Page 18 of Tinsel & Chrome

After the younger girls finish celebrating and talking smack, the boys get ready. Logan, Titan’s boy. Eli, Bishop’s kid. Jesse, Mad Dog’s youngest, but perhaps the most determined today. Bayou, because she won the girl’s race and dared the boys to let her. And my two boys Walker, and Wade.

Boone raises a brow at her. “You sure you wanna run with the boys, kid?”

Bayou lifts her chin. “They better keep up.”

Boone barks out a laugh and waves the flag. “Alright, no cheap shots. First one to the barrel and back wins.”

The mini bikes launch forward, kicking up a storm of dirt. Logan takes an early lead, but Walker and Wade aren’t far behind. Eli keeps a steady pace, smart enough not to burn out too soon. Bayou leans forward, gripping the handles tight, pushing to stay in the pack. She edges past Jesse, grinning when he growls in frustration.

Jesse, the smallest, bounces in his seat, trying to squeeze every ounce of speed from his bike. They hit the turnaround. Logan still ahead, Walker pushing hard, Wade gaining on both. Bayou cuts in sharp, overtaking Eli, determined to beat at least one of the boys.

Then, Jesse swerves too fast, nearly tipping over, and Wade, instead of passing him up, sticks a boot out to steady him. Jesse grits his teeth and keeps going, but it costs Wade a few seconds. Logan and Walker hit the finish first, neck-and-neck, but Logan barely edges him out. Bayou crosses right after Eli, both barely behind Wade.

Boone nods in approval. “Damn good race. Logan, you took it, but Wade, that was real brother shit back there.”

Jesse looks up at Wade, eyes full of admiration, and Wade just shrugs. “Next time, I’m leaving you in the dust.”

Bayou slaps the dust off her jeans, panting, but grinning.

Eli eyes her. “You did better than I thought.”

Bayou smirks. “Better luck next time, boys.”

Next we move on to the Outlaw Games. The kids love it! The “Santa’s Most Wanted” carnival booth is run by Big John, who’s got Emma perched on his shoulders, pointing out targets with chubby fingers.

“Shoot the bad guy, Daddy!” she orders.

He pretends to squint at the target. A paper cutout of a rival MC’s logo.

“Which one?”

She points again, deadly serious. “All of ’em.”

Big John chuckles and lets her pull the trigger on the pop-gun, sending the target spinning down. Emma throws her arms up like she just won a world championship.

Bishop’s boy, Eli, is hustling the older kids at darts, hitting the bullseye every time like he was born for it.

“You ever miss?” Titan asks, watching Eli sink another perfect shot.

Eli shrugs, grinning. “Not today.”

As the day winds down, the kids shift to other sports.They arm themselves with water balloons and squirt guns, and the MC doesn’t stand a chance. Wynn and Bayou ambush Mad Dog, hitting him square in the chest with a water balloon.

He looks down at his soaked cut, then back at them. “Oh, y’all just signed your death warrant.”

Before they can run, Mad Dog grabs a bucket of ice water and drenches them both. Bayou screams and runs straight for Forge. “Daddy, Mad Dog’s cheating!”

Forge, arms crossed, deadpans. “So? Cheat back.”

Bayou narrows her eyes, grabs another water balloon, and takes off for revenge. The war rages for a solid hour before the club calls a truce.

As the sun dips lower, the grill fires up, and the MC takes over the food like it’s a damn competition. Titan and Boone are manning the pits, flipping ribs, steaks, and gator sausage like pros. The kids pile their plates with barbecue, mac and cheese, and cornbread, then run off to eat on the clubhouse steps.

Wynn and Daisy sit shoulder to shoulder, shoving bites of food in their mouths, already talking about the next mini bike race. Bayou and Jesse are still dripping from the water fight, but too hungry to care. I sit back, watching them. This is why we do this.

The kids don’t have to worry about the club’s business. They don’t need to know what we do when the sun goes down. For today, they’re just kids, living free, laughing loud, and making memories.

After dinner, the herd of sugar-high children make their way to Forge’s place. Bayou barks orders like she’s in charge. “Jammies first, movie second, nobody hogs the pillows!”

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