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“Walk this way.” Gabriel ordered, the commanding boom of his voice cutting through the tense silence permeating the air field. He stood at the forefront of Austin’s joint task force as they conducted the prisoner exchange, all eyes focused on the two figures as they crossed paths. “TK, walk this way.”
“Dad, what’s happening?” Carlos called through the phone, his voice shaking. He still resented having been benched from the case, despite knowing the decision was ultimately the right one. Of course he couldn’t be level-headed and rational. It was TK.
“TK’s hesitating.” Gabriel muttered into the open line with his son, then raised the bullhorn again. “Mendoza, I repeat: Do not stop. Do not slow down. Do not speak.”
The now uncuffed gang leader, literally strolling his way to freedom, just flipped the man off over his shoulder and kept ambling towards his crew’s cluster of ragtag vehicles, arrogant and egotistical as ever.
Meanwhile, TK was struggling with every step he took. His eyes were wider than Gabriel had ever seen, tremors wracking his body despite the oppressive heat of mid-day, his path stuttering and stumbling along like he had to physically force himself to keep going. He looked like a frightened lamb being led to slaughter, despite being less than a hundred feet from safety and headed right back into the arms of his future father-in-law.
“Fuck.” Gabriel cursed beneath his breath. The odds that the pendejos were up to something just shot up from high likely to guaranteed. Now that the gang’s leverage was gone and their leader freed, all bets were off.
“Come to me, mijo.” He coaxed, then immediately tensed when TK froze in place, the only remaining color draining from his already pallid face.
Before anyone could react, the sound of gunshots rang out.