Chapter Eight
Zane
—Seven years ago—
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The double doors at the front of Sacajawea Middle School opened. Kids poured out of the building and ran down the ten steps to the buses lined up in the parking lot. Zane sat on his Harley, a block from the school, and waited.
It'd been six months since he'd talked to River. It'd taken him that long to find someone in the state office who could give him information on where she lived with her new foster family.
He'd spent yesterday staking her out, watching her walk home, and memorizing her route. She had over a mile to go and had to cross two busy intersections, which made him question the school for not supplying a bus to take her home and her new parents, who weren't home to watch her until after six o'clock at night.
As other kids swarmed in front of him, he spotted River walking slowly along the sidewalk. He'd purposely parked away from the school to avoid drawing attention to himself.
He watched her wait for the crossing guards to escort her away from the school grounds, never letting her out of sight. Then, after three minutes of her walking to him, he assessed the situation.
He had zero experience with kids. When he was thirteen years old, the only things he worried about were what was for dinner and whether he could ride his motorcycle after school. By that time, he'd already recovered from his mom leaving, and his unsupervised lifestyle at Gem Haven was exciting.
River kept her head down, focused on the sidewalk, and lugged a backpack that probably weighed more than her. She wasn't aware of her surroundings and hadn't spotted him yet.
His chest tightened. Anything could happen to her.
He had other things to do than care for someone else's kid. Hell, he'd already failed at watching over the two girls. Half the time Kingsley checked up on Kenna, it took him months to find her again. The foster care system shuffled her around like a deck of cards.
River continued to walk right past him, unaware of him sitting three feet away. He whistled. She kept walking.
"River?" he called.
She stopped, turned around, and completely changed her expression at the sight of him. Gone was the solemn child who moped down the street. River's face lit up, and she ran, throwing herself at him without hesitation.
He chuckled. It'd been a long time since someone got excited over seeing him. Nowadays, most of Gem Haven's members avoided him because he'd gone from a young member to acting president. Even the bitches in the clubhouse were afraid he'd send them away.
"You came back." She squeezed him harder.
He set her down beside his bike and extracted himself from her fierce hug. "Told you I would."
"How long can you stay?"
"Three hours." That was the amount of time he had before her foster parents started arriving back home. "Do your foster parents check in with you after school?"
She shook her head. "They work all the time, and I'm old enough to watch myself now."
He looked around to see if they had gained any attention. Surprisingly, the buses had left, and the front of the school had emptied.
"I got an idea. You game?"
She nodded emphatically. "You want to play with me?"
Amusement filled him. River gave him a touch of innocence where the club problems couldn't touch him. If only for three hours.
He took his helmet and slid it over her head. The weight of it almost took her down. She was a little bitty thing.
"Can you climb on behind me?" He put the footpegs down. "Step up and see if your feet touch."
She banged her helmeted head into his elbow, his shoulder, and his back. He couldn't go far with her. She was a walking disaster with a helmet and heavy backpack.
"Hold tight, and don't let go when the motorcycle moves."
Her arms squeezed him. He rearranged her hands and put her fingers on his belt, letting her grip the leather.
When he arrived, he had no plans beyond talking with her to find out how her living situation was and if she was safe. But seeing her happiness over his coming to her made him want to do something special for her.
But he had no fucking clue what a thirteen-year-old girl thought was fun. He scanned the sides of the street as he headed through town. He wanted to avoid public places in case anyone got suspicious of a biker hanging around a young girl.
Knowing she was probably hungry, he went through the Burger King drive-thru and stopped at the window.
"Do you want a burger or nuggets?" he asked.
"Nuggets."
He made the order, pulled forward, and got off the motorcycle without moving River. As soon as the food came, he shoved it in his duffle and got back on his Harley. Down the street, he spotted a sign pointing to a park. He went around the block, turned off the street, and entered a lush green grassy area. There was a play area with young kids screaming and running around. He parked away from everyone.
He killed the engine. "Go ahead and slide off."
Holding her hand so she wouldn't fall, he guided her off the seat. He helped her remove the helmet, grabbed his duffle, and led her toward a picnic table.
She grabbed his hand and skipped beside him through the grass. "I wish my sister was here with us, too. Has Kingsley seen Kenna? Has he taken more pictures of her? Did she see the picture you took of me?"
"I don't have a picture of her this time, but I know Kingsley showed her your picture." He caught her mouth drooping. "Before I leave, I'll take another picture and give it to Kingsley to give to Kenna."
She nodded. "I miss her."
"I know you do, sweetheart." He rubbed her cheek.
"I miss Kenna and my dad and my mom." She looked up at him. "Everyone leaves me."
"It probably seems like that." He pulled out her food and passed her a few napkins. "Unfold those so you can put your food on something."
"Do you have any family besides Kingsley?" she asked.
"Just my dad." He handed over the nuggets and fries. "He's in prison, so in a way, he left me and my brother."
It would be easy to tell her that her dad was alive and in prison, but nobody knew for how long he'd remain alive. A part of him agreed that River had already found closure, losing her dad. To know the truth would open a new wound and have her go through the pain of losing him all over again. No matter what a person's age was, that would be cruel.
"Will he ever get out?" She munched on a fry.
"One of these days, after he serves enough time." He unwrapped his burger. "How's school?"
She shrugged. "I don't have any friends yet."
"You will."
"Maybe."
He took another bite. "Do your foster parents treat you well?"
"They're only keeping me to get money for a new house they're building this summer." She wrinkled her nose. "I heard Peggy telling her mom that I was...I was temporary."
"But they don't hurt you?"
She shook her head.
That's all he needed to know. River wasn't looking for a new family. She wanted her sister. All she was doing was biding her time until she had Kenna back with her again.
"Do you have kids?" whispered River.
"Not that I know."
She laughed. "Well, if you did, you'd know, silly."
He chuckled, glad to make her smile. "We've got a couple more hours. What do you think we should do after you eat?"
"I don't know. I want to be with you."
"Then, we'll sit here and be with each other." He finished his burger.
She kept her backpack on the whole time she ate. Her small shoulders weren't meant to carry such a heavy load.
"Why don't you take your pack off and give your back a rest."
She frowned. "I'm not tired."
"There's no reason to wear it when you're sitting at the picnic table."
"I don't want to take it off."
"Why not?" he asked.
She looked down at the box that had held her McNuggets. "It has all my stuff in it."
"Why do you carry everything you own in a pack you take to school?"
"Because I don't want to lose anything that belongs to me." She nibbled around the nugget until all the crispy outside was gone.
He watched her eat each piece of chicken and every fry until the food was gone. She fired questions at him as they came to her, and he answered her as honestly as possible.
She climbed up on the picnic table, crawled across the top, and straight into his lap. "Zane?"
She was too old to sit on his lap, but he couldn't deny her the comfort she sought from him.
"Will you help Kingsley find my sister?" She snuggled against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Please?"
"Kingsley is looking for her all the time." He cupped her head, holding her close. "I promise we won't stop until we find her."
Kenna was fourteen years old and had already gone to four different foster families in the past year and a half. Tracking her down each time she moved to a different home took time. Official records were hidden behind a firewall that nobody in Gem Haven Motorcycle Club could access. He'd tried.