Page 84 of Untamed Protector

“You think you’re going to get away with this shit? You don’t have enough muscle on the force to pin anything on me,” Vargas spits out, his eyes then boring into Damien. “It’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Detective. This little charade will cost you your badge.”

“I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you. Damien is your only friend here. If it weren’t for him and his badge, you wouldn’t be here to threaten us. I’ve got some containers, too, you know,” Gabriel growls back. I can tell he’s getting angry as he paces the room, constantly getting close to Vargas with his fists balled up. Vargas is lucky that Damien and Dominic are here. Otherwise, things might get ugly for him.

“Don’t bother denying it. We can prove everything. We found the gun you used to shoot Gabriel on you. Trust me, ballistics will prove it.” Damien gets up close, leans in, and looks Vargas dead in the eye. “We found the car and the papers it came with. They’re signed by you. Your name’s listed as the owner. Your employee betrayed you. They all did. They’d rather fess up than face prison. And we found the thugs who kidnapped Lexi. They betrayed you, too. You’re alone, and you’re trapped. So, you can drop the circus.”

“You’re arrogant and cruel, but you’re not that bright!” I shout at Vargas. He turns around, trying to find where the voice comes from.

“Aw, look who it is—the bodyguard’s princess.” I feel his eyes staring at me in the dim light. “So, why do you think I’m cruel? You don’t even know me.”

“I know you. You’re the son of a bitch who let me die that night—both me and my dad. You could’ve stopped and taken us to the hospital.” I get up and walk over to him. Gabriel stops pacing and comes over, too, standing halfway between Vargas and me.

After exchanging looks with Gabriel, Mike leaves the room, most likely to deal with something. Damien goes up to Vargas, puts a hand on his shoulder, and squeezes until he screams. “Does it hurt?” I ask. “Do you understand pain now? The despair and fear of death we felt when you hit us? How can you live with yourself after almost killing innocent people?”

“And what the hell were you two doing out on the streets at night?” he bursts out uncontrollably. Then he realizes what he said and looks away to the corner of the room.

“What were we doing? What were you thinking, driving like a maniac at night on a road with no visibility?” I shout at him, leaning on Gabriel, who holds me, thinking I’m about to hit him. I would, if I thought it would make me feel better, but it won’t. All I’ve wanted to know for years is the answer to one question.

“Why did you run away and leave us to die? That’s what I don’t understand. I get you like fast, powerful cars. It was an accident—I get that, too. But I don’t understand what kind of man leaves two innocent people lying in a ditch, badly injured and barely breathing. How can you live with yourself after what you’ve done? What kind of man are you? Are you even human? Answer me. Are you a man or a beast?”

Vargas avoids eye contact, lowering his head, and my question remains unanswered. I feel like shaking him, but Gabriel swoops in and pulls me away from the asshole’s chair.

“I’m sorry, Lexi, but this coward won’t talk. Not yet. Not while he’s alone in front of us.”

Vargas looks up at him, seemingly nervous. Gabriel’s words or tone seem to scare him.

“If you have it all figured out, then what the hell are you doing here with me? Why don’t you turn me over to the authorities?” Vargas shouts.

“Because your partner in crime is on their way here. We want the whole story before they throw you behind bars for so long that you come out looking like your grandpa,” Gabriel says, leaning over to stare him dead in the eye.

Vargas pales, his bravado crumbling. His jaw slackens open, and his eyes dart nervously towards the door. He’s visibly shaken but says nothing, a deep, overwhelming look of horror settling over his face.

“You should’ve quit when I told you, country girl,” I hear Anita’s voice sneer behind me. I didn’t notice her slip into the room.

25

Gabriel

Mike brings Anita in. She stumbles a bit, held tightly by Mike’s grip on her arm. Seeing her, I quickly pull Lexi back against the wall to ensure Anita doesn’t bump into her. In her usual defiant manner, she throws Mike a dirty look before plopping into a chair far away from Vargas.

“Fancy little shindig you’re having,” she says. “Thanks for inviting me.”

She looks at Vargas, her eyes softening. “Are you hurt?” she asks in a low, hushed voice. He shakes his head, and Anita continues, “You don’t seem well.”

Next, she looks at me. “I guess you want some answers. You and little Ms Prissy over there,” Anita says, pointing at Lexi, who’s still in shock from seeing her come in.

I’ve had a feeling Anita was involved since Lucas put out that video about Lexi. Lucas is a money-grubbing, bitter, lazy lowlife, but he’s not evil. Someone smarter and more twisted was pulling the strings—Anita.

I suspected Peter, too, at one point, but it made no sense for him to ask Lexi to move here and then threaten her to leave. I kept an eye on the entire Maier family and traced their phones, and it all clicked when I saw Anita meet Vargas on the same day as the assault in the port. That also explains Vargas’s connection to Grain Inc.

“Anita, you can stop playing games now. Things are not looking good for you guys. It’s time you started talking. Both of you,” Damien snaps, still keeping Vargas in an uncomfortable grip.

“That’s exactly why I came here—to talk,” Anita answers boldly.

“You didn’t come here on your own, Anita. We busted you as you were sneaking out of the country.”

“Huh. I don’t think so, handsome. You might want to double-check your sources,” she tells Damien, then turns to Mike with a smirk on her face. “So, soldier, how’d it go?”

“The lady was at a gas station on the highway, less than a mile from the border. She was waiting for us, I guess,” Mike explains.

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