Page 33 of Tripp

I waited. There had to be more to this.

“He got a tag number. He was able to track the vehicle Garcia was in through the cameras around town. We know where the car is; he may or may not be there, but it’s a start.”

“Let me see the video.”

He hesitated then nodded. “If it were Lori… I get it man.” He turned the tablet he held over. The video had no sound, but it showed her getting out of her truck. I watched as she walked up to the side wall, her gaze darting to the laundromat. Then a man intentionally ran into her.

I gritted my teeth as I watched. The next few minutes sent me into a rage that would rival the devil himself.

I handed the tablet back and started my bike. I’d seen enough. The image of her bloody and beaten would haunt me forever.

“Address, now. I go alone.”

“The fuck you do. You’re taking these boys with you. Some of the men suspected to be in this mess with him have warrants. We are going to get them all at one time.” Gabe was in my personal space now.

“Your deputies too?”

He shook his head. “Charlie is staying here with Phoenix to watch over Casey. I have two deputies that can be there in less than three minutes if you need them though.”

I nodded. No cops meant—well, it was a good thing.

“Bring him in alive, Tripp. That is my only order. I don’t care what you do before he gets here. I don’t want details or to know anything else. I’m trusting you to not go too far.”

“Don’t worry, Sheriff, we won’t let him,” Trace assured him, taking the paperwork with what I assumed was the address. “I know the area. We’ve got this.”

“Fine. Mount up, we ride,” I said, starting the bike. My hands tightened on the bars.

We were stopped at the end of the road, off to the side out of sight, using a map Derek had included of the area; Trace pointed out the house in question.

There was a diagram of the house’s layout, yard specs, everything you’d need to bust in unseen.

The house was average; a modern-day cookie-cutter home. Living room, kitchen, and dining room were all one open area. There were four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs; so many potential hiding places.

That was their worry though. My place was outside. That’s where that pansy ass would come, running away like he usually did.

“Tripp, I know you’re ready to knock some skulls, but the men in that house, they’re some bad motherfuckers. Keep your head in the game. I can’t take you back to Casey with holes in you or in a fucking body bag. You hear me?”

I dropped the kickstand, climbed off my bike, and removed the leather gloves I wore. One by one, I removed the rings that adorned my hands. I unclasped the watch and pulled off the leather bracelets. I didn’t have piercings to worry about so I grabbed a rubber band and pulled my hair back into a bun, to keep it out of my face.

“You do what you need to,” I said. “Garcia is mine. When I’m done with him, then and only then, do you get him.”

I looked up; each of the men wore a similar scowl. It wasn’t directed at me; it was for this situation. They’d all seen that video; they knew what he’d done to her.

“You carrying?” the big man behind Trace asked. I pulled my concealed carry from my back. Everything went into the saddle bag in front of me.

“You get a two-minute head start,” I stated, climbing back onto my bike. “Then I’m riding in.”

“He’s fucking crazy.”

“Nah, that’s a man ready to protect his girl.”

“No, that’s a father protecting his daughter.”

To be fair, I was all three. I kissed the cross that I wore around my neck, then pulled it off to put it over the handlebar.

When my mama gave it to me, she said it would help protect me. Did it? I didn’t know. I wore it to be close to her.

I was not an overly religious person; quite the opposite. But I was about to channel the devil, so I didn’t want to anger the gods of any kind today. I would put it back on when I felt things were okay again.

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