When Gus started the garage, he knew it would be an ideal way to launder money. With parts and remodels, cash would exchange hands easily on a daily basis. As the garage had grown bigger, those sums of money had also increased, which had helped immensely, especially since we’d established the pipeline. Cars and bikes were moving in and out of the garage faster than I could count. There were times when I found it hard to keep up, but just when I was at my wits end, one of the brothers would come through and help get us caught up. It was one of the great things about having so many brothers who knew their way around an engine. After one of the busiest weeks we’ve had in months, Alex Avery, one of our best customers, came in with a huge order. He had three Chevy pickup trucks that he wanted remodeled, and, as usual, he was crystal clear in how and when he wanted them done. Even with the quick turnaround, we could handle the job, but I’d have to make a run to Conway, Arkansas, to get the right parts. I’d need to get a custom-made grille and a couple of wide vintage bumpers for the ’57 Chevy 3100, and while I was there, I’d also need to grab new headlights for the ’69 Chevy C10 and a rear fender for the ’63 Chevy C10. I didn’t like the idea of being on the road on a Saturday, especially when Kevin had a football game, but I didn’t have a choice.

Before I headed home, I stopped by the clubhouse to see Gus. When I got there, I found him in his office with Moose. The tension in the room was palpable, and from the look on Gus’s face, it was clear that he was pissed about something. “Is everything alright?”

“Not sure just yet,” Moose answered as he leaned back in his seat. His dark eyes grew intense as he said, “We’ve been hearing talk about another MC trying to move into town, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Gus protested. “If these motherfuckers even think of stepping foot on my territory, I’ll wipe them out. Every last one of them”

“We don’t even know if it’s an MC or just another fucking gang, Gus,” Moose grumbled. Even though he was built like a brick shit-house and towered over most of the guys in the club, Moose was our voice of reason, and as our VP, he tended to remain calm in all situations, thinking things through before he acted. Gus was just the opposite. He was a man who acted first and never once asked for forgiveness—because he didn’t have to. I’d never seen him wrong about anything. Gus’s gut instincts were spot on. “We’ve just gotta be patient here.”

“Fuck that.” Gus slammed his fist down on his desk. “You heard what happened to the Rogues last week. I’ll be damned if these motherfuckers hit us, too.”

“No one has confirmed that it was foul play, Gus,” Moose tried to assure him. “Just give Riggs some time to look into it.”

Riggs was our tech guy. If there was something to be found, he’d find it. When Gus heard his name, it set his mind at ease and the tension in his face softened as he leaned back in his chair. “Let me know as soon as he hears something.”

“You know I will,” Moose assured him.

It might not have been the best idea, but I said, “While he’s looking, you could have the prospects on patrol. They can keep a look out and make sure nobody’s fucking around. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Not a bad idea.” Gus nodded. “Was there something you needed?”

“Just letting you know that I’m heading up to Conway in the morning. I’ve gotta grab some parts for the shop. We’ve got a big order that came in today.”

“Good to hear,” Gus replied. “Who you taking with you?”

“I was thinking about taking Riggs until I heard y’all needed him. I guess I’ll just head up there myself.”

“Nah. Don’t want you going alone. Take Murph or Shadow with you,” Gus ordered.

I groaned at the sound of Shadow’s name. He was a good guy, but he wasn’t exactly the best travel companion. He was a man who liked to keep to himself, only speaking when spoken to, and I couldn’t imagine being stuck in the truck with him for six hours. Hoping for a way out, I said, “I’m sure Shadow’s got better ways to spend his time.”

Gus gave me a knowing look as he said, “Well, then get with Murphy or Gunner. Just make sure you take one of them with you.”

“You got it, Prez.” I smirked as I headed for the door.

I left his office and headed to find Murphy. Once I made arrangements with him to leave first thing in the morning, I headed home to Kevin. I needed to break the news to him that I wouldn’t be able to make it to his game the following day. When I walked in the house, I found him sitting on the sofa watching TV. He didn’t even look up as I strolled over to sit down next to him. “Where’s your grandmother?”

“Laundry room.”

“How was school?”

His focus was still on the television screen. “Fine.”

“How’d you do on that math test?”

With a slight shrug, he said, “I did alright.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I made a B plus,” he answered flatly.

“Well, that’s good.”

“Um-hmm.”

I was growing tired of competing with SpongeBob, so I reached for the remote and turned off the TV. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“I’m not going to be able to make it to your game tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Already knew that.”

“How did you know?”

“Murphy just called to tell me that he was sorry, but he might not make it to my game because he was going with you on a run.”

He was trying to hide it, but I could hear the disappointment in his voice as he spoke. “Dang. I was hoping I was gonna get to talk to you first. You’ve got the late game tomorrow, so I’ll try to get back by the last quarter.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.” He turned to look at the blank screen and asked, “Can you turn the TV back on?”

“Come on, bud. Don’t give me a hard time about this. You know I have to work.”

“I know. I just thought you actually meant it when you promised to be at all my games.”

“Damn. You’re killing me here.” I sighed. “You’re right. I screwed this up, but there’s nothing I can do about it this time. I give you my word I won’t let it happen again.”

“Okay.”

“And when I get back tomorrow, you and I’ll do something special. I’ll take you out after your game. We’ll go wherever you want to go.”

“Anywhere?”

“You name it.”

He smiled and said, “You got a deal.”

With that, I turned the TV back on. “Good. I’ll get the play-by-play from your grandfather.”

“You picked a good day to miss. We’re playing that team out of Tipton, and they aren’t very good.”

“Well, I hope you smoke ‘em,” I told him as I stood up and started towards the laundry room to find his grandmother.

After listening to my mother’s thirty-minute guilt trip, I finally worked it out for her to keep Kevin for the night and to take him to his game the following day. I also called my father and made him promise to keep me posted on all the big plays. So, by the time Murphy showed up at my house the following morning, I was feeling better about leaving. We hadn’t been riding long when I asked, “Gus tell you there’s talk about another MC trying to move into the territory?”

Sounding uninterested, he answered, “Yeah. He mentioned it.”

“You think there’s anything to it?”

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time somebody tried. Won’t be the last.”

“So, you aren’t worried?”

“I don’t worry until there’s a reason to worry, Blaze; it’s a lot less stressful that way. Besides, Gus worries enough for all of us,” he scoffed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not making sure we’re prepared for whatever might come our way.”

“Yeah. It’s only a matter of time before a club with some real manpower comes in and decides they want to be king of the jungle.”

“And when they do, they’ll be in for one hell of a fight,” Murphy barked.

“We’ll be ready,” I assured him with an arrogant smile on my face. “No way we’re giving up our claim.”

A couple of hours had passed, so I reached for my phone and called to check on Kevin. After listening to the full rundown from how long he’d slept, to what he was watching on TV, and what he’d had for breakfast, I finally hung up the phone. Seconds later, Murphy looked over to me and asked, “You ever think about getting tied down again? You know, if the right chick came along?”

Murphy had always been a bit of a player, moving from one hot number to the next, never spending more than a couple of nights with the same chick, so I was surprised by his question. “I don’t know. Maybe. Why?”

“I was just thinking about Kevin. Figure it’s gotta be hard dealing with a kid on your own.”

“It’s not that difficult. Kevin’s a great kid, and it helps to have my folks.”

He ran his hand through his thick hair and added, “Yeah, I know. That’s not what I meant.”

“Alright. Then, tell me what you meant.”

“Nothing.” He sighed. “Forget I brought it up.”

“Whatever you say, man.” I had no idea what was really going on in his head, but there was no doubt something was bothering him. I remembered him telling me that he’d spent a few years in foster care after his mother ran into some trouble with the law. With just the little bit he’d told me, I got the feeling he didn’t have the best childhood, so it wasn’t surprising that he hadn’t found someone he could trust. No one could blame him for that, but if he wanted things to be different, he’d have to find a way to make a change in himself. A few minutes passed, and I glanced back over at him. “I’ll tell you something my old man said to me right before I married Kevin’s mother. He told me: ‘It isn’t about finding the right woman. It’s about being the right man.’”

He gave me a look that let me know he wasn’t buying it, so I went on, “You gotta think about it, brother. A woman with a good head on her shoulders isn’t gonna put up with any bullshit. She’ll see that you aren’t doing right by her, and she’ll hit the door running.”

“Damn, brother. I was just asking if you planned to settle down again,” he complained.

“I’ll settle down when I can be the kind of man a good woman needs me to be. How about that?”

“Whatever you say, man.”

“What about you?”

“Doubt I could ever be the kind of man a good woman needs me to be. Now, a bad girl … that’s a different story.” He smirked. “I can make her happy all night long, and me, too, for that matter. For now, that’s good enough for me.”

He turned his attention to the road ahead, so I knew he was done talking, at least for the time being. We made a quick stop for coffee and a bite to eat before driving over to Lou’s Auto in Conway. Thankfully, my guy had all the parts pulled and ready to go when we got there, so it didn’t take us long to get everything loaded and strapped down. Once the bill was paid, Murphy and I were back in the truck and headed home. I glanced down at my phone and was feeling pretty good about our time. Kevin wouldn’t start playing for another couple hours, so there was still a chance that I could make it to the last quarter. We topped off with gas, and as soon as we were out on the highway, I pressed my foot down on the accelerator.

“Easy there, brother. Last thing we need is to get pulled over by the cops,” Murphy warned.

Murphy was probably right about that, so I eased back on the speed a bit. “I know. I’m just ready to get back. Kevin’s game starts soon.”

His blue eyes shined with warning as he said, “Yeah, but it’s better to get back in one piece than not at all.”

Murphy tried to distract me with talk about this year’s SEC football schedule, and the potential of our new prospects, but neither topic was able to take my mind off that damn clock. Just as we crossed into the next town, my father sent me a text message to let me know that Kevin had just made it onto the field. I glanced over at Murphy. “Games starting.”

“He’ll do great.”

Over the next hour, my dad sent message after message, describing each and every play Kevin made. Things were rocking along, until the messages stopped coming. I tried calling him, but I didn’t get an answer. At first, I thought it was his phone. I figured the battery had gone dead or he’d fucked it up somehow, so I tried calling my mom, but she didn’t answer hers either. That’s when I started to panic. I turned to Murphy and said, “Something’s wrong, brother.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Not sure. Just got a bad feeling.”

I waited a few more minutes, and then I tried calling my mother’s phone again. This time she answered, “Sawyer?”

I could hear the worry in her voice, so I immediately asked, “What’s going on?”

“It’s Kevin. He’s been hurt.”

I felt like I’d been hit in the chest with a sledge hammer, and before she could continue, I shouted, “What do you mean, he’s been hurt!”

There was a commotion with the phone, and then I heard my father say, “Sawyer, he’s going to be okay. It was a bad tackle, and a kid landed on Kevin’s elbow the wrong way. It’s probably just a bad sprain, but the coach wants us to run him over to Regional to get him checked out.”

A feeling of helplessness washed over me as I thought of my son being so far away when he was hurt. “Shit.”

“I know this is hard, Son, but everything’s going to be okay.”

My voice was strained as I said, “I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

“No reason to get all out of sorts. You know how those ERs can be. We’ll be waiting there for hours,” he assured me. “We’ve got Kevin covered. You just get here when you can, and be careful.”

As always, my father had a way of calming me down when things got rough. “Thanks, Pop.”

“Keep your phone close. I’ll call you as soon as I know something,” he told me as he hung up the phone.

There was absolutely nothing worse than having your child out of reach when they were hurt or in a bad situation. As I gripped the steering wheel and sped towards the hospital, I had only one thing on my mind—finding the fastest way to my son. We were making good time, flying through one town after another, but just as we were coming into Forest City, we ran into an accident that brought us to a screeching halt. As fate would have it, I wouldn’t be getting to my son any time soon.