Page 57 of Shadow Strike
“And how do you feel about that?”
CB considered the question.A month ago, the answer would have been complicated.Ryder was family.They’d grown up together, played in that lodge as kids, shared holidays, birthdays, and the tangled bonds of the Briggs name.
But Ryder had also pointed a gun at Regan’s chest and pulled the trigger.
“Relieved,” CB said finally.“And tired.It shouldn’t have come to this.If I’d paid more attention years ago, if I’d seen what he was becoming?—”
“You left the Outlaws when you were eighteen.You were a kid yourself.”
“Old enough to know something was wrong.When I returned to the States, I noticed it right away—his greed, his hunger for power.There are so many things I should have done differently.”
Vivi tilted her head.“Is that guilt talking, or genuine accountability?”
He didn’t have a good answer for that.“Does it matter?”
“What about the other Outlaws?”Vivi asked, ignoring his question.“The ones who were involved in Ryder’s operations?”
“Some are facing charges—Denny Crue is looking at serious time for the attack on Regan.Others are cooperating, giving testimony in exchange for reduced sentences or immunity.”CB rubbed his jaw.“Most of them were just following orders.They didn’t know how bad it had gotten, or they convinced themselves it wasn’t their problem.”
“And your role as liaison?”
“Temporary.”He said it automatically, then caught Vivi’s slight smile.“It is.I’m just helping them transition while the FBI finishes their investigation.Once things stabilize, they’ll hold a real election.”
“You could run.I’m guessing it would be a landslide.”
“I won’t.”
Vivi made a note.CB couldn’t tell if she believed him or not.
“Tell me about your father,” she said.
The shift caught him off guard, even though it shouldn’t have.Vivi had a way of circling back to the things he least wanted to discuss.
“He’s cooperating with the FBI.Full disclosure, all his records, testimony against Ryder.”CB paused.“Claire thinks he’ll avoid prison time because of it.An ankle monitor, restricted to the county, with weekly check-ins.That kind of thing.”
“That’s the legal outcome.I want to know how things are between you.”
CB was quiet for a moment.The relationship with his father had never been simple.Wade had wanted him to lead the Outlaws; CB had wanted something else entirely.They’d spent years talking past each other, each one convinced the other had made the wrong choice.
But something had shifted since that night in the parking lot.
“We’re talking,” CB said.“Actually talking, not just arguing.He came to the hospital after I got shot—sat with me the whole first night, even though he could barely stay awake.He and Regan really hit it off.When I woke up, he was still there, right beside her.”
“That sounds significant.”
“It was.”CB looked at his hands.“He told me he was proud of me.First time he’s ever said that.”
Vivi nodded slowly.“And the Fourth of July ride?”
CB felt his chest loosen at the mention of it.The annual Ride For Youth had been his parents’ creation—Wade and Mary’s way of giving back to the community, showing people that the Outlaws could be more than their reputation suggested.This year marked the tenth anniversary.
“We’re doing it,” he said.“Dad and I talked about it last week.We want to honor Mom—her memory, what she believed in.The ride was always her idea more than his.”
“How does it feel to be part of that again?”
“Good,” he said, smiling.“It feels good.”He met Vivi’s eyes.“For a long time, I wanted nothing to do with the Outlaws.I thought the only way to be my own person was to cut that part of my life off completely.But watching Ryder twist everything my family built—” He shook his head.“Someone has to remember what it was supposed to be.Someone has to carry that forward.”
“And you think that someone is you?”
