“God fucking damn it all to freaking hell!” I cussed under my breath, kicking the front tire of my bike that I couldn’t get to run to save my life.

I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. It wasn’t like I was the world’s best mechanic—not by a long shot—but I could hold my own.

“Need some help?” an unfamiliar voice called to me from behind.

Spinning on the stool I was slouched down on, I saw a grizzly looking man in a Vilas cut sucking on the white stick of Fun Dip with blue staining his lips.

Getting up, I wiped my hands off on an old shirt I was using as a rag to shake the man’s hand. “Bear,” I introduced myself.

“Abel. It’s good to meet you. Heard a lot of good things.” He nodded over to my bike. “What seems to be the problem?”

I shrugged. “Fuck if I know. She died on me this morning with no warning.”

“Mind if I take a look?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Knock yourself out.” I stepped back and let him take my seat. “What brings you down to Atlanta?”

He started to nose around while answering, “Came down to do a shipment run. Gotta make sure the cargo gets back up to our safe house without obstruction. We’ve been having a mild pest control issue up our way and figured it was time to take matters into my own hands.”

That’s when it clicked—he was the Abel. Needless to say, he was a bit of a legend throughout all of the charters of our organization, born into the life and a complete badass. I felt like I was in the presence of royalty.

I hadn’t been a patched member for long but I loved every second of wearing the skull and bones on my back, beaming with pride every time my leather was on. Knowing that Abel knew who I was took me aback. I felt like a no-buddy in the organization.

“Yeah, the rumors have been flying around these parts for a while now. Anything I can do?” I didn’t want to sound too eager, but I was itching to get into the thick of it and really show my worth to my club.

“As a matter of fact, we could use another guy. The more the merrier when it comes to protecting what is ours.”

“Done. When do we leave?”

“Tonight. Clear it with Cedric and we’d be happy to have you.”

“All right. Sounds good.” It was weird but I was nervous to ask my president anything. It wasn’t like I was scared of him, I just didn’t feel like Cedric trusted me completely yet.

“Sorry to break it to you, man, but I think you’re looking at a camshaft issue. Your motor might be fucked. We can load it in the back of the van and bring her up to Vilas with us. I need someone driving the thing anyway. I can fix it right as rain back at my shop up in North Carolina.”

I sighed. “Okay. That would be great. Thanks for the help.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re brothers and this is what you do for family.” He smiled at me with the candy still sticking out of his mouth. “See you tonight.”

With that, he slapped me on the back and made his way to the office to talk to the higher-ups.

“Be careful out there, guys. You hear?” Cedric pursed his lips as he stared at me. He wasn’t addressing all of us – he was warning me.

“Aye, brother.” Abel clapped him on the shoulder after helping me load my hog into the back of the blacked-out van I was going to be following them in. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

The other Vilas guys that I had just met, Holt, Red, and Ozzy, followed Abel to their bikes that were waiting next to the cargo truck we were protecting for the night’s run.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I jumped up into the front seat and turned the key in the ignition. It was my first real mission and I didn’t want to let anyone down. How hard could it really be? Follow the bikes and make sure that the shipment makes it up the mountain without interference—easy as pie.

Most of the drive was boring as hell. Driving alone, blasting death metal and keeping my eyes peeled on the deserted road was starting to get tedious. The excitement that lit a fire in my belly was fading as I realized that most of the fantasy of bullets flying and fighting rivals was probably more built up in my head than I had originally thought. I always heard the oldtimers talking about back in the day —telling stories of explosions, using axes to chop enemies’ heads off, and crazy revenge. I was jealous of it all, eager to see my fair share of the action.

I yawned, chugged that last of my coffee from the giant thermos I had brought, and yawned some more.

Vilas – 5 miles. I had never been happier to see a road sign in my life.

Before I knew what was happening, the front window of the van exploded as white-hot pain shot through me. Instantly, there was a loud crash, the van jerked to the shoulder and went flying off the road. I was a ragdoll holding on for dear life as it flipped over and over – glass shattering around me as searing agony consumed me.

I could barely stay awake as I heard Abel’s voice yelling at me while I felt my body being pulled from the over-turned van. “Hang in there, brother. You’re not fucking dying today. Bear? Can you hear me? Fucking stay with me, man.”

Through slits, I looked up into his weathered face as everything faded to black.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The annoying chirping broke into my brain as I struggled to open my eyes. The bright hospital lights stung as the overwhelming pain that consumed my entire body made me feel like it was going to hurl at any moment.

“First time getting shot I take it.” Abel chuckled as he shoved up from the chair at my bedside.

I tried to nod or speak but nothing happened for a few seconds. Finally, I choked out, “Yeah.”

“Well, you gave us all a bit of a scare back there. Luckily, the bullet missed anything important. You’re going to be just fine.”

“Thank you,” I stammered, shifting to try to get a little more comfortable.

“Nothing to thank me for. Just doing what you would have done if the tables were turned.”

“Was anyone else hurt?” A wave of guilt crept in fast. I was supposed to be protecting them, not getting shot and run off the road.

“Holt had to lay his bike down. Nothing major, just a little bit of road rash. Other than that, everyone is perfectly fine.”

“Thank God.”

“Just rest up. We’ll have you back down in Atlanta all patched up before you know it.” Abel put his hand on my shoulder. “You did good tonight, brother. No one saw those douche bags coming.”