Grizz
2001, Fort Lauderdale
It was the hardest thing he’d done since telling her to marry Tommy all those years ago. Staying away from her was pure torture. Not knowing why she’d worn the bandana. Not knowing why she’d summoned him.
Carter couldn’t offer an explanation. She could only confirm that Ginny wasn’t in danger. He was relieved to know that, but still.
He had to let the weeks pass. Had to stay away. She was surrounded by too many people, too much activity. And who the fuck was that guy from the funeral?
Grizz had finally made himself known to Anthony Bear. After recovering from the shock of seeing his dead friend, and knowing better than to ask him the whys or hows of the situation, Anthony helped him settle back into society as James Kirkland. They both knew there were people out there living among society who were thought to be dead to the world, people who’d been murdered or died in accidents or disappeared and were presumed dead. Even people who’d been put to death. It wasn’t as hard as one might think. People didn’t recognize the dead among the living because they weren’t looking for them. The only exception, of course, was Elvis. And everybody knew he was really dead. Wasn’t he?
So that’s what he and Anthony decided would be best. At least for now, Grizz would live in plain sight as James Kirkland. But, hiding in plain sight didn't mean he would put himself out there. Grizz rarely left his house, but he needed to keep himself busy. Since Anthony had moved over to this coast, he'd disassociated himself with his West coast gang and appeared to be running a legitimate landscaping business. It would be on one of these crews where Grizz would find employment. Since Anthony didn't employ anyone from his past, there would be no chance of Grizz running into one of his or Anthony's old gang members. With his hair up beneath a baseball cap and dark sunglasses on most of the time, Grizz did his best to look like the guy next door. He’d even had some of his more memorable and identifiable tattoos changed while still in prison and in spite of the heat, even took to occasionally wearing long sleeve T-shirts in the hopes of drawing less attention to them.
He thought he’d hate it, being an average Joe, but he didn’t. Anthony put him on a small crew of barely-English-speaking hard workers. No punks. No troublemakers. Just decent, hardworking men trying to earn an honest living. Their small crew was always assigned to work on homes on several acres and far away from the bustling and crowded neighborhoods. Grizz put on his sunscreen, ball cap, and sunglasses and rode the mower most of the day. Since discovering his love of reading in prison, he always wore earphones and would listen to books on CD.
He avoided listening to his rock music. It got under his skin and would stir up old memories and make him anxious. For what, he wasn’t sure. He was already restless enough. Waiting. For her.
“His name is Alec Davis,” Anthony had told him one day. They were having lunch beneath the shade of a large tree. Anthony checked in daily with each of his crews, always making sure to show up on Grizz’s jobsites around lunchtime where they would set themselves apart from the rest of the workers and talk.
“Tommy made him a partner years ago. Can’t find anything on him, Grizz—err, James.”
Anthony didn’t have to call him James when they were alone, but he did it anyway to help retrain his mind so he didn’t slip up in the future.
“He’s legally separated and has sole custody of his kids. You saw them at the funeral. They’re close to Jason’s age. He has a decent amount of change in the bank, no debt, no vices that my guy could find.”
Anthony noticed the muscles in Grizz’s jaw tighten.
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No,” Anthony said, and quickly added, “And there’s no boyfriend, either. It’s just him and his boys. Like I said, he’s separated from his wife, but not divorced.”
“Handsome, devoted father, no problems with money, drugs, or anything else. Why do you suppose he doesn’t have a woman in his life?” Grizz’s irritation was starting to show. “And has he seen Ginny since the funeral?”
“Several times,” Anthony said. “Never alone, though. The kids are always with them. At least that’s what’s been reported back to me.”
Grizz knew why Alec didn’t have a girlfriend. He was interested in Ginny, and Grizz knew Anthony knew it, too, though Anthony would never voice it. He would put his friend’s mind at ease.
“Don’t worry, Bear,” Grizz said. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.” At least not yet. “Now. Tell me what the word on the street is about the guy who shot Tommy.”
Anthony explained how the police hadn’t found the man yet, but Anthony’s guys had. Grizz was surprised Blue hadn’t heard this and reported it back to his detective girlfriend. There should’ve been an arrest by now.
“Can’t say. I know Blue’s been trying to keep his nose clean. Your old crew’s been floundering a bit. Looking for someone to be in charge. Blue told me you gave him your permission to walk away before your execution. Maybe he doesn’t want to be involved. Last time I saw him, he told me something about Jan’s murder. Something you should know.”
Anthony explained the details of a conversation he’d had with Blue shortly after Jan’s body was found.
“Really?” Grizz asked, the dismay in his voice evident.
“Yeah, really.”
Grizz nodded. “Tell me about the guy who shot Tommy.”
Grizz listened without interrupting as Anthony explained that, too.
“So it wasn’t a hit? It was really a fucking random act of violence and Tommy was in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“It wasn’t planned. It was a junkie looking for a fix. I’m sure of it. What do you want me to do with him?”
He didn’t have to ask Grizz this. He didn’t have to seek out a specific order, but respect from days gone by took precedence. This was still Grizz’s territory, whether he was alive to claim it or not.
“I can have it handled any way you want. Just say the word and it’ll be done.”
The old Grizz would’ve handled the man himself. The old Grizz wouldn’t have shown mercy. The old Grizz would’ve consoled himself with the fact that what Ginny didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
He asked himself what Ginny would want.
“Make sure the police find him and let them deal with him,” he told a stunned Anthony as he finished his sandwich in silence.
Then he stood up and headed for the lawnmower.
Anthony watched Grizz walk toward his mower, climb on, and ride away. Anthony had made an executive decision not to tell his old friend something else he’d heard. Not on the street, but from one of his own sons.
He knew if Grizz was going to survive in society, he’d have to stay clean, and if Anthony told Grizz what he’d heard about what had been done to Mimi, it would only be a matter of time before things blew up and out of control. He needed to figure out a way to get Grizz out of South Florida and away from anything remotely connected to crime. Besides, the longer Grizz stayed around, whether hiding in plain sight or not, the odds would eventually be against him never being recognized.
Fuck. He hated complications. He looked at his watch, realized he was running late. He had to get home and shower so he could be at Daisy’s school for a parent-teacher conference. If he missed another one, Christy would read him the riot act.