Mav waved me over as soon as he saw me. “Shut the door.”
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked as I took a seat.
“On guard. This is about Cassidy.”
I stiffened immediately, though I knew he didn’t call me to discuss the weather. “What about her?”
“Knight is tracking Austin. He thinks he’s got a lead on him, but nothing for certain.”
“Okay,” I answered hesitantly.
Shifting in his seat uncomfortably, I knew whatever he said next, I wasn’t going to like. “If she could remember seeing Austin behind the wheel…”
“She already told you she doesn’t remember anything.”
“Maybe she could go to a therapist…maybe try to find a way to remember.”
I huffed out a laugh at his suggestion. Sure, it seemed like a good idea, but what about when she remembered? What would happen to her then? I wasn’t sure that was a good idea when I looked back at how grouchy she was when she came home. She was just starting to come around. Now, he wanted me to throw her life into chaos once again?
“You already know it was him. Why are you pushing this?”
“Because without proof that he was driving, he could get off.”
“But you have him there at the scene of the crime.”
“No, we have his vehicle. With the headlights in the camera, we don’t have a visual of him. Short of a confession, we don’t have a lot to go on.”
“He ran off. Doesn’t that incriminate him somehow?”
“Again, he’s on the run, but until we catch him, he could say he drove off and didn’t know there was a warrant out for his arrest. It’s not like we can go to court with allegations and pointing fingers. It doesn’t work that way. And last I checked, theliar liar pants on fireargument hasn’t been used in over a century.”
I understood what he was saying, but I wasn’t so sure Cassidy would agree to any of it. Still, it was worth asking. “I’ll talk to her, but I can’t guarantee she’ll do it.”
“Understood.”
“What about everyone else? How’s Archer?”
“Still in the hospital. Burn unit. They say he’s going to make a full recovery, but it’s gonna take time. As for Cheyenne, she was released last week.”
“What about all those people? They have nowhere to go.”
“Most folks have given them a place to stay. Cheyenne’s out with Liam and Bailey at the ranch. Alyssa’s staying with JR. Everyone else has found someone to stay with until they find new apartments.”
This was such a fucking mess. When I moved out here, I never thought I would get wrapped up in shit like this. I was supposed to be rebuilding my life, and just when I finally decided to take up boxing once again, everything went to shit.
I shoved out of my seat, deciding then and there I was gonna get back in the ring. It was the only thing I could do to reset my mind and goals.
“I’ll let you know what she says, but I’m not pushing it.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
I nodded and headed out, bypassing the bookshop in favor of the gym. The moment I stepped inside, things felt right again. Walking over to the ring, I ran my fingers over the canvas and smiled. It was time to get back to work.
“Sammy! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you all fucking week.”
“I told you I had things going on.”
He strode over to me, clasping my shoulder. “Look, I get it. Shit happens, but you’re either in this or you aren’t. Don’t waste my fucking time.”