Page 91 of Givin' Me Fitz!
His cell phone rang, so he pulled it from the holder on his belt and held it up to his ear. “Gree?” I could barely hear the response, but I recognized the tone of Greeley’s voice.
Monty turned on his phone’s speaker and placed it on the conference table. “Go ahead, Gree.”
“I talked to Chris Spitzer a few minutes ago. Here’s what he’s been able to find out. Ricky Marlow was found dead on the scene. GSWs, one in the abdomen and two in the chest. Willy Roundtree got away, but three of the Scorpions were arrested. LVPD is running their prints against those they found at Tumbleweeds Dispensary. They’re not saying if any are a match yet, but Spitz says it’s their best hope of catching someone responsible for the robbery.”
“Hey, Greeley. Fitz, here. Any word on when they’ll be released or when they’ll be available for bail?”
“They’re being arrested and charged with inciting a riot and breach of the peace, both of which are misdemeanors, but since they’re members of a gang—excuse me, a motorcycle club—the judge believed that there might be retaliation, so he wanted to be able to have them picked up again if anything pops off between the two groups.
“Spitz thinks the arraignment will be tomorrow morning, so you guys should look out for any calls from CCDC. Now, with the death of Ricky Marlow, I’m not sure if that will factor into their cases and bring more serious charges. There was a gun discovered on the scene, so the cops are looking for fingerprint matches on the gun, as well. The serial number was filed off, so there’s no way to trace it. That was all he could tell me.”
So, basically, nothing more than what we already knew—except finding out Ricky Marlow was dead. I glanced at Keller, but he was looking down at the table.
“Okay, Gree. Let us know if you hear anything more.” Monty ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket.
“So, now we wait?” I asked. It was nearly midnight, and we were all exhausted.
Sparky knocked on the table and stood. “We won’t hear anything tonight, so let’s go home and get some sleep. We’ll get word in the morning.”
I nodded. I could worry at home as easily as I could worry in the office.
Hardy came from somewhere in the back with Dixie trotting after him, a big grin on both their faces. “Hey! I have an idea. I can go see them in the morning and make sure they’re okay. I can pretend to be their lawyer. They need a lawyer, you know.”
Sparky turned toward him. “Yeah, I’ll get Aileen Combs to represent them. You can’t pretend to be a lawyer, son. That’s against the law. Say you’re the paralegal to Aileen Combs, Esquire. They hate her, and if they can deal with you instead, I’m going to guess you’ll get in the jail to check on them.”
I drove Celine and Keller out to Silver Point Casino and Hotel. Celine touched my shoulder. “Come get me in the morning when you go pick up Sawyer. You’ll need me there to talk him down. This is a damn mess.”
Keller opened the door and helped her out before they disappeared into the casino, and I drove home. I let myself inside and sat on the couch. The bedroom seemed miles away, and I was too tired to go back there. Besides, it was a big, lonely bed, and my guy was in jail.
I slid off my boots and put my feet up, turning the television on so the house wasn’t so quiet. I seriously hated being alone.
I woke up the next morning to sounds coming from the kitchen. For a minute, I thought it was Sawyer and he’d been released early. I fell off the couch trying to get up to check.
“Sawyer?”
TJ stepped from behind the fridge door with a quart of milk. He was in his boxers, and I could see every mark Edgar Jaqeli put on him. “Sorry, just me.”
The kid’s lips were swollen, and I could see where the bottom one had been split. He had a bandage on his forehead, and his ribs looked as if he were wearing purple makeup. I was in pain just looking at him.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but is my grandpa still in jail?” He poured milk in his coffee and put the carton back.
“They all are. They’re supposed to be arraigned this morning. My boss got them a lawyer, so we’re waiting for a call to come get them. Were you checked out in a hospital?”
“No. After I didn’t take the dive, I got the fuck out of there before someone tried to kill me. I got here about three this morning. I didn’t know if anyone was following me, so I took a few rideshares to throw them off. I’ll be okay, but we have a mandatory health check tomorrow at Cowpokes, so I’ll ask the doc to take a look at my ribs. If I don’t piss blood, then I think I’ll be fine. That asshole kneed me in the crotch, but I’ve had much worse.”
Glancing at him again, I foundthathard to believe. “When we pick up your grandfather and Sawyer, we’ll figure out what we need to do to keep you and him safe. I was told that Willy Roundtree escaped, but three of the Scorpions were arrested. I don’t know how many members they have in the club, so I think it’s best if you lie low for a while.”
I went to shower so I could be ready when the call came from Sparky regarding getting Sawyer out of jail. As soon as I had my boxer briefs on, my phone rang on my dresser.
As I predicted, it was Sparky. “Aileen Combs just called. They were all arraigned and can be bonded out. I can meet you at the office and go along.”
“Thanks, but I’m covering Greeley and Keats this weekend, so I’ll be going anyway. I’ll call a friend of Sawyer’s to come pick up the rest of the guys. I’ve gotta swing by to pick up his mother.” Sparky and I ended the call, and I hurried to finish dressing.
I went into the living room where TJ was on the couch with two ice packs, one on his chest where there was a huge footprint, and one on his right side where the bruises were the darkest.
“You need anything? I’ll drop your grandfather here in a bit,” I said. TJ nodded and closed his eyes. I added, “Eat something and drink a bunch of water, will ya?” Again, he nodded, but he gave me a small smile before I left.
Once in the truck, I sent a brief text to Celine.
