Page 9 of Givin' Me Fitz!
“I’m good.” I followed Jesse into his office and sat in front of his desk.
“Are you talking about TJ Middleton? He called Denise, our assistant, about five this morning, but he told her it was no rush. They were still processing him. I sent a couple of guys to post for him an hour ago. Do you know what happened?”
I shook my head. “I just heard about this. What’s the arrest report say?”
Jesse picked up a file. “Assault with the intent to do bodily harm. Any idea why your guy decided to beat the hell out of another guy?”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. “I have no idea, but my guess is the guy tried to hurt him. TJ works at one of our houses. He’s also an MMA sparring partner for some prominent up-and-coming contenders. He’s small but strong. He looks out for the rest of my employees at the house, though we have a guard there during business hours. It’s not like him to go looking for outside work, other than underground fights he thinks I don’t know about.”
We paid our workers a fair wage, only taking a quarter of their earnings, which was better than the other houses. We gave them a place to live, three squares, medical care, and security when it was needed. I still didn’t know if, or why, TJ had taken a side job if he was there to fuck, but when he surfaced, we’d be having a conversation.
“He was arrested at the Blue Diamond Casino on Fremont after beating the fuck out of a man in one of the hotel rooms. I’ll bail him out, but you’ve gotta guarantee his bond.”
I handed over my credit card. “Gladly.”
“He really beat the hell out of the guy, but he wouldn’t say why, according to the interviewing officers. I’m afraid this one might be more serious—a felony, maybe.”
I stared at Sparky for a moment. “Aren’t they all?”
He smirked and offered me the papers that were rolling off his printer. I signed where he pointed, and when I stood to leave, his phone buzzed. He picked up and held up a finger. “Thanks, Denise.”
He turned to me. “Hang on a minute, Sawyer. Denise says my guys are bringing in your employee now.”
“I’ll wait for him. Thanks, Sparky.”
Sparky dipped his head and went back to his office.
Twenty minutes later, TJ Middleton entered the building with a large guy I remembered from the Scorpion’s compound where the Corsican Cartel had beaten the fuck out of me without asking one goddamn question. I was coming to see it as a hazard of the job.
The man behind them caught my eye and my breath. He was damn handsome. Blond and gray hair with a gorgeous smile. His gaze didn’t leave mine, and my stomach flipped.
I blinked, trying to clear my mind to deal with the reason I was there in the first place. I turned to TJ. “We have a lot to discuss.” I then turned to the guys escorting him. “Can I take him home?”
TJ did a quick shuffle next to me. “I need to pee. I’ll be back, boss.”
The dark-haired man pointed to the bathrooms before turning to me. “He has a court date in a month. We don’t want to have to come looking for him if he skips.”
The other man stepped forward. “I’m Fitz Morgan. I think your friend will live up to his obligations. I know you were instrumental in the recovery of Giuseppe and Teresa Torrente. I’m glad to finally meet you.”
I stood to shake his hand and was stunned by his light-blue eyes. They reminded me of the sky, and I wanted to get lost in them.
As I stood there unable to speak, I remembered seeing the man at the hospital where they took me to get checked out after I was liberated from the Scorpions. I hadn’t realized the handsome man was with the Torrentes. I wished I’d have introduced myself, though my face had looked like ground meat.
“You work for the Torrentes, right?” Those cowboy boots looked sexy on him and the Wranglers had me wanting to bite my fist. That ass…
“I did for a short time, but I’m here in Vegas, now, workin’ for Sparks.” Fitz had a sexy southern twang, and a slow smile that made my balls tingle.
I grazed my eyes over his fit body from cowboy boots to tight jeans to his pearl snapped green western shirt, finally landing on those baby blues, my mouth watering the whole time. When his lips started to move, I snapped out of it. “Sorry, uh, what?” I sounded like a moron.
He smirked, obviously knowing I was lusting after his sexy body. “I said your young employee doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would beat on somebody for no reason.”
I nodded. “Trust me when I say that’ll be my first question. He’s not supposed to be working in Vegas. Our employees don’t make outcalls into the city at all. TJ spars at a gym nearby, but he lives and works at Cowpokes. He’s never been picked up before.”
Fitz stared at me for a moment. “Anyone new in his life?”
I couldn’t say, but I’d sure be asking. That wasn’t what was on my mind at that moment. “Have dinner with me?”
The words were out of my mouth before my fucking brain engaged. What the hell was I thinking?
