Chapter 2
It shouldn’t have surprised Ranger that the club had brought his bike for him.
He and his bike had been through a lot together.
The sleek gray Nightster carrying him on road trips to and from his mom’s house, poker runs, endless hours just cruising through the mountains…
and one terrible night when he drove off to purchase heroin from an inner-city drug dealer.
He didn’t remember much about that last event.
Thankfully the fanfare of the ol’ ladies greeting him and giving him endless hugs was soon taken over by rounding up the club kids into car seats and counting heads.
To an outsider, it was chaos incarnate, but to Ranger, it was home.
Ever since Lucky had laid eyes on the town’s new sheriff’s daughter four years ago, it seemed every man who declared himself an eternal bachelor had fallen, and in many cases, reproduced.
The bikes were already in formation, making Ranger assume that a prospect had driven his hog up for him.
Since there were four cages and five prospects, it seemed an accurate assumption—and one that Ranger would normally get pissed about.
But honestly, he was too caught up in watching the wrangling to care.
The club was letting him ride! He’d never admit it out loud, but when he’d envisioned exiting rehab, it had been in a cage. Exchanging one prison for another.
But having his bike here?
It meant more than Ranger could express.
Even having the club kids present seemed to have been orchestrated so not too much constant attention was on him.
Looking over at his sister, he saw that Becks was arguing exuberantly with Ghost, claiming that she could ride behind him.
Ghost clearly wanted her in the cage, which was what she’d driven up in.
Ranger was not surprised by this, and personally approved.
Many of the club men did not allow their women to ride as soon as it was discovered they were pregnant.
But their argument was drawing the attention of other couples who’d done the same, and Ranger knew in that moment what it was his sister was doing.
He caught her eye from across the parking lot, where she was arguing with Ghost, and mouthed “thank you”.
She smiled at him before continuing with her staged argument, allowing both of them to keep the secret of her plan.
Ranger didn’t know if Ghost was in on it, but doubted it.
Despite his best friend’s love of movies, he wasn’t that good an actor.
Something metal touched his quad. Spinning, Ranger found himself face to face with Bree, his eighteen-year-old paraplegic niece, and Scotty, his nineteen-year-old nephew with Down syndrome.
Scotty was riding on Bree’s lap in her wheelchair, which wasn’t unusual for him.
He was the sweetest, most goofy, lovable kid Ranger had ever met, and it broke something inside him to see the worry on Scotty’s face rather than his typical smile.
Not wanting to make him get up, Ranger squatted down next to them, grateful Colby had a decent gym built in his center that allowed Ranger to work out many of his frustrations and maintain his conditioning.
Scotty leaned forward. It was hard to believe that in a couple months, he was starting college.
College. The club was not going to be the same without Scotty around daily, but thankfully the dedicated special needs program was through a local college that was only an hour outside of town.
Prior to when his world went to shit, Ranger had been part of many kidnapping plots with his club brothers for them to ride up there during the week to take Scotty for rides.
Scotty would still be home every weekend, but he was such an integral part of the club that it was hard to believe soon he wouldn’t be around midweek, too.
Scotty was extremely excited for his time at college, but what he was most excited for was the triathlon race he and his Uncle Bear had been training non-stop for.
Ever since Scotty had watched the Special Olympics almost two years ago, he’d been obsessed with the idea.
Unfortunately, with the nerve damage done to Lucky’s feet when he’d rescued his family, Jenna, and Steel, from a house fire, there was no way Lucky could accomplish such a task with his son.
It seemed like a done deal, and something that Scotty was just not going to be able to do.
But then last Christmas, Scotty woke up to the most amazing gift.
Every single person in the club, regardless of age, had bought him adaptive equipment, training supplies, moisture-wicking clothing, and the registration confirmation for the IRONMAN triathlon the following October in Florida.
Secretly in the months leading up to the big reveal, Bear had been picking up his workout routine.
The man hadn’t exactly lost his figure since marrying Tessa and having two cubs, but he certainly hadn’t been keeping up with it as he’d been.
While Bear’s training was certainly more physical than Scotty’s would be, the teen was still going to have to train for the grueling task. Now, less than six months away, Scotty was more determined than ever to see this through.
Just something else Ranger had missed being a part of, he thought morosely.
Scotty reached forward and touched Ranger’s freshly shaven face. “Are you all better now? Mommy and Daddy said you got hurt rescuing Aunt Becks. But you don’t look hurt. Are you better now?”
Ranger’s eyes flicked to Bree’s. While her worry was also present, there was also understanding in her young eyes. She knew exactly what Ranger had been doing here and why. He didn’t see accusation or disappointment in her gaze, and wondered if she was hiding it.
Turning his attention back to Scotty, Ranger lifted his hand to cover Scotty’s on his face. He squeezed the teen’s hand. “I am better,” he admitted truthfully, “but I’m not healed. I’ve got a long road ahead of me, Scotty.”
Scotty leaned forward, and would have fallen off Bree’s lap if she hadn’t quickly thrown her arms around his middle. With a wet smack, Scotty delivered a nose-kiss to Ranger. “There! All better now! Nose-kisses cure all, Daddy says!”
Ranger’s chest tightened, and more than anything in that moment, he wished that truly was all it took to cure him. “Thanks, bud. Can I get another one of those tomorrow, too?”
Scotty smiled widely, making the world shine just a little bit brighter. “Yes! I’ll tell Daddy I need to see you before we head to the pool. Tomorrow is Swimming Day!”
Even though Scotty knew how to swim, and he would be in a craft pulled by Bear during the actual triathlon, swimming was still a part of his training schedule, as well as learning to keep still so he didn’t dump the craft in his excitement.
Ranger and Bree aided Scotty off Bree’s lap so he could run and tell his father the adjustment to his schedule tomorrow. Both kept an eye on him until they saw he was in Lucky’s sights. Straightening, Ranger looked down at Bree.
“Cassie wanted to be here,” she told him evenly, “but we had a bad thunderstorm last night, and she wasn’t able to leave this morning.”
Cassie was Abby and Bulldog’s oldest daughter and Bree’s best friend.
After being raised in one cult, sold to another at fifteen as a child bride, repeatedly raped by her new husband, and finally escaping when Abby broke them free, Cassie had a severe case of agoraphobia.
She’d been doing very well in her treatment, even venturing beyond the club’s gates to a specific destination like the town bakery or the diner, but then her club cousin, Melanie, was murdered on her college campus.
Since then Cassie’s symptoms had worsened to the point that even walking from her house to the clubhouse was a grueling task.
She was currently taking online college classes and was still in active therapy.
“I’ll stop by this afternoon to see her,” Ranger promised.
The two stared at each other for a solid minute, the club still working on getting everyone situated. Bree was wearing the special harness she wore when riding that attached her to the driver—usually her mother, Angel.
“You scared me,” Bree finally said, her voice almost monotone.
“Of this lot,” she gestured around them, “you were one of the few I thought I didn’t have to worry about.
I don’t blame you,” she added hastily. “Mom and Pop told us what happened. I’m so sorry, Uncle Ranger.
I know what it’s like to be treated like a thing, instead of a person.
You were there for me during my darkest hour, and I’m here for you, too.
Whatever you need. I’ve been doing a lot of research on AA and NA, and I can go to the meetings with you, if you want.
A bunch of us have been going to Al-Anon meetings too, in anticipation of you coming home. ”
This news startled Ranger greatly. If he was a cartoon character, his nearly white eyebrows would have shot up past his forehead and up to the sky.
Al-Anon was Alcoholics Anonymous for friends and family members of alcoholics, as well as other addictions.
A small town like Mount Grove did have daily AA and Al-Anon meetings at a local church, whereas a more city-like town like Morgantown had more specific NA and Nar-Anon meetings.
Once Ranger met his sponsor, a man named Stuart Cross, this afternoon, they would work out which meetings Ranger would be attending when.
After a rehab program like Ranger had just gone through, they strongly encouraged a meeting a day at minimum for the first ninety days.
Ranger struggled to find his voice. “Thank you.”