Rooster
“It’s gotta be a password, right?”
“Yeah, but to what? We checked the house and his office. There was nothing there.” Bones sounded frustrated as he added, “And I already have access to his laptop, emails, and bank accounts. What else could there be?”
“Could it be one of his kids or grandkids?”
“Nope,” Bones answered. “Already checked.”
“What about an employee? Or some woman he screwed around with?”
“Maybe.”
I’d been listening to my brothers go back and forth for over an hour, and I couldn’t help but notice how much had changed over the past couple of months.
I’d patched in more than ten years ago, and back then, Cotton sat at the front of the table with Guardrail and Stitch at his side. They were a force to be reckoned with.
Now, Maverick sat in Cotton’s place, and Savage and Wrath were his right-hand men.
They were just as fierce and determined, but unlike their older, wiser, more mellow predecessors, Savage and Wrath were still young and quick-tempered.
Most of the young ones were. I fell somewhere in between and considered myself to be a decent mix of the two.
Except when I was hungry or hung over.
And today, I just happened to be both, and I was teetering on the edge when Smokey asked, “When were we supposed to deliver the next load, or is that still on?”
“Next week, but we got no idea about the who or the where,” Prez answered. “We’ll figure it out, but you know Bruton. He only told us what he felt like we needed to know.”
“Yeah, he was a real gem about that.”
“Maybe there was a reason for that. For all we know, we’re worrying over nothing,” Clutch suggested. “It’s not like his death wasn’t plastered all over the fucking news. Surely whoever he was working with saw it.”
He was right.
Everyone was talking about it.
I couldn’t really blame them. It wasn’t every day that a councilman died in our small town, much less one who was gunned down in broad daylight. Add in the fact that he was shot over an accident due to a traffic light he’d petitioned for, and you had a real story on your hands.
But it’s only half the story.
None of them knew he was a notorious arms dealer who worked with some of the most dangerous men in the world.
I wasn’t sold on going into business with Bruton in the first place.
We didn’t know much about the guy—just that he’d gone to an extreme to get us all on board, and since then, he’d been a blessing and a curse.
He’d really come through for us when we had an issue with the Demarco brothers, only to turn around and buy us trouble with the Stingers.
He had us do a drop in their territory, and they weren’t happy about it.
Even tried to get a hold of Savage’s ol’ lady and their kid, but yet again, Bruton swooped in and took care of it.
That’s when I learned just how cold and heartless our new partner could be—which made it all that much harder to believe that he was shot by an everyday citizen over a fucking traffic light.
I didn’t give a fuck how the guy died.
He was gone, and all he’d left us with was some dying last words that made no sense to any of us—which led me to say, “But there’s no way to be sure that they saw it or if they even cared. They could still be expecting the shipment, and when they don’t get it, they’re gonna come looking for it.”
“Rooster is right,” Prez agreed. “We got no idea what they’re expecting or what Bruton told ‘em.”
“So, we just wait here like a bunch of sittin’ ducks and see if they come lookin’ for their shit?”
“We’ve still got some time before the delivery is due.” Prez turned to Bones as he said, “We need to work fast and find out everything we need to know about Bruton and his business dealings. Even if that means going through every fucking email and receipt that has ever passed his hands.”
“I’m on it,” Bones assured him.
Big was quick to add, “And I’ll be there to help any way I can.”
“Appreciate that, brother.”
“I’ll be there, too.” Torch shrugged. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll help if I can.”
Prez nodded, then stood as he told us, “None of us are happy about the way things have played out with Bruton, but these are the cards we’ve been dealt, and we’ve gotta act accordingly. Be careful out there and don’t take any unnecessary chances.”
Without saying anything more, he slammed the gavel on the table and dismissed church.
The brothers quickly started to disperse, and those who could stick around began filing into the bar.
I followed Savage and Smokey up to the front counter, and we all sat down next to Cotton.
We hadn’t even opened our beer when Cotton turned to Savage and asked, “How’s Londyn doing with the big move? ”
“Good.” He popped the cap as he continued, “She finally got Dalton’s room the way she wants it and has moved to organizing the bathroom.”
“Which means she’s moving out most of your stuff,” Cotton chuckled.
“Oh, yeah. My stuff has come and gone.” Savage shook his head. “Never seen so many different kinds of shampoo and lotions. Won’t be long and I’ll be swimming in the stuff.”
“It’s the same way with your mother... I have my drawer, and she has the rest.”
“I need to claim a drawer.”
“If it’s not already gone.” Cotton smiled as he asked, “What about Dalton? How’s he doing?”
“He’s adjusting.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“Cause I’m not.” Savage shook his head and shrugged. “I was kind of hoping we could just step right into all this family shit, and that would be that. But there’s a lot to it, and I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.”
“I’m sure you’re doing better than you think.”
“I don’t know.” Savage turned to his father. “The other night I was just minding my own business, watching TV, and he crawled in my lap. I felt like my chest was gonna explode. Hell, it damn near brought tears to my eyes. What the hell is that?”
“That’s being a father,” Cotton answered. “And I got news for ya. That feeling never goes away.”
“I don’t know if I can take it.”
“You can, and you will.”
“I’m gonna try.” A proud smile crossed his face as he said, “Dalton’s an amazing kid. Hell, I’d claim him even if he wasn’t mine.”
“He really is something.” Cotton cocked his brow. “So, when are your mom and I gonna get to spend some more time with him?”
“Whenever is good with me.” Savage took a pull from his beer. “Let me check with Londyn, and if all is well, he can hang with you guys this weekend. Then, he won’t be underfoot while we’re putting together his swing set.”
“A swing set?” I groaned. “That’s great. Our VP’s getting all domesticated and shit.”
“Says the man who’s yet to find an ol’ lady. You know, you could use some domestication yourself.” He gave me a playful nudge. “An ol’ lady might do you some good. She could settle your ass down.”
“Never gonna happen, brother.” I was tempted to tell him about the gorgeous brunette I’d met at the movies a few months back, but it didn’t feel right. So, I ran my hand over my beard. “I’m a beast that can’t be tamed.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that. One day, the right girl will come along...”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath.” I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my love life, so I turned to Smokey and asked, “How are things going out at the orchard?”
And just like that, the conversation turned to MJ and all they had going on at the farm.
From the sounds of it, my brother had his hands full, but that was nothing new.
He and MJ were always busy doing something, but we were all busy.
Each of us had our own lives outside of the club, and I’ll admit, some were more hectic than others.
And from the sounds of it, things were pretty hectic over at the orchard.
Hoping to lift his mood, I leaned over to him and smiled, “Do you know the difference between an apple and an orphan?”
Smokey gave me a look, then shook his head and sighed. “Nope. Can’t say that I do.”
“An apple gets picked.”
It took a second for my answer to sink in, but when it did, it got the reaction I expected. “You’re going to hell. You know that, right?”
“What?” I asked innocently. “You didn’t like my joke? I’ve got more. What do you get when you cross a dick with a potato?”
Again, Smokey shook his head.
I chuckled as I answered, “A dictator.”
There was a low rumble of laughter which quickly faded when Torch appeared in the doorway and said, “I think they found something.”
No one responded.
We simply stood and followed Torch down the hall to Bone’s computer room.
When we walked in, Big was at the back table sifting through a stack of files while Bones sat at his laptop spouting off dates.
It was always impressive to see them work, especially together.
From the beginning, Big had an uncanny gift for finding information no one else could find and doing things no one else could do.
Bones was just like him, but he had a focus like none other.
And when he set his mind to something, he didn’t stop until he got it done.
I stood there in the doorway listening as Bones called out another date. “April 1st, 1998... 87256038.”
“Yep. Got it.”
“Got what?” Savage asked as he stepped over to Big and glanced over his shoulder.
Big lifted one of the pages and said, “Deposits from one of Bruton’s offshore accounts.
They go out every month. Sometimes more than once, but always to a Sawyer Grant, account number 87256038. Been making deposits since ‘98.”
“Oh, yeah?” Savage studied the receipt for a moment. “Wait... ‘98? Isn’t that when Bruton started teaching at the high school?”
“I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be hard to find out.”
“Something to keep in mind.” Savage continued to study the receipt as he asked, “Got any idea who this Sawyer guy is?”
“No, but we’re working on it.”
I felt like we were finally getting somewhere when Clutch stepped into the room and said, “We’ve got company.”
“What?” Savage sounded annoyed as he asked, “Who the fuck is it?”
“We got somebody at the gate.” Clutch cocked his brow as he looked over to me and said, “He asked to speak with whoever’s in charge.”
“And?”
“And we were about to turn him away until he mentioned he had ties to Bruton.”
“Damn. He’s six feet under and still bringing the surprises.”
“That he is.” Clutch started for the door as he said, “Prez is waiting for you in the bar.”
Savage gave him a nod, then started out of the room. He hadn’t gotten far when I started after him and said, “Hold on. I’m coming with.”
When we walked into the bar, Wrath was standing next to Prez, and they were both glaring at the back door.
You could literally feel the tension radiating off them as they waited for our guest to make his way inside.
We stepped up beside them, and the silence was deafening as the heavy double door swung open.
Seconds later, a man dressed in a jet-black business suit stepped inside. His dark, piercing eyes scanned the room, and he exuded an aura of menace and authority as he took in every detail of the room. A subtle twitch of his jaw represented a warning that he wasn’t a man to be trifled with.
With every step, his polished leather shoes echoed through the bar, intensifying the tension in the room as he started towards us.
His back was straight, his chin was out, and his expression was blank.
He wasn’t the least bit shaken that he’d just entered the Satan’s Fury clubhouse and was about to face its president, but I couldn’t say the same for me.
Just being around this dude had me rattled.
Fuck.
This dude was no joke.
He walked straight up to Prez and asked, “You the one in charge?”
“Who the fuck’s asking?”
“I go by many names, but you boys can call me Maltese.”
“Why don’t you tell us why you’re here, Maltese?”
“I simply need to deliver a message.” His face remained void of expression as he said, “My boss is a very busy man, and he is expecting his goods to be delivered as scheduled.”
“What makes you think we know anything about your boss or his fucking goods?”
“Let’s not play games. We are well aware of your ties with Bruton and that you have been making his deliveries. I’m just here to let you know that it’s in your best interest, and ours, that you fulfill your commitments.”
“And how are we supposed to do that without Bruton?”
“Oh, come now.” A sly smile crossed his face. “You fellas have made quite a name for yourselves, and you don’t do that without crossing a line or two.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” His eyes skirted over to me and Clutch, then back to Prez. “I won’t waste any more of your time. You boys have a good night.”
Before any of us had a chance for a rebuttal, he turned and walked out of the room. Savage was still glaring at the door as he growled, “Well, fuck.”
“Yeah. My thoughts exactly.”
“How many more of these assholes are gonna show up at our door?”
“One is more than enough.” Prez turned to Savage as he said, “We need to figure out this Sawyer situation, and we need to figure it out now.”