Chapter 15 - The Road Ahead
Gabriel reached the top of the dam, gently setting Sarah down against the warm concrete wall of the substation.
Sarah coughed, wiping the wet hair from her face. She looked up, her eyes meeting Gabriel’s for the first time in seven long years. The anger, the abandonment, the years of hiding—all of it flickered in her gaze, before dissolving into pure, overwhelming relief.
A small pair of sneakers came running across the gravel.
"Mommy!"
Sarah gasped, falling to her knees as Maya threw herself into her mother’s arms. Both of them broke down into trembling, breathless tears, holding each other as if the earth might pull them apart again.
Gabriel stood a few feet back, his breathing ragged, his hand resting on the warm chrome of his Panhead. He looked down at his boots, feeling like an intruder on a sanctity he had surrendered years ago. He turned slowly toward his motorcycle, reaching for the handlebars.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sarah's voice stopped him in his tracks.
Gabriel looked back over his shoulder. Sarah was standing now, holding Maya's hand tightly. Her face was bruised and streaked with soot, but her chin was held high, exactly as he remembered.
"The Syndicate is broken here, but Miller has friends," Gabriel said quietly, his voice rough. "You two need a clean start. Somewhere far away from the club. Far away from me."
Maya pulled her hand free from Sarah, walked over to Gabriel, and grabbed the hem of his blood-stained leather cut. She looked up at him, her hazel eyes completely unwavering.
"You have the skull," Maya said simply, pointing at his forearm. "Mom said when you find the skull, the ride doesn't stop."
Sarah walked up beside her daughter, placing her hand gently over Gabriel’s scarred knuckles on the handlebar.
"We ran for seven years, Gabriel," Sarah whispered softly. "Running doesn't save anyone. We're done hiding."
Down the mountain road, the low, rhythmic thunder of two dozen Harley engines began to echo through the trees. Marcus, Bones, Dutch, and the entire charter of the Iron Rogues were roaring up the pass, forming an unbroken iron wall of protection behind them.
May you like
Gabriel looked at the approaching bikes, then down at the little girl holding his hand.
He kicked the kickstand down, unbuckled his cut, and wrapped it around both of them as the sun dipped behind the jagged peaks. For the first time in his life, Gabriel didn't look at the road ahead to escape; he looked at it to lead them home.
