Page 30 of Givin' Me Fitz!
“We were strategizing.” TJ wouldn’t meet my gaze.
I chuckled. “About what? How Ricky was gonna pimp you out without me knowing it?”
Ricky shook his head. “No way, Bones. The kid’s a fighter. I’m just trying to coach him up a little. There’s a fight at the Ace of Spades Casino in Green Valley, and I have a guy who’s a promoter who comes into the shop. He’s hungry for unseeded fighters to put up against his carded fighters. TJ could be a sleeper, and if we bet on him, we could make a lot of scratch—which I’m guessing we’ll need since we just got robbed.”
“You coach him up with your dick in his ass? Tell me you wore a goddamn condom, Ricky, or I’ll beat the fuck out of you.”
Ricky stepped over to the table. “I swear to god, it wasn’t like that. The kid’s incredible, and we worked on a few tricks I know, which is why I’m so sweaty.” Ricky lifted his T-shirt to show me marks on his ribs that looked painful and would definitely bruise.
“So, what’s up with your wet hair?” I studied one and then the other. Was I an asshole for pushing them to admit they’d fucked? Probably. They both seemed nervous, and I was immediately suspicious.
“We made a video of the two of us sparring for me to show the promoter. Jimmy Germaine is hungry for guys who nobody knows, and the kid is prime. He has opportunities. Just wait. You’ll see.”
Yeah, I guessed we’dallsee.
Chapter Eleven
Fitz
“How do we wanna play this?” Jagger stared at the three of us as we stood outside a small bungalow in Yuma, Arizona.
It was a tan and white stucco building with a tiny front porch and a postage-stamp-sized backyard. It was meticulously kept, and there were some nice cacti outside in a sand bed in front of the porch.
The home belonged to a cousin of Nancy Raymond—who we’d tracked from Laughlin through Lake Havasu, down to Yuma. “I don’t think we need to go in, guns blazin’. If Nancy’s in there, I’m pretty sure she’ll come out without a problem.”
I picked up the Taser from the console of my truck and shoved it into the oddly shaped holster on my hip beneath my Kevlar vest. I turned to my three companions as I made sure my bail agent badge was visible. “Let me go knock.”
The three of them followed, one on each flank with Jagger behind me. I walked up and rang the bell, hearing footsteps approaching.
A woman appeared in the entrance and stared at me. “May I help you?”
“Hello. My name is Fitzgerald Morgan. I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Nancy Raymond. Is she here?”
The woman started bawling. “She’s in a hospice facility. I’m on my way there now. Who are you?”
I glanced at the guys to see fallen faces. “How bad is she?” Keats asked as he stepped next to me from the right. Greeley joined us from the left.
“I’m Maddy Colby, Nancy’s cousin. She doesn’t want to die in jail.”
My heart hammered in my chest. It was the most horrible outcome I could have imagined. Did the cousin’s statement mean Nancy was admitting guilt?
“Ma’am, where are her sons? Are they here with you?” I prayed to heaven that those boys were safe.
“She had her mother come pick them up and take them back to Laughlin. She didn’t want them to go into the foster system. Nancy has a sister who lives in San Francisco. Her name is Flora Hopkins. She’ll be named guardian after Nancy dies, but in the meantime, she can’t care for the boys, so her mother took them after Nancy said goodbye.”
I looked at the guys, not sure how to proceed. Greeley sighed. “If she’s dying, we can’t take her into custody. Silas will get his bail money back after she, uh, passes.”
None of us met the cousin’s gaze because it was such a tragic fucking story and we were ashamed being there to retrieve a dying woman. Jagger cleared his throat. “Ma’am, excuse me for saying this, but we’ll need more than just your word. We’ll follow you to the hospice facility if that’s okay.”
The marshal in me knew he was right, but was it ethical to accost a dying woman?
I glanced at Keats, who shrugged. “He’s right. We need proof for the judge and the prosecutor.”
We all hopped into the SUV and followed cousin Maddy to a care facility about five miles from her home.
“How do we legally get proof that will satisfy the court?” I wasn’t doing anything to disrespect a dying woman. Evan Drell would have to get somebody else to carry out anything of the sort.
“Well, nothing will be dismissed until she dies, but at least we can provide proof she’s in the end-stages of life and can’t attend a hearing. That should release Silas’ bond. The case will be dismissed altogether upon Nancy’s death.”
