“Agreed, but I’m not sure what can be done about it. It isn’t a crime, and I don’t wanna piss you off, Merry, but Cher’s a single mom bartender and ex-stripper. Assholes like that’d think she’s open season, not only because she believed Lowe’s shit but because they think she needs the money. Colt probably doesn’t get this ’cause, one, he’s a cop, and two, he looks like he can break a man in half and would, they brought that shit into his life again.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why she gets it and that’s exactly why a statement needs to be made she’s off-limits,” Garrett stated, reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out his phone.

That was when Mike went alert.

“Brother…” he trailed off, but that one word was cautionary.

Yeah, he knew his partner.

“You can either take a walk so you don’t hear this call or I can. Which one’s it gonna be?” Garrett asked.

Mike studied him again.

Then he grabbed his coffee, nabbed a file, and took off.

Garrett engaged his phone.

He made his call and put it to his ear.

“Talk to me,” Ryker said in greeting.

Garrett kept his eyes on the room as he replied, “There’s a man in town, name’s Walter Jones. Ex-FBI profiler who’s writin’ a book on Denny Lowe. He came at Cher. He was shut down. But he’s here ’cause he needs shit. Thinkin’ he knows not to go at Cher again, but she’s got a mom and a kid. They also aren’t the only ones in this ’burg who he could hit to talk about Lowe. Some might not mind talkin’. Most won’t wanna be bothered. He needs incentive to get his ass gone.”

“You know where he’s stayin’?” Ryker asked.

“No clue,” Garrett told him.

“A challenge,” Ryker muttered.

Not a surprise, Ryker was on board.

“Can give you this clue—the make, model, and plate number for his vehicle,” Merry told him.

“Text it to me,” Ryker ordered.

“For this, you hold a marker or I give you cash. Think on it and tell me which way you wanna go. We’ll talk after you get this done.”

“Cher’s a sister. This assclown came at her, not down with that. This is a freebie. But, bro, just sayin’, don’t get used to that.”

Before Garrett could extend gratitude, Ryker disconnected.

When he did, Garrett typed out the car’s details and a description of Jones, and he sent it to Ryker.

He didn’t like doing it like that.

Not the part about setting Ryker on it. He didn’t mind that.

The part that it wasn’t him taking care of this business.

But he liked his job and he needed it to keep eating and to get out of his shitty-ass condo, because the time was ripe.

After the divorce, he’d left the house they’d lived in to Mia and he understood now a part of him was staying in his current place because he expected he’d be going back.