Rooster
“Are you sure this is the right address?”
“No, but then again, you saw Bruton’s place.
Wasn’t much to it either,” I scoffed as I looked over at the modest two-bedroom home.
Bruton was a very wealthy man who dealt with some of the most infamous criminals in the world, but he didn’t live in an extravagant house.
His place looked just like all the others in town.
“Besides, we got no idea who this Sawyer person is.”
“Yeah, but you saw those deposits. Some of them were pretty hefty. You’d think he’d be living high on the hog.”
He was right. The deposits ranged anywhere from two to ten grand each, but we had no way of knowing what the deposits were for—but we knew Bruton and the dealings he’d done. That was enough for us to be leery of the guy and why Prez wanted us to try and figure out who he really was.
Wrath and Savage were parked on the side street while Torch and I claimed a spot across the street.
We’d been there for hours, but there’d been no sign of the infamous Sawyer Grant.
Torch began shifting in his seat, and I knew he was beginning to lose his patience when a white Ford pickup pulled into the drive.
I gave him a nudge and said, “Hey, check it out.”
We both watched silently as a weathered maintenance truck pulled into the drive and parked.
Seconds later, the door opened, and a man who looked to be in his late fifties got out and started up to the front door.
He was wearing a pair of worn janitor-like coveralls, which made him look like a run-of-the-mill maintenance man, but there was something about this guy.
He walked with an air of dignity, like a man with purpose.
I was trying to get a feel for this guy when Torch asked, “Is this the guy?”
“Certainly looks that way.”
“But he’s a fucking janitor.”
“Something tells me he’s much more than that.”
“You think?”
I grabbed my phone and dialed Wrath’s burner. As soon as he answered, I asked, “You seeing this?”
“I’m seeing it.” Wrath paused for a moment, then said, “There’s no way this guy is who he seems.”
“I was thinking the same damn thing. So, what are we gonna do?”
“We need to get a decent picture of the guy for Bones, and then, we wait and see what he can find on him.”
Bones and Big had already done a full search on the guy, and at first, everything looked legit.
He had a job with the city and had lived in this house for the last ten years, but once they tracked back to ’98, the guy disappeared.
It was like he never existed, which was a clear indication that he wasn’t who he was pretending to be.
Torch and I were parked at a better angle, so I told Wrath, “We’ll get a picture of him as soon as he comes back out. ”
“Let me know when you’ve got it, and we’ll figure out things from there.”
“You got it.”
It was a couple of hours before Sawyer came back outside, but I managed to get a clear picture of his face.
I sent it to Bones, then waited to hear back from him.
One hour rolled into the next, and there was still no word from him.
I started to get concerned, so I messaged Prez to find out what the hell was going on.
Me:
Any word on our guy?
Prez:
Nothing yet.
Bones tried his facial recognition software on the image but didn’t come up with anything new.
Me:
Damn.
Prez:
I’m gonna need you boys to keep an eye on this guy.
Take shifts or whatever you need to do, but don’t lose track of him.
Me:
You got it.
Let me know if anything changes.
Prez:
You know I will.
I relayed Prez’s message to the brothers, and for the next day or so, we took turns following the guy around. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see.
He was either driving around the city—checking the parks and various city buildings for work that needed to be done, or he was at home working on some minuscule task.
Unfortunately, Bones wasn’t having much luck with the facial recognition software, so we were stuck watching Gramps until we found something that would help us figure out who this guy really was.
After a long day of watching the old man do not much of anything, my attention was drawn to the neighbor’s house across the street, where an older white Acadia had just pulled into the drive.
The car's door opened, and seconds later, two rowdy kids jumped out—the boy looked about twelve or thirteen, and the girl just a year or two younger.
They were arguing, but their voices were too mottled for me to understand what they were saying.
They stormed up to the front porch and disappeared inside, leaving their driver behind.
There was silence for a moment, and then the car door opened, and a brunette stepped out.
I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she wasn’t in the best head space.
She moved slowly, like she was trying to prepare herself for what lay ahead.
After seeing her two bickering kids, I couldn’t blame her.
I continued to watch as she made her way over to the mailbox. I don’t know what it was about her that had me so enthralled, but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her. And then the wind blew, causing her hair to flutter away from her face, and my breath caught when I finally saw her face.
It was her.
The woman from the movie theater.
And she was even more beautiful than I remembered.
I wanted nothing more than to get out of my SUV and go over to her, but I couldn’t. There was no way I could explain what I was doing there, so I had no choice but to stay put and watch as the woman who’d haunted my dreams disappeared into her house.
Damn.
My chance was right there, and I couldn’t even take it. I don’t know how long I sat there just staring at her front door. Hell, I might’ve still been sitting there if my burner hadn’t started ringing. I picked it up and answered, “Yeah.”
“I’m here,” Torch announced. “You can go.”
“Oh, it’s that time already?”
“Yeah, unless you wanna stay?” Torch scoffed.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Anything exciting with the ol’ man today?”
“I wish. The man’s about as boring as they come.”
“I don’t see why we don’t just charge up to the door and ask him what’s what.”
“You never know. It might just come to that.” I started my truck as I told him, “Have a good one, and give me a shout if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
It was late. I was eager to kick off my boots and call it a day, so I wasted no time heading home.
After a twenty-minute drive, I pulled up to the house and felt an immediate sense of relief.
It was like a sanctuary to me. It had once belonged to my grandparents, and I’d spent the better part of my life there.
It was a two-story, four-bedroom home that had stood the test of time.
I could still remember my grandmother saying that the ocean’s whispers were woven into the walls, and there were times when I actually believed her.
There was something special about that old house, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
I’d put some work into it—a little paint here and there and a full remodel of the kitchen and master bath.
The front porch was weathered, but I liked it that way.
It had a stone fireplace that gave it a bit of rustic charm, and with the ocean view and large windows, it was a place I was proud to call home.
As soon as I walked inside, I tossed my keys on the counter and grabbed myself a drink from the fridge. I took off my cut and hung it by the door, then made my way down the dimly lit hallway. I felt like my bed was beckoning me as I entered the room and started undressing.
I sank into the cool sheets and closed my eyes, letting go of the tension of the day, and with the soft hum of the ceiling fan, it didn’t take long for me to succumb to my exhaustion.
The next morning, I got up and headed to the clubhouse.
I went to check in with Prez and Savage and see if anything new had come up.
When I pulled through the gate, I was surprised to find Prez standing outside with Guardrail and Cotton.
They were gathered around talking with Two Bit and Stitch, and if Cotton’s expression was any indication, they weren’t having a friendly chat.
It was clear something was going on, so I walked over and listened as Guardrail said, “It’s a fucking mess.
The inspector wants all the electrical updated before he’ll sign off on the addition. ”
“We don’t have time for this bullshit,” Two Bit grumbled.
“We’re just gonna have to make time.” Getting the town square remodel project was a big deal for us, and we all wanted it to go well, especially Guardrail. He ran the club’s construction company, and he took his role seriously and never once treated it as just a front.
Redoing the old barber shop had become a bigger nightmare than any of us could’ve expected, especially with the upstairs addition, but we were making progress. Guardrail was meticulous, so I wasn’t surprised when he added, “It’s gotta be done, and it’s gotta be done right.”
“But the addition is supposed to be complete by the end of the month, and with all this bullshit with Bruton...”
“We’re handling the situation with Bruton,” Prez interrupted. “Just do what you gotta do, and let’s get this thing done.”
I was the best electrician, so I volunteered, “I’ll head over and get things started.”
“Appreciate it, brother.” I was about to head back to my truck when I thought to ask, “Any news on Gramps?”
“No, and I’m beginning to think there won’t be.” I could hear the frustration in Prez’s voice as he said, “There’s something up with this guy. No doubt about it, and I’d say it’s time we make a move.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
“You’re supposed to take a shift tonight, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll head over once I get things sorted at the site.”
“And tomorrow morning?”
“Torch relieves me at midnight.” I thought for a moment, then added, “But I’ll be back in the morning by eight.”
“Good deal. We’re going to pay our friend a visit first thing tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it.”