“Did you hear about the war that was fought in Rapid City? Where MCs and other groups came together to fight off a one-percenter?”
“You were involved in that?”
“Yes. Jacob’s the father of a Rage old lady. Mac’s woman. Jacob brought the Delta Force team in to help defend the city.”
“There was a lot of death,” I murmured, remembering some of the reports.
“Yeah. Unwanted Bastards lost most of their brothers. Other allies took hits. RCPD was decimated; half of their staff died. The department’s still recovering today,” Magic replied.
“You fought, didn’t you?” I asked, unsure how I felt.
“Damn right I did.”
“You’re a hero?”
“Ain’t no hero, Jody. Just a man with weapons and explosion knowledge who used it to save innocents. None of us deserved what Venomous Fangs planned. The president, Fury, was the devil incarnate. But that evil led to good stuff; we’ve a great president now. Somebody people know will defend our country. We’ve shown other one-percenters, Joe Public won’t sit down and take shit. We’ll fight and protect what is ours.”
“I’m lost for words,” I murmured. My mind was whirling. This was what Vulcan and Kanon had missed. Allies. People whowould have helped them. If Vulcan and Kanon had belonged to, say, Unwanted Bastards MC or Riders of Vengeance, would they be here now?
“Bunny and Alice have agreed to babysit, so I’ll pick you up on Saturday. The concert starts at seven. Do you want to eat first?”
“That would be great.”
“Then I’ll come at five.”
“Thanks, Magic, for everything. See you then.” I hung up and stared out of the kitchen window thoughtfully.
“Magic was a hero?” Lars asked from behind me.
“Seems it.”
“What war did Magic fight in,Mor?”
I briefly explained what I knew about the battle that had happened here. Lars was appalled.
“That wouldn’t have taken place in Denmark!” he stated.
“No? Consider what Torden was aiming for. He would have acted similarly.”
Lars fell quiet. “Dad andOnkel Kanonstopped him.”
“Yes. There is some stuff you’re unaware of that you’re not ready to hear. But their sacrifice prevented an evil man from gaining traction,” I replied.
Lars became contemplative. I wondered if he would push. Instead, he changed the subject, unwilling to touch something that would cause great pain. “Magic didn’t tell you what happened during the war?”
“No. But I sense it was bad.”
“Can we look it up?”
I was surprised, but let Lars take the lead. “If you wish.”
Even though time was marching on, and it was getting late, I let Lars load up the laptop, and we began digging. There was a lot online, half speculation, but there were videos. Hundreds filmed by the residents that the Allies, as they were commonlyknown, had protected. I searched for Magic’s name, and at least a dozen popped up.
“Christ!” I exclaimed, watching the explosions he’d created.
“Magic’s a lunatic,” Lars declared, but sounded impressed.
There was a lingering shot of Magic, bloodstained, hair wild and longer than today, his beard salt and pepper with dust, and his clothes torn. There was a haunted expression on his face, which turned my stomach. Magic hadn’t got off easily. Another picture followed, and this time, Magic bent over someone. It was clear Magic knew them because he held them tightly, and his face was grief stricken.
