She doesn't want to

Kat made noises of insisting but Rick had gotten good enough at reading people that he saw through her efforts in no time.

"So," he said, "what will you use your winnings for."

"Well I..." She started excited but tailed off. "Well, there's this little gym in eastside Old Plano. It's a dump, really. One of those boxing places that was going to be big when boxing had its resurgence in the 2000s and then just wasn't. With thirty thousand, I could take over the lease, put a new floor in what would be the yoga room, and replace some of the worn-out equipment. But really, it's just a dream."

He hated that she was willing to sacrifice her dreams for him. "Tell you what, Kat. I'm going to confront Scrawny. If you back me up, I'll consider myself fully paid back for whatever you think I did for you and you can keep the thirty thousand."

She gave him the look you normally reserve for children who just can't let go of the Santa Claus myth. "You're homeless, Rick. Half of fifteen thousand would give you enough to rent an apartment for a few months at least. And with a place to live, you'd have a chance at getting a job."

He shook his head. "I'm not taking your money. Either you back me up and we're all square or you don't and I still figure we're all square but you get to feel a little guilty. Your choice."

"Of course I'll back you up. After what you told me he did with that little witch-girl, he deserves to have his dick--"

"Pulled off and forced down his throat. Yeah, I've heard that before. I'm just going to pretend that you're kidding when you say that because the mental picture is one I don't want to contemplate."

"So," she said, "let's track him down and confront him. I'll bet you twenty dollars I can kick him in the head and in the balls without putting my leg down."

"No bet. And don't kick him unless we need to. I'm going to try to make him see reason."