Two years later
…
Doctors don’t know shit. Today Sandra and I celebrate our second wedding anniversary on the day Robyn and Keston are going to bring home my first grandchild, a baby boy, from the hospital. I’m already imagining all the fun things I’m going to teach him, and they have nothing to do with how to crack a safe or disable a security system. My boys—Rawlo, Tremaine, and Mishawn—and I never did get around to pulling the last job. We all decided that it was best how we left it: going out on top.
Right now, me and the boys’ main job is getting this damn nursery together before Robyn and Keston come home from the hospital. But so far the instructions for the baby bed don’t make any sense—in English or in Spanish.
“I think that we need a different type of screwdriver,” Mishawn says. “I wonder if my son has any other tools around here.”
I pull myself off the floor. “I’ll go check the shed out back.”
“I’ll come with you,” Rawlo says. “I need to see if he has another drill bit.”
Together, we walk out the back door. “So how does it feel being a new grandfather?”
“It makes me feel old. What the hell do you think?” I laugh. We approach the shed and notice the padlock. We just laugh as Rawlo pulls out a small pin and five seconds later has the lock off.
“You still got it, man.” I pound him on the back and then pull the door open. We frown as we enter the small shed crammed with miscellaneous junk. “Okay. Where would my son-in-law keep his tools?” I start looking around until I hear Rawlo crash and hit the floor. “Rawlo, man. Are you all right?”
He moans and groans, and I go over to see him struggling to get up. “What the hell did I trip over?”
I glance around on the floor and see a steel handle poking up. “What the hell is this?” I walk over and squat down. “Another padlock.”
“What the hell would they have buried in the floor?” Rawlo asks, still struggling to lift his massive frame off the floor.
“You need some help, man?”
“Nah. I got it.”
“Mind working your magic on this lock?”
“You sure?”
“We’re looking for tools. There could be tools down here.”
“Or, most likely, you’re just being nosy.” He waves a finger in my face.
“All right. Never mind.” I start to walk away when Rawlo grabs me by the arm.
“But we should check to make sure.”
“Uh-huh.” I cock a smile to let him know that he’s not fooling me. “Hit the lock.”
“You ain’t said nothing but a word.” Five seconds later, the padlock comes off.
“Now let’s see what’s in this baby.” I pull the metal door up and see a large blue tarp. “What the hell?” Squatting down, I start tugging at the tarp. “Holy shit.” I stare at stack after stack of hundreddollar bills.
“Is that shit real?” Rawlo reaches down and picks up a stack. “Fuck.” He looks up at me, and for a few seconds we just stare at each other. “Where the hell would they get money like this?” he asks.
I notice a black box on the other side, so I stand and reach for it. Rawlo waits to look in the box as well. When I open it, I see piles upon piles of newspaper clippings. “The Jackal,” I whisper.
“What? About us?”
I shake my head. “These are from a couple of years ago.” Our eyes connect again. “They never did find that new guy, did they?”
“Not that I remember,” Rawlo says. “Keston?”
I start to shrug when I notice a stuffed teddy bear buried in the tarp as well. “Fred.”
“Who?”
I close the box and reach down for the teddy bear. “Hey, fella, I remember you.”
“You want to clue a brother in?”
I laugh. “I bought Fred here for Robyn back when she was … I think like six years old. She named him Fred. Like in Fred Flintstone.”
“Okay. So what does that mean? This is her stash? She is the Jackal? C’mon now.”
Pride suddenly puffs out my chest. “It’s possible. Like father like daughter.”
“That doesn’t rule out Keston.”
I gasp. “What if they’re a team? You know, like Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Clearly with a happier ending.”
The shed door squeaks, and we both look up to see Robyn. “What are you two doing out here?”
Rawlo tosses the money back down. “Um, I came out here looking for a drill bit. Your father made me pick the locks.”
I turn toward Rawlo, stunned by just how fast he threw me under the bus. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Robyn folds her arms. “Dad?”
“We did come out here looking for tools, but I think the real question is where did all this money come from?”
A small smile curves across her face. “I think you need to come to the house and meet your new grandson,” she says smoothly, changing the subject.
“Okay, okay, but answer this: you or Keston?” Rawlo asks.
She hesitates.
“C’mon. You know our secrets,” I urge.
“I know. Who do you think inspired me?” She winks and turns away from the door.
Rawlo and I turn and look at each other before I jump into the big man’s arms and pump my fist in the air. “That’s my girl!”