Page 78 of Rooster

“Grant will step in and handle things from there.”

I wanted to ask what Grant planned to do with him, but I didn’t get the chance. The conference door flew open, and Bones walked in with Big. “We got him.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, he’s in Seattle.” Bones walked over and typed something on the computer. Seconds later, Bauco’s face came up on the screen. “He’s at the penthouse at the Four Seasons. He has his entire crew with him, and if I had to guess, I would say they’re making their way to us.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I sent Grant everything I found. I also cut off Bauco’s financials, so hopefully that will slow him down a bit.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” Prez turned to Wrath as he said, “You and Savage need to get over there and keep an eye on him. If he makes a move, I need to know about it.”

“You got it.”

They both stood and made their way out of the room. Once they were gone, Prez turned his attention back to us. “We’re coming around the bend, boys. It won’t be long before we can put this mess behind us.”

“A man can hope,” Smokey grumbled.

“Hell, isn’t that the truth.” Prez shook his head and sighed. “It’s getting late. You boys head out but stay close to your phones. I want to be able to reach you if I need ya.”

“Understood.”

Prez dismissed church, and one by one, the brothers started to file out of the room. When we got outside, Torch and Q followed me out to the truck. Torch looked torn as he asked, “Where you running off to?”

“Heading to the house. I’m wiped.”

“I hear ya. It’s definitely been a long one.” Torch scratched his beard. “What do you think about this Bauco bullshit?”

“I don’t know. Just curious to see what Grant’s gonna do to him.”

“Got no idea, but he’s gonna have to be creative. The Four Seasons is a busy place. Lots of eyes.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” I hadn’t forgotten about how he’d handled the Stingers. Blowing up that entire block was bad, and after seeing what he’d just done to the Reapers, I couldn’t help but wonder just how far this guy would go. “He’s looking to make an impression, and I got a feeling he’s willing to do anything necessary to make that happen.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Q shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t give a fuck what he does. I’m just ready for him to do it and put an end to this bullshit.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” I opened my truck door as I told them, “I’m gonna hit it. Give me a shout if you hear anything.”

“Will do.”

I left the clubhouse thinking the ride home might help to clear my head and ease the unsettled feeling that lingered in the air. Sadly, it didn’t.

The night was too quiet and did little to distract me from the weight bearing down on my shoulders. There was so much going on with the club and the brothers, and it left me feeling like I had no control over what was coming. That wasn’t a good feeling.

I turned a corner, and as I started around the square, I spotted Maggie’s salon. The lights were on, and her GMC was parked out front. She usually didn’t work this late, so I decided to stop by and make sure everything was okay. I parked and made my way up to the door. I knocked, and Maggie whipped around with a start.

When she saw that it was me, she let out a visible breath of relief and walked over to unlock the door. As soon as she opened it, she smiled and said, “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Saw your light was on and wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I am now.”

“What do you mean? Did something happen?”

“Chad stopped by here.” She closed the door behind me as she explained, “He was upset about the weekend.”

“What about it?”

---