Page 78 of Gunner
“I’ll let the mad man figure that out,” I replied and raised my hand into the air. “Death Hounds, let’s ride.”
One by one, they climbed onto their bikes, and the deafening roar of two dozen motorcycles filled the air. As we drove away from the Flats, I thought back to my childhood on these streets. Drugs, prostitution, murders, and rapes were a daily occurrence, but since Callahan killed Marco over a decade ago, the area had slowly started to rebuild. There are still a few reminders of Marco’s hold over the citizens, like the demolished whorehouse and the burned-out factory, but for the most part, the streets were safe for kids to play and for families to thrive.
We rode back to the clubhouse, and the old ladies and the club sluts, that Sadie agreed could hang around as long as they kept their hands off married brothers, waited for us to arrive. I could see the eagerness on her face as I parked my bike and approached her.
“Did you find her?” she asked, and I kissed her on top of the head.
“Yeah, darlin’. We found her.”
“Is . . . is she okay?”
I could feel Sadie’s pain for Elise, and I tugged her to me, replying, ‘She’s shaken up, but he didn’t hurt her. Not like that, anyway.”
Her blue eyes met mine, and she sniffled deeply, pulling back her tears as she reasoned, “I’ll make her a goodie basket.”
“Cupcakes make everything better,” I joked, and we walked into the clubhouse.
Music was playing loudly and the smell of cigarettes, weed, and liquor filled the room as the club celebrated. It didn’t take much for them to party, and for the most part, I’ve managed to keep Jacob away from it. His eighteenth birthday was next week, and he’d been hinting that he wanted to prospect for the club. While I didn’t have a problem with it, knowing he had what it took to be a Death Hound, Sadie wanted him to get an education before he made the commitment.
After talking to him, he agreed to go to community college while he prospected, and he had to have an associate degree before he could patch in. Maybe he’d continue his education, maybe he’d patch in after two years of study and hard work. Whatever he decided, I would honor his choice.
From the first moment I walked into the Dog House almost fifteen years ago, lost from leaving the military and with no plan for my future, I found a home. Smokey and Bullet brought me into the ranks and built me up to be the strongest version of myself I could be. They held me up when I wasn’t strong enough to stand on my own. The Death Hounds are my responsibility, and through the last decade of me being president, I learned that not all decisions were black and white. They were a thousand shades of gray that encompassed life, and somewhere in that muddled mix of truths, we stood ready to destroy anyone who thought they could take from us.
Portstill was my home, and the Flats was my past. They both shaped me into the man I had become, and I wouldn’t trade one moment if it meant I still had Sadie standing beside me.
Standing with her in front of the club, seeing how everyone was prospering, I raised my beer bottle into the air and yelled, “Death Hounds,” and the return ‘for life’ filled me with hope.
Skid walked in, and Sadie went up to him, pulling him into a hug. Jacob poked his head into the room, and I nodded for him to enter the party. He found his siblings, and watching the three of them laugh as the party rolled on was rewarding.
I would lay down my life for them, and I have more than a little blood on my hands, but when she looks at me, all the bad fades away, and I’m left with only her love.
Sadie made everything worthwhile, and as I looked at my brothers-in-law, I hoped they find someone who loves them like she loves me.
With that kind of love, they couldn’t fail.
Epilogue
