Page 2 of Brutal for It
Today, I take my place in the Hellions Motorcycle Club.
Engines rumble around me like thunder rolling low across the mountains. The brothers are lining up. Tank’s already astride his Harley, with my mom tucked in tight behind him. He carries himself with all the confidence in the world, his hands loose on the bars like he owns every inch of road he touches.
Red catches my eye. He’s been on my ass since my first day prospecting, never letting me slide, never letting me forget I wasn’t patched yet. As my oldest brother, he didn’t cut me a bit of slack. Now, he gives me a nod. Just a little one, but it’s enough. A promise. A warning. Both at once.
“Mount up, Tommy Boy!” Crunch yells with a smirk.
I swing my leg over my bike, the familiar growl of the engine beneath me vibrating straight through my bones. This machine’s been my salvation, my escape, and my trap. One day it will probably be my coffin, she’s just waiting for the right road. Today it’s my damn soul.
This ride doesn’t forgive mistakes. A split-second hesitation and you meet pavement or the rock of a mountain side. No second chances.
But I’m ready.
I’ve been riding since before I could drive. My old man put me on a dirt bike at four. Danza shoved me onto a Harley at twelve. Said, “Better learn now, boy. Just because you’re the youngest, your brothers aren’t gonna leave you behind.” That weas my grandfather always looking out for me. “Remember, life ain’t slowing down for you. Not for any one of us, so you take every chance you get.”
He was right. Life never slows down.
Engines roar to life as one, a symphony of power and promise. Rubber peels off asphalt. My chest tightens, but my grip’s steady, my focus sharp.
The Tail of the Dragon awaits. I’m ready to test the heat of it’s fire.
And with the twist of the throttle, I ride.
The first curve snaps at me, sharp and hungry. I lean, trusting the tires, trusting my hands, trusting the years that brought me here. The air tastes like freedom and fear all mixed together.
Brothers flank me, ahead and behind, their cuts flashing in the wind. Every patch a story. Every stitch a battle won or lost. And I’m fighting for mine right now.
The road twists like a living thing, pulling me left, then right, daring me to press harder. My heart slams in rhythm with the turns. Any other ride, the wide open road allows my mind to clear. This one requires focus, intense thoughts on only my bike and the next curve to come.
Halfway through, sweat slicks my back from nervous energy. The ache in my arms builds, but I hold steady.
This ride demands everything just like the club.
One mistake. One distraction. That’s all it takes. And we can all get fucked. That is why it’s always been this ride. If one of us loses it, the entire pack gets out of order. Just like in the brotherhood. We rise together and we fall together.
As we finish I can’t track the time, but I feel this sense of pride wash over me as we each pull back into the motel parking lot. Tank pulls off his helmet as he strides directly to me, his grin wide and proud. “That’s my boy,” he says, clapping me hard enough on the back to nearly knock me off my bike.
The others circle up, laughter and shouts echoing off the rocks.
The cheer that rises up rattles the mountains themselves. My brothers pound my back, my shoulders, their voices loud and raw.
I’m no longer a prospect. No longer just Tommy Boy, son of Tank.
I’m a motherfucking Hellion. Ride until I die.
One
Tommy Boy
Aligns with Breathe for It (Hellions Ride On Book 3)
Sermon is over.
The brothers are still talking in the cave. It’s the kind of low rumble that comes after a hard conversation has been had and everybody’s chewing on it. Before everyone files into the clubhouse, I want to check on my brother first.
Never would I have ever seen this shit coming, not in a million years. Then again, there are so many things in the last year I never imagined I’d watch unfold. This is just another moment where I have to watch my older brother pay penance for the mistakes he’s made.
And he’s made a shit-ton of them. I don’t deny that.
