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Leaving him tore me apart. I couldn’t figure out why it made me so nervous, but it did.
Anxious, I stared down at my hands before finally lifting my head to peer into his eyes. “You’re my boy. You know that, right?”
Tears rushed to his eyes. “Yes, sir.”
Seeing that, I couldn’t hold back my own. “And always will be.” I tapped my chest. “Right, little guy. But . . .” My chest struggled to drag in a breath. “If I had the chance to know my dad was a good person, I’d give almost anything.” I reached out, grabbing his shoulder in an affectionate squeeze. “So, I gotta find this out for you. Understand?”
The tears choked my throat. I barely got the words out.
Thunder bawled. “Yes, sir.”
I had to make sure he didn’t doubt what he meant to me. “None of this means you ain’t mine. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Come here.”
I brought him into my embrace, pushing all the love I felt for him into that hug. As I stood, I felt how critical this meeting would become for the future. Thunder’s future. If I could make things right for him and give him all he needed, it was worth any heartache I endured.
Anita woke as I brought Thunder into the bedroom we shared. I gave him a snack and juice box, putting a movie on that he loved.
“Gotta go, Tiger. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She reached out, grasping my hand. “Return to me.”
“I will,” I promised, picking up the saddlebags I had already packed for the trip, located on a table to the right.
“The necklace, Dio. It’s the link that’ll help him believe. Rosa always said how much it meant to her.”
“I’ve got it.”
Her eyes closed, sorrow drifting into them. “I’m so tired.”
“I know.” I leaned down, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Rest. Moolah is coming over soon.”
“Okay.”
I turned to Thunder. “Stay with your Ani.”
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes remained on the television as he chewed on the granola bar I’d given him.
Armed with the silver necklace from Ani, I left the apartment above my tattoo shop, walking into the bright Nevada sunshine. The trip to Georgia would take forty hours by car, but I could reach it faster on my bike. I only needed to stop at a hotel for one night to sleep off the hours on the road.
My fingers gripped the silver chain necklace as I pulled it free from my saddlebags, staring at the shiny metal. Blood, for once, wasn’t my first clue about the identity of Thunder’s biological father. The back of the necklace was engraved.
Redemption Ryders.
The Reaper prodded me to get on the road. I tucked the necklace inside and began the long trip to the Atlanta area. I didn’t run into a single snag and arrived less than a day and a half after leaving Nevada.
My boots were dusty. My throat dry. I needed food and a bed, but that didn’t matter compared to Thunder. He remained my focus.
On the outskirts of a small country town, I passed a Gas & Chic, noting I’d have to fill up before I left. Down a long dirt road where nothing but trees and more land, I rolled up to a barbed wire fence.
My Reaper prodded.Enter.
Off in the distance, to the left, a big building made of concrete stood ominous and imposing. No windows. Every inch of the property fenced in. On the roof of the building were two lookout posts, one in each corner.
