The deafening roar of bikes pulling into the clubhouse parking lot was music to my ears as I watched the last of the brothers turn off in front of me. Knowing everyone was home safe from our club ride over to the Sturgis Rally meant that I could relax and enjoy a drink . . . or three. Being the Tail Gunner for the Sinners Revenge was my calling in life, but there were times when I wanted to just be off.
Tonight was one of those times. Pulling my bike around the back of the building where we’d marked off parking for the Sinners only, I parked next to Animal and Paige. Pushing the kickstand down, I turned the motor off, and even though our bikes were off, the reverberation of engines roaring across the Black Hills seemed to hum in the air.
Having grown up in Rapid City, I was used to the Rally happening every summer, and despite having seen it all before, the sheer number of riders never ceased to amaze me. Hundreds of thousands of bikers descended on South Dakota and parts of eastern Wyoming to celebrate the freedom of riding.
The music was always loud, the competitions were exciting to watch, the races could turn cut-throat, and the counterculture was on full display. These were my people, and I’d never felt more at home.
Looking over at Animal and Paige, I couldn’t help but shake my head and chuckle as I dismounted my bike. They were unhooking their two dogs—named Jack and Jill, if youcould believe that shit—from the custom air-conditioned sidecar designed and built by our brother, Raven. He was a genius with bikes, but this topped the cake.
Animal placed Jack on the ground, and he walked up and sniffed my boot before looking up at me. The dog weighed next to nothing, but he was sizing me up from his little spot at my feet. It seemed like he wanted to come at me, and when Jill was placed beside him, he turned his body to block her access to me. Little fucker was jealous someone was going to take his girl.
“It looks like Jack wants to square up with you,” Animal remarked as he approached my side, and we watched the two dogs run into the grass in front of the bikes.
“He’s just protective of Jill,” Paige remarked and pressed onto her tiptoes to kiss Animal on the cheek. “I’m going inside to cool off.”
Today was Paige’s first time at the Rally, and I was surprised she was showing off all her sick ink. The sweet little professor was covered in tattoos, with half-sleeves on her arms and legs and designs covering her chest, back, shoulders, and stomach. From the bikini top she was wearing, it seemed like her breasts were covered, but I wasn’t going to ask and I knew Animal wouldn’t volunteer the information.
“How’d she handle everything today?” I asked him as I pulled a joint out of my cut pocket and fired up the tip.
I was officially off for the rest of the day, so it was time to cut loose a little. I took a big hit before handing it to him then glanced to see the dogs were running after Paige as she walked up the steps into the Sin Den.
“I think it was a lot at first, but after she got more than a few compliments on her ink, she seemed to relax,” he explained before taking a toke from the joint. “She’s so used to covering herself up for her job, I think it’s going to take her time to come out of her shell.”
I gave a knowing nod and asked, “Didn’t she pay for school by dancing?”
He glanced to the back of the building before he answered, and I could tell he was trying to not uncover her secrets. He looked at me and admitted, “She did, but I think she’s a little embarrassed about it. She never wanted to strip, but the money made it easier for her to get her degree.”
As a brother, and someone who spent a good amount of time with Paige when she had the threat of her stalker, I’d never remark on her past actions. Hell, we all had a past and things we didn’t want to speak about, especially me. But the Sinners were a family, so I replied, “She’s got nothing to be embarrassed about. She took care of business and is on the other side, making money and not having to pay off loans for the rest of her life.”
“There is that,” Animal added as we continued to pass the joint until it was burned to nothing.
I dropped the piece onto the ground and pressed my heavy boot over it, making sure it was out before we walked away from the bikes. I had a prospect manning the back of the building to make sure no one drove through the area and onto the ranch land. Roughstock had the buffalo grazing in the pasture on this side of the ranch, and the last thing I wanted to deal with was a bike hitting a buffalo at speed.
It wouldn’t hurt the fluffy cows who would kill if given the chance, but it was a guaranteed broken neck, at the least, for the rider. So, we chained the dirt road, and I was going to secure the chain across the driveway on the side of the building to stop any visiting bikes from parking back here. Animal walked with me as I looked up into the front parking lot.
Bike after bike were pulling in, and I knew the party was going to get raucous tonight. With the Sinners national chapter, the Death Hounds from Portstill, and their national chapter, we had at least a hundred brothers camping and hanging out at theSin Den. Add to that the bikers who just want to party and we were going to have a full house.
But it wasn’t my business tonight. Animal, being an Enforcer, was going to take charge of the grounds tonight so I could unwind. After all the nasty business with Paige and her half-sister that went down last month, I needed a break.
“How’s Charlie?” I asked Animal as I grabbed the chain from the side of the building and dragged it across to secure it to a post.
Animal stood by the building in the shade as he responded, “She’s damn good, brother. I busted her out of the retirement home so Paige had someone with her while I was here, and she’s with Cheyenne over at the house. She’ll be here in a while.”
“That’s great, man. I’m happy for you and Paige,” I answered.
It was the truth, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t jealous of what he and some of the other brothers had. I never thought I would want to settle down, and since I came back to Rapid and patched in with the Bastards—now the Sinners Revenge—I’d kept my head down and avoided women who wanted more than a roll in the sack. You’d think I would have learned my lesson from what happened back in Minneapolis, but it was because of her that I didn’t form attachments.
The night I had with Willow played like a porno in my mind at the worst times, but it was futile to even think about her. She fucked me over, yes, but she also liberated me. I wasn’t happy in Minneapolis, and even though I would have been fine with the Phantom Renegades, they weren’t meant to be my brothers.
Looking at the Sinners standing around the front of the Sin Den, enjoying a drink as the music blasted into the air, I knew this was always meant to be my home. It was a hard lesson to learn, and even after six years, I still thought about Willow and wondered how she’s doing.
Shaking off the depressive thoughts, I walked with Animal up to the group of brothers. Our National President, Dawg, was speaking with my President, Roughstock, off to the side as Animal and I approached. Comet and Raven were speaking with a brother from Alabama about weapons as we joined them.
“So, the same gun down south is at least twenty percent cheaper than here?” Comet asked.
The brother, whose patch said his name was Bear, responded, “Fuck yeah, and the ammo is cheaper too. We have a lot of gun shows down south, so weapons are easy to get without much hassle.”
“No background checks?” I asked Bear.
