Page 56 of Pike

“Age means nothing.”

“Not when it’s me and you, yeah?”

“Exactly.”

“So don’t go thinkin’ I need a younger one. You’re all I need.”

And he’s all I need.

Chapter 27

Pike

I fucking hate funerals. The finality of it all sets my nerves on edge. We do what we have to do, though. We do what we need to lay our own to rest.

The escort line coming here was long. A few other chapters came through to pay their respects to Rooster, too. It was good seeing that many bikes on the road behind the hearse. It was even better knowing Feather was on the back of mine. She’s been there for me through everything. She’s stuck by my side, keeping my head right when all I wanted was to fall into the darkness and drown there. She wouldn’t let me. She kept me above water like a fucking life jacket I didn’t know I needed. She pulled me from the dark and back into the light where I needed to be for her.

Her hand is wrapped around mine as we listen to the preacher say his piece. He talks about how good of a man Rooster was and how heaven has gained an angel. I hear the others snicker at that. He was no angel. He was a goddamn devil, just like the rest of us. We all know there isn’t a place in heaven for guys like us. We’re destined for worse things. We’re destined to be the assholes raising hell in the hot pits of hell. And we’re okay with that. We know who we are.

“This is all bullshit,” I mumble under my breath. Feather squeezes my hand when I can’t take anymore. I pull my hand from hers and interrupt the whole goddamn service. I walk over and pat the preacher on the shoulder, letting him know that he’s done here. He moves over, allowing me to take over.

“Rooster isn’t in heaven right now. He’s probably sittin’ on a hot coal in hell. He was a good man with the heart of a sinner. We’ve all done things, and he was no different. We did it for this, though. For us. For our brothers. That night, that fuckin’ night, he went down for us. Not just me. At first, I thought it was all my fault. I thought I should have done more. I should have done somethin’. If I didn’t have Feather and the guys I would be lost. I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be standin’ here; I’d be layin’ next to him. Rooster was what a true member of this club looks like. He’s what we’re all about. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for us. What he stood for. I love you, Rooster. One day, I’ll see you again, and we’ll bring the fuckin’ house down. Till then. Rest easy, brother.” I grab the closest bottle of liquor, open the top, and just like with every other brother who has passed on, I pour a little out before taking a drink. It’s just our way of doing things.

The others follow suit. One by one they step up and pour out a little before taking a drink. We stand as they lower him into the ground, passing the bottle around.

By the time they’re finished and covering him up, we’re all a little tipsy and know it’s time to get back to the clubhouse. I walk over to Feather and pull her into me, kissing the top of her head.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Bein’ here.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. I need you.”

“You have me,” she tells me, and my heart swells. I can’t let her go. I don’t want to let her go. Everything good in my life revolves around this woman.

“Let’s get out of here,” I tell her. She nods her head and takes my hand in hers as we walk back to the bikes. The others are all climbing on as I pass her a helmet.

“You good to ride?” she asks me. I smirk at her.

“Baby, I could ride in my sleep.”

“You’ve been drinking,” she reminds me.

“Not that much. I’ve been worse off than this. Let’s get back. The girls will have the party set up,” I tell her. She nods her head and climbs on the bike behind me. We don’t celebrate funerals like most others. We celebrate his life, accomplishments, and his wisdom. We celebrate the man himself and that’s exactly what we plan on doing tonight.

We ride through the streets as one. We ride together in formation back to the clubhouse with Rooster missing. It’s a hell of a blow to know one of your own is never coming back. That he will never ride with us again; all I can hope is he’s burning rubber and slinging fire wherever he is.

We pull into the parking lot, and we kill the engines. There are so many people here that it’s going to be tight inside, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I grab Feather and pull her under my arm as we walk inside. I stop at the bar and grab a few drinks before we make our way to the back to a couch. I drop down and pull her into my lap, passing her one of the drinks. She takes it and sips it slowly as I down mine and go for the next.

Mask stands in the middle of the room, talking about Rooster and all the good times we used to have. I listen to the stories, the men laughing, the girls giggling. I listen to everyone who takes a turn sharing a random story about Rooster. I sit back and watch as everyone celebrates who he was, and wrap my arms around Feather. She lays her head on my shoulder and kisses my neck.

“You okay?” she whispers in my ear.

“I’m better than okay.”

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