I nodded excitedly.
Snarl removed the blindfold, and it took me a few moments to fully realize what I was looking at. Parked at the curb was the Red Rider. Not as I’d last seen her, broken down in the Saddle Rack parking lot, but fully restored. In fact, not only was she restored, but it looked like it had been improved. From the brand-new wheels and tires to her shiny new paint job, the Red Rider looked better than ever and ready for another two hundred thousand miles.
“I can’t believe you did this. I mean, how did you manage to dothis?”
“I had some help,” Snarl replied casually. “Sundance wants me to stick around and help the club with a few things, so I asked for a favor in return. I had some brothers who work at our auto body shop tow her in the morning after she broke down. Then they got to work repairing or replacing everything that wasn’t tip top. In the end, she got a new motor, a rebuilt transmission, as well as a few new added features such as a top-of-the-line navigation system and a custom candy apple red paint job.
“I’m…I’m…speechless.”
“I didn’t want you to have to worry about transportation when you get back from Africa. I could have just bought you a new car, but youtold me about the bond you had with this one, and I got the feeling that you and the Red Rider weren’t quite through with your adventures together.”
Tears streamed down my face. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. How in the world did you manage to do all of this?”
“I had a crew wrenching on her the next day after she broke down.”
“This must have cost a fortune—”
Snarl put a finger to my lips. “Not another word. This is a graduation present from me and the Primal Howlers. Maybe one day, you can do a study on a pack of wild bikers in their natural habitat.”
“I can’t believe you did this for me.”
Snarl smiled wide. “Wait ’til yousee present number two.” He then placed two fingers between his lips and let out a loud whistle, which was followed by the distant sound of a motorcycle roaring to life. A roar that got closer to us by the second until a young man in a Primal Howlers cut drove up on a bike and parked in front of us.
“Who’s this?” I asked.
“This is Healy. He’s one of my brothers. He’s great with bikes, an atrocious poker player, and a solid dude, but he’s not what’s important right now.”
Healy climbed off the bike and handed me the key.
It was only then that I realized that the paint job on the bike matched the Red Rider’s new candy apple red finish.
“What is this?”
“This is the Red Rocket. She’s your bike,” Snarl replied.
“She’s my what now?” I asked in stunned disbelief.
“I’ve had this Harley Street Bob in storage for a while and didn’t know what I was gonna do with it, but once I got the idea to restore your car, I knew this bike had to go along with her. New plugs, a tune up, and a custom paint job, and now she’s yours.”
“She’s absolutely beautiful, but I don’t know how to ride.”
“I’m gonna teach you when you get back.”
“But, I thought you said you’d be gone by the time I got back.”
Snarl put his hand to my neck. His thumb on my pulse. “I’ve decided tostick around for a while. Even after this thing with Sundance and the club is done. We’ll keep your bike and your car at the cabin until you get back.”
My heart raced. “Really?”
He nodded. “I’ve even had my first consultation with a therapist. Her specialty is agoraphobia, she thinks she can help me. And because of you, I have a reason to fight my demons with everything I can. I also bought that house.”
I burst into tears and Snarl pulled me into his arms.
“I’m so proud of you,” I said.
“That’s not all.”
“Oh, my god. If you have any more surprises I might pass out.”
