Rooster
It had just begun, but winter was already kicking our asses.
Because we’d had several big bouts of snow and ice, it had been weeks since we’d been able to ride.
However, today was turning out to be a real beaut, so Torch and I decided to take advantage of the brief thaw and ride our bikes over to the construction site.
The cold winter air was biting at our cheeks as we revved our engines and pulled out onto the road.
The snow had melted, leaving behind glistening patches of damp asphalt, but thankfully, there was no sign of any black ice or lingering patches of snow.
The motorcycle's tires hummed against the pavement, drowning out any thoughts that might be lingering in my head, and by the time we arrived at work, I was feeling better than I had in days.
Unfortunately, the good mood didn’t last. Torch and I had barely parked when Savage and Wrath started over to us, and I could tell by their fierce expressions that they weren’t bringing good news. As they drew closer, I asked, “What’s going on?”
“We’ve lost track of Beckett,” Wrath answered. “When he wasn’t at breakfast, we just assumed that he’d come in to work early, but there’s been no sign of him.”
“I’ve tried calling him, but he’s not picking up.” Savage sounded concerned as he said, “He was on another bender last night, so there’s no telling where he ended up.”
“What do we need to do?”
“Preacher trusted us to keep an eye on him,” Savage explained. “Last thing we need is for something to happen to him.”
“Then, we’ll find him.” I looked over at Torch as I said, “We’ll go over to the clubhouse and give it another once over while you guys check around town.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Torch and I started up our engines and wasted no time getting over to the clubhouse.
When we pulled up, I wasn’t surprised to find that it was pretty cleared out.
It was a weekday, so most of the guys were either at work or off on their own.
Knowing Savage and the others were waiting to hear from us, Torch and I quickly parked and made our way inside.
You could hear our boots trudging against the worn floorboards as we made our way down the hall.
We started opening doors, and with each empty room, the sense of urgency grew stronger.
We called out his name, but time after time, there was no answer.
After an exhaustive search, we were about to leave when Torch hesitated outside of Addison and Michele’s room.
They were a couple of the club’s hang-arounds, and Addison hadn’t been bashful about letting everyone know that she had her eye on Beckett. Hell, she’d been after him since the day he arrived. Torch motioned his head towards her door as he asked, “You think?”
“I don’t know, brother. His wounds run pretty deep. I’d think it’s a bit early for that.”
“Yeah, but you know Addison. She can be pretty convincing.”
“Open her up and see.”
He nodded, then reached for the door handle.
The door creaked open slowly, revealing a scene of unexpected vulnerability.
There, in the midst of all the girls’ pillows and fuzzy blankets, lay Beckett completely naked and motionless on the bed.
The room was a wreck. Clothes and empty bottles were strewn all over.
And if that wasn’t enough to throw a red flag, he was in one bed, and they were in the other.
We knew then that hurt had gotten the best of him, and the girls had done what they could to help him through it. Torch and I exchanged a concerned glance, then Torch slowly closed the door. “I’ll message Savage and let them know we found him.”
I took out my phone, and after I sent a text to Savage, Torch and I started back out to our bikes. We hadn’t gotten far when I heard Prez call out, “You find him?”
“Yeah, he’s okay.” Torch and I waited as he approached. “He was laid up in Addison’s room.”
“Oh.” Prez cocked his brow and scoffed. “Guess that’s a good sign.”
“I’m not sure about that.” Torch glanced over at me. “Looks like they had quite a night.”
“I can imagine.” Prez looked oddly concerned when he said, “You know, we got that run for Bauco coming up. Are you two still planning to take the lead?”
“Yeah, we’re all set.”
Cotton had his reservations about Bauco.
He’d heard stories, and none of them were good.
He had Bones look into him but found nothing out of the norm.
He brought it up to Grant, and he assured him that Bruton had never had any issues with him.
And yet, Cotton’s reservations remained, so he asked that we take extra precautions—which is why I told him, “Chains and Q are coming, too. Maybe Clutch and Diesel, but I haven’t heard the final word from them. ”
“Good.” His back stiffened. “Wrath and Two Bit are gonna tag along. They’re going up half an hour earlier to check things out and make sure everything looks good. They’ll wait there until you arrive with the goods and stay until the deal is done.”
You would’ve thought Torch was reading my mind when he asked, “That really necessary?”
“Cotton’s concerned, and that has me concerned.”
“Why? What’s the deal?”
“Bauco is sending runners to pick up the load, and he hasn’t been very forthcoming about who he’s sending. Cotton threatened to cancel the drop, but Bauco assured him that there wouldn’t be any trouble and even offered extra money as security.”
“That sounds pretty shady. You think Wrath and Two Bit are gonna be enough?”
“Should be... Cotton and Grant will be close by just in case you need them.”
“Sounds good.”
Torch and I said our goodbyes, then headed back to the construction site.
It was barely nine, and it had already been a hell of a day.
I wasn’t exactly surprised. That had become the norm since Bruton’s death.
I couldn’t remember a time when the club had so much going on, and it was starting to take its toll.
We needed a break, but sadly, there was no reprieve to be had—at least, not anytime soon.
We made our way back to the construction site, and after a quick word with Guardrail, Torch and I headed upstairs and got to work.
The familiar sounds of machinery filled the air, and it wasn’t long before my mind drifted to thoughts of Maggie.
It had been a couple days since our ‘discussion’ about the club, and while we’d talked on the phone a couple of times, I hadn’t actually seen her.
But one way or another, that was going to change tonight.
I took out my phone and sent her a text.
Me:
I need to see you.
Maggie:
Who is this?
Me:
Don’t play with me, woman.
Maggie:
Okay. Okay.
I have the kids tonight.
Me:
Don’t care.
Just need to see your face.
Maggie:
Come over whenever you want.
I’ll order some Chinese takeout, and we can watch the game.
Me:
You order it, and I’ll grab it on my way.
Maggie:
Perfect!
Me:
I’ll see you around 6.
Maggie:
Can’t wait.
I felt a little lighter as I shoved my phone back into my pocket and got back to work.
As the day unfolded, I found myself counting the hours until I could wrap things up and head over to her place.
When I finally finished my drywall section, I did a quick cleanup and gathered my things.
On my way out, I glanced over at Torch and Two Bit and teased, “Catch you losers later.”
“Woah, where you running off to?”
“I’ve got an order of Chinese with my name on it.”
“Oh, so you got yourself a hot date.”
“Something like that.”
Without saying anything more, I walked out and headed outside.
I was covered in a day’s worth of dust and grime as I made my way out to my bike.
Since I was in dire need of a shower, I wasted no time heading home.
As soon as I got to the house, I made a beeline for the bathroom and took a hot shower.
Once I was done, I threw on some jeans and a T-shirt, then drove over to our favorite Chinese spot.
After I picked up our order, I drove to Maggie’s house, and my chest tightened when I spotted her standing at the front door in a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. She was waiting for me. I’d never had someone waiting for me, and it got to me.
She got to me.
Damn.
This woman was doing a real number on me.
I couldn’t wait a moment longer to have her in my arms, so I grabbed the food and charged towards her. As I got closer, she opened the door wide and smiled. “Hey there, handsome.”
“Hey, beautiful.”
I leaned down and pressed my mouth to hers, kissing her long and hard. I would’ve kept kissing her if I hadn’t heard Samantha giggling in the kitchen and Nathan complaining, “Ew. Gross.”
I quickly released her from our embrace and whispered, “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. They can get over it.” She gave me a wink, then turned and said, “Come on in. We’re starving.”
“That’s good because there’s plenty of food to go around.”
I carried the food over to the table, and in a blink, Nathan and Samantha were diving in to find their order. Nathan had his eye on the prize when he glanced up at me and said, “Hey, Ro. How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain.”
“Hey.” Samantha was at the bottom of the first bag when she asked, “Did you get my sweet and sour chicken?”
“Should be in there.”
“Let me take a look.” Maggie stepped over and started going through the various boxes. “Here it is.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Samantha took the box of food and plopped down in the seat next to Nathan.
They both started diving in while Maggie and I gathered our food and sat down beside them.
I’d just taken a bite of my sesame seed chicken when Samantha announced, “Casey’s having a sleepover next weekend, and she asked me to come. ”
“Okay, that’s fine, but it’s your dad’s weekend. You’ll have to work that out with him.”
“I already told him, and he said it was okay.” She took another bite of her food, then added, “She didn’t invite Jessie.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, she said it was only fair because she didn’t invite me to hers.”
“I don’t think that’s the best way to handle that.”
“Well, she’s the one who started it.”