Finally Here

Bill leaned closer, his voice steady and sure. “The quiet ones sometimes got the most interesting stories,” he said, like he had seen it a hundred times before. I let the words sink in, realizing the trucker’s calm wasn’t about fear or pride but something more profound.

Still trying to stir up a laugh, Jake cracked another lame joke about food and the trucker, but this time, it landed flat. No chuckles, no backing him up. A few bikers shifted on their boots, their faces tight with something that wasn’t amusement. Jake and Travis didn’t get it yet, but we already knew.