared out of her wits, she tromped on the accelerator. Who the h.e.l.l was he?Why was he following her?She saw the corner and cut it, hoping to lose him, but her judgment was off and one of the van's tires caught on the shoulder, hitting gravel. She
- 206 "I hate you." Her temper was rising."I know. I just wasn't sure you could admit it. Leave, Jennifer. It's over.""Maybe if you didn't get off bustin' perps and playing the super-hero, ace detective, maybe if you
- 205 Jennifer!His eyes flew open.His breath fogged in the coldness. He blinked his eyes several times, wondering at the phenomenon. He couldn't move his head, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doorway to the room and beside it a chair. In the c
- 204 "Tell me. Everything," she insisted, and felt his hands touch her fingers.He did. He explained that Althea Monroe, who had died of her wounds at the scene, had been in league with Dr. Preston, killing girls for their blood in an effort to keep A
- 203 "This priest. It's personal." priest. It's personal."Which didn't bode well for Kristi Bentz and Ariel O'Toole.Mai stepped over the body, walked to the priest's desk and started going through his files, all the whil
- 202 Do it, Kristi, just effing do it!She bit down hard. Drew her head back fast. This time her tooth sc.r.a.ped through the plastic, caught and she was able to make a little tear. She grabbed both of the tiny ends with her fingers, which promptly slipped off
- 201 They're coming for you.They know.A drip of fear slid down his spine as he climbed to his feet to investigate. "h.e.l.lo?" he said, disgusted with himself. He was a strong man. He'd never known real fear in his life.Footsteps clicked de
- 200 Or so he'd tried to convince himself.But G.o.d knew. The almighty Father could so easily view the darkness that was Mathias's soul and recognize the deceit, the evil, that lingered deep inside.How many times had he attempted to confess all his s
- 199 In his mind's eye he saw the bloodless bodies of the girls in the morgue and sent up a prayer that she hadn't become a victim of the psycho who was behind the killings. Why hadn't he insisted she go to the police when they found the d.a.m.n
- 198 Where were they taking her?What did they have planned?The chapel bells tolled loudly...so close she knew they were on campus.... She blacked out for a second-or was it longer?-only to realize that she was alone.And she was naked.Lying on a couch of some k
- 197 "It looks like these bodies might not have any blood as well.""Severed arteries?""Not exactly," he said, and she felt his anger radiating through the wireless phone. "But it could be that the corpses were ex-sanguinated.
- 196 "Looks like." Montoya leaned a shoulder against Bentz's filing cabinet, one rescued from the aftermath of Katrina. Repainted and now rust free, it served as a constant reminder of how bad things could get. "They're sending divers,
- 195 "You talkin' to me?" Bonita Was.h.i.+ngton asked as she walked into the lab area, eyeing the microscopes and careful not to touch the gas chromatograph."Talking to myself, I guess," he said, rolling his chair back."Notice any
- 194 "I'm on my way over there."She searched the darkness, looking toward the library, but didn't recognize him in the groups of people hastening from one building to the next."Wait. I haven't gone in yet. Grotto had company. I�
- 193 "Because?""He's got an interest in those girls that went missing. Seems to think they're more than just runaways, like you. Thought you might want to talk to him. Compare notes. He also asked me to look up some info on some of the
- 192 She recognized his voice, didn't she?"Sister Ariel comes to us willingly."Who is "us"? And no, no I didn't come willingly.More steady footsteps, and though he was at her back, though she couldn't see him, she felt his pr
- 191 Kristi had never seen the play before but had read it, or part of it, in high school. The gist of it was that Everyman, symbolizing all men and women on earth, was too caught up in worldly goods and had lost his soul. When called upon by Death, Everyman h
- 190 He'd given himself the name of Vlad the Impaler, though he had enough names already. But, fine, if he wanted to be Vlad, she'd go along with it. She had taken Elizabeth's name, a.s.sumed her ident.i.ty, so he, too, had felt compelled to bec
- 189 "Shh." She hadn't wanted to hear his fears. Had only wanted to be rea.s.sured by his strength.He hadn't disappointed. With his hands firmly splayed over her back, his legs had pressed against hers, and silently, still kissing her, he b
- 188 Jay reached for the door. "So, let's both go inside and let him know that you won't be around tonight, give him plenty of opportunity."They reentered and Kristi glanced toward the camera, still blocked by her books. They both made a bi
- 187 "Give me fifteen minutes to close out the section," she said as he sc.r.a.ped back his chair, catching the evil eye from the hostess who had seated him specifically where he'd requested.Kristi finished up in no time, untied her ap.r.o.n, to
- 186 "So you're not the docent?" Kristi ventured. She didn't like this woman, with her perfect complexion and officious att.i.tude, but she wanted to know more about her."Of course not," the woman said. "That's Marilyn K
- 185 Kristi didn't have much time, but on the bike she zipped across campus, cutting between pedestrians, joggers, and skateboarders to Wagner House. Today in the gloomy daylight the house appeared less sinister, the sharp peaked roof, beveled gla.s.s win
- 184 He nodded, but she could tell he wasn't taking her seriously. "Your secret is safe with me.""It's not you I'm worried about," she pointed out, padding into the kitchen and opening the cupboard, though she knew she was ou
- 183 With a groan he started to roll off her, but she grabbed his arms, held him fast."It's four in the morning, Kristi. I'm not in the mood for word games.""What are you in the mood for?""Don't do this," he said.&q
- 182 "We have a history, Jay. And it's not good.""It's not bad." He wasn't giving an inch as he stood glaring down at her, his amber eyes dark with desire, his lips thin and hard."Stay back...I'll think of something
- 181 But she wasn't dissuaded. "I will come out with you; I will see that she's worthy.""You've already helped me pick them," he reminded her. Elizabeth, too, had sorted through the pictures of the students at All Saints.&quo
- 180 "Someone was here," Kristi insisted. "And so what if I was breaking a law or two? I'm trying to find out what happened to those girls, d.a.m.n it. And come on, Jay. You're not entirely innocent, are you? You dug through government
- 179 Kristi hit the speed dial b.u.t.ton on her phone as she hurried across the street. She hated to be one of those women who always turned to a man, but d.a.m.n it, she needed a back up and Jay was the only person she'd confided in. Armed with the mace
- 178 Kristi hesitated. The blonde-what was her name, Maren or Marie? Something like that-had entered without a problem.After a moment Kristi strode through the front gate as if she'd intended to head into Wagner House all along, and flew up the steps. Tho
- 177 Holy Father, what kind of beast from h.e.l.l was this?Stricken, the priest fell to his knees, scrabbling for his rosary, sending up prayer after prayer in his terror-riddled, near-paralyzed state. What had he gotten himself into? What? What?He heard voice
- 176 The woman wasn't taking the hint."Hey," he answered, hating the upbeat sound of his voice. It sounded as phony as his feelings."How are you?" Her voice too was sunny, a little breathless."Busy.""Always." She si
- 175 She parked in a hurry, running up the steps to her apartment. Inside, she quickly stripped off her work clothes and tossed them into her laundry bag. She also threw in two packets of detergent, the bolt cutters, and a flashlight, then stepped into jeans a