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She nodded and then left, closing the door behind her. The two of us stepped forward to take his hand. I wasn’t surprised when he offered it to Reign first and then to me as an afterthought. Damn, a weak, clammy handshake. I discreetly wiped my palm on my pant leg.

“Hello. I’m Nathan Egan, the owner and lead bondsman. Gayle said you’re a bondsman as well. Welcome. What brings you by?” He directed the bondsman statement at Reign.

As we sat in front of his desk, I answered.

I saw the flicker of annoyance on his face.

“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Egan. I’m Gianna DeSantis, and this is my colleague, Reign Havelock.

We won’t take too much of your time. We stopped by to let you know we’re here for the next two days if you need assistance.

We do it when we travel. It’s a courtesy if you will.

We’re not, per se, actively hunting anyone at the moment, although that could change.

If you were to need assistance with bail jumpers, we’re here.

I must say, you live in a lovely area of the country. ” I told him.

“Ms. DeSantis, correct? I’m unclear as to why you’re speaking to me. Shouldn’t Mr. Havelock be doing it if it’s to introduce yourselves?”

He was a middle-aged gentleman. I estimated he was about Papà’s age, which would make him sixty. However, it was no excuse for his chauvinistic attitude. My ire was ignited, but I bit my tongue. I wanted to get the information from him, if I could, before burning a bridge.

“Mr. Egan, I’m not sure how you do things in Colorado, but where we’re from, which is Florida, the lead bondsman, or in this case, bondswoman, does the speaking. I’m along to learn,” Reign told him politely.

Egan blinked, then looked back at me. “You’re the bondsman? I’m sorry, I thought you were a personal assistant. Where did you say you work?”

I smirked as I handed him my card. His eyes bugged when he read DeSantis Bounty & Bonds.

“Y-you own the company?”

“My family and I own it, yes. It’s been around for thirty-five years.

My p apà started it and continues to work there with me and my three brothers.

We’re all equal partners. As you can see from my card, we do more than post bail bonds.

We’re also bounty hunters. We find combining them keeps us very busy.

And we find ourselves, even at times, outside of Florida.

When that occurs, we like to inform local bond and bounty agencies.

That’s in case they need our assistance, or we might need theirs, though I don’t see that happening on this trip.

In your case, we came for another reason. ”

Mr. Egan wore a sickly expression. He knew he’d put more than his foot in his mouth. Plus, he was picturing that we might be inclined to give him a share of a reward if it had to do with a bounty. “Please, if there’s anything my agency can do to help, we’ll be more than happy to do so.”

“It happens that we’re tracking a criminal who fled before he was sentenced.

My investigation led us to Aspen and a connection of his here.

Imagine my shock when I discovered your company has recently granted the connection a bail bond.

Obviously, I don’t want to approach the individual to ask questions.

He’d tip off our target. I was hoping you might be able to tell me more about the second individual, who was able to post bail for him, and what was used as collateral.

Would you happen to have a security video so I can see if the person who did it isn’t our fugitive?

I know it’s a lot to ask, and I understand if it’s too much for your small agency.

” I remained smiling the whole time as I insulted his business.

It was petty payback for being a chauvinist.

Egan puffed out his chest. It didn’t help to diminish how far his stomach stuck out. “I’d be happy to help. Would you happen to have your badge with you or other identification that proves you are who you say you are? One can’t be too careful these days,” he stated pompously.

I reached into my purse and brought out both. After he verified me, he got down to business.

“Who is the individual of interest we bonded?” he asked, hovering his fingers over his keyboard.

“His name is Clay Mathers. He was released only a few days ago,” I informed him.

After a bit of typing, he read his screen.

“Ah, yes, I didn’t handle him personally.

That’s why I don’t recall the name. His bond was posted by someone named Kelvin Lyons.

He used a coin collection as collateral, which had recently undergone an appraisal.

My agent verified that he had seen the collection and had a local coin collector validate that it was legitimate.

The collection would easily go for twice the twenty-thousand-dollar bail.

It appears he has a hearing in two weeks.

This wasn’t his first offense, so he’ll likely have more than a fine to pay. ”

I jotted down what he said on the notepad in my phone, though I would ask for a copy of the report.

“Would it be possible to have a copy of that report for our records? You know how important it is to keep everything well-documented. And you didn’t say if there is a security video system in place.

I would assume you’d want to protect yourself with it,” I stated nicely.

“I’ll get our IT person on it. He might not be in the office,” Egan said.

“If he’s not, I can help you retrieve it.

My college degree is in cybersecurity,” I explained.

I swear he appeared even more stunned. Christ, did this guy think all women knew how to do was put on makeup and tease their hair?

Dude, the nineteen-fifties are calling. They want you back .

I had to fight hard not to snicker at my jab.

“Let me go see if he’s in. Can I have Gayle bring either of you something to drink?” Mr. Egan asked as he heaved himself out of his chair.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“I’m good,” Reign added.

After Egan left, Reign chuckled softly. “I swear, you’re tearing his world apart, Gianna. How dare you be more than a gorgeous face? In addition, not only are you a co-owner and bounty hunter, but you also have a college degree in cybersecurity. Shit, it’s a damn good thing Rian found you first.”

“Why is that?”

“He’s already, without a doubt, warning men away, but if Cody had seen you first, there would be bloodshed. You’re his ideal woman, I bet. You’re one of those hot brainiac women.”

I laughed. “I think once Cody got to know me, he’d be glad Rian has me, although it’s sweet of you to say.”

We sat there whispering about Mr. Egan’s attitude and what he’d shared.

I was itching to get back to the resort and begin researching Kelvin Lyons online.

What was his connection to Clay Mathers?

Was he merely a friend or more? Ten minutes passed before Mr. Egan returned.

He went to his desk, tapped on the keyboard, and spoke.

“Here it is. I had it emailed to me. This is the person who posted the bail,” he said. He waved for us to come over. As I walked over and around his desk, I saw Kelvin Lyons for the first time.

I would know nothing about him until I got back, so I asked, “Mr. Egan, would you send that to the email on my business card? I have to see if he matches any of the records I have at my office. Thank you so much for your help. We appreciate it very much. It’s always wonderful to work with our peers.

And don’t forget, if you need extra help in the next day or two, let me know.

I am licensed in Colorado as a bounty agent. ”

“I’ll send it right now,” he said as he typed in my email.

I let out the breath I was holding. Now, I could get to work and figure out how to get Clay out of Rian’s hair.

It took a few more minutes to say goodbye and shake hands, and I took Egan’s business card.

His chauvinistic side was subdued, and he smiled as we left.

Gayle looked sad when we walked out the door.

“Poor Gayle,” I sighed.

“Why, poor Gayle? What did I miss? Other than she has to work for Egan?” Reign asked.

He unlocked my door and opened it. As I slid inside, I grinned at him. “She was hoping to get a bite of that snack cake called Reign, but you didn’t give her the time of day or your number.”

He burst out laughing as he shut my door. He waited until he was in the driver’s seat before answering. “Snack cake? Wait until I tell the bossman you called me that,” he jokes.

“Go ahead. I won’t deny it. You’re attractive, Reign. I might be with Rian, but I have eyes. Damn, you wouldn’t happen to be single and want a single mom about to have a baby, would you?” I half-joke.

“I am unattached. There’s nothing wrong with a single mom. My mom raised me single-handedly from the time I was two years old. She’s one of the strongest women I know. I wouldn’t mind meeting your friend. Is she ready to date someone?”

“I think she is. Her feelings are still hurt because of what Weasel Shit did, but I think she was falling out of love with him before he made his shittiest move ever.”

“Well then, I guess we’ll see. Is there anything we need to do before returning to the Crystal?”

I thought about it and then shook my head. “No, not that I can think of. Should we ask Rian if he needs us to stop and pick up anything?”

“I was about to suggest it. Would you text him?”

“Sure thing.” As I texted my short message, I glowed with happiness. My gut told me this lead would help me find a way to silence Clay permanently.

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