BAD REPUTATION [SCOTT REED]

TWENTY FOUR

"I WILL TAKE THEM DOWN ONE BY ONE!"

—

"Hey, this is Alona. Leave me a message after the beep." Alona's automated voicemail greeted Tony for the twelfth time this morning and the young man cussed under his breath, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Tienes que estar bromeando, Alona." Tony swore loudly. "You really had to not answer your phone when it's time for me to testify."

"What are you still doing here, hijo?" Arturo Padilla questions with a frown.

"Nothing, papa. Just trying to contact Alona." Tony answers, troubled. "Did Tia Isabel answer your calls already?"

Arturo shakes his head as an answer with a grim expression. "No. Your mama's still trying to get in touch with your Tia Isabel's teléfono. I'll come swing by their house as soon as you leave for court."

Tony stood rigidly, furrowing his eyebrows. "Papa... you don't... you don't think something bad happened to them, do you?"

"Espero que no, Tony."

The young man lets out a long sigh through his nostrils, clenching his jaw. He hated facing the court and hated it even more knowing that something has happened to the Vergaras and he can't do anything about it because of this trial.

It was bad enough that his car has been screwed over, and it was worse enough that he was expected to testify in the court trial. Now he was sure that something bad probably happened to his cousins makes it even more unbearable.

"You're going to be late, hijo. Go now. I'll check up on them." He places a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed it firmly. "Goodluck with the trial."

Tony nodded grimly. He then punched in Joaquin's cellphone number but the automated message only tells him that it's cannot be reached. He grumbled under his breath, bidding his goodbye to his father.

He can tell that something that has happened to his cousins and he hoped it's neither connected to the lawsuit of the bakers nor Bryce.

Meanwhile, Alona stays frozen on her seat, eyes red and unblinking as she watched Joaquin sleep soundly on her bed. She hadn't had the chance to get sleep and she wasn't planning to get any. Last night's events had thrown her over the edge and it has given her a migraine thinking of all the possibilities that could have happened if she had just came sooner. Her mother was downstairs to answer questions from Mr. Standall and had checked up on them just an hour ago. The glass of tears on her mother's eyes tells Alona that she was just as scared as her, felt the same tremor of fear and sense of deja vu. And Alona couldn't help but feel that it was her fault again.

The note she got from Joaquin last night remains crumpled in her back jean pocket. She didn't give it to Mr. Standall not unless she'd find out who did it to her brother in her own. She didn't need the cops involved, she had a strong feeling that this is connected with the tapes and the court trials and her first person of interest is Bryce.