le Bye

out, his calloused thumb gently wiping a smear

, the air was warm, quiet, and hea

nto my lap. As he reached across the console to adjust the heater vents,

hick leather cord was a tarnished

hitched in

the exact keepsake I had pressed into the trembling hands of a b

was that boy, using that stolen story to wo

king the tag back beneath his collar as his gray-blue

t wondering why the most dangerous man on the

gear. "Now tell me why you rode through a storm, Danielle. You

titanium lockbox along with my father's brass foun

s for six of his own patched brothers. This box has the raw flight-recorder telemetry and radio comms. My father built the comms n

wheel until the leather groaned. He didn't sign the decree immediately. H

's voice was a low, dangerous rumble. "A full unilateral severance s

his knuckles, his icy eyes locking

t. I'll consider the matter. Don'

ita

softly, his tone brooking zero a

my helmet, and prepared to

floor-safe beneath the clubhouse workshop was my father's

s rightfully mine, C