Chapter 1
The throaty roar of the Harley coming from the attached garage was deafening inside the house. John looked over at Stephanie. The frozen smile on her face hid what she was really thinking.
“I still find it hard to believe that you agreed to let him stay here.” He said, wiping the piping hot coffee from his shirt, that he just spilled down the front of himself.
“Let me. Don’t rub it in, or it will stain.” Steph said. “He’s your brother. What was I supposed to say, no? Besides, after five years in prison, it’s not like he had anywhere else to go. It won’t be forever. You’d do the same for my brother, wouldn’t you?”
“Your brother? Fuck no. I wouldn’t give him the time of day. The way he treats you, fuck him and the horse he rode in on.”
“Alright, calm down or your blood pressure is going to go through the roof.”
The rumble stopped. The walls were no longer vibrating, but the same couldn’t be said for the ringing in their ears. John wadded up pieces of a napkin and stuck them in his ears, just as his brother Jimmy came in from the garage.
In a loud voice, John exclaimed, “I hear you finally got it running.”
Jimmy washed the oil off his hands, grabbed a paper towel, walked to John’s side and pulled one of the napkins out and leaned in, and said, “How could you tell?”
The two laughed at each other like it was the funniest thing. Stephanie took another sip of her coffee and just shook her head.
“What are you going to do today, Jimmy? Look for a job? Look for a place to live? Get a haircut?” prodded John.
“I am really appreciative to the both of you for letting me stay here temporarily. I will do two out of the three, just give me some time. I’ve been couped up for five years. Right now, I need to get out and ride. The rest will take care of itself, all in good time.”
“I still can’t believe that you were willing to give up five years of your life, taking the fall for what those other guys did.”
“Were accused of.” Jimmy’s voice started to rise; he was getting agitated. “You don’t know that they did anything.”
“No, but you do, Jimmy. Five years, bro. Five mother fucking years of your life, for not standing up and talking to the police.”
Now Jimmy was yelling. “You’ll never understand. It’s a brotherhood. You keep your mouth shut, you survive.”
Stephanie stood up, looked at John and reminded him of what time it was. “You need to be somewhere, don’t you?” Then she turned to Jimmy. “If you think that you’re going to go for a ride today, you might want to get changed. You don’t really want anybody to see you dressed like that do you?”
Jimmy stopped and looked down at himself. The t-shirt was fine, but the sweatpants and flip-flops were not going to cut it on a Harley. What would his fellow bikers think?
“I am trying very hard not to be motherly, but you look like you have more motor oil in your hair than in your bike.”
“And I suppose that you would like me to use the shower in the basement, too.”
“Yes please. Your leathers are packed away upstairs. I’ll dig them out and bring them to you while you’re showering. C’mon guys.” She said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this show on the road. It’s a beautiful day.”
