Page 6 of Allegiance

Plastic surgery….

Never mind.

He was at the top of his game with the new face, or maybe that was an old one. He’d studied and perfected the whole thing.

As he headed into the deep bowels of his hidey-hole to see what his men had brought him, he could hear screams. Only, something was off.

He wouldn’t be shocked at female screaming, but this wasn’t that. It was different.

Male.

Screams.

What was this?

What the hell was going on?

When he approached the door, someone was waiting for him. It was a very familiar face, indeed, and one that had been his helper since El Gato’s death.

Cruz Santiago.

Oh, and he was a welcomed helper too.

This man had been El Gato’s right-hand man, next to Leopoldo Geronimo. He worked for El Gato back in Columbia, and he was one of the few men who made it out alive after the compound’s destruction.

Cruz had been lucky to survive the bombing and El Gato’s anger.

He’d been in their boss’ compound, and he had been the man who rushed him to the basement, protected him, and then got him out.

Only, it wasn’t so cut-and-dry.

He’d had to go into hiding shortly after that day when the Marines made their move on the compound.

Why?

El Gato hated the man.

What did he do?

Well, that was simple and complex all at the same time. His big crime had been a travesty for El Gato.

Cruz hadn’t grabbed El Gato’s wife or child. He only saved him, and that wasn’t something that made the drug kingpin happy.

Honestly, though, Chevy was okay with that.

After all, it was all working out now.

It all came to this point in the future where he was running El Gato’s old show with a twist.

“Hey, Cruz. What’s going on in there?” he asked, pointing at the door as the man stood in front of it, smiling.

“My men found something for you, and they brought it in. I think you’re going to be very happy with what they found, Mi Amigo.”

Chevy wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

Only, like El Gato, he was as curious as a freaking cat more times than not.

“Why does it sound like its men being tortured in there?”

---