A tiny tug on my leather vest made me turn—ready for trouble.
Instead, a little girl with trembling blue eyes asked me to save a kitten stuck in a tree. People watched, waiting to see what the “monster” would do. I could’ve ridden off.
But her small hand trusted me.
So I climbed. Brought the kitten down. Felt its tiny heartbeat in my palm.
I thought that was the end. It wasn’t.
I saw her again in a small town diner—Lily and her mother, Sarah. They were hiding from men on bikes. Men I used to ride with. The Serpents. Led by Silas—my former brother.
Her ex owed them money. They wanted payment.
I stayed.
I fixed their broken porch, their fence, their roof. Tried fixing myself, too. When Silas came, I faced him down with nothing but a bluff and a promise. I told him to walk away—and he did.
For the first time, I didn’t run.
Weeks turned into months. The house stood strong. So did we.
My life had been scrap metal—rusted and ruined. But sometimes broken pieces can be welded into something new.
All it took was a kitten, a little trust, and the choice to stay.