Page 139 of Unexpected Hero

Suddenly, his face lights up like a server monitoring dashboard detecting a complete system crash. He bobs up and down in giddiness, literally bouncing on his toes. “Oh! Oh! Leo’s sister mentioned the other day that she needs to go shopping for a few things. She’s still not driving, so she was hoping to get a ride. I’ll bring her along. I’m off tomorrow anyhow. This is a great idea. I love this idea. Sammy and I will make a day of it. This is perfect. Two birds. One Sawyer.”

He nods many, many times, and his grin reaches FPCON Delta levels. I’m unsure what made him more eager — shopping or hanging out with his best friend’s sister. Knowing him, it’s a bit of both.

I shift my stance, leaning back against the doorframe. “Well, you make a compelling case. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

He counts to three on his fingers to accompany his list of demands. “Credit card. Color scheme. Design motif.”

“A feminine color, but not too girlie. And I don’t know what a design motif is, so get something nice. Whatever you think looks good. If Sammy likes it, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Sawyer rubs his palms together. “Got it. Can do. This is going to be fun. It’s Christmas in July for me.”

I remove my credit card from my wallet and hand it over. “Thank you. I owe you.”

“And I’ll eagerly collect one day.” He purses his lips, then tosses, “And even if I don’t ever need a favor, at least I’ll have an enjoyable day shopping with Sammy. There’s no downside for me.”

Sawyer could really use a lesson dialing back his emotions. His affection for Leo’s sister is so obvious even I can see it. Teaching him to stop having emotions could be how I pay him back for this favor.

I chuckle.

To myself. Internally. Can’t be caught laughing twice in the same conversation. I have a reputation to uphold.

Nofunfucks don’t have fun. It’s right there in the name. No fun.

Besides, I need to text Freya back.

Then I need to figure out how to fit thirty hours of work into a twenty-four-hour day. Rinse and repeat daily for the next several weeks.

After he slips my card into his wallet, he rubs his palms together. “I’ll send you pictures of my selections for approval tomorrow.”

“If I don’t reply to your texts before you’re ready to leave the store, just buy whatever you want. I’ve got work coming out of my ears, nose, and mouth.” I tip my chin toward my office. “Klein does too.”

“Wilco.”

I retreat one step into the relative comfort of my office. “Thanks, Sawyer.”

All traces of his humor fade; it’s an odd sight on him. “I got you, brother. I’m happy to help.” With a nod, he marches off, whistling as he goes.

He might bust my balls and poke fun at me — I am an easy target — but he’s a genuinely good man. A friend. And yeah, a brother, I guess.

We take care of our own at Redleg.

My thoughts shift to my interaction with Big Al last night when I was on my way home. Apart from the video monitoring team working the overnight shift, he was the only other one here past midnight. The stress is wearing on him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so frazzled. He’s got eighty-seven balls in the air, most of them on fire.

It was for the best that I saw him like that.

Not only was I able to take some of the burden off his shoulders before I went home, but it also served as a bright, bold reminder to reinforce my decision not to tell him about his daughter yet.

The guilt was getting to me. At times, it’s a physical pain, nestling below my ribs. Like shards of glass scoring my innards.

But I’ll bear all that pain and be the bad guy to protect Boss. And Lettie.

Because yeah… at Redleg, we take care of our own. And that’s what I’m doing.

Chapter 28

Careful with that gun, or you'll shoot your dick off

LETTIE

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