Spitzer’s stare moved between Jagger and me, as if he were waiting for us to continue trying to convince him that the footage Jagger had shown him was relevant. It pissed me off immediately.
“Hey, if you don’t believe us, you’re welcome to leave. We’re trying to be good guys, but if you don’t want to listen to what we told you—”
“Whoa, guys. I didn’t say that. I have to think like a defense attorney on occasion, and if you’re going to be my star witnesses when I take down the Viper Kings and the Víbora, I need to know where your pain points are.” Spitzer smirked at us, the prick.
I chuckled. “Pain points? Like when someone shows up from the cartel or the MC and shoots at us? That’s a pain point you want to know about, Detective?”
Spitzer laughed. “You can defend yourselves, boys. What I wanna know is why they killed Rita Ramirez.”
As much as I wanted to know the truth of the matter, I held his gaze. “And that’s your job, right, Detective?”
Jagger grinned. “I’ll send this to you, but we’re out after that. We can’t do your job for you, Spitzer.”
The handsome detective laughed. “I do appreciate the free help. If something else crosses your path, I’d appreciate a call.”
Spitzer stood from his chair next to Jagger’s desk. “Where are Keats and Greeley?”
It was an odd question, but I stared at my guy to see what he had to say. “They’re on a hunt. I don’t know more than that. Is there something you want me to relay when they call in?”
Spitzer’s expression gave away nothing. “Just curious. We play in a pool league at a dive bar, and they haven’t been around for a while. I just wondered if they were okay.”
Jagger smiled. “I’m sure they’re fine. I can pass along a message if you’d like.”
Spitzer’s face paled. “Oh, uh, no. I’ll reach out when I know anything. Thanks for the info, guys. I’ll be in touch.”
The cop walked out, and I turned to Jagger. “Any idea what that was about?”
He chuckled. “Nope, but I can’t wait to find out. Let’s go home.”
Home. That word sounded beautiful to my ears. It had been a long time since I’d felt like I had a home.
As I glanced at Jagger Hansen, I knew he was my home.
Chapter Twenty
Jagger
Thursday morning, Keats, Gree, Diggs, and Leo all showed up at the office. “Look what the cat dragged in,” I joked as I went to my desk. Bailey was with me because he’d stayed home the previous day and had been bored out of his mind. I couldn’t blame him.
“Caught the bastard and turned him in.” Leo fluttered an envelope that probably contained a check for Sparky’s percentage plus expenses. Everyone clapped.
Leo continued, bragging about the job they’d just finished. “Fucker crossed the border and thought he’d get away from us in Mexico. Thanks to Gree’s mad tracking skills, we found the fucker at a cantina as he settled into a plate of pork tamales. It was beautiful to see the look on his face when Greeley walked over to his table and took a seat across from him, taking his plate and diving into his meal.
“Our worst problem was that none of us speaks much Spanish, which made it a little rough in the beginning. It was a damn shame we didn’t have St. Michael along. He knows his way around down there and speaks the language very well.” Leo went to his desk and took a seat, staring at me.
“Things are slow, I’m afraid. Bailey and I took a call yesterday, but with school in session and tourism down, things are sluggish.” I stood from my desk and went to the breakroom, where Bailey was cleaning up our mugs from our morning coffee.
“Hey, you wanna go back up to Carson City and take care of this business with your brother? Those four are back now, and Denise is here. They can handle things for a few days.”
I was serious. We needed to get his brother sorted out before we could concentrate on our future together, if we wanted to have one.
“What about Dixie?” Bailey had a point there, but she was no trouble for anyone.
I glanced out at the swamp to see my four coworkers laughing and joking around, so I decided they could take turns caring for Dixie. I walked into the room and over to Diggs’s desk.
“Bailey and I need to handle some family business in Carson City. You guys got this till we come back? Oh, and Dixie? I’ll run to the house and get her stuff before we leave.”
Keats grinned. “Sure. I’ll take care of her.”
