“Told you if you kept your head down, they’d let you go early,” he mutters under his breath.
“Yeah, you did. But can I ask you something, Rodgers? Why me? Why did you spend the last two years protecting me in here?”
He scrubs the back of his neck, glancing at the door that’s yet to be opened. “Your dad and I served together.”
“You did?”
He nods.
“When I saw your name and your face, things just clicked. You look just like he did back in his old army days. If it wasn’t for him, I may not be here right now. I owe your dad my life, and this was the best way I could repay him.”
My dad told us stories of the four years he served in the military. His biggest story was the one of him pulling one of his fellow soldiers out of a truck that had caught fire after it was shot at with a hand grenade and missed full detonation.
“Wait, you’re the guy he pulled out of the truck, aren’t you?”
He nods, showing the burn scars on his forearms. “If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve burned alive that day.”
“So, did my dad ask you to protect me?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. He didn’t have to. Brothers protect brothers and their families.” He jerks his head toward the door. “Come on, Dover. Let’s get your processing started.”
“You do realize that if it wasn’t for you and my uncle, I wouldn’t have survived the last two years in here.”
He nods. “You’re welcome. Now come on, let’s get you out of here and back to your family where you’ll be even more protected.”
My dad may have saved Rodger’s life back in the day, but it was with his help and my uncle’s that I’m still here. Now I just have to keep my nose clean, and stay out of trouble, which is easier said than done, knowing what I’m running home towards.
I didn’t even bother telling anyone I was getting out earlier than expected. But damn does it feel good to be on the other side, tasting and smelling air that’s free of constrictions and restraints. Rodgers made sure he was the one who escorted me out the doors, handing me off to my sister, who is already in tears when she sees me.
“Oh my god, look at you!” she exclaims, staring at my tattoos with wide eyes. “You’re all tatted up.”
Laughing, I grab her in the biggest hug, swinging her around wildly. “Yeah, that’s what happens in prison. It changes you.”
She grins. “Thanks for letting me be the one to pick you up. I half expected you to call Rich or Eddie.”
Ruffling up her hair, I grin. “Nawh, after you came to see me in that hospital room, there was only one person to call.”
Ashleigh laughs. “So, what’s your plan now?”
“I’m gonna go work for Eddie at his father’s shop.”
Those dimples quickly fade. “You haven’t heard, have you?”
“What?”
“After Eddie’s dad died, he changed. The biker club he’s in, went from peaceful to the bad ones you hear about on the news. They aren't good people, Wes. You should stay away from them.”
“They’re my best friends, Ash. I’m not just going to turn my back on them because I’m out of prison.”
Her frown deepens. “So, you’ve basically learned nothing. You’re just going to go straight back a life of crime and mayhem?”
“Ash, come on, don’t be like that. I have to go where I’m protected, and Eddie and Rich will always have my back.”
“At what cost, Wes? Wasn’t it their stupid feud that almost cost you your life?”
My silence says everything I can’t.
“Exactly! You should be walking away from that kind of life, not running toward it.”
