When Gunner woke up in the parking lot, that one punch was all he remembered. He was lying on his side looking up at the two bikers that had been in that morning looking for him. He started laughing, and they looked at him and then each other like maybe he was a little crazy. Maybe he was, but his first thought was that he was actually thankful the preppy asshole hadn’t been the one to knock him out. He would have never lived that one down. “What the fuck are you laughing at?” the big, bald one asked him.

“Sorry, man, inside joke.”

“Sit up,” the tall, super-serious guy said, giving him a little kick with the toe of his boot. That was easier said than done. They must have thrown him out here. His ribs hurt like hell. He pushed up onto his butt and his head started spinning. It took a second before his eyes could focus. When they did, he saw Billy sitting up against his own car with blood all over the front of his shirt.

“Fuck, man. He’s got nothing to do with this.”

The muscular guy looked over at Billy and back at Gunner and shrugged. “I tried to tell him that myself. I guess even assholes have friends. Take off the vest.”

“Now wait a minute. What makes you think you can just come in here, kick the shit out of me, and steal my vest?”

“Jesus, Gunner! Shut up!” Blood trickled out of Billy’s mouth when he talked. He liked to think of himself as a pretty good fighter but unfortunately, he wasn’t.

“Listen to your friend,” the bald guy said. “It’s not yours, ass-wipe—now, take it the fuck off.”

“What makes you think it’s not mine?” He knew it was pointless to argue, but he couldn’t stop himself. Patty was always saying it was a wonder he’d lived this long, and she was right. He knew one of these days his mouth would be the end of him.

The big guy looked ready to knock him out and take it when the other one said, “Cody, look at his face.” Gunner automatically reached up and touched his face. Was there something broken? Missing? Damn, he hoped they didn’t knock out any teeth. His teeth had been through a lot and he still had them all.

“What about it?”

The tall guy shined a flashlight in Gunner’s eyes. “Shit, man, that’s bright.”

“Shut the fuck up. Look at him, Cody. Look at his eyes.”

The one called Cody stared at him for so long that Gunner almost wished he’d just go ahead and hit him again. Finally, he looked back at the guy with the torture stick pointed at him and said, “Fuck…you don’t think?”

The tall one finally dropped the light out of Gunner’s eyes and shrugged. “Where did you get the vest?”

“None of your…”

“Jesus, Gunner, just tell them!” Poor Billy was lisping. Hopefully he had all his teeth or he might just kill Gunner in his sleep.

“My dad left it for me, okay?”

“Your dad?” Tall guy asked.

“Yeah. He knocked my old lady up and left. Some guys leave phone numbers, flowers, jewelry, child support payments…my old man left this vest. I’ve had it my whole life. I didn’t steal it. It’s mine.”

“What’s your name?”

“Gunner.”

“Your real name, asshole!”

“Adam. Adam Davis.”

“How does a Mexican get a last name like Davis?”

“I’m not Mexican. I’m Puerto Rican.”

The tall guy rolled his eyes. “Potayto, potahto. Davis?”

Gunner sighed. “I made it up.”

“What the fuck?”

“After my mother died, I took off. I lived on the streets. I was only ten, so social services was looking for me. I gave myself a new name in case some nosy do-gooder decided to turn me in. This homeless guy I knew had a dog named Davis, so that’s what I called myself, Adam Davis.”

“What’s the name on your birth certificate?”

“No fucking clue. I’ve never seen it.”

The tall guy sighed, or growled. “What was your fucking name before you met the dog?”

“Adán Ortiz.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

The two bikers exchanged a look. Gunner recognized that form of silent communication. He and Billy had been able to do that for years. The bald one, Cody, finally said, “You’re going to need to come with us. You have a car?”

“I have a bike, but I’m not sure…”

“That wasn’t a request,” Cody said.

“So, I’m being kidnapped?”

“You’re being invited to visit royalty. If you have half a brain, you won’t turn down the invitation. They don’t get extended often.”

Gunner looked at Billy again. Billy shook his head slightly, almost imperceptibly, and then cringed when his friend said, “Can I pack a bag?”

* * *

It turned out to be another long-ass night that would turn into an even longer few days. Before Gunner could get up off his ass, Patty showed up with the shotgun. It took him a half an hour or so to talk her down and convince her that he wanted to go with these guys. Then as the two bikers helped themselves to what they could find in his and Billy’s refrigerator, Gunner packed a bag and listened to Billy telling him what a fool he was for willingly going with them.

“You know they weren’t really giving me a choice, right?”

“You should have let Patty shoot them. What if they’re just taking you down the road to rob and kill your stupid ass?”

“You think they wouldn’t have just killed me in the parking lot before Patty brought out the gun? I’m sure they have one of their own.”

Billy looked down at the blood still on the front of his shirt. “Fuck if I know.” He sat quietly on the edge of the bed until Gunner finished packing and then finally said, “What if I never see you again?” There was a lot unspoken between the two men. They were like brothers, the only family either of them had, but they never talked about it. Hearing Billy express his fears out loud made Gunner uncomfortable, but he was touched all the same.

“Man, I’ll be back. I’ve got that fight on Saturday.”

“Right. Try to keep your mouth shut while you’re there, man. And whatever you do, don’t fuck any of their women.”

Gunner laughed. “That’s better advice than my own mother ever gave me.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll be back.”

“I’m not claiming your body from the morgue.”

“Yeah, you will.”

“I’m not burying your ass in that vest.”

“Yeah, you will.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll be back, Billy.” He nodded. Gunner held out his hand. Billy looked at it for a long time before finally taking it. Gunner pulled him up into a bro hug just as the bald biker named Cody stuck his head in the room.

“When you two pull your dicks out of each other’s asses we need to get going.” Gunner laughed again. Billy looked like he was trying to decide if he still needed his teeth or not.

“I’m ready,” he said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. As he passed Cody, the big guy pulled it off him and unzipped it. “Damn, is nothing private?”

“Nope, but don’t worry, I’ll leave your tampons alone.” Cody rifled through it, probably looking for a weapon. When he didn’t find one he said, “What’s in your pockets?” Gunner pulled out his knife and keys, and Cody took the knife and tossed it to Billy. “To remember him by. Let’s go.” The backpack was shoved back at him and he was propelled out the door, down the hall, and out the front door. He looked at his friend standing in the doorway and wondered if he’d ever see him again. His emotions at that moment were a strange mix of nostalgia, fear, and excitement. He gave Billy one last chin nod and slid onto his bike. The two hard-core bikers had Harleys that made his look like a toy, but so far they hadn’t picked on him about that yet. “Take off the vest.”

Gunner was about to start his bike. “Really?”

“Do I seem like a kidder to you?” Cody asked him. He really didn’t. Gunner looked at “Mr. Tall” and then “Too Serious.” He wasn’t going to get any help there. He pulled off the vest and tossed it to Cody. Cody stuffed it in his saddlebag and got on his own bike. Minutes later they were hitting the open road. Gunner had spent years dreaming about a road trip on the bike. This wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured it.

They rode all the first night and stopped in some motel in Arkansas and slept about six hours the next day. The men fed him and let him sleep, but otherwise ignored him except to make occasional cracks about his bike. His tires were bald, and the engine smoked and something rattled. Gunner wasn’t a mechanic but he did his best. The fact that he had no training and no money was obvious when it came to a long trip. The bike wasn’t accustomed to being driven more than a few miles at a time. The bikers with their custom designed and painted Harleys made bets on how long his would go before it fell completely apart.

Eventually Gunner found out that the second guy’s name was Jimmy. They rode all night again the second night, stopping to sleep a few hours in West Virginia on Tuesday morning. They struck back out just before sundown and on Wednesday morning they crossed into Connecticut. As they rolled along the highway and the ocean suddenly came into view, Gunner felt like a child again. He tried not to squeal like a little girl, but he couldn’t stop smiling. He’d never seen the ocean, and he’d honestly never believed he’d get the chance, at least not outside of southern Texas. He swerved a few times trying to look out at it and had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road. It wasn’t warm. The air felt colder than shit on his face and arms, but that didn’t stop women from walking around in skimpy little bathing suits, shorts, and tank tops that left little to the imagination. Gunner had no idea why anyone would live in Bumfuck, Texas when they could live in a place like this instead.

He saw the looks on Cody’s and Jimmy’s faces as he took it all in, and he knew they were going to make fun of him again as soon as they had a chance, but he didn’t give a shit. This might be the only time he’d ever be able to go on a trip like this. If they let him live and let him go home, he’d have to call Billy to pick him up. He was proud that the little Sportster made it this far, but not foolish enough to think it would make it back. Besides, if the bikers hadn’t been paying for his gas, he would have run out somewhere around Oklahoma. Hopefully Billy could scrape together enough cash to make the 1900-mile trip out to get him.

Sadly, Connecticut didn’t last long and they crossed into Massachusetts. The only thing Gunner knew about Massachusetts was Boston, and that was only in pictures, so he was surprised when they turned onto a mountain road and the scenery looked almost the same as what they’d spent hours driving past in Pennsylvania. It was pretty, but he’d seen enough trees, rolling hills, and farmhouses on this trip to last a lifetime. He felt a mixture of relief and anxiety when they turned on a long gravel road and he saw the guard shack up ahead. This was it. He was being taken into their realm. He was about to meet royalty, whatever the hell that meant.