because Iâm pissed about the whole thing and now I have to do something I swore I would never do again.... Iâm gonna tell you the truth about what happened last night so that you can leave the Gabe nonsense in this room and you can take this vacation in peace.â
âI know the truth and Iâm not taking a vacation.â I crossed my arms over my chest.
âAfter Marlo cracked your head, my rifle made her spill her guts,â he said. âShe didnât know anything about a Gabriel Hwang.â
âThen who sent it?â I asked.
âRiddick.â He shook his head and mumbled something.
Riddick Avery was another independent bail recovery agent, who worked with Tiger. He owned A1 Recovery Agents and mainly worked the far northern counties in the Atlanta area. I didnât think much of him.
âThat doesnât make sense for him to do that, Tiger.â
âIt is, if youâre competition.â He lowered his head and sighed. âRiddick doesnât like the fact that you became a local celebrity after what you did for Ava. Youâve been stealing his thunder.â
âBut I only work for you, Tiger.â
âHe works for me, too, but thatâs not the point,â Tiger said. âHeâs been pitching a television show to one of those cable networks. Rumor has it the network was more interested in you, because they kept reading about you in the paper.â
âIs the title of the show âDo You Still Love Me?â?â
âHow do you know?â He wrinkled his nose. âItâs the stupidest thing Iâve ever heard. The show is supposed to be about how he convinces skipsâ loved ones, you know their girlfriends, baby mamas, and mothers, to give them up. Like heâs some kind of Convict Whisperer.â
âReal dumb, just like Riddick.â I chuckled. âSo instead of pulling more skips off the streets, so he could get in the paper, he decides to send me roses and a stalker photo?â
âNo, I think he was congratulating you on getting Ava off that murder charge and also thanking you for being so distracted with her case that you dropped the ball on the bounty hunting.â
I shook my head âI still donât believe it. He needs to tell me that crap to my face.â
âI donât know where Riddick is, but you can ask Marlo. Sheâll be spending the weekend in the piss chamber at the Dunwoody Jail. Let it go and move on with your life.â He stood up and reached for my bag. A nurse stood at the door with a wheelchair. âAnd letâs get out of here before the doc changes his mind and admits you for being a hardhead.â
âWhere are the girls?â
âYour sisters are waiting for you outside. Avaâs taking you home with her, because Whitney has bridesmaid duties.â
âYeah, Lanaâs having a bridesmaid brunch today.â
âWhew, thereâs a lot to do today.â
âRight.â He huffed. âItâs too big a day to be dealing with foolishness.â
âI agree, but I am going to see Marlo this morning. I need to end this today.â
âAnd how will you do that? Avaâs not letting you out of her sight.â
âMy head might be bruised, but I still can outsmart her.â
6
Saturday, 8: 00 AM
The McArthur Estate, Stone Mountain, Georgia
Â
W ho would have thought it would be hard sneaking out of a mansion? After all, it was ginormous. Yet I couldnât, because my sisters had a nosy nose like our mother.
I had carefully made Avaâs guest bed without making a peep, which was a feat in itself. The white queen-sized canopy had a heavy, white duvet that was a nightmare to lay down quietly. But I did it. Just because I was sneaking out for a few hours didnât mean I would leave the room messy.
I didnât shower, because the sound of the water would tip them off. But I should have. There was a blood stain on my