Broken Souls

Chapter 2 - Logan (32 years)

Life has never been easy for me. I can’t remember the last time I felt truly human or had a full night’s sleep, haunted by the images of my parents lying on the ground, both shot in the head. The f****d up part is that it was my father who did the shooting, forcing me to watch as he killed my mother and then turned the gun on himself. When the police arrived, I was sitting with my mother’s head in my lap, covered in her blood. I was placed in foster care since I had no known relatives, and that’s where I met my three best friends—more like brothers—Brian, Justin, and Julian.

They also had tough lives. Brian ended up in foster care because his parents didn't want him. They dropped him off, saying they couldn’t handle parenting at the moment, and never returned. Though he’s the serious one in our group, he lets his guard down with us since we’re family, but he’s completely different around others. He rarely smiles. Justin was placed in foster care because of a neglectful mother; she was a prostitute and would leave him alone for days with barely any food. A concerned neighbor eventually called the police. Julian ended up in foster care after his mother overdosed on drugs. His father had left when he was born, leaving him with no one else to turn to.

The moment we met, we clicked instantly, and the challenges we faced only strengthened our bond. We always have each other’s backs, respect one another, and most importantly, we protect what’s ours no matter what.

We started working at a bike repair shop when we were 16, driven by our shared fascination with bikes from a young age. That passion, along with our experience in foster care, brought us together. After we turned 18 and moved in together, we opened our own bike repair shop. In addition to repairing bikes, we build custom bikes to clients specifications, which we take great pride in. We even receive orders from clients out of town. My bike, a black and red Honda CBR1000-RR, is my most prized possession; it truly represents my life.

We rarely do our own thing; we're almost always together. While we keep our s*x lives separate and don’t share details with each other, it’s not like any of us are in relationships—something we never really consider. I do have s*x when the opportunity arises, like when we’re out drinking or at a party, but I keep it at that. The women I meet tend to be clingy as f**k, which I don’t have time for. I prefer to leave right after, avoiding sleepovers. We’ve all agreed that occasional s*x is fine, we never bring women to our house or share our address to minimize the chance of unannounced visits.

We stopped at the gas station on our way to the shop, just like we do every morning to grab our daily coffee. Typically, we'd stand by our bikes, sipping our drinks and discussing business, the parts we need to order, or the bikes we have to ship out—basically the usual s**t. While we were chatting, Justin whistled, which is his thing as the joker of our group. I followed his gaze and turned around to see what had caught his attention. What I saw was striking—she had a great figure and a body that I could get down and dirty with and her ass was a great view, with her black hair in a messy bun on top of her head. I expected her to either give us the finger or shout at us. Instead of moving, she paused for a moment. Then she turned around slowly, revealing the most beautiful hazel eyes. She stared at me, her body stiffening. She wore minimal makeup, just eyeliner, and had full lips. Her natural beauty was striking, but it was her eyes that truly captivated me. The look on her face seemed one of shock.

A car backfiring snapped me out of my trance, but it was the fear in her eyes that left me puzzled. When I glanced at the car and then back at her, she was already speeding away. Since we live in a small town and I’d never seen her before, she must be just passing through.

Brian pulled me out of my reverie. We got back on our bikes and headed to the shop, knowing we had a busy day ahead.