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Grace stood silently beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders. They stared at it together, people behind them clapped their hands. "It's beautiful, Grace."
She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Do you mean it?"
"I do. It's not at all what I envisioned, but I love it. It's perfect. It's us. Don't you think?"
"Yes, I do think so. And your tongue-in-cheek marketing."
Someone behind them called out, "Speech. Speech."
He chuckled and turned to face his guests. "Thank you all for coming. All I'll say is that if you see something awesome coming from this garage, it's a miracle."
His guests laughed and clapped. Happiness rolled over him in waves.
Then, the sound of motorcycles filled the air and his stomach twisted. Ten bikes rolled to a stop on the street and the bikers slowly sauntered toward the garage. He whispered to Grace. "Get your phone ready, just in case."
"Okay."
He moved through the crowd toward the bikers, hoping to stop them before they entered his property.
The leader of the group looked into his eyes and grinned.
"Looks like it's official."
Sid only nodded.
"We're here to celebrate this new endeavor in your life."
Sid shook his head. "Nope. You're not allowed."
"Why not. Your sign over there..." He pointed to a handmade sign out front. "Public welcome."
"Except for you. Your shenanigans here in town make you not welcome."
He barked out a laugh. "Shenanigans?"
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't." He turned and nodded to his biker friends and they all walked onto the property and began tipping tables over. People scrambled and food was tossed on the ground. One of the bikers pulled out a gun and fired it in the air. The townspeople screamed and scrambled for cover. Not Sid. He was truly enraged and sick of these assholes creating this fear and havoc. He stepped closer to the leader of the gang and looked him in the eye. "Get the fuck off my property."
The man simply laughed at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I heard your woman over there got the city council to make things tough for us. But, guess what, we ain't going anywhere."
Sirens sounded and Sid's lips spread into a smile. "We'll see."
Two squad cars pulled to a stop and the two officers got out of their squads and began arresting the bikers. Quinn and Jace helped officers handcuff the bikers, each forcing the bikers to the ground on their knees until officers could read them their rights and get them transported. More sirens sounded as police from the neighboring town of Brookstown pulled to a stop.
Sid turned to find Grace, but what caught his attention was one of Quinn's guys sitting on the ground, shaking, the blank stare in his eyes. He was having a PTSD attack. Sid called Chiefy over to him. He petted her coat and whispered to her to calm her down. "I need your help, girl." He crooned.
Sid and Chiefy slowly approached the man on the ground. Sid sat next to him and Chiefy did what she did. She laid across his legs, hoping her weight would make him better.
After a few moments, Sid spoke evenly and softly to the young man. "Chiefy here has helped me through a few episodes like you're having now. She's very good at it. And, frankly a source of pride to her."
The man swallowed and sniffed. "I'm weak."
"No, you aren't. You've been through trauma and have seen things many don't have to see. You've served your country honorably and sadly, that takes a toll many will never understand. But I do. And Chiefy here does too."
Slowly the man lifted his hand and started slowly petting Chiefy. Sid sat quietly, making sure Chiefy was safe and the man was beginning to come through his PTSD attack.
Sid swallowed and glanced up to see Grace standing a few yards away watching them. She nodded and smiled at him and he nodded in return. The chaos around them had begun to subside. The police were hauling the bikers away and the area was cleared to ensure no one was injured. A couple people had tripped running away, one woman had a scraped elbow. But generally, other than being scared, folks were fine.
