{"id":5800,"date":"2026-01-04T12:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T12:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/gun-games-kellerman-faye\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T12:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T12:17:09","slug":"gun-games-kellerman-faye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/gun-games-kellerman-faye\/","title":{"rendered":"Gun Games – Kellerman, Faye"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Book Preview<\/h3>\n
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Chapter One<\/p>\n

I<\/span>t was bad news walking through the door.<\/p>\n

They were coming his way: five of them\u2014three guys, two girls\u2014all of them looking older than him by a couple of years but probably still in high school. The guys had some muscle, but none of them was steroidal, meaning he could take any of them one-on-one. Collectively, he didn\u2019t stand a chance. Besides, Gabe wasn\u2019t spoiling for a fight. Last time that happened, he messed up his hand\u2014temporarily. He\u2019d been lucky. Maybe he\u2019d be lucky again. If not, he had to be smart.<\/p>\n

He pushed his glasses up on his nose and kept his eyes on the book until the group was on top of him. Even then, he didn\u2019t look up. Nothing was going to happen to him inside a Starbucks .\u00a0.\u00a0. staring at the page in front of him, his mind going a mile per sec.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sitting in my seat,\u201d one of the guys said.<\/p>\n

His dad had always emphasized that if he were about to be jumped, it was best to take on the leader. Because once the leader was gone, the others fell like dominoes. Gabe counted to five before he looked up. The guy who spoke was the biggest of the three.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d Gabe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said you\u2019re sitting in my seat.\u201d And as if to emphasize the point, he pulled back his jacket, giving Gabe a five-second peek at the gun stuck into his waistband\u2014positively one of the worst places to keep an unharnessed weapon. There were only two people in the world that Gabe would take crap from and he wasn\u2019t looking at either one of them. To acquiesce would be a mistake. On the other hand, to confront would also be a mistake. Luckily, the dude gave him an out.<\/p>\n

Gabe held up an index finger. \u201cDo you mind?\u201d Slowly and carefully, he pulled back the guy\u2019s jacket with his finger and stared at the gun. \u201cBeretta 92FS with some kind of a custom grip.\u201d A pause. \u201cSweet.\u201d He let the jacket drop. \u201cYou know the company just came out with an advanced model\u2014a 96A or something like that. Same thing as the 92 series except it has a higher magazine capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe stood up. Nose to nose, he was a couple of inches taller than the gunslinger, but the height differential wasn\u2019t something he was about to flaunt. He took a half step back, giving them both some personal space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the plinkers .\u00a0.\u00a0. like the 87 Cheetah .22LR. First of all, it\u2019s got great reliability. Second, it\u2019s one of those ambidextrous pieces. I\u2019m right-handed, but I got a real strong left. You know how it is. You never know which hand it\u2019s gonna be convenient to use.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were locked in a staring contest, Gabe\u2019s focus on the dude with the piece. As far as he was concerned, the other four didn\u2019t exist. Then, with a sudden, fluid motion, Gabe stepped aside and held out his hand, magnanimously offering the dude his seat. \u201cBe my guest.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few seconds ticked by, each waiting for the other to blink.<\/p>\n

Finally, the guy said to Gabe, \u201cHave a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of them eyed each other, then they both sat down at the same time with the dude taking up the leather chair that Gabe had formerly occupied. He kept his eyes on the guy\u2019s face, never letting up for a moment. Dude was around five ten, one eighty, broad chest, strong arms. Brown hair past his ears, blue eyes, strong chin. Under his leather jacket, he had on a gray T-shirt and wore black, tight-fitting jeans. He was a good-looking guy and probably had a posse of admirers.<\/p>\n

Dude said, \u201cWhere\u2019d you learn about guns?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe shrugged. \u201cMy dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does he do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father?\u201d At this, Gabe broke into a slow grin. \u201cUh .\u00a0.\u00a0. actually, he\u2019s a pimp.\u201d The expected pause. \u201cHe owns whorehouses in Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dude stared at him with newfound respect. \u201cCool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds a lot cooler than it is,\u201d Gabe said. \u201cMy dad\u2019s a nasty guy\u2014a real mean motherfucker. He also owns about a zillion guns and knows how to use every single one of them. I get along with him because I don\u2019t cross him. Plus, we don\u2019t live together anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou live with your mom?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, she\u2019s in India somewhere. She took off with her lover and dumped me into the care of complete strangers\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you shittin\u2019 me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish<\/span> I was shittin\u2019 you.\u201d Gabe laughed. \u201cLast year was a total nightmare.\u201d He rubbed his hands together. \u201cBut it worked out okay. I like where I am. My foster dad is a police lieutenant. You\u2019d expect him to be the hard-ass, but compared to my own dad, the man is a saint.\u201d He looked at his watch. It was almost six in the evening and night was inches away. \u201cI gotta go.\u201d He stood up and so did Dude.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d Dude asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cChris,\u201d Gabe lied. \u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDylan.\u201d They fist-bumped. \u201cWhat school do you go to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHomeschooled,\u201d Gabe said. \u201cAlmost done, thank God. Hey, nice to meet you, Dylan. Maybe I\u2019ll catch you on the shooting range.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned his back to the group and slowly swaggered away. It took all his energy not to glance back.<\/p>\n

Once he was out the door, he ran like hell.<\/p>\n

R<\/span>ina was arranging roses when the boy came in, flushed and panting. She said, \u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust out of shape.\u201d Gabe tried to steady his breathing. He attempted to give his temporary mother a smile, but it probably didn\u2019t come out too sincere. He could tell that Rina was scrutinizing him, her blue eyes concentrated on his face. She was wearing a pink sweater that matched the flowers. His mind was desperately trying to figure out small talk. \u201cThose are pretty. From the garden?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrader Joe\u2019s. The roses in the garden won\u2019t start blooming for another couple of months.\u201d She regarded her charge, his emerald eyes flitting behind his glasses. Something was off. \u201cWhy were you running?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to be healthy,\u201d Gabe told her. \u201cI really need to do something about improving my stamina.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say anyone who can practice for six hours a day has a great deal of stamina.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell that to my beating heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down. I\u2019ll get you something to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do it.\u201d Gabe disappeared into the kitchen. When he came back, he was holding a bottle of water. Rina was still giving him funny looks. To distract her, he picked up the paper from the dining room table. The front page showed a picture of a boy, the caption stating that fifteen-year-old Gregory Hesse had committed suicide by a single gunshot to the head. He had a round face and big round eyes and looked much younger than fifteen. Gabe started reading the article in earnest.<\/p>\n

\u201cSad, isn\u2019t it.\u201d Rina was looking over his shoulder. \u201cYou think to yourself, what on earth could have been so bad that this poor kid was willing to end it all?\u201d<\/p>\n

There were lots of reasons for despair. Last year he had gone through all of them. \u201cSometimes life is hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rina took the paper from him, spun him around, and gave him her serious eye-to-eye contact. \u201cYou looked upset when you came\u00a0in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d He managed a smile. \u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened? Did you hear from your dad or something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we\u2019re cool.\u201d When Rina gave him a skeptical look, he said, \u201cHonestly. I haven\u2019t spoken to him since we came back from Paris. We texted a couple of times. He asked me how I was doing and I told him I was fine. We\u2019re on good terms. I think he likes me a lot better now that my mom is out of the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a swig of water and averted his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I tell you my mom IMed about a week ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo .\u00a0.\u00a0. you didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMust have slipped my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally. It was no big deal. I almost didn\u2019t answer her because I didn\u2019t recognize the screen name she was using.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems to be.\u201d A shrug. \u201cShe asked me how I was.\u201d Behind his glasses, his eyes were gazing at a distant place. \u201cI told her I was fine and not to worry .\u00a0.\u00a0. that everything was cool. Then I signed off.\u201d He shrugged again. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like making chitchat. Tell you the truth, I\u2019d rather she not contact me. Is that terrible?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s understandable.\u201d Rina sighed. \u201cIt\u2019ll take a lot of bridge building before you get some trust\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not gonna happen. It\u2019s not that I have anything against her. I wish her well. I just don\u2019t want to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFair enough. But try to keep an open mind. When she contacts you again, maybe give her a few more seconds of your time. Not for her sake, but for yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf<\/span> she contacts me again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe will, Gabriel. You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know anything. I\u2019m sure she\u2019s busy with the baby and all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne child isn\u2019t a substitute for another\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for the pep talk, Rina, but I really don\u2019t care. I barely think about her.\u201d But of course, he did all the time. \u201cThe baby needs her way more than I do.\u201d He smiled and patted her head. \u201cBesides, I\u2019ve got a pretty good substitute right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mom is still your mom. And one day, you\u2019ll see that. But thank you very much for the nice words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe returned his eyes to the newspaper article. \u201cWow, the boy was local.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know the family?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo like .\u00a0.\u00a0. does the lieutenant investigate cases like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if the coroner has questions about whether it was a suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can the coroner tell?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t know. You can ask Peter when he gets home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen\u2019s he coming home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometime between now and dawn. Do you want to go out to the deli for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe\u2019s eyes lit up. \u201cCan I drive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you can drive. While we\u2019re there, let\u2019s pick up a sandwich and take it to the Loo. If I don\u2019t bring him food, he doesn\u2019t eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe put down the paper. \u201cCan I shower first? I\u2019m a little sweaty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabe could tell that Rina was still evaluating him. Unlike his father, he wasn\u2019t an adroit liar. He said, \u201cYou worry too much. I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe you.\u201d Rina mussed his hair, damp with perspiration. \u201cGo shower. It\u2019s almost seven and I\u2019m starving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet.\u201d Gabe smiled to himself. He had just used one of the Loo\u2019s favorite expressions. He had been with the Deckers for almost a year and certain things just filtered in. He became aware of hunger pangs. It had just taken time for his stomach to calm down for his brain to get the message that he hadn\u2019t eaten since breakfast and that he was famished.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that he had a nervous gut. But guns did strange things to his digestive system.<\/p>\n

Completely unlike his dad.<\/p>\n

Chris Donatti never met a firearm he didn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

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