Marcus’s roar echoed through the garage.

“Don’t let them leave!”

Tiny lunged first.

The stranger didn’t move.

Instead, he tossed the digital recorder onto the workbench.

Elias’s voice filled the room again.

“Marcus… if you’re hearing this, you already know Caleb has the pendant.”

Every biker froze.

Marcus shouted over the recording.

“Turn it off!”

Nobody did.

The stranger looked calmly around the garage.

“My name is Daniel Cross.”

“I rode beside Elias for fourteen years.”

Marcus grabbed a heavy breaker bar.

“You’re dead.”

Daniel ignored him.

Instead, he picked up the nine weathered envelopes lying on the truck’s hood.

Each carried a year written in black ink.

Year One.

Year Two.

Year Three…

Through Year Nine.

Caleb stared.

“My dad wrote those?”

Daniel nodded.

“One every year.”

“For you.”

Marcus finally exploded.

“He’s lying!”

Daniel handed Caleb the first envelope.

Inside was a photograph.

Eight-year-old Caleb sat on an upside-down bucket inside the same garage, laughing while Elias helped him hold a wrench.

Behind them stood Marcus.

Smiling.

Caleb looked up.

“You… were friends?”

Nobody answered.

Daniel opened the second envelope.

Inside was a handwritten receipt.

Emergency Club Fund – $48,000

Signed by Marcus Dawson.

The date was the night the money supposedly disappeared.

“It never left the safe,” Daniel said.

“Marcus emptied it himself.”

The room became silent.

Dex slowly lowered his beer.

“You said Elias robbed us.”

Marcus didn’t answer.

Daniel pressed Play again.

Static crackled.

Then Elias spoke.

“If Marcus tells everyone I stole from the club… don’t believe him.”

“He needed someone to blame.”

Caleb felt his knees weaken.

For nine years…

He had hated the wrong man.