Within minutes, four state trooper cruisers arrived with sirens echoing off the canyon walls, taking all five suspects into federal custody for attempted felony manslaughter and interstate ambush conspiracy.
The lead state trooper walked up to Dutch, looking over at Toby, who was standing proudly beside his bicycle on the highway.
"If that kid hadn't pedaled up that steep incline to warn you, you all would have ridden straight into a blind disaster," the trooper said with deep respect.
Dutch walked back to Toby, kneeling down on the asphalt so he was eye-level with the young boy. He unpinned the club's solid brass Road Guardian emblem from his own leather vest and fastened it to the strap of Toby's backpack.
"You saved twenty lives today, kid," Dutch said with profound gratitude. "From this day on, whenever you ride these roads, the Iron Reapers ride with you."
The engines roared back to life in a thundering salute as the entire pack formed an escort around Toby, ensuring the young hero made it safely home.