Page 75 of Givin' Me Fitz!
Sparky came back with a large beach towel, and Monty kissed his lips before heading out to the tank. TJ got out and wrapped the towel around himself as Monty took him over to a hot outdoor propane heater and pushed him into a wicker chair to warm up.
I walked outside and sat in a chair next to him. “How do you feel?”
The handsome kid grinned. “I feel good. I’ll be ready for the fight, Fitz, don’t you worry. And don’t let Sawyer worry.”
I stared at him for a moment. “TJ, I think this is a bad idea. You fighting I mean. We don’t know if you have any internal injuries, and if you do, this could kill you.”
TJ grinned. “Aw, come on, Fitz. I think you like a challenge just as much as me. There’s a lot riding on this fight, and I’m not letting anyone down.”
I swallowed. “Who are you worrying about letting down, TJ?”
“Everyone.”
He groaned as he stood and shuffled down the hallway. “Nature calls. I’ll be right back.”
I exhaled and glanced at Monty. “Can he fight? Will we be attending a funeral this time next week?”
“Fuck, I hope not.”
Later, Sawyer stepped into the kitchen at Sparky and Monty’s house, a grin on his face. TJ was dressed in his running clothes again, and while he got dressed, I’d ducked into the powder room off the kitchen with a couple of paper towels to do a dirty wipe under my arms. I didn’t think I smelled, but I didn’t want to be nose blind.
“Babe, you ready? I’m starving.” Sawyer walked over and kissed me. I planned to relish every kiss because the future was fucking uncertain. I didn’t know everything going on, but my heart was heavy at the prospect of not waking up to that man in my arms.
We headed to the back door that was open, leading to a screened porch. Outside, TJ was tossing a tennis ball into the large backyard, and Dixie rushed after it, bringing it back to him and giving him a doggy grin. She dropped it at his feet and gave him a lick on the hand as he reached for it.
“Yeah, uh, I’m ready. I’ll get TJ, and we can go for breakfast. After we eat, we’ll go back to the house.” I turned to Monty. “Can you drop him off later so he can spend some time with his grandfather in case…” I ran out of words for probably the first time in my life.
Monty nodded. “I will, Fitz.”
If the kid had an underlying condition and got hit the wrong way, he’d drop dead on the mat, never to rise again. Could I have that shit on my conscience?
Sawyer dropped me off at home, kissing my cheek and leaving in my truck with a quick “I’ll call you later.” I wasn’t sure where he was going, and it was yet another worry for me.
I puttered around the garage, going through a bunch of nuts, bolts, and screws I’d found in a box when I was cleaning out the things the last tenant had left behind. She’d left empty jars, so I sorted the screws from the nails from the bolts like a ninety-year-old man who had lived through the Great Depression and threw away nothing.
TJ came in through the open garage door. “Whatcha doing?”
I glanced at him. “Nothing of importance. I didn’t realize you’d be back so soon.”
“Monty got a call from Sparky, so he dropped me off. I’m going to do some stretching in the backyard that he showed me and alternate hot and cold compresses on my ribs like Monty said. He showed me some things to do to loosen up. Where’s Grandpa Jim?” He glanced toward the house.
“He was in the living room listening to a true crime podcast before I came out here. I’m going into the office before I go stir-crazy. Mrs. Kowalski’s scheduled to be here after lunch, and I should be back around five. Don’t open the door for anyone, okay? Mrs. K has a key, and so do I. Nobody else.”
Without waiting for a response, I went inside the house and changed into jeans and a dress shirt. God, I wanted TJ to spend time with his grandfather. I knew in my heart it would destroy the old man if anything happened to the kid.
My stomach roiled at the idea of either of them being without the other. The possibility of having no one in the world who knew you and loved you made my heart heavy.
“Okay, Fitz. Have a good day.”
I walked out the front door and hopped into my waiting Uber.
When I arrived at the office, I slid out after giving the guy an extra tip over what I tipped on the app. I went in through the front door. “Hello, Denise.”
I walked through the gate leading from the swamp to my desk, seeing a few of my coworkers were seated at their desks and working on something. I reached for my gun, but it wasn’t on my belt like normal.
I remembered I’d given it to Sawyer to take with him to the Scorpions’ clubhouse. I still hadn’t heard from the Mesquite PD about my Glock they’d taken when they’d showed up at that shit show of a shooting at Mr. Middleton’s house, so I pulled out my wallet, found the receipt, and called the station.
After the phone was answered, I requested Gale West, the officer who had taken my gun. A couple of minutes later, he came on the line. “Officer West.”
