They even brought evidence exposing Chief Morrison’s corruption—ten years of cover-ups, including the death of Reaper’s brother. Morrison was arrested. Seventeen officers implicated.
I was reinstated, promoted to Lieutenant, back pay in hand. The city settled my lawsuit, my mortgage paid off.
On my first day back, a fight broke out at Murphy’s Bar. College kids vs. bikers. I walked in alone—then smelled the leather. The Savage Souls formed a wall. No fighting, just presence. They protected me, just like I had tried to protect them.
Reaper told me, years later, his daughter survived leukemia because I got him home that Christmas Eve. She now wants to be a cop, inspired by that night.
Today, I run a department very different from Morrison’s. We still enforce the law, even with the Savage Souls—but when we work together on toy drives, safety programs, or funerals, they’re allies. That $3 bulb sits framed in my office, a reminder that humanity matters more than the rules sometimes.
Brotherhood, kindness, justice—they can cross the lines you never expect. That Christmas Eve taught me that.
Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t about the badge. It’s about being human. And that choice can change everything.