Page 27

Chapter Twenty-Six

Fitz

I drove the three of us to my house on East Windmill. Mr. Middleton fell asleep in the back seat before we got too far on Buffalo.

Sawyer, with his eyes closed, leaned against the headrest. “You want me to stop at the drugstore and get you something for your headache? Let me take you to the ER and get you checked out, please.”

My heart hadn’t slowed down since Spider had called me earlier to tell me Bones was missing. I met him, Derson, and Hobie at the Walmart parking lot where we found Sawyer’s truck. Mouse was able to trace their location by pinging off Mr. Middleton’s smartwatch. When we arrived at their location, Sawyer and Mr. Middleton were just stepping out of the security fence, both appearing exhausted.

I pulled into my driveway and stopped outside the garage. It was ten in the morning by the time Sawyer and Mr. Middleton answered a million questions that Officer Crane fired at them, and we were allowed to leave.

Sawyer didn’t move to get out, so I asked, “You want to go to the clubhouse?” I prayed he said no.

“I don’t want to put you in danger, but I need to be where you are. My brothers and I can keep you safe. I’m sure they’ll come looking for me and maybe Mr. Middleton, and I don’t want them to find you. If they know you mean something to me, they’ll hurt you, and I can’t let that happen.” I stared at Sawyer before I started laughing.

“What? You don’t believe me?” Sawyer raised an eyebrow, unhappy with my reaction.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s sweet that you want to protect me, but don’t you think I can handle myself when shit gets rough? I promise you, sugar, I’ve been in worse scrapes than this. I’m so damn glad nothing happened to you because I’d have to kill someone, but don’t think I won’t do it if one hair on your head is harmed.”

Sawyer smirked at me. “Now, there’s no need for you to get your cute butt in a wringer. I know who did it.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek before he hopped out and opened the back door for Mr. Middleton.

I put Mr. Middleton in the second bedroom that I’d converted into my office for reasons I still didn’t understand since I had a perfectly good office to go into every day. Mr. Middleton was tucked into the couch I’d bought and sleeping soundly. I left lights on, which was stupid because the man had lost his sight so I turned them off.

I gave him a yardstick to tap his way to the bathroom because he’d forgotten his white mobility cane at home in Mesquite. It was understandable, considering he’d been tied to his bed and had survived a home invasion, which his caregiver hadn’t. One would forget things at that point, I was sure.

I walked through the house with Mr. Middleton a few times so he could get a feel for the path to the restroom, the kitchen, and the front door. Mr. Middleton told me he’d be fine getting around with the yardstick, so I trusted he knew his own mind. I fed him and Sawyer bacon and eggs, but Mr. Middleton skipped the coffee so he could take a nap.

That was when I led Sawyer to my bathroom, undressed him, and put him in a warm shower. I shed my clothes and climbed in with him. “Will you let me wash your hair?”

Sawyer chuckled. “Yeah, just look out for that bump on the back of my head. It hurts like a motherfucker.”

I kissed his neck before I nudged him under the spray to wet his hair. I pumped shampoo into my palm and gently worked it through his long locks. “How’d you get this?” My hand gently smoothed over the large lump on the back of his skull.

“I don’t exactly know. We were coming out of the store and headed to my truck when someone whacked me on the back of the head. They knocked me out and everything went to hell from there.”

My heart broke that I hadn’t been there to protect him. I gently moved him under the spray and rinsed his hair before I grabbed the conditioner and poured it into my hand to work it through his long hair.

“What do you think happened and why, sugar?” I continued to move my fingers through the silky strands. I’d told him I loved him. It was time to see if he believed it.

“I think my father owes me some answers. There’s something about Ricky Marlow that Keller never shared, and that worries me. I want to know what it is.”

I had a feeling he was right, but I couldn’t say a word. To make any accusations against his father would end us . I couldn’t have that happen when we were barely getting started.

“What time were you planning to pick your folks up, or are they going to get themselves to your place at the Cowboys’ compound?” I backed him under the spray and watched the water sluice down his head and through all that long, beautiful hair. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and my cock in his ass, but there was time for that another day.

We traded places and quickly washed ourselves. After we rinsed, I got out first and grabbed a couple of towels for us—and a third for his hair.

“My truck’s still at Walmart, so I’m going to have Tim Walton, our prospect, go pick it up and bring it here. My parents’ plane gets in at six, so I’ll go pick them up and take them to the hotel at Silver Point Casino. I need to call Miri Rey and see if her girlfriend’s mother would mind coming here to help Mr. Middleton for the time being. I’ve gotta try to figure out where they took TJ. I fucking hope the kid is still alive.”

The gorgeous man took my towel and tossed all of them into the hamper before leading me to my bedroom and closed the door. “Thank you for coming to look for me. I couldn’t remember your phone number. The only one I could remember was my parents’ landline.”

“Maybe we should get each other’s number tattooed on us somewhere.”

His gaze met mine and softened. “You don’t have any ink. You’d want to get my number tattooed on you? That’s forever—well, you could get a doctor to—”

“I don’t plan to change my number, and the reason I don’t have any tats is because I never found anything I wanted to mark on my body permanently. I can think of a few things I wouldn’t mind having on my skin to show everyone I belong to you.”

Sawyer combed his fingers through his hair. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”

“I have combs, you know.”

He laughed. “It’s fine.” He twisted it up on top of his head and tucked the end under the bun, which was damn clever if it stayed while I carried out my plan to exhaust us enough to sleep before his parents arrived in town.

I climbed onto the unmade bed and reached for him as my cock filled and tapped against his. “You need to sleep so you can pick up your parents and talk to your father.”

Sawyer grinned. “You got any melatonin?”

I laughed and bent forward, taking his cock in my mouth. After several licks and sucks, I swallowed down what was keeping him awake, and he slept like a baby. No sleep aids required.

Tim Walton ended up staying at the house with Mr. Middleton—or Jim, as he asked all of us to call him, taking away my reason to have Sawyer go to the airport alone.

Shoot me. I was nervous about meeting his parents. Keller Abbott cast a huge shadow that his son tried very hard to fill—in the club and in real life. I didn’t want his parents to be disappointed in his choice of partner.

I cleared my throat. “Are you sure they’re going to be okay with me coming along? When was the last time you saw them?” At least my voice wasn’t shaking.

I took the short-term parking lane to enter the garage. We’d probably need to help them with their luggage.

“I saw them last summer. Went to San Diego for a week to help my father build a she-shed for my mom so she had a place to go, read, knit, or whatever it is that she does with her time. It was a little prefab job, so the two of us were able to do it in a day. Of course, she didn’t like the white walls, so I got sucked into painting the inside, but I really don’t mind doing stuff for them.”

I took the garage ramp to level three where there were more spots. I found one near the elevators to the walkway, along with a luggage cart that might be useful, so I pushed it onto the elevator in front of Sawyer and pressed the button for the first floor where baggage claim was located.

“Fitz, babe, what’s wrong?” A large hand skimmed down the small of my back, taking me from all the worrying I was doing. Sawyer was thirty-five. Surely his parents wouldn’t be upset because I was fifty—though, it didn’t sound as if they were much older than me.

I glanced to my left where he was standing and smiled. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just worried that they… I’ve never met anyone’s parents before. I’m not sure what to say. ‘Hi, I’m the man your son is screwing.’ That won’t go over well, I’m sure.”

Sawyer laughed as the elevator doors opened. I pushed the luggage cart out of the elevator, clutching the handle like it was keeping me from drowning or something equally as ridiculous.

“Babe, I think my parents would laugh if you said that, so go ahead. They’re old hippies, Fitz. Believe it or not, they’re fine with me being bisexual, and they’ll be happy that I found someone, especially after they get to know you. Now, do I need to take you into the men’s room and blow you so you’ll be less tense?”

A raucous laugh sounded behind us with a feminine giggle, causing both of us to turn around slowly. There, in his massive glory, was Sawyer’s father and his beautiful mother, who had a smile a mile wide. I could see both of them when I looked at Sawyer.

“Hey, it’s worked for me in the past. I’m Keller and this is Celine. You must be Fitz.” The large man extended his hand, and I shook it, surprised when he pulled me into his massive arms for a hug. At least he wasn’t beating the fuck out of me.

After we collected their luggage, we took them to my place so they could pick up Sawyer’s truck to use during their visit. He’d asked if he could borrow mine the next day, and I said of course he could. Tim Walton left with Tiny to go back to the clubhouse, and we ordered pizzas while Keller and Celine got to know Jim.

“Can you find my grandson?” Jim asked as he sat down at the table with the ruler.

Celine stared at it and leaned closer to me, though I knew what she was going to ask. “He forgot his mobility cane at his place in Mesquite.” I said, “We’ll get him another one tomorrow at the pharmacy.” Mrs. Abbott nodded and smiled.

Mr. Abbott turned his attention to Jim. “Mr. Middleton, I’m sorry your grandson is missing, and Sawyer and I will do our best to find him. When’s the fight?”

“Friday, Mr. Abbot. It’s Friday at a shi—crappy casino on The Old Strip,” I responded.

“I’m going with you to find him.” Jim bounced the yardstick on the floor for emphasis.

Celine began wheezing a bit, and I glanced at Sawyer. “Oh, uh, Mom. Where are your meds? I can get them.” She told him which suitcase, and he went to the truck.

I turned to Jim. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Jim. If TJ does fight, he’s going to be nervous, and if he loses, he’ll be embarrassed. I’d think he’d rather you not be there to experience it in person.”

I stood from my seat on the couch and stepped over to Mrs. Abbott. “Do you need some water?”

She smiled. “I’ll come with you.”

We went to the kitchen and I got her a glass of water from the purification pitcher I had in the fridge. “You’ve done wonderful things here, Mr. Morgan.”

I smiled. “Well, Sawyer had a very nice house for me to work with. He’s taken very good care of this place. I feel bad that you have to stay in a hotel when you and Mr. Abbott could have stayed here.”

She smirked. “Mr. Morgan—”

“Mrs. Abbott, please call me Fitz. I’m in love with your son. Seems fitting that you call me by my given name, ma’am.”

The woman had a happy laugh. “Okay. But you have to call me Celine. Or Mom.”

Sawyer’s mother was only a few years older than me. Calling her Mom didn’t seem appropriate. “Celine it is.”

Thankfully, the doorbell rang. “I got it, babe.” I heard Sawyer heading to the front door, so I went to the cabinet and pulled down dishes to feed everyone. I was kicking myself that I hadn’t made a salad, but we ordered three pizzas, so I hoped that was enough to fill up the five of us.

Instead of bringing in pizzas, Sawyer brought in a huge young man who appeared very shy. “Fitz, this is Tiny. He said Mouse found the place where they’re holding TJ. I’m going to go get him.”

I chuckled. “Not without me.”

Hurrying down the hallway to my bedroom, I opened the gun safe and pulled out my backup pistol. I was still waiting for fucking LVPD to return my Glock 22. I grabbed the small Ruger and a mag, shoving the gun in the holster and clipping it to my belt. I pushed the mag in my pocket and started out of the bedroom when Sawyer stepped in front of me.

“Where are you going?” Sawyer stared at me, seeming to take up the whole fucking hallway.

“I’m coming with you.” I went to the closet in my bedroom, reaching for the back of the rack to find another Kevlar vest I’d recently bought online.

Mine was in the truck bed in my toolbox, just like all the other hunters. We had gear at the ready if we were called in for any reason. I thought about enlisting Greeley, but I decided maybe it was best to keep my coworkers out of this shit. I had the feeling things wouldn’t end civilly.

“No, please, stay here and make sure my parents and Mr. Middleton are safe. I don’t want you involved in this shit, and I don’t want to worry about you. I love you, and nobody is more important to me than you and my parents, so please keep them safe.”

“Bullshit. If you think I’m not coming with you, you’re crazy. Fitz, you got anything I can borrow?” We both turned to see his father standing in the doorway.

I assumed the man meant a gun, so I reached for the one on my belt, handing it to him. I gave Sawyer the extra vest, and we all went out to my truck to get the other one for Keller.

I didn’t have a vest large enough to fit the other kid, Tiny, but I’d bring it up later with Sawyer. They needed to go into these stupid situations with as much protection as they could get.

I took Sawyer’s hand as he headed toward his truck, stopping him. “You come back to me, you hear?”

Sawyer gave me a quick kiss, and he got in behind the wheel, his father getting into the driver’s seat, and they followed Tiny, who was driving a rusted red pickup. I stopped at my truck and grabbed my Winchester rifle from the toolbox and a box of shells. If anyone came looking for Mr. Middleton, they’d meet me and my shotgun.