Then Leo spoke.
"You forgot the switch."
Jim looked at him.
"What switch?"
"The one under the left side of the tank."
Jim stared.
Then understanding spread across his face.
He reached beneath the tank.
His fingers found the hidden toggle.
Click.
He pressed the starter again.
The motorcycle exploded into life.
The Sound of Dutch
The FXR roared.
The sound filled the garage.
It shook the windows.
It rattled tools from shelves.
It rolled through the building like thunder.
Jim sat motionless.
His hands tightened around the handlebars.
The engine settled into a deep, uneven idle.
Jim closed his eyes.
For a moment, he wasn't in Oakland.
He was back in Reno.
Dutch was laughing.
His hands were covered in oil.
The motorcycle was younger.
The world was younger.
And his best friend was still alive.
Jim opened his eyes.
Tears ran down his cheeks.
Nobody in the garage spoke.
Jim shut off the engine.
Silence returned.
He climbed off the motorcycle and walked toward Leo.
He knelt.
The enormous man and the tiny boy looked directly at each other.
"Your father saved Dutch's motorcycle once," Jim said.
Leo nodded.
"He saved it again through you."
Jim reached beneath his vest.
He removed a silver pendant.
A small winged skull hung from the chain.
He placed it around Leo's neck.
"This belonged to men who earned our trust."
Leo looked at the pendant.
"Why are you giving it to me?"
"Because your father earned it."
Jim paused.
"And because you did."
A Place at the Bench
Jim turned toward Rusty.
"How much do I owe you?"
Rusty shook his head.
"The original five thousand was for the repair."
He looked toward Leo.
"I didn't repair it."
Jim handed him another envelope.
"Then this is for the work."
Rusty opened it.
Two thousand dollars.
He stared at Jim.
"That's too much."
"No."
Jim nodded toward Leo.
"That's for remembering that talent doesn't always arrive in a large package."
Rusty looked at Leo.
The boy was standing beside the workbench.
"I want him here," Rusty said.
Jim nodded.
"Then make it official."
Rusty crouched beside Leo.
"You want to learn?"
Leo smiled.
"I already started."
Rusty laughed.
"Fair enough."
"But there's one condition," Jim said.
Everyone turned toward him.
"School comes first."
Leo looked disappointed for half a second.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
"When you're old enough for college," Jim continued, "you won't be paying for it."
Leo stared at him.
"What?"
"The club will."
Jim stood.
"You've got a mind worth protecting."
The Memorial Ride
Saturday morning came beneath a clear blue sky.
Nearly a thousand motorcycles gathered along the California coast.
At the front stood Dutch Sullivan's restored FXR.