The following night, Bruce and Matt visited “Burning Rubber”, a vintage bar close to their workshop. Frequented mostly by bikers, it resembled “Java Jimmy’s”, the place where Bruce and Melissa had first met. Being the owners of the only workshop in a ten-mile radius, the two friends received a very warm welcome. Well known and very respected, they were treated like celebrities. Most of the customers who were there at the time either hugged them or high-fived them.

“It sure feels great to be home.” Matt confessed, sat at the bar, rolling a glass of whiskey between his fingers, under the sound of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.” “Everybody knows our name. People love us. I wouldn’t change this for the world.”

“Me neither.” Bruce agreed. “I missed these hoodlums.”

“For our next road trip, I think we should ride to Miami.” Matt suggested. “It’s always hot there. And there are ladies everywhere.”

“It rhymes.” Bruce joked. “Maybe we should.”

“Yeah.” Matt chuckled. He threw a quick glance at the clock across the counter and then looked back at the large, gray door, over his right shoulder.

“Say…” He spoke, with a cunning smile on his face. “That’s a really great song. Do you like it?”

“You know how much I love AC/DC.” Bruce laughed. “Why are you asking, anyway?”

Matt leaned to the left and whispered in his ear:

“Because you’re about to be.”

Confused by his friend’s words, he looked deep into his eyes. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the customers on the tables to the right were all staring at the door. Curious, he averted his gaze from them and looked in that direction. There was a gorgeous blonde at the door, scanning the bar. It was Julia. Not used to seeing beautiful women in a bar like “Burning Rubber”, almost every biker had fixed his gaze on her.

“Son of a bitch.” Bruce groaned. “You invited here, didn’t you?”

“Good luck.” Matt silently mouthed to him, hopping off his stool. Bruce felt the blood pumping in his veins faster by the second. He was not ready for this. Meeting with Melissa’s cousin would only revive his pain. His initial thought was to leave the bar. However, Julia did not deserve that kind of treatment. She had been good to him and Bruce had not forgotten about that.

“Interesting music.” She commented, taking up Matt’s stool.

“Hey, blondie.” Bruce winked at her. “It’s good to see you. I never thought I’d see you here. In Boston, that is.”

“Trust me, Bruce,” She put a little force in her voice. “Visiting the east coast was not part of my plans.”

“I’m not even going to ask why you’re here.” He stated.

“Melissa doesn’t know about this.” Julia assured. “The funeral was this morning. She’s a nervous wreck.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Bruce shrugged his shoulders.

“Look…” She drew in a sharp breath. “I know you’ve been through a lot. Both of you have. But I don’t think you understand. Let me explain things to you. I’m sure that Melissa still means a lot to you. You’re in love with her. Don’t deny it. But, to the outside world, she’ll always be Frank Howard’s daughter. They don’t care if she’s this…” She faltered. “Wonderful woman, a really great person, fun, loving understanding… Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be for her to live with that legacy?”

“No.” Bruce replied.

“Melissa has to leave Vegas.” Julia remarked. “She needs to move to a place where people don’t think of her as a villain. She’s too fragile; she can’t do this alone. She needs you.”

“Your cousin betrayed me, Julia.” He grumbled. “She went behind my back. She thought that dear old daddy would let me live and that we’d all live happily ever after. But here’s the thing.” He paused and leaned towards her. “I don’t believe in fairytales.”

“Says the guy who fell in love with someone in days.” She laughed. “If that’s not a fairytale, I don’t know what is.”

Julia’s last sentence left Bruce speechless. It suddenly occurred to him that his short relationship with Melissa had changed the way that he thought.

“She made a mistake.” Julia added. “She shouldn’t have trusted him. She knows that now. Let’s be honest with each other, shall we? You were a gang banger once. Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, it was a motorcycle club. You and I know very well that you guys were not just a bunch of Harley enthusiasts. It was your comrade who killed Howard. Melissa told me about it. Don’t tell me you’ve not made mistakes.”

“She almost got you and Matt killed!” Bruce spoke in a loud tone.

“God…” Julia gave an exasperated gasp. “Look, I just flew all the way from Vegas, to try and talk some sense into you. I thought it would be easy; Melissa said you were understanding. I guess she doesn’t know you that well.”

“I am.” He claimed.

“I don’t think so.” She disagreed. “In fact, you must be one of the stubbornest, self-centered people I’ve ever met. I tried to make you understand, but you just can’t get over yourself. If you really loved her, you’d have forgiven her by now. Have a good night, Bruce.”

“I’m sorry about that, brother.” Matt interjected, returning to the bar. “She said she had to talk to you.”

“I’d appreciate a ‘heads up’ next time.” Bruce complained. “Anyway, Vincent paid me a visit last night. He wants me to go back to the MC. He said they’ll go legit.”

“I know about that.” Matt confessed. “It’s bullshit, if you ask me. The Sons will never change, man. The porn studio is just an excuse to deal drugs.”

“Deal?” Bruce asked. “I thought they were just mulling.”

“Yeah, so did I.” Matt said with a nod. “You remember Phil Winston, right?”

“Yeah, he’s an old member. Why?”

“I met with him this morning. He said that they’ll use the studio to distribute drugs to porn actresses. They love coke. The electronics store will be used as a front, too.” Matt said, adding to Bruce’s already immense frustration. His worst suspicions had just been confirmed. The “Blazing Sons” were never going to do anything legitimate. On the contrary, their illegal activities would expand. He was ready to consider reuniting with his old comrades, but now, that hope was gone.

“So much for going legit, Vince. You lied to me. I guess I should have seen that coming. I really wanted to believe you, man. A comeback sounded like a great idea. But, not anymore. What now, Bruce? You’re going to go back to your dull life, fixing bikes all day long? What about your dream of having someone waiting for you at home? Are you going to give that a second chance or have you given up on it?”