Page 60 of Sawyer
Rory laughed and stuck out her tongue. “Yes, Daddy, but don't worry, Johnny Travolta can't hold a candle to you.”
“That's right,” he said with a toothy grin. “And don’t you forget it.”
Sawyer pulled up his disco playlist and connected his phone to his sound system. Disco music burst through the backyard speakers. The girls spread out on the lawn practicing their Hustles, Bumps, and Electric Slides. Sawyer and his brothers grabbed a beer and pulled out chairs, settling in to watch.
With the girls distracted, it was time to talk business. Sawyer took the lead. “Okay, give me everything you know about Hector Cortez.”
Deke didn't hesitate. “I know he's a weasel and a worthless sack of shit.”
Sawyer could feel the vein in his temple pulsing. “That doesn’t surprise me, but I need specifics.”
“As far as police records go, he flies straight as an arrow. They got nothing on him in Elk Jaw. At least, not in records I can get into,” Law said.
Sawyer gave a feral grin. “I'll bet they don’t. It's because he figured out early on, after he moved to Elk Jaw, that Lele would be the perfect fall guy. Connor, do you feel up to taking a ride to Elk Jaw tomorrow? I have a few names, people who were at the forefront of accusing Lele of everything from shoplifting to street walking when she was in high school. Not to mention being involved in the drug scene.”
“Holy shit,” Connor said. “Look at her. Who could think a tiny thing like that could deal in that shit?”
“I don’t know.” Sawyer’s lips thinned. “But no one would change their story back in the day. I'm hoping the years have given some of them a spine. Maybe you can work your magic and get to the truth about the things that happened.”
Connor nodded. “You know it, brother. I'm on it.”
Sawyer nodded his thanks, then turned to Law. “I’ll hack into the courthouse system over in Elk Jaw and get all of the recordsand transcripts for Lele's trial. Hell, Lila's whole childhood. Can you get Lovie to see if she can make any sense of it?”
Law met his gaze and held it, giving Sawyer a quick lift of his chin to indicate he would. Yeah, Law wasn't much of one for words. Then his brother surprised him by saying, “She finds something worth pursuing, you good with her bringing in Raleigh in?”
“Fuck, yes,” Sawyer said. The General had his fingers in every pie in that whole damn town, even then. He manipulated Lele just as much as he manipulated Jaxon. Maybe more. I know they used her to add credibility to their case. “Innocent girl caught up in things she didn't understand by the evil FBI agent. That shit wouldn't have worked if I’d been there. And Hector Cortez is at the bottom of it, mark my words.”
“I got your back, brother,” Law said. “We’ll make this right.”
And that was what he loved about his Sabre brothers. They weren't connected by blood. They grew up together in the same small town, all taken under the wing of the same great man, Reid's stepfather. His name was Liam Thomas, but they’d all called him Sarge because he was a former army drill sergeant.
Sarge had taken them in when they were teenagers. Some of them had decent homes. Most of them didn't. But he taught them what it meant to be a man. He taught them discipline and courage and what being a Daddy really meant.
Jaxon had been part of that special group. That's when they became brothers. That's why they all moved home as soon as one of their own was in trouble and spent the last six years trying to make it right. They were close to gaining Jaxon’s release. He could feel it. The General's days were numbered. He could feel that, too.
Even a man as powerful as Alex Boucher, though he loved being called the General, ran out of cards eventually. He’d pushed his trial for the attempted murder of Susi Daily as many times as he could.
If there was any karma in the universe, the General was goingto the same prison he'd sent Jaxon and his Half-Pint, too. Sawyer didn't think the General would last long in whatever prison he landed in. Not if he had anything to say about it anyway.
Sawyer leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. “I’m digging into Hector’s life tomorrow. He's dirty, I know it, and I'm gonna prove it. I also have a photo I need to enhance. Hector, at least I think it was Hector, met a guy behind Videotopia. I want to find out who it is. I couldn’t get the picture clear enough with the equipment I took to Elk Jaw, but now that I’m home, I can.”
“We're with you, brother,” Reid said. “You tell us what you need and we're there. Jaxon's moving back into the general prison population this week. They've tried to kill him once. It won't take them long to try again. Time is not on our side in this. We also need to find out who in the DA’s office is still playing ball for the General.”
Gage’s lips tipped into a knowing smile. “Have I told you guys lately what's happening with my younger brother Dax?”
Sawyer had completely forgotten about Dax. He wasn't sure why Gage was bringing it up now. In Sawyer’s mind, Dax was a scrawny kid who trailed after them. He’d always wanted to be included, even though he was at least nine years younger than most of them. They’d always treated him like one of their own, because he was. Well, that and the fact that Sarge would have kicked their asses if they hadn’t. But that didn't mean they hadn’t all secretly thought he was a pain.
“He got a scholarship to Vandy, right?” Deke asked. “Man, I hadn't thought about that kid in years.”
Gage smirked. “He’s not a kid anymore. After he graduated from Vanderbilt, he decided to go to law school. His scores had lots of schools across the country fighting over him, but he decided to stick with Vanderbilt. He finished up in two years instead of three.”
Yep, pride shone in Gage’s face like a lighthouse on a foggy night. Sawyer needed to keep things on point, though. “That'sgreat, man. I know you're proud, but you want to tell me why we're talking about your kid brother?”
Gage grinned, and this time it was real. “Guess who just got hired as the newest junior prosecutor in the Darling District Attorney's office,” he said.
It took him a minute to process what Gage had said. “You’re shittin’ me. How the fuck did that happen?”
“Baby brother had his name legally changed to Daxton Montgomery, our mother’s maiden name. No one caught it until all the paperwork was signed.”
