Page 5 of The True Garza

He chuckles as he escorts me to the elevator.

I have two job interviews today—one as a shooting instructor, and another as an instructor of Krav Maga—so, I don’t appreciate being unexpectedly summoned to LX-BI by Uncle Walter.

Charles hits the button for the fifth floor.

Uncle Walter is Executive Assistant Director here at LA’s Bureau of Investigations Unit, while my brother is an agent. I’d spent one rookie year here before an opportunity came for me to work with a private organization in Germany. When I got back four years later, I was so fucking sharp that LX-BI just wasn’t enough for me. That’s when private contracts started coming my way.

“Mom’s happy you’re back,” Charles says as the elevator whisks us up.

“That makes one of us.”

“She wants to see you.”

“Not a chance in hell. That woman is dead to me.”

I haven’t seen or spoken to my mother since she ripped our family apart. Two years before he died, Dad secured a burial plot in Denver and told me that when he died he didn’t want to be brought back to LA; nor did he want his “bitch of an ex-wife” at his funeral. When that time sadly came, I did exactly as he requested.

My family thinks I’ve cut my mother off because of what she did, but there’s more to it than that. And they’ll never know. I’m fine being the “difficult” sibling.

“She’s still your mother, Lonny.”

“Listen, I choseDad, and you and Brook chose her. My being back here doesn’t mean I want a relationship with her.Nothing’schanged. As far as I’m concerned, Dad’s dead because of her. So she’s still dead to me.”

He sighs. “You need to grow up, Lonny.”

“And you need to get a new barber and stop using so much hair gel. That haircut is atrocious.”

His hair is fine, but since he’s a well-dressed peacock who’s deeply self-absorbed and obsessed with himself, I always resort to teasing him about his hair whenever I’m on the losing end of an argument with him.

Yeah, I know, I’m childish. No shame to my game.

With a frown, he turns and examines himself in the stainless steel of the elevator wall, brushing his fingers over his wavy drop-fade. “Wha—what’s wrong with my haircut?”

The elevator doors slide open and a smirk tugs at my lips as I stride out. He’s going to obsess about his hair for the entire day now.Works every time.

I make my way into Uncle Walter’s office without knocking. He’s sitting behind his desk, gaze narrowed on the computer screen. He’s a massive, broad-shouldered hunk of a man who shouldn’t look as fit, strong, and hale as he does for his age. Especially after he stole his brother’s wife, job, and kids—barring me. There’s not an ounce of guilt, remorse, or sadness in the lines of his face. I resent him.

“This is the last time you’ll summon me,Uncle.”

“Good morning to you, too, Lonny.”

“What do you want?”

With eyes identical to mine, he looks me up and down. “We thought you would’ve come by the house after you landed yesterday.”

“Never gonna happen. What do you want? I’ve got things to do.”

Charles and Special Agent Brady Haynes enter the office just then.

Brady smirks at me. “It’s good to see you, Lonny. Missed your crazy ass.”

Brady and Charles have been best friends for as long as I can remember. Brady spent so much time at our house growing up that he’s considered a Bridge at this point.

“Close the door,” Uncle Walter orders.

Charles prods me forward and closes the door.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask.