Everyone knew him as Bull \u2014 the hardest man in town. But that night, on the side of Highway 9, I saw a completely different side of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bull had led the Ironhounds for over thirty years. At seventy-one, he was still built like a tank, with a scar stretching from his eyebrow down to his collarbone. I was just twenty-three, a new prospect, barely a month into the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was heading home after a long night shift when I noticed his Harley parked near mile marker 42. I almost kept riding\u2026 until I saw him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bull was down on his knees in the damp grass, right beside a small white cross. His head hung low, and in his hands, he held a purple helmet \u2014 its visor shattered into pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I shut off my engine and walked closer. He didn\u2019t even look up. But I could hear him. It wasn\u2019t just crying \u2014 it was something deeper, like pain being torn out from inside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stood there unsure of what to do. With a man like Bull, you didn\u2019t know if witnessing something like this would cost you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a while, I cleared my throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou the new kid from the clubhouse?\u201d he asked, his voice rough and broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen come sit,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I moved closer and sat beside him. The cross carried a woman\u2019s name. The helmet had a small silver charm \u2014 a cat \u2014 hanging from the strap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bull kept his eyes locked on that cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTomorrow makes forty years,\u201d he said slowly. \u201cI was riding. She was behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stayed silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe truck didn\u2019t come out of nowhere,\u201d he continued. \u201cI saw it. And I thought I could beat it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he turned to me \u2014 his eyes filled with grief, anger, and something heavier than both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKid\u2026 one day you\u2019ll hear stories about me. About the kind of man I am. But I need you to know the truth\u2026 the part I never told anyone. When that truck hit us, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"