Page 83 of The Right Garza

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“And what thefuck are you doing about this?” I growl through gritted teeth.

Walter rests his hand on his badge next his gun on his waist, as if to remind me who’s in charge.

We’re at the station. Maggie’s in the corner trembling and in tears, and I’m all out of patience at this point, barely containing my rage.

We’ve seen the video footage from the gas station. Watched her fight and claw for her life before being thrown into the back of a vehicle and taken away.

Abducted. Lexi’s been abducted in broad daylight and these uniformed clowns are just shuffling around with coffee mugs and wasting time like a bunch of fucking monkeys.

“As I said,” Walter drawls, “we’re working on it. There are protocols, procedures. Witnesses are still being interviewed—”

“The same witnesses who stood by and didnothing?”

He sighs. “Trenton, Red Cage and the LX-PD have a good, long relationship and I want us to keep it that way. You are aware of how things are done when—”

“That’s mywomanwe’re talking about, Walter!” I roar in his face. “Fuck your protocols.”

Officers stop and glance over at us.

Walter moves back a step and sighs. “Don’t know what you want me to tell you, Trenton.”

Stepping into his space, I drop my voice. “We’ve always come through for you when you need us. Without fail or delay. So here’s what I’m going to do, I’m going after my woman and I’m gonna do whatever the fuck I have to do to get her back. So what I want you to tell me is that you’re gonna staythe fuckout of my way.”

Walter is already shaking his head. “No. I’m gonna need Red Cage tostand downon this one. Don’t—”

I walk off, signaling Maggie to come along. We walk right out of the station.

True is leaned against the jeep in the parking lot talking on his phone. He ends the call as we approach and straightens from the jeep. “Let me guess,” he drags, “useless as usual?”

“Fuck ‘em.” I jerk open the door to the jeep. “We’re getting her back Red Cage style.”

Chapter TWENTY-FIVE

“Put it on me.”

Lexi

I return to consciousnesswith an arid mouth, a bitter tongue, and my arms tied behind my back.

Needling pain shoots through my right arm like a fusillade of tiny pins. With the position they left me tossed in, my entire weight is rested on one arm.

To alleviate the pressure, I try to shift onto my belly, and the next thing I know I’m tumbling off the edge of—a bed…?

No, a couch.

An involuntary“oof”leaves me as my body hits the floor and I eat a mouthful of carpet. Hang on, this zebra-print carpet looks mighty familiar…

Lifting my head, I take in my surroundings. And…sonofabitch. I know exactly where I am.

“Hijo de puta!” I scream.

In seconds, the door opens and one of the men who kidnapped me plods in. Now I know why he’d looked familiar to me. “Finally,” he grumbles. “You’re awake. Was startin’ to wonder if we put you in a coma.”

“You tell that twig-legs, piece-of-shit boss of yours to get in here and untie meright the fuck now!”

The henchman grunts, almost humorously, and hauls me up by my arm. The motherfreaking pained arm!