Page 68 of Givin' Me Fitz!
I glanced at his smartwatch to see there wasn’t much green left on the battery icon in the upper right corner. I hoped the hell someone was able to trace the phone. I wasn’t sure what our chances were of getting out of a big metal box, but I fucking hoped luck was on my side.
“Do you know someone named Sawyer? TJ said your name is Bones,” Mr. Middleton asked.
“Sawyer is my given name. Bones is my club nickname. What did the guy say about Sawyer?”
“He said he was gonna put a bullet in Sawyer’s head. Keller promised him the presidency, and he was going to collect what he’d been cheated out of by the Abbott family once and for all. He said, ‘After I kill Sawyer, I’m going to gut the man and give his heart to Abner before I shoot that lying fuck in the dome.’ That was a quote. I’m sorry, young man. It sounds like someone wants to kill you and this Abner person.”
I smirked, though neither of us could see it in the fucking dark, though it seemed mean to think it when Mr. Middleton wouldn’t be able to see again. Hell, the way my luck was going, I might not see the light of day again.
As far as I knew, not many people were familiar with my given name or that of my father. Most people we interacted with called us by our nicknames. Not everyone had a nickname, either.
Dad’s club nickname had been Abner—after the oldLi’l Abnercomic strip because my father was tall with dark brown hair—and the old-timers still called him that, though there weren’t many of them around anymore.
I had a feeling who was behind our kidnapping and who had TJ. I just hoped they didn’t kill him before we could find him.
Hell, I’d told Fitz not to get killed when we went to pick up Mr. Middleton.“Be careful, Fitz. You and I are on the brink of something. Don’t leave me hanging.”
Now, I was on the verge of doing it to him.
I woke to the sound of motors—large motors but not from a bike. There was a lot of shouting, and then, a clanging sound. Fuck it I knew what it was, but I began pounding on the side of the box.
I gently moved Mr. Middleton off my thigh where he’d fallen asleep at some point. My neck was stiff, and my head hurt like a motherfucker. There was a knot the size of a fist on the back of my skull, and I wanted to puke.
I had no idea what the fuck was happening when the metal box began lifting. I grabbed Mr. Middleton and held him so he wouldn’t fall because the motion wasn’t gentle. Suddenly, the top—the doors—opened, and a man wearing a hard hat stared at us. “What the fuck?”
He didn’t look familiar, so I was leery of what to say. “Some guy we don’t know put us in here as a fucking joke. Thanks for letting us out. I held my hand up to block my eyes because the sun was rising and the angle the box was in had the light piercing my eyeballs.
“Where the hell are we?” I asked the guy staring at us like we were at fault for being trapped in the big metal box.
“This is the expansion build at the Cactus Hills Casino off Buffalo Drive. What the fuck are you doing in our gang box and why was the electrical wire spool on top?” He pointed to a gigantic wooden spindle that was being held in the air by a crane as a bulldozer was parked behind the box, likely having flipped it over.
I exhaled. “I can’t tell you what happened because I was knocked out. I’m damn pissed about this. I’m calling the cops because how else would anyone have gotten through that fence? It had to be someone on your crew. My boyfriend’s father was scared to death, and I got knocked out.”
I reached behind me as if I was going for my phone, but the guy shook his head. “No, no, no. Please don’t call the police. If the security guards were on a break and went for food, they might have left the gate open.” He pointed to the fence and the security shack a few yards away. “I don’t want to get anybody in trouble. The guys working here are all hard workers, but they’re always up to something. They work hard. Leave, and I won’t let them charge you with trespassing on private property.”
I took Mr. Middleton’s hand. “Fine, man, but warn your crew that if they come after me again, they’ll be sorry.”
Before we could get to the gate, Ders and Hobie pulled up in Hobie’s SUV with Fitz following behind them in his truck. I wasn’t surprised when Officer Chet Crane pulled in behind Fitz, though he didn’t have the cherries twirling or the siren blaring. Thankfully.
Fitz hopped out of his truck and stomped over to me, a man on a mission. He touched my shoulders as I held Mr. Middleton’s hand. “Are you okay, Sawyer?”
“I’ve got a hell of a headache, but I’ll be fine. Has anyone heard anything from TJ? They stuck us here and took him.”
Fitz pulled me into his arms and wrapped them around my waist tightly. “Fuck, sugar. I thought you were dead.” His whispered words brought tears to my eyes.
“Me too. I couldn’t figure out where the fuck we were, but we’re okay. Let’s get out of here, please. We need to find TJ. I think it was Ricky Marlow and the Scorpions who kidnapped us.”
My sweet guy leaned closer and kissed my lips. “No more. We’ve gotta figure out something else that doesn’t have you living at the compound and me worrying about you when you’re not around. I don’t want to be away from you anymore, sugar. For now, let’s take you and Mr. Middleton to my place. We’ll find TJ. What time do your folks get in?”
Fitz was gentle and caring, but at that moment, it wasn’t what I needed. I gave him Mr. Middleton’s hand and stomped over to Hobie. “Where the fuck is Ricky Marlow? He’s part of this shit, I know it.”
“Bones, man, he’s been a loyal member of the club for years. Your father patched him in. Let’s check things out before we shoot him, okay?”
I smirked. “He wants to cut out my heart and give it to Abner before he shoots him in the head. You wanna ignore that? You want me to ignore that shit?”
Hobie stared at me as though I’d lost my fucking mind. Maybe I had…
“Ask Mr. Middleton. He heard those words come out of someone’s mouth, Hobie.” I turned and stormed off.
