Page 130 of Tito

“Me, too,” Cash said. “Was just thinking about the time Ghost fired up Eleanor for the first time and I pissed myself a little. Tried saying it was from washing my hands, but nobody believed me.”

“Nobody believed you because it was bullshit,” Reno said with a laugh. “You had a piss spot right where the tip of your dick hangs. It was pretty fucking obvious.”

Goose laughed like he’d heard a great joke. “It sure was.”

Baker raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve got fond memories of this place, too. But. I don’t want anyone to be able to say we’re a motorcycle club. Hell, we’ve never really been one, anyway. Just a bunch of friends who like riding.”

“Keeping the carwashes?” Reno asked.

“Yeah,” Baker said. “We need to keep our jobs. They’ll be legit from here on out, though. No more laundering money through them.”

“Listen to this.” I chuckled. “When Reggie’s dad found out I worked at a car wash, he said they were nothing more than a place to launder money. I about had a heart attack.”

“He’s no dummy, that’s for sure,” Cash said. “He asked me about bustin’ your jaw. Said, what kind of friend does shit like that? I told him a hot-headed one. He said I needed to keep myself in check.”

“So.” Goose said, lifting his chin slightly. “Is that your plan? To keep yourself in check?”

Cash nodded. “I’m going to toe the line from here on out.”

“Through all of this, I think I had a spiritual awakening,” Baker admitted. “I felt like I needed to come clean on everything.”

“Everything?” I asked. “What did that include?”

He forced a sigh. “I told Andy that we were the club that robbed her bank.”

“Holy shit,” Goose gasped. “How’d that go?”

“Better than I expected,” Baker responded. “She took it in stride.”

“You’re not on the outs?” Goose asked.

Baker shook his head. “Not at all. We decided meeting one another for the second time was nothing less than fate. Truthfully, I think it made the bond between us stronger.”

“I’m glad you came clean,” Goose said. “I’ve been worried about that.” He glanced at each of us. “I say we have a celebration. Embrace the fact that this is over, and that no one is going to prison.”

“Here?” Baker asked, looking around.

Goose shook his head. “We can hold onto our memories, but we need to let this place go. I say we have it at my house.”

“Just us?” Cash asked.

“Us and our Ol’ Ladies,” Goose replied, alternating glances between us. “Hell, I say we invite the two cops that saved our asses. Might seem weird hanging out with a couple of cops, but if Tito’s Ol’ Lady’s got a cop for a dad we better get used to it.”

I didn’t know if Ted would agree to come, but I liked the idea of inviting him. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“Invite both of ‘em,” Baker said. “Gottschalk and Watson.”

“What?” Cash gave Baker a look. He glanced at each of us. “Cops coming to a party, and we’re not going to have a vote?”

“We’re just a bunch of friends having fun,” Baker replied. “There’s no longer anything to vote on.”

Out of everyone, I was sure I’d have the most difficult time accepting the changes. Nevertheless, I was eager to begin my new life.

“I’ve got one other thing,” I said. “The police department started a GoFundMe for Reggie’s dad. They’re trying to gather up funds to help him buy a fishing boat. If anyone has a few extra bucks that are legitimate, it’d be appreciated if you could make a small donation. Getting a boat is his retirement dream.”

“How do we make a donation?” Goose asked.

“Just type ‘Detective Ted Gottschalk’ into GoFundMe’s web page, You’ll see it. It’s up to about three grand right now.”