Copper and Jinx exchange a look. They’ve seen a lot in their years with the club, but something about this hits different. «One night,» the kid said, but they all know it won’t be just one.
Morning arrives with the rumble of engines and the sharp smell of fresh coffee. Pete wakes with a jolt, disoriented, his hand reaching instinctively for Victoria before his brain catches up. She’s still asleep on the cot, breathing steady, the comic book fallen to the floor beside her.
Sunlight cuts through the high windows in dusty beams. The garage looks different in daylight—less like a refuge and more like what it is: a working shop with oil stains on the concrete and calendars from three years ago still hanging on the walls. Copper is at the coffee maker, pouring a cup like it’s any other Tuesday.
He glances over when Pete sits up. «Sleep okay?»
Pete nods, though his back aches from the concrete. «Yeah, thanks.»
«Bathroom’s through that door. Towel’s on the shelf if you want to clean up.»
It’s such a normal offer that Pete doesn’t know how to respond. He mumbles something that might be gratitude and slips into the small bathroom. The mirror shows him what he already knows: he looks like hell.
Dirt cakes his fingernails. A bruise darkens his jaw, though he doesn’t remember getting it. His hair rebels at impossible angles. He washes his face with cold water and tries to flatten his hair. It doesn’t help much.
When he comes back out, there’s a woman in the garage. Silver hair pulled into a practical braid, hands weathered but steady, and eyes that understand loss without pitying it. She’s setting a box of cinnamon rolls on the workbench, the kind from the bakery two blocks over.
«You must be Pete,» she says. Her voice is warm, lived in. «I’m Gloria.»
«Hi.»
Victoria stirs on the cot, drawn by the smell of sugar and cinnamon. She sits up slowly, rubbing her eyes, and sees Gloria. She freezes. Gloria doesn’t move closer; she just smiles.
«Good morning, sweetheart. You hungry?»
Victoria looks at Pete. He nods. She whispers, «Yes, ma’am.»
«Well, come on then. These are better warm.»
They eat standing around the workbench: Pete, Victoria, Gloria, and Copper. Jinx arrives halfway through, grease already on his hands from whatever bike he was working on outside. He grabs a roll and grins at Victoria.
«Sleep okay?»
She nods, mouth full of pastry.
«Good. You looked pretty tired last night.» Jinx keeps his tone light, conversational. But Pete notices the way his eyes linger on Victoria—not suspicious, but assessing, like he’s putting pieces together.
After breakfast, Gloria offers to take Victoria to the bathroom to wash up. «Maybe braid your hair if you want,» she adds. Victoria hesitates, then takes Gloria’s hand.
The moment they’re out of earshot, Jinx turns to Pete. «Can I talk to you for a second?»
Pete’s guard goes up immediately. «About what?»
«Just wanna make sure she’s okay. That you’re both okay.»
They walk to the far side of the garage, near the open bay door where the morning air is cool and clean. Jinx leans against a tool chest, arms crossed but posture open. Not threatening, just present.
«I worked trauma for six years before the club,» Jinx says. «You see enough kids, you learn what to look for.»
Pete’s stomach tightens. «What things?»
«The way she moves, careful like she’s afraid of bumping into something. The way she watches doors. The way you do too.» Jinx pauses. «I’m not accusing you of anything. I can see you’d walk through fire for her. But someone’s been hurting her, Pete. And I need to know how bad it is.»
The words hang there. Pete could lie. Could grab Victoria and run. Could pretend he doesn’t know what Jinx is talking about. Instead, he says, «It’s not me.»
«I know.»
«It’s the guy my mom left us with. He’s not… He was never our stepdad. Not legally. He just moved in after she left and started paying the rent. CPS didn’t care because the bills were getting paid.»
Jinx listens. Doesn’t interrupt. Doesn’t rush.
«He has rules,» Pete’s voice flattens. «Every toy put away. Silent after eight. Touch the fridge without permission and you regret it. Victoria’s ten. She forgot once. Left her stuffed animal on the couch.»
«What happened?»
«He grabbed her. Shook her. Told her she was ungrateful.» Pete’s hands ball into fists. «I got between them. Took it instead. But I knew. I knew we couldn’t stay.»
Jinx is quiet for a moment. Then he says, «Can I check her over? Just to make sure nothing’s broken or infected. I won’t hurt her.»
Pete studies him, searching for the trap. He doesn’t find one. «Okay. But I stay with her.»
«Wouldn’t have it any other way.»
When Gloria brings Victoria back, her hair is braided neatly and her face is clean. She looks younger somehow, more fragile. Jinx crouches to her level and explains what he wants to do.
«Just check your arms and back. Make sure you’re healthy.»
Victoria looks at Pete. «It’s okay,» Pete says quietly.
She lets Jinx look. He’s gentle, professional. But Pete sees the moment he finds them: the bruises on her upper arms, faded to yellow-green. The one on her shoulder blade, darker, newer.
Jinx’s expression doesn’t change, but his jaw tightens. «You’re a tough kid,» Jinx tells Victoria. «These are healing up good. You’re going to be just fine.»
She nods, relieved. Gloria distracts her with the promise of a new book from the thrift store later. Once Victoria is out of earshot again, Copper makes a phone call.
Pete watches from across the garage as Copper speaks in low, clipped tones. When he hangs up, he looks at Ryan, who has been standing near the door the whole time, silent and solid.
«Melanie’s coming,» Copper says. «And I got Sandra’s number. The CPS worker who actually gives a damn.»
Ryan nods once, then looks at Pete. «You did the right thing bringing her here.»
Pete doesn’t feel like he did the right thing. He feels like he ran out of options. But he nods anyway because what else is there to say? In the corner, Victoria sits on the cot, flipping through the Captain Underpants book again. The weight Pete’s been carrying alone shifts to broader shoulders.
The afternoon brings motion. The Iron Lanterns gear up without fanfare. Ryan and two other members—a guy called Wrench and a woman named Diesel—gear up for a ride. They don’t announce where they’re going. They don’t need to.
Pete watches from the garage door as the bikes rumble to life, chrome gleaming in the autumn sun. His stomach knots. He knows where they’re headed.
«They’re just looking,» Copper says from behind him. «Not engaging. We need to know what we’re dealing with.»
Pete nods but doesn’t turn around. His eyes stay fixed on the road until the sound of the engines fades completely.
Inside, Victoria sits cross-legged on the cot with a new book Gloria brought from the thrift store. Something about a girl and a dragon. She’s absorbed, turning pages carefully like they might tear.
Gloria sits nearby in a folding chair, knitting something that’s starting to look like a scarf. «You like dragons?» Gloria asks without looking up from her needles.