“How long?”
“Three months.”
“Mother?”
“Deceased.”
The officer looked toward Noah.
“You tell him all this?”
Noah said nothing.
Victor replied:
“Enough.”
The officer sighed.
“They still can’t leave with you.”
Victor nodded.
“I know.”
Noah stared at him.
Betrayal filled his face.
Victor hated it.
“But,” Victor continued, “they also don't go back to wherever they ran from until somebody checks it.”
The officer looked toward Noah.
“You ran from somewhere?”
No answer.
Victor said:
“Call child services.”
Noah grabbed his backpack.
“No.”
Victor stepped toward him.
“Noah.”
“You lied.”
“I said I'd help.”
“You're sending us away.”
“No.”
“Yes!”
Lily started crying.
Victor lowered his voice.
“You can't sleep outside.”
“We've done it.”
“That doesn't make it okay.”
“We're fine.”
“You asked strangers for scraps.”
Noah flinched.
Victor regretted the sentence immediately.
But he continued.
“That's not fine.”
Noah’s eyes filled with anger.
“At least I kept her fed.”
Victor stopped.
The whole room stopped.
Noah’s chin trembled.
“At least I kept her safe.”
Victor slowly nodded.
“You did.”
Noah looked confused.
“You did what grown adults should've done.”
Victor continued.
“You kept walking.”
“You got her food.”
“You got her away from somebody who scared her.”
“You carried everything.”
The boy’s anger began breaking apart.
Victor’s voice softened.
“You did enough.”
Noah’s eyes filled completely.
“You don't have to do the rest alone.”
The first officer looked away.
Mara wiped her face.
Lily hugged Noah around the waist.
Victor stepped closer.
“Let adults do one thing right.”
Noah whispered:
“What if they split us up?”
Victor looked toward the officer.
The officer hesitated.
Victor’s expression hardened.
“They won't.”
The officer said:
“I can't promise—”
Victor turned toward him.
“They won't.”
“Sir—”
“I’m not threatening you.”
Victor’s voice remained calm.
“I’m telling you I will spend every legal dollar and make every lawful phone call necessary to make sure these children stay together.”
The officer stared.
Sam stood behind Victor.
Then another biker.
Then another.
Not threatening.
Just present.
The officer exhaled.
“We'll note sibling placement as priority.”
Victor turned toward Noah.
“You hear that?”
Noah nodded.
Victor added:
“And I'm coming with you until somebody tells me legally I can't.”
The younger officer said:
“You can follow.”
Noah looked at Victor.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Lily whispered:
“Can we take the pie?”
Mara laughed through tears.
Victor looked at her.
“Box the whole damn thing.”
They left the diner twenty minutes later.
Noah and Lily rode in the police SUV.
Victor followed on his motorcycle despite the rain.
So did Sam.
So did three more bikers.
By the time they reached the county child-services office, six motorcycles pulled into the parking lot behind the police car.
The social worker at the desk looked out the window.