Page 15 of Rooster
“He did good!” I reached over and gave her a hug. “A surprise and an absolutely gorgeous ring. Can’t beat that!”
“She’s right. It's absolutely stunning!” Keeley leaned in and hugged her, too. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, guys. I’m really happy. Tony is the best, and I really love him. I can’t wait to spend my life with him.”
And just like that, my heart was filled with hope in a way I didn’t know I needed. Maybe, just maybe, my luck was changing, and I’d get my own chance at happiness. There was no way to be sure, but for the first time in a very long time, I was looking forward to finding out.
Rooster
“Well, hello there, fellas.” Grant took a step back, opening his front door wide as he gave us all a welcoming smile. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to stop by.”
Wrath glanced over at Prez, but neither of them said a word. None of us did. We just stood there a bit stunned as he motioned us all inside. “Come on in and make yourselves comfortable.”
Wrath went in first, then Torch, Cotton and I followed Prez and Savage through the front door. Prez kept his cool as he asked, “So, you know why we’re here?”
“Of course, I do.” He continued into the living room as he said, “I just need the code, and I’ll fill you in on everything.”
None of us replied.
We were too busy trying to make sense of what this guy was saying.
Clearly bothered by our silence, his smile vanished, and he turned to Prez with a grimace. “I assumed that Bruton had given it to you. If that’s not the case, then...”
“2... 4... 7.”
“Yes! Yes! Wonderful.” Grant inhaled a quick breath of relief, then ushered us forward. “Come. Come... We have much to discuss.”
As we continued further into the house, I couldn’t help but notice that everything in the house was either white or black—the walls, the sofa, the chairs were all crisp, bright white with a black coffee table and end tables. Hell, even the paintings on the walls had variations of white with black or grey background, and the theme continued throughout the entire house with the white kitchen cabinets and black countertops and the black kitchen table with white chairs. It was all nice stuff, but the color scheme was a little over the top.
Grant walked through the living room and over to a wall of shelves. He pulled down one of the books, and without warning, the wall started to slide back, revealing a secret room filled with glass cases of weapons, video surveillance of not only his house but the entire city, and a large round table in the center with at least ten office chairs.
It reminded me of Bones’ computer room, but it was much more than that. As we followed him inside, I leaned over to Wrath and whispered, “What the hell is all this?”
Grant smiled as he answered, “This is where all the fun happens.”
“Enough of the bullshit.” Prez stopped and crossed his arms, taking it all in. “It’s time you started talking.”
“I understand your urgency, especially during such an unsettling time... Bruton used to call me his Alfred.” Grant sat down in one of the office chairs and waited as we all did the same. Once we were all settled, he went on to explain, “Bruton was quite the businessman. He had connections all over the world, and when you have that many irons in the fire, you need a little help to make sure things don’t go awry. That’s where I came in. I took care of problems. I still do.”
“What kind of problems are we talking about?”
“Ones likethe Stingers.” The hairs on the back of my neck prickled against my skin when he said, “They came sniffing around, causing you problems, and I took care of it.”
“Holy shit. That was you?”
“The one and only. I must admit, taking out that entire block wasn’t one of my finer moments.” He scratched the back of his neck and winced. “I’m not a fan of innocents getting caught in the crossfire, but sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.”
“Never okay to pull a stunt like that,” Prez snipped.
Grant’s confident demeanor didn’t falter as he replied, “Bruton informed me about your feelings on the matter, and I will take them into account in the future.”
“We partnered with Bruton,” Wrath snarled. “Not you.”
“This is true.” Grant retrieved a file from the center of the table and pushed it over to Prez. “But in this game we’ve been playing, you have obligations to fulfill, and it would be in everyone’s best interest to fulfill those obligations. I’m here to help you do that.”
With Wrath leaning over for a better look, Prez opened the file and quickly scanned what was inside. I didn’t have to read it to know that it was bad. Hell, it was written all over their faces. Grant’s tone turned serious as he said, “As I’m sure you already know, the Angotti clan has made quite a name for themselves. They can be pretty ruthless when things don’t go their way.”
“We’re aware.”
