Chapter Two
Gage had let the talk with his wife stew in his brain as he prepped for a busy day on the ranch.
It had always been kind of wild with a whole herd of cattle, but with the heat adding to the mix, life just got harder.
Creating a future had been his plan, but he never expected it to happen at all at once.
God, he loved Hope so much that he worried about her safety more than she could even fathom.
Living without her was unacceptable. He told her so and he meant it.
If she left this earth before him, he’d follow her to the grave because it was the only way to go.
He was halfway in love with her the moment he found her in the back of his truck, and he fell more and more in love with every damn moment that passed between them.
Gage had been in the middle of rustling the cattle from one of the fields when his phone rang.
It was his buddy Alex calling. Gage’s stomach twisted as he stared at the screen.
Alex normally didn’t call during the day if it wasn’t important because he knew Gage was usually out working, so it had to be something he didn’t want to know.
He picked up on the fourth ring. “What’s up, Alex?”
“Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Am I going to like what you’re going to say?”
“No, but you need to know it anyway.”
“Please don’t piss me off today, Savage.”
“Calm the fuck down, Gibson. It’s not like I can control anything. You more than anyone know how these things work and how these judges are.” Gage paled and then reddened more than his already tanned summer skin.
“Don’t fucking tell me they let that prick out on bail.”
“They did.” The huff of confirmation on the end was all Gage needed to know for the next question, but he still asked it anyway.
“How much and does he have the funds to even post it?”
“I don’t know how, but he does. It was low as fuck. The bastard is up for murder and solicitation of human trafficking, and yet, it was only one hundred thousand. He only needed to provide ten grand.”
“The bail judge listed is Julia Santoyo.”
“Where do I know her from?” Gage thought about it for a moment. “Have you heard about her before?”
“No, but maybe she’s just a sympathetic judge. Some of them tend to be. It’s getting stupid how many are lenient on the damn bail or sentencing.” Gage nodded to himself, remembering his last case and why he’d thrown in the towel. Too many corrupt or sympathetic people on the bench.
“It’s the reason I got out in the first place.”
“Damn right. It’s like, why motherfucking bother catching these assholes?
Last year, I lost a young deputy, and the asshole that killed him only gotten ten years because he was nineteen.
My deputy was twenty-one.” That stung Alex and the entire Rangers.
He remembered attending the funeral of the young man and watched as his family grieved the loss.
The judge he disliked had presided over the case.
“Oh yeah, I know where I heard her name before. She used to clerk for Judge Oscar Rivera and she’s Monica Santoyo’s older sister.” She was a new DA when Gage had left the office.
“I hate that prick, but I’ve worked the younger Santoyo before. She’s not bad. Her sister I’m not liking,” Savage grumbled on the other end of the line.
“That said it all. That son of a bitch is dirtier than the soil I’m standing on. She learned everything from him. Even if she isn’t corrupt, it’s clear she’s soft with bail.”
“Well, we need to be cautious from now on. As soon as he’s released in the morning, I’ll keep tabs and let you know. You have your security system running, so you should be well protected, but I’m here for you.”
“Thanks,” Gage sighed. “After I get this light work done here, I’ve got some rough work to do at the house.”
“You’ve got to tell Hope?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe you don’t have to…”
“Don’t go there. Trust me, lying to her ain’t going to be a good idea. Besides, I want her to be aware and understand when I put her ass on lockdown. Then I need to hire security. There is no way I’m not beefing up the added protection around the house. The surveillance system isn’t enough.”
“Damn, I don’t want to be in your position. I’m sorry, man.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later. Just keep me informed.
” Gage ended the call and sighed. He stared at it for a moment, checking the time.
There was still too much to do to call it a day and there was no sense in stressing her out so soon, so he decided it was best to finish up his chores before heading back inside.
Still, he needed to talk to the love of his life and hear her voice, so he gave her a call.