Moose released him and stepped away.
Levi slid down the side of the wall.
“Get up, you piece of shit.” Wanderer kicked his leg. “We’re going to comb every inch of this place until we find her.” He gripped Levi’s shoulder and half dragged him to his feet.
“Joey,” Moose called.
“Moose?” a faint voice said.
They followed the sound down a pathway for a good twenty minutes and spotted her perched on a chair in what looked like it might once have been a recreation room.
“Please tell me you’re really here, and I’m not hallucinating because my stomach is eating itself, and I’m dehydrated,” she muttered with a dry-sounding voice.
“No, Jo-Jo,” Moose said.
She smiled up at him. “What the fuck took you so long?”
Moose laughed, bent down and lifted her into his arms. She turned toward him, and the sight of her bruised face made him swear.
“Everything you did to my little girl, I’m going to do right back to you, you fucking weasel,” Wanderer spat with rage in his voice.
“So…you and the old man?” Joey said arching her brows.
“Desperate times.” Moose shrugged.
“Apparently.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “For a while, I was worried I’d die here, and no one would ever know what happened to me.”
“Never that, Jo-Jo. I’d tear this city apart with my bare hands first.” They stepped into the bright sunlight, and Moose knew exactly what he needed to do.
* * * * *
“Drop us off at my M.C.,” Wanderer said. The past few days had been a wakeup call. The saying you never knew what you had until it was gone rang true. He’d spent years pissing away his opportunity to spend time with his girls. He shifted in his seat, ignoring the twinge of pain in his back. That had been one hell of a beating he’d taken from the pack for keeping secrets. But it was worth it. Shit had come out in the open and he was free to do as he pleased.
“Wanderer,” Shooter called. “Listen, I know you want the piece of shit alive, but I’m owed my pound of flesh and you can pick him up when I’m finished.”
“Fair enough,” Moose replied. The man held Joey tightly, as if he’d never let her out of his sight again.
It reminded Wanderer of the way he felt about Ellen. After all these years, no one had ever measured up. So he had lived for the stolen moments they managed and tried to convince himself they were enough. They weren’t.
He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed the number he knew by heart. “Ellen, I got our girl.”
“Thank God,” she sobbed. “How is she?”
“Exhausted and a little bruised but okay.”
“Thank you for bringing our little girl home.”
“Hey, I told you I’d always take care of you two, and I meant that.” Wanderer closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“What are we doing, Ellen? Why even play this game anymore? It’s not necessary. I want you back. I want to be a family.”
Epilogue
Joey opened the door and smiled up at Moose. It had been a few weeks since the botched kidnapping attempt, and they’d remained a bit out of sync. When he asked to meet her at the house she had felt excited. Finally they’d get the thing sorted and get back on track. The tension going around was intense, and they always had an escort, whether they saw him or not. Neither M.C. was willing to take a chance.
“Hey, you,” Joey greeted.