Victoria nods. «They’re strong.»
«They are. Smart too. Good protectors.»
Victoria considers this. «Do you think dragons are real?»
«I think the people who act like dragons are real,» Gloria says. «The ones who protect people who can’t protect themselves.»
Victoria glances toward Pete, who’s still standing at the door. «Like my brother.»
«Exactly like your brother.»
Meanwhile, Pete is given a task. Copper hands him a toolbox and points to the wall where wrenches, sockets, and screwdrivers hang in chaotic clusters. «Organize that,» Copper says. «By size. Metric separate from standard.»
«You know tools?»
«Some. My dad used to…» Pete trails off. Doesn’t finish.
Copper doesn’t push. «Well, now you’ll know more.»
The simple work is methodical, and Pete latches onto it like a lifeline. He sorts through years of accumulated hardware: rusted washers, mismatched bolts, sockets missing from sets. His hands stay busy. His mind stays quiet. Almost.
The rumble returns before Pete expects it. He drops the socket he’s holding and moves to the door. Ryan swings off his bike, pulling his gloves off one finger at a time. His face is unreadable. Wrench and Diesel follow, their expressions harder.
«Well?» Copper asks.
Ryan glances at Pete, then jerks his head toward the office. They step inside, and Pete strains to hear through the half-open door.
«It’s bad,» Ryan says, voice low. «Trailer’s falling apart. Paint peeling, trash everywhere. Guy’s on the porch mid-afternoon with a beer, watching the road like a dog waiting for its owner.»
«Anyone else around?» Copper asks.
«Neighbors keep their distance. One lady across the way gave us a look like she knew exactly why we were there.»
Diesel speaks up, her voice sharp. «Place looks like it should’ve been condemned years ago. No kid should be living in that.»
«They’re not anymore,» Ryan says flatly.
When they come back out, Pete searches Ryan’s face for answers. Ryan just claps a hand on his shoulder. «You made the right call leaving,» he says. «That’s not a home, that’s barely shelter.»
Pete swallows hard, nods.
Two hours later, a car pulls up outside. A woman steps out: sharp suit, sharper eyes, carrying a leather briefcase like a weapon. She looks at the garage, the bikes lined up out front, and the Iron Lanterns patch on the wall, and her expression doesn’t change.
Melanie. She shakes hands with Ryan, greets Copper by name, and spots Pete immediately. She walks straight to him.
«You’re Pete.»
«Yes, ma’am.»
«Good. Let’s talk.»
They sit in the office: Pete, Melanie, Ryan, and Copper. Gloria stays with Victoria, keeping her distracted with the dragon book. Melanie pulls out a legal pad and a pen and gets straight to business.
«I need you to tell me everything,» she says. «From the beginning. When your mother left, when he showed up, what’s been happening since?»
Pete talks. It comes out flat, mechanical, like he’s reading from a script he’s rehearsed too many times. His mother vanished over a year back. Note on the counter: I can’t do this anymore.
Dean showed up weeks later. Pete spits the name like poison. Paid the rent. Kept food in the fridge mostly for himself. Had rules. Too many rules.
Melanie writes everything down. She doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t gasp, doesn’t react. She just listens and records. When Pete finishes, she sets her pen down and looks at him.
«Here’s what happens next. I file for emergency custody on Victoria’s behalf. We’ll get a temporary placement order, likely within 72 hours. You’re a minor too, so we’ll include you in the filing. The state will investigate Dean. CPS will inspect the trailer. If what you’re telling me is accurate, and I believe it is, he won’t see either of you again.»
«Where do we go?» Pete asks.
Melanie looks at Ryan, then back at Pete. «That depends. There’s a CPS caseworker named Sandra who I trust. She’s coming tomorrow to assess this space. If it’s safe, if there’s supervision, and if you both want to stay, we can make it work temporarily.»
«They can stay,» Ryan says. No hesitation.
Melanie nods. «Then we make it official.»
Pete doesn’t realize he’s crying until Copper hands him a napkin from the coffee station. He wipes his face quickly, embarrassed, but no one comments.
That night, Victoria falls asleep on the cot again, this time with the dragon book tucked under her pillow. Pete sits beside her, less tense than before, and watches Jinx install a lock on the office door. Something stronger, something that clicks solid when it closes.
«Just in case,» Jinx says quietly.
Pete understands. Just in case Dean comes looking. Tonight, other eyes watch the door. Pete isn’t alone anymore.
Sandra arrives on the third day. She’s younger than Pete expected. Tired eyes that still manage kindness, messenger bag worn soft from years of use. She doesn’t look at the garage like it’s a problem to solve. She looks at it like it’s a possibility.
Victoria is in the office with Gloria when Sandra knocks. Pete opens the door, his palms sweating despite the cool morning air.
«You must be Pete,» Sandra says, extending her hand. «I’m Sandra, mind if I come in?»
He shakes her hand and steps aside. Ryan appears from the back, wiping oil off his hands, and nods a greeting. Copper follows, quieter but present.
Sandra doesn’t rush. She walks through the garage slowly, taking in the tool wall Pete organized, the cot that’s been upgraded with a real mattress and frame, and the bookshelf Copper built over the weekend. It’s simple pine, nothing fancy, but it’s sturdy and already filling up with books Gloria keeps bringing.
«This is impressive,» Sandra says, and she sounds like she means it.
«We take care of our own,» Ryan says simply.
Sandra stops at the office door. Inside, Victoria sits at a small desk Ryan pulled from a storage unit. She’s drawing something with colored pencils, her tongue poking out in concentration. Gloria sits nearby, reading a magazine and occasionally glancing over to admire Victoria’s work.
«Can I talk to her?» Sandra asks Pete.
He nods, though his chest tightens. Sandra enters the office alone. Pete watches through the window as she pulls up a chair and sits at Victoria’s level. He can’t hear what they’re saying, but he sees Victoria’s face—cautious at first, then gradually softening.
She shows Sandra her drawing. It’s a dragon, bright red with green eyes, standing in front of what looks like a castle. Sandra points to something on the page. Victoria smiles.
Twenty minutes later, Sandra emerges. She looks at Pete, then at Ryan and Copper.
«She’s safe here,» Sandra says. «Happier than most kids I see in state facilities, honestly. You’ve done good work.»
Ryan nods. Copper crosses his arms, but there’s relief in his posture.