Page 18 of Property of Mongrel

Taking a deep breath, I move toward the doors so I can walk to the gate, my brothers alongside me as the two figures stand there waiting. “Holy shit, he could be your twin,” Abyss mutters.

“Jonah? Uncle Leroy?” I call out. “How… how did you find me?”

“How about we let them come in out of this heat, Mongrel,” Doc says. “Isn’t good for you either.”

As soon as the gate is open, I’m in my younger brother’s arms, with Uncle Leroy patting us both on our backs. I’m not ashamed to admit that my tears were flowing heavily by the time we turned back toward the clubhouse.

Sitting at the table I was at previously, I can’t stop looking at my brother and uncle. So many questions are flying through my head and the best I’m able to get out is, “How?”

Jonah looks around at my brothers sitting around me, their expressions blank and I worry about what he might say. “Seems you found another family, Cam,” he finally says. “I’ve been scared to death for years that something happened to you.”

“What about the girls? Do y’all know where they’re at?” I ask, even though he hasn’t answered the first question.

“No, but let me tell you what’s happened since that day they took us away. I kept running away and going back to Uncle Leroy’s house until the case worker finally decided that it would be better to allow him to take guardianship over me than for me to end up on the streets,” Jonah confesses. “We didn’t know where you went, but about six months ago, we were at a rodeo further north and someone mentioned the Triple R and how it was run by a biker club whose members usually started out working the ranch. Someone said Shep wasn’t competing this year which meant that maybe someone else would get a chance at the prize buckle.”

Uncle Leroy picks up the tale then as Jonah seems to be overcome with emotion. “It was a longshot, but we looked up the Triple R and saw pictures of various events that some of y’all have competed in over the years. One of them was of you, Cam, as you were accepting first prize. We’d have been here sooner, but on the way home, we were caught in a bad storm and have spent all this time recovering from the injuries we sustained.”

My heart drops in my chest knowing I could’ve lost both of them and I would’ve never known. Looking closer, I can see a scar across Jonah’s forehead, and Uncle Leroy has what looks like burn marks on his neck. “What happened?”

“The bridge we were on got hit with a flash flood and knocked my truck off the road and down an embankment,” Uncle Leroy states. “The tree kept us from being swept away, thank fuck, but with both of us banged up from being tossed around, when the fire started due to the impact, it took us a few to get our shit together to get out to safety.”

“Glad y’all survived,” Doc says. “There were quite a few fatalities if memory serves.”

Uncle Leroy looks at him and nods. “We were definitely hurt pretty badly, but as I told JoJo many times, we were still alive, and that meant something.”

“I almost went to that one,” I murmur, looking around at my club brothers. “But we had some club business to attend to, so I ended up pulling. Did you at least see the barrel racers? Because Issy, Rio’s ol’ lady, runs them and there’s no one better.”

“Yeah, Stargazer is a beautiful horse,” Uncle Leroy replies. “She also did a demonstration with Starlight, who she said was retired from barrel racing. But I swear, that horse woulda placed behind her daughter if she had competed!”

Rio chuckles while nodding. “Yeah, she lets Starlight run the barrels to keep her exercised, and her times are better than most on the circuit right now.”

“So, do y’all live close?” I ask, wanting to know everything. “Did you go to college like you always wanted?”

“We’re not far out of Dallas, actually, but with nothing to keep us there, we’re willing to relocate,” Uncle Leroy replies.

“Yeah, got my degree in computer science and cybersecurity,” Jonah adds. “What about you?”

I’m not willing to share the hell I’ve endured, but I convey, “Yeah, I’ve got a degree in accounting.”

“Don’t downplay it, brother, you’re the club treasurer,” Rio states.

“So, what happened that you’ve got your arm in a sling?” Uncle Leroy asks.

“Some asshole clipped my back tire and sent me flying,” I reply. “Ended up tearing my rotator cuff and a few weeks ago, had surgery to repair it. Just started physical therapy today.”

“Okay, okay, boys, how about we come into the kitchen so Maria and I can feed everyone?” Constance asks, breaking into our discussion.

Rio winks at her then says, “When one of the three boss ladies talk, we listen.”

CHAPTER

TEN

Addy

“You’re doing great, Mongrel,” I encourage as he uses his left arm to ‘write’ his ABCs on the wall. He’s in his third week of physical therapy and his progress has been remarkable. He’s able to raise his arm almost to shoulder height and I’m confident that he’s going to achieve complete mobility.

“You’ll get a surprise this time,” JB calls out as he rides the recumbent bike.