Page 7 of Enforcing the Rules

That all changed one day when Bill complained he needed office help, someone to answer the phones and do the filing.

I jumped at the chance, much to my mother’s chagrin.

I’d do anything to get out of there, even filing, as boring as that was. But I soon found the office exciting. There were all kinds of people who came in. We were open twenty-four hours. Bill, his brother, Otis, and I split the hours into three shifts.

Today, when I arrived, Bill left to follow up on a lead for a high paying skip he’d been trying to bring in for weeks. If he didn’t get him soon, he’d lose the bond money.

We didn’t write near as many bonds as Durango Don. He had two offices and wrote most of the bonds in this county. Sometimes when he needed help with a skip, he’d call Bill to do an apprehension for him. Bill always jumped at the chance. He never let Don down.

Bill had seen my interest and had encouraged me to get my license to be a bond enforcement agent. I’d spent six months taking training classes. For the last three months, I’d been shadowing Bill, going out on apprehensions with him. He made it look so easy.

Today I guess I found out differently. My first actual skip, and it was a disaster. The shop owner swore she was sending us a bill for damages. Great. I’d have another debt to pay.

I grabbed some paperwork left in the inbox on my desk and began sorting through them. Bill’s brother was notorious for leaving half the information blank, like addresses and phone numbers for employment. They’d sometimes get into huge fights about it.

I usually got stuck with the job of making phone calls until I got all the information Otis had forgotten.

The phone rang, and I stretched to grab the receiver. “Sunshine Bail Bonds.”

“Hey, Kate. Don. Is Bill in? I’ve got an urgent skip for him.”

“Okay, um, he’s working the Jim Kelly skip. He got a lead and headed to Denver about an hour ago.”

“Right. Damn. I hate to lose this one. The bounty’s high on this one, doll. Be sure to tell him that.”

“How much?”

“Ten grand.”

Holy smokes! “Maybe I could have a shot at it.”

“Oh, right. I heard you got your license this week. Sorry, kid. You’re green as grass, and this guy’s bail bond was a hundred grand. That’s too much for me to risk.”

“Fine. Email me the info, and I’ll see he gets it. Maybe I can start doing some basic internet research. Get a jump on it before he gets back in town.”

“Great. Thanks, kid.”

Kid. I hated being called kid. I couldn’t wait to prove I wasn’t a joke. Don’s attitude was the same sexist attitude I’d gotten from every man in this business. A woman can’t do this job, honey. Pick something else.

Every man except Bill. But to tell the truth, I think he only encouraged me half-heartedly, and only then because he knew I had no father figure. Bill was a sweet guy, but he was getting too old to do this job.

Before I got a chance to see the email, the bell over the door rang, drawing my attention.

I turned to see my little sister standing there. Her blonde hair bounced in ringlets to her shoulders, but she had dark circles under her eyes, and she looked too skinny. I wondered when she’d last eaten.

“I’m in trouble, Kate. I need some money.”

“How much this time?” I huffed out a frustrated sigh and grabbed my purse.

“Seven thousand dollars.”

My mouth dropped open, and my hand hung in mid-air. I was barely able to get the words out. “Seven thousand dollars! For what?”

“I owe somebody. Somebody really bad, Kate.”

“Good Lord, Chloe. Does this have to do with that loser boyfriend of yours?”

“This dude fronted him some heroine. Wes was supposed to sell it and pay him back, ya know? Only he left to get a pack of smokes two days ago and hasn’t come back. He left me high and dry at the Monarch Motel on the edge of town. I had to hitch a ride here.”

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