Page 97 of The Right Garza
Soon, a phone call comes in.
A curt conversation is had.
Looks and gestures are exchanged.
Stances shift.
He’s here.
“Here, Lexi.” Stefano beckons me to the poolside where he and Lorenzo are standing. When I reluctantly amble over, lingering at a distance, he takes me by my upper arm and positions me, so I’m sandwiched between them both.
Lorenzo looks down at me and a sliver of warmth sneaks through his perennial go-fuck-yourself glare. As mean and rude as he is with others, he’s always a little…kinderto me.
Stefano holds his phone up to show me the security feed of his front yard. Two familiar jeeps brake haphazardly in front of the house and bodies pile out. I recognize all except one. Trent, True, Tripp, Ellie, Alvin, and a huge, muscle-bound man with long dark hair.
My heart hiccups at the sight of Trent.Dios,how I miss him.
“Three Garzas,” Stefano mutters. “You must be a family favorite.”
And if Torin was on US soil, I have no doubt he’d be here, too. Even though I’m not blood, the Garzas’ never leave the people they care about behind. And I’m so damn grateful for them in this moment.They showed up for me.
Stefano’s home is huge, so it takes a minute or two before a chorus of footfalls is heard in the main area, and seconds later before the group, lead by one of the suited men, comes into view.
Trent, Tripp, True, and the huge muscle-bound man, in their all-black getup with holsters and “RCI” branded bullet proof vests, look like the freaking FBI. I might’ve known about Red Cage, but I’ve neverseenthem—the Garzas—like this before. Looking so…badass.
My heart is skipping far too many beats to be normal, so I inhale a deep breath and exhale on ten slow counts.
Once the group is in front of us, Trent’s hardened eyes comes straight to me. Jaw locked tight, he scans me up and down. And it takes everything in me to not run and throw myself at him. But the Castello twins positioned me between them for a reason, to maintain control. If I move a foot before I’m told, there’d be consequences.
When Trent gives me an almost imperceptible shake of his head, I know I’m making the right decision to stay put.
A whimper draws my attention to Ellie. Pale and reddened with fear, her hands handcuffed in front of her, her mouth duct taped.
Rage and indignation override my anxiety, my hands ball into fists at my side. Now I’m fighting the urge to move for an entirely different reason.
“You want to punch her, don’t you?” Lorenzo’s voice is rough and scratchy at my ear.
“So. Bad,” I grit out.
His chuckle at this is dark and chilling.
Five days. Five days of utter mental torment because of this dumb, gluttonous bitch. She never listens and she never fucking learns. Now look. Look where she’s gotten us. How is she even going to get herself out of this one? There’s no way on earth I’m going to be able to talk Trent into saving her again considering he wasn’t a fan of her from the get-go.
The backstabbing twat can’t even look at me. Her red, swollen eyes are trained on Lorenzo, wide and full of terror. Lorenzo does have that horror-inducing effect on people, so I can imagine the dread running through her.
But I can’t find it in me to feel sorry for her. Who Idofeel bad for is the skinny, awkward man beside her with a crack on his thick-rimmed glasses. Poor Alvin is as white as a ghost, fear etched in every crease and crinkle of his face. Only God can tell me Ellie didn’t coax him into this.
Trent throws a large bag at our feet.
“Is it all there?” Stefano asks.
Trent nods once. “We replaced what was spent.”
As Stefano opens his mouth to speak, Trent adds, “And don’t even try to pull that interest bullshit. We went all the way to Turks and Caicos to drag these two back here.Youowemefor that shit.”
“Yes, and my payment is your bodacious Latina girlfr—”
“Non fottermi, Stefano.,” Trent grits out in Italian, taking a threatening step forward.
