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Chapter Three

Sawyer

Spider came into my office where I was talking to Mouse about upgrading the security around the perimeter of our properties, including the clubhouse. “You got this?”

Mouse nodded and left.

I turned to Spider. “What’s up?”

I stood from my chair, stretching. I was still suffering from the injuries the Corsican Cartel had inflicted on me, and I’d sworn to myself that if any of those motherfuckers ever got out of prison, I’d hunt them down and fucking slit their throats.

“TJ Middleton got picked up last night for felony assault. He beat the fuck out of someone the cops believe was a john who refused to pay for services rendered. He has a courtesan license on file, so I suspect that was how they labeled the guy as a john.”

I exhaled. “And you know this how?”

“Let’s just say our friendly at Clark County caught it and alerted us. TJ was picked up at a hotel on The Old Strip after a neighbor in the next room called the front desk about a disturbance.” Spider took a seat across from my desk, meaning there was far more to the story.

“Okay, where’s TJ now? Was he—or why was he—tricking on The Old Strip on a Thursday night? He knows it’s a no-go.”

TJ Middleton was a handsome young guy. He was sexy as hell, and if he’d been anything other than my employee, I’d have made a play for him. He had long brown hair that he pulled back into a bun. His big blue eyes could see into a man’s soul, and he was a moneymaker for the house.

He’d asked for the day off to run some personal errands, according to Florence at the North Woodchips house, but TJ hadn’t mentioned anything to her about going to The Old Strip. That told me he was doing something he shouldn’t have been.

I was disappointed that it looked as though he’d gone against the rules. I’d have to do something to make an example of him so the others didn’t get it in their heads to try the same shit.

According to the laws governing sex workers, if they were away from the brothel for more than twenty-four hours, they were required to be tested before they could return to work. That was an expense I didn’t want, and since we paid for their healthcare, they at least owed it to us to cooperate, or they could leave.

Within the houses, we had everything under control regarding the transaction and the safety of our employees—or so I thought, until Emily Carter’s incident with the truck driver. Anywhere else, aside from the houses, we had no control over what happened with our employees regarding their safety, and in Clark County, sex-for-pay was illegal.

Why the fuck was TJ on The Old Strip tricking in places he shouldn’t have been?

“Where?” I was pissed.

How long had TJ been sneaking away? Was it a “fuck you” to me because he didn’t like working for us? The kid didn’t seem like that kind of guy, but what did I know? I was certainly interested in why.

“He was at the Blue Diamond Casino on Fremont Street. He picked up a key they were holding for him at registration. The room wasn’t his, according to the arrest report. He’s still in Clark County lockup.”

“Do we know the bail amount? Has he called a bondsman yet?”

Spider smiled. “Our friendly said he gave him the number of Sparks Bail Bonds. I’ll call to see if TJ reached out yet.”

Jesse Sparks and I were solid. If TJ had reached out, I was sure Jesse would send someone to get the young guy out as soon as they could.

I nodded. “Call the house and see if anyone knows what the fuck TJ was doing on Fremont.”

I rolled up to Sparks Bail Bonds on South Rainbow Boulevard. Spider had found out that TJ had called them to bail him out very early this morning after his victim was released from the ER, but nobody had reached out for me to fill out paperwork for his bail. I was there to see what was going on.

I stepped off my bike, grabbing the key and taking off my helmet. I walked up to the door and pushed it open, the bell dinging to alert them I was there.

A woman sat at the reception desk, staring at me. “Hi. Can I help you?”

“I’m here to talk to Sparky about one of my employees. I’m Sawyer Abbott.”

“Please, take a seat.”

I nodded and sat down in one of the hard plastic chairs that lined the wall. The place looked as sterile as any waiting room I’d been in. There were guys milling around, but nobody glanced in my direction.

Two men came in through the back door and sat down at desks behind the pony wall that divided the large room. “You are a lying bastard,” the taller one said to the other guy.

The shorter guy laughed loudly. “I’m telling you, bro, she could suck the chrome off a bumper.”

I smirked at the comment. I’d had that experience with both men and women. It was a good time, but I was bored with random hookups. It was funny to think of those encounters in that light—get in, get off, get out—but that was what they were. No personal information was exchanged and rarely was there a repeat performance. There was no possibility of finding a partner in that world. Hell, did I even want one?

I smirked as the two men continued to tease each other. Finally, Jesse Sparks came out of his office. “Sawyer, how are you?”

He stepped forward and shook my hand. “Jesse, good to see you. I wanted to check if one of my employees called you.”

“Come on into my office. You want a coffee or something?”

“I’m good.” I followed Jesse into his office and sat in front of his desk.

“Are you talking about TJ Middleton? He called Denise, our assistant, about five this morning, but he told her it was no rush. They were still processing him. I sent a couple of guys to post for him an hour ago. Do you know what happened?”

I shook my head. “I just heard about this. What’s the arrest report say?”

Jesse picked up a file. “Assault with the intent to do bodily harm. Any idea why your guy decided to beat the hell out of another guy?”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. “I have no idea, but my guess is the guy tried to hurt him. TJ works at one of our houses. He’s also an MMA sparring partner for some prominent up-and-coming contenders. He’s small but strong. He looks out for the rest of my employees at the house, though we have a guard there during business hours. It’s not like him to go looking for outside work, other than underground fights he thinks I don’t know about.”

We paid our workers a fair wage, only taking a quarter of their earnings, which was better than the other houses. We gave them a place to live, three squares, medical care, and security when it was needed. I still didn’t know if, or why, TJ had taken a side job if he was there to fuck, but when he surfaced, we’d be having a conversation.

“He was arrested at the Blue Diamond Casino on Fremont after beating the fuck out of a man in one of the hotel rooms. I’ll bail him out, but you’ve gotta guarantee his bond.”

I handed over my credit card. “Gladly.”

“He really beat the hell out of the guy, but he wouldn’t say why, according to the interviewing officers. I’m afraid this one might be more serious—a felony, maybe.”

I stared at Sparky for a moment. “Aren’t they all?”

He smirked and offered me the papers that were rolling off his printer. I signed where he pointed, and when I stood to leave, his phone buzzed. He picked up and held up a finger. “Thanks, Denise.”

He turned to me. “Hang on a minute, Sawyer. Denise says my guys are bringing in your employee now.”

“I’ll wait for him. Thanks, Sparky.”

Sparky dipped his head and went back to his office.

Twenty minutes later, TJ Middleton entered the building with a large guy I remembered from the Scorpion’s compound where the Corsican Cartel had beaten the fuck out of me without asking one goddamn question. I was coming to see it as a hazard of the job.

The man behind them caught my eye and my breath. He was damn handsome. Blond and gray hair with a gorgeous smile. His gaze didn’t leave mine, and my stomach flipped.

I blinked, trying to clear my mind to deal with the reason I was there in the first place. I turned to TJ. “We have a lot to discuss.” I then turned to the guys escorting him. “Can I take him home?”

TJ did a quick shuffle next to me. “I need to pee. I’ll be back, boss.”

The dark-haired man pointed to the bathrooms before turning to me. “He has a court date in a month. We don’t want to have to come looking for him if he skips.”

The other man stepped forward. “I’m Fitz Morgan. I think your friend will live up to his obligations. I know you were instrumental in the recovery of Giuseppe and Teresa Torrente. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

I stood to shake his hand and was stunned by his light-blue eyes. They reminded me of the sky, and I wanted to get lost in them.

As I stood there unable to speak, I remembered seeing the man at the hospital where they took me to get checked out after I was liberated from the Scorpions. I hadn’t realized the handsome man was with the Torrentes. I wished I’d have introduced myself, though my face had looked like ground meat.

“You work for the Torrentes, right?” Those cowboy boots looked sexy on him and the Wranglers had me wanting to bite my fist. That ass…

“I did for a short time, but I’m here in Vegas, now, workin’ for Sparks.” Fitz had a sexy southern twang, and a slow smile that made my balls tingle.

I grazed my eyes over his fit body from cowboy boots to tight jeans to his pearl snapped green western shirt, finally landing on those baby blues, my mouth watering the whole time. When his lips started to move, I snapped out of it. “Sorry, uh, what?” I sounded like a moron.

He smirked, obviously knowing I was lusting after his sexy body. “I said your young employee doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would beat on somebody for no reason.”

I nodded. “Trust me when I say that’ll be my first question. He’s not supposed to be working in Vegas. Our employees don’t make outcalls into the city at all. TJ spars at a gym nearby, but he lives and works at Cowpokes. He’s never been picked up before.”

Fitz stared at me for a moment. “Anyone new in his life?”

I couldn’t say, but I’d sure be asking. That wasn’t what was on my mind at that moment. “Have dinner with me?”

The words were out of my mouth before my fucking brain engaged. What the hell was I thinking?

“Huh?” He acted like he hadn’t heard me, but damned if I was gonna let it go.

“Have dinner with me. There’s this great Italian place not far from here. They have amazing food. Have dinner with me.”

I must have lost my fucking mind for asking this man on a date after meeting him less than two minutes ago. There was something about him I couldn’t resist the moment I met his gaze.

Fitz seemed to think for a moment before a slow grin appeared on his face. “When and where?”

“Tomorrow night at eight? Give me your number, and I’ll drop a pin for you.”

I gave him my phone and he tapped in his number. I quickly texted him back. “That’s me if something happens and you’re gonna be late.”

Fitz nodded, giving me a slick smile.

TJ finally emerged from the restroom, and I extended my hand to the handsome man with the blond and gray hair. He was tall and lanky, but he was definitely a catch.

I put my hand on the back of TJ’s neck and dragged him out of the building. “You and I are gonna have a talk, TJ.” The kid said nothing.

“What the fuck were you doing on The Old Strip?”

I had TJ in the club’s church where the executive board met on important issues. Hobie and Spider were sitting in my office next door where they could hear everything. I was pretty sure they had their ears to the wall, but I wasn’t ready to involve anyone else because I wanted the kid to be honest.

TJ glanced up for a second before he looked back at the well-worn table. “I’m sorry, Bones.”

“TJ, kid, what the hell is going on? You’re not a troublemaker. You always play by the rules, and you bring in the cash. Was it a john from here that contacted you?”

“No.”

He didn’t meet my stare, which pissed me off. “Are you tricking on the side, TJ?”

The kid sighed. “Look, Bones. Like I said, it won’t happen again. I’ll keep my court dates and if I go down for giving that guy the beating he deserved, then I’ll do my time—”

“Kid, I’m not gonna let that happen. Tell me what the fuck is going on?” I could see he was a fucking mess, and there had to be a reason he beat the shit out of someone that he wasn’t sharing.

TJ sighed. “It’s a personal issue. I don’t want to bring the club or the house into it. I’m sorry, Bones. I’ll move out if you want.”

“No, TJ. We’re a family. We look out for each other, and like it or not, you’re a member of that family. I’ll give you a little time to think things over, but if you tell me what’s going on, the club will help.”

TJ finally met my gaze. “You can’t help me, Bones. I appreciate your offer, but nobody can help me.”

He stood from the chair. “Can I leave?”

“Yeah. Get Tiny to take you back to the house. Let me know your court date. Don’t fucking disappear on me.”

TJ walked out and didn’t look back. I stood and walked to the wall, knocking on it twice. Spider and Hobie came in through the secret door to the left.

“Keep an eye on him. There’s something going on that he’s not willing to tell us right now but watch out for him. I have a feeling he’s gotten himself into trouble, and I don’t want to find him dead.” Both of my guys nodded before they left.