Page 85 of Givin' Me Fitz!
Spider stood and shook my hand, giving me a clap on the shoulder before he leaned in. “He’s on his way to San Diego. Hammer told me that’s where Boyd’s hiding. He shouldn’t miss the party, should he?”
I laughed hard and shook hands down the line. I went to the next row and hugged Bess. “I didn’t realize we were closed on a Friday.” I was joking—mostly.
Bess pulled me down by my jacket. “One, the order to close came from Spider, and two, TJ is one of ours. Of course, we’re going to be here to support him.” Her expression told me to keep my damn mouth shut for once.
Derson stepped behind me and touched my back. “I’ve got the money to make the bet. Odds were 10:1 favoring Garza the last time I checked the board. Any idea how I should bet it?”
“How much do you have?” I’d had my head up my ass when it came to the bet because I had no idea what to do. We still didn’t know whether TJ was going to lose on purpose, though my gut told me he wanted the recognition from the MMA Federation so he could become a professional fighter. We were pretty much acting on faith that TJ would do the right thing.
“We have sixty grand. Each of us kicked in some extra to be able to replenish the shortfall—even the kids from Cowpokes. It’s your call.”
I knew time was running out, so I held onto Derson’s arm and pulled him with me to my row. Fitz was talking to his friend, so I leaned down to Jim’s ear. “I’m going to make the bet. Will you tell Fitz?”
Jim reached into his pocket and handed me an envelope. “Bet on my grandson. I trust he’ll do the right thing.”
I took the envelope and lifted the flap, seeing a lot of twenties inside. “You sure?”
Jim grinned. “Surer than I’ve ever been of anything in my life.”
I kissed his cheek before Derson and I headed to the sportsbook. It was now or never.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Fitz
Jim touched my shoulder, so I leaned closer. “Sawyer went to place the bet. He’ll be right back.”
I glanced behind us, not seeing my guy, so I stood, stepped around Jim, and into the aisle. As I was in the line to get my hand stamped to come back in, I saw Sparky, Monty, Leo, Digs, Dallas St. Michael, and his husband, Rafael Torrente in the security line to enter the theater.
After my wrist was stamped, I stepped out of the theater and walked up to Sparky, extending my hand to shake. “Thanks for coming. I know Sawyer will appreciate it.”
Dallas stepped forward and grinned. “You’re running in unexpected circles these days. I saw your better half headed to the betting window. You got a line on a sure thing?”
I laughed. “Nope. We’re just operating on faith like every other fan.” I had no doubt Sawyer would bet on TJ, even with the possibility that the kid would take a dive.
“Hell, I’ll go make a bet. Chef, you wanna come with me? I’ll buy you a drink.”
Rafael extended his hand for me to shake, which I did. He touched Dallas’ arm. “I’ll come along to make sure you don’t bet the house.” Dallas laughed and put his hand on Rafe’s back as the two of them walked away.
Sparky stepped over to me. “Are there Scorpions here?”
“Yep, sporting the colors proudly. I don’t know any of them, but I know Sawyer’s father and one of the guys whowasa Cowboy are sitting with them.” Seeing the smug smile on Keller Abbott’s face had turned my stomach.
“Is Sawyer’s father Keller Abbott?” Sparky reached into the pocket of his leather coat and pulled out a warrant, handing it to me.
“He is. Since when are you serving warrants? Did he skip bail here in Nevada?” I opened it to see Keller Abbott’s name at the top of a warrant for arrest for contempt of court.
My eyes must have grown three sizes larger. “What the fuck?”
Sparky got a cocky grin. “I got a call from Judge Ruth Stanley to serve it personally. I was sure he’d be here, and I’m gonna take him in after the fight.”
“Why wait until after?” It made no sense to wait. He was there and maybe it would cause less commotion if he did it now.
“Those are the orders I was given from the judge. I don’t ask for reasons. I do what I’m told. Anyway, we’re going to get to our seats. If you wouldn’t mind providing backup, I’d appreciate it. I called in one of St. Michaels’ IOUs to get him to come with us, but if Keller’s with the Scorpions, he might put up a fight, and I can’t bring a weapon in here.”
Of course, I always had my badge, so I nodded. “We’re in the sixth row. Where are you?”
He looked at his ticket before flipping it around for me to see that they were at the end of our row, which made me laugh. “Give me a signal when you’re ready.”
