Page 136 of The Bronze Garza

“No!” she cries when the agent seizes her by her upper arm. “You have the wrong person. This is a mistake!” As the agent forces her hands behind her and cuffs her, she looks at Dad with pleading eyes, “Sweetie, Ipromiseyou, I am not who they are saying I am. This is all just a misunderstanding.”

Dad nods. “I believe you, love. We’ll get this sorted.” He shifts his attention to me. “Lyly, call our lawyer. Get him down to the station as soon as possible.”

Although I nod, I search his expression for a hint if that’s truly what he wants me to do or that it’s part of the act. But the only thing I find is desolation, and my heart breaks for him.

The agents usher both him and Eloise out the door, and I follow them.

“I love you, Daddy!”

For the first time ever, he doesn’t return the sentiment.

As they’re guided into separate squad cars, two other agents emerge from the side of the house with a handcuffed Patrick.

A gasp catches in my throat.

He’sYuri Popov?

What is even happening right now? It feels like I’m in a dream.Them? Eloise and Patrick? These people who’ve been embedded in our lives for almost three years?Russianfugitives?

None of it even makes sense.

Feeling so, so cold all of a sudden, I wrap my arms around myself and watch numbly as the squad cars speed out one by one.

“Go put some clothes on and call the lawyer. I’ll take you to the station.”

Damn near leaping out of my skin, I whip around to find motherfreaking Reuben standing in my foyer.

“Where the hell did you come from?” I ask, hand over my racing heart.

“Through the portal from the otherworld.”

With a weighted sigh, I pad inside and close the door. “Where is he?”

“Tracking the others who got tipped off and are on the run.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know what any of those words mean.”

“Go on.” He jerks his chin to the stairs. “Go change out of that ridiculous onesie and let’s go. I’ll fill you in on the way.”

~

Con artists.

It’s one thing to swindle people out of their hard-earned money, but another thing entirely to sell someone into human trafficking then put a fucking hit on them.

What kind of heartless, soulless creatures were we living with? How could we have misjudged them for so long? That they’ve even been able to pass themselves off as Russians with nary a slip-up? How easily we’d believed their “Amish” cover story for their stilted dialog.

Just when I thought the world couldn’t surprise me anymore than it already has.

How can I ever,evertrust another soul again after this?

By the time we arrive at the station, our lawyer, O’neil Partridge, is already there. Turns out Dad had already told him about this and he’d just been waiting for the call.

He assures me that Dad won’t be charged with anything. Apparently, we’re being helped by the FBI, but the usual protocols had to be carried out so it all appears legit.

Reuben sits with me in the waiting area, his arm around my shoulders.

Keri—who we believed to be Patrick’s girlfriend but is actually a member of the Six-Six Hook crew—had gotten tipped off that the FBI was onto them and tried to warn Patrick, but he told her she was being paranoid. He must’ve gotten convinced at some point, however, because Reuben said he was packing frantically when the feds arrived.