Page 20 of Lethal Justice

“Yes, who is this?”

“Ty.” Malco went deathly still as he tuned out everything except the boy on the line.

“Tycen, Jesus, where are you?”

“Can’t talk long. People are watching me.” Malco could hear the fear and pain in the boy’s voice, and it made him grip the phone harder.

“Where are you? I’ll come to you.” Malco walked into the office and clicked his fingers to get Frida’s attention. She looked up in surprise, but his face must have said more than his words ever would because she was next to him in a second.

“Can’t. They’ll kill you.”

“Don’t worry about me, Ty. Just tell me where you are.”

“No, they’ll hurt my family if you do. Just tell my mom I’m sorry and I love her.” Malco was losing him, and he knew it. Whatever this kid was going through, someone had put the fear of God into him.

“Just tell me you’re okay.”

“I will be. It was just a flesh wound. I have to go.”

“Wait, call me tomorrow, and I’ll try and make it so you can speak to your mom yourself.” The line went silent, and he wondered if the draw of speaking to his mother one last time would be enough to make Tycen call them back.

“I’ll try.”

The line went dead and Malco looked at the phone in frustration, wanting to hurl it at the wall. He and Frida looked at each other for a second, each feeling the despair of knowing that Tycen was in a perilous situation.

“Do you think he’ll call back?”

Malco shrugged. “Not sure. You know as well as I do how difficult it is to do anything without the other gang members finding out. There’s always someone waiting to stab you in the back to get ahead with the boss and move up.”

“We need to find him. Can anyone backtrace that call?”

“Alex, maybe. Change of plans. Let’s call him on the way into the Agency. If he manages to call back, I want to be able to track him, and I can’t do that here.”

“I agree. Let me pack my stuff up.” Frida turned to walk away, but Malco caught her arm and pulled her to him. She looked at him quizzically as she let him hold her body against his. He leaned his head into her neck and let her scent settle him.

“I can’t let another mother bury her son because of these gangs.” Malco felt her hand in his hair.

“We’ll find him, Malco. You have to believe that, or it will suck you down. One kid at a time, we’ll save them.” Malco looked up then into the eyes of a woman who he hardly knew but felt like he shared a connection with, stronger than he could explain.

“You’re amazing, you know that?”

“You’re just saying that because you want in my pants.” Malco grinned.

“I most certainly do, but that doesn’t make what I said any less true. You care, and you’re brave, and that’s so attractive.” Frida rubbed her palm over his scruff. “You ain’t so bad yourself.”

She dropped a kiss onto his lips that was tender and genuine, and Malco wondered how he would ever let her go or if he even wanted to.

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