Page 24 of Givin' Me Fitz!
The television was so loud I was sure nobody could hear him kicking, so I knocked on the window. Tim was gagged, and when he glanced up, his eyes filled with fear as he continued to struggle against his bindings.
He nodded that he’d seen me so I put my finger over my lips for him to be quiet. I damn well didn’t want Tiny to rush the parents because they wouldn’t let him see Tim. We needed to know what the fuck was going on so it could come to a reasonable end.
I manipulated the louvered windows, sliding the glass plates out of the slots so I could hoist myself into the room. I held my finger to my lips to remind Tim not to make a sound. “Shh. There’s a man in there with a shotgun, and I don’t want anyone to get killed.”
Tim nodded, so I removed the mouth gag. “Who’s that guy?”
“It’s my father. He’s crazy, and he’s invited his fucked-up friends over tonight to pray the gay away. That means they’ll probably beat the shit out of me again. Last time they put me in the hospital with broken ribs and a bruised kidney.”
“How often does that happen?” I couldn’t believe people still did this shit… tried to beat the gay out of their loved ones. How the fuck did they not understand that sexual orientation wasn’t a choice?
“Too often. I came back for my clothes, and two of my dad’s friends jumped me and tied me up. They’re waiting for the pastor to get back to town from some trip since he’s the leader of this bullshit.” The kid was whispering, obviously scared shitless, so I nodded. My blood was boiling.
I finished cutting him loose. “Get your shit together and toss it out the window. I’ll load it into my truck. You climb out after you change and I’ll get Tiny. We’ll leave and you never have to come back.”
“I don’t wanna leave my truck here because they’ll set it on fire. It’s mine, prez. I paid for it.” His face was scrunched up in worry, and I understood how he felt. When one didn’t have much, everything became precious to you.
“It’s okay, Tim. We’ll get it back for you.”
The kid did as I asked, and after I loaded his shit into the back of my truck, he crawled out the window. Once I had him inside, I glanced up to meet his gaze. “Where are the truck keys?”
Tim swallowed, his face pale. “By the front door.”
I nodded and went back to the front door where Tiny remained. I climbed the stairs and pulled the gun from behind my back, keeping it behind my thigh, out of sight. There was no way I’d let anything happen to either one of those guys. One day, they’d be my brothers, and it was long engrained in me to protect a brother or sister.
I swung into the room to see the woman—the mother, I was guessing—pointing a small pistol at Tiny. He held his hands in the air, and my anger skyrocketed.
I raised my gun and when she aimed it at me, I put one in her dome and one in her heart. She didn’t deserve to live, the fucking bitch. She should have loved her son and made sure he was safe. Instead, she was willing to let people hurt him. No way would I feel bad for taking that bitch out, just like I didn’t feel bad about taking out the father, too.
Chapter Nine
Fitz
Jagger Hansen sat at the desk across from me, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued by him. He was a specimen of a man. Tall. Muscular. Blond. Sexy as fuck.
Staring at him across the expanse of the two desks made me miserable. Jagger reminded me too much of a biker who hadn’t called me in far too long.
Sparky strolled into the pit with papers in his hands and a pair of reading glasses on the end of his nose. “I got a call from an old friend in Laughlin. I need two teams to go down there and help search for a jumper.
“Our suspect is a woman, Nancy Raymond, thirty-six. The prosecutors say Nancy caught her husband cheating in their home and shot him in the back. The bullet severed his spinal column and if he’d lived, he’d have been paralyzed from the neck down. He was an insurance agent with a hefty bank account, apparently.
“Nancy’s out on a half-million-dollar bond, and her lawyer swears she didn’t shoot him. Claims someone shot him from the balcony door after she left their Laughlin home. My friend was dumb enough to bond her out, and now she’s disappeared. Anyone?”
I lifted my hand. “I’ll go.”
I needed to get away from Vegas because I hadn’t heard from Sawyer in a few weeks, and it was bugging the hell out of me. Had I done something that turned him off so much that he didn’t want to see me again?
To be fair, I hadn’t called him either. When we left the desert that night after our date, he’d seemed in a hell of a hurry to get away from me. It was another disappointing attempt at finding a relationship, on my part.
“I’ll go, too.” Jagger winked at me.What the hell did that mean?
Sparky nodded. “I’ll send Gree and Keats with you. This is a good opportunity for both of you. I’ll get Hardy to make reservations for you four down there. Go home and pack a bag. I’m not sure how long you’ll need to find the woman, but I’d say pack for a few days.”
Sparky headed toward Hardy’s office as I opened my desk drawer and grabbed my backpack to head home. I walked over to Greeley’s desk. “Meet back here and caravan or what? I’m assuming we’ll need two vehicles.”
Greeley began getting his stuff together. “Yeah. I’ll make Keats drive his Jeep. My car needs to go into the shop so I’ll drop it off and Keets will pick me up there. We’ll meet you guys back here in an hour.”
I nodded and headed toward the door where Jagger was waiting for me. “You wanna drive or do you want me to drive?”
