A chance at redemption. The decision became clear.
Ryder could not keep one foot in both worlds. The club would not let him go easily.
But for the first time in his life, he had something worth the risk. He stood straighter.
He would go to Snake. He would end it directly.
Whatever happened after that, he would at least know the choice had been his. “I’d rather die trying to become better than live as a ghost,” he said to the empty room.
The neon sign of the Devil’s Fork Bar buzzed and flickered in the late-afternoon light. Ryder pulled into the parking lot on his motorcycle and shut off the engine.
The familiar row of bikes outside brought back a flood of memories. Some good.
Most complicated. Inside, cigarette smoke hung thick in the air.
Snake sat at the usual table in the back, surrounded by other members. Leather vests gleamed beneath the bar lights, covered with patches and pins that carried enormous meaning inside that room and almost none outside it. Heads turned as Ryder entered.
Conversations died into whispers. “Look who finally showed up,” Snake called. “Thought maybe you’d forgotten about your family.”
He was lean, with gray-streaked hair and the kind of eyes that rarely blinked. Ryder stopped several feet from the table.
“Need to talk to you, Snake. All of you.” Snake gestured toward an empty chair.
Ryder shook his head. He could not sit for this.
Could not pretend it was just another meeting. “I’m out,” Ryder said. “For good this time.”
The silence that followed felt enormous. Snake’s expression hardened.
“That right?” His voice became dangerously quiet.
“And what brought this on? That little family you’ve been playing house with?” Ryder’s jaw tightened.
“This isn’t about them. It’s about me.” He looked around at the men he had known for years.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Snake rose slowly, his chair scraping across the floor.
“After everything we’ve done for you? Everything we’ve been through?” Several other members stood as well.
A loose circle formed around Ryder. He recognized every face.
Men he had ridden beside. Fought beside.
Bled beside. Once, that circle would have felt like protection.
Now it felt like a cage. “I’m grateful for what you did for me,” Ryder said, and he meant it. “You took me in when I had nothing.”
He swallowed. “But I need something different now.”
“Different?” Snake spat. “You think you’re better than us now?” “No.”
“You think you can just walk away?” “I’m not asking permission.” Ryder’s voice grew stronger. “I’m telling you.”