Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Rigs

My mind is racing with thoughts of how quickly Mattie was taken from me. I never should have left her by herself, but I couldn’t risk her getting hurt by the Hounds. Unfortunately, she got hurt another way. It was a no-win situation.

Different scenarios of what might be happening Mattie bounce around in my head. Thoughts of someone breaking her arm, like they did Mel’s, made me sick to my stomach. I can’t believe Charlie didn’t take her cell phone. That was a rookie mistake. Unfortunately, inexperienced criminals could sometimes be even more dangerous than experienced ones. Their general ineptitude made them unpredictable.

By the time Siege, Dutch, and I are speeding down a long dirt road parallel to the river, I’m fully prepared for any eventuality when it came to rescuing the woman I love. I don’t care what I have to do to protect her. I’ll run down the bastard who took her and break his neck with my bare hands.

I catch sight of the shed, then of some tire tracks. I just hope Charlie hasn’t taken my Mattie with him. I jump off my bike and made a run for the door. Siege tries calling me back, I know he wants me to be cautious, but my brain is saying fuck that. I slam into the door with my right shoulder, and it buckles under my weight.

I stumble into the room and fall to my knees in front of Mattie, just so grateful that she’s alive.

She surges forward and into my arms. “Thank God you’re here. We’ve got to get Evan to hospital. If we don’t get him there soon, I don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

Siege stalks into the room with a bolt cutter and begins cutting through Mattie’s and Evan’s chains. “The van’s here. They were just a minute or two behind us the whole way.”

“How are we going to explain this situation?” I ask.

“I’ll handle everything myself. I plan to tell them the truth. I’ve got nothing to hide,” Mattie says.

“That’s a good idea,” Siege responds, and helps me get Evan up.

We took him to the van and settle him in the backseat. Mattie and I crawl in next to him.

Siege jumps into the back, hits the ceiling of the van twice and yelled, “Move out, and don’t stop for yellow lights.”

Chrome starts the engine and takes off.

Mattie smooths Evan’s dirty hair back out of his face. “When he’s all better, I’m going to look into fostering him.”

I stare at her like I was seeing her for the first time. “You want to be a foster mother to a fourteen-year-old?”

“I have a background in social work and a minor in psychology. Who better to see to the needs of a boy who has been traumatized? I’m in a position to take good care of him and make sure he gets the therapy he needs to make a full recovery.”

I look from her to Evan and back again, and something in my brain clicks into place. “I think that’s a really good idea. Evan needs a strong, compassionate mother figure in his life. You more than fit the bill. Whatever help you need, you can count on me.”

She looks at me and I see a world of gratitude in her eyes. “You’re a good man, Rigs. You’d be a great role model. Maybe being around you and the other brothers would make him feel like he had a family.”

I feel something powerful building in my chest. It takes me a minute to realize that something was pride. I was so grateful that Mattie respects me and my club enough to trust us to do right by this young man who had already had a rough life.

I would not only make a good role model, but a good father to this boy, I think to myself. Of course, I didn’t say that to Mattie because now was not the right moment to be talking about making a family, but I feel it so strongly that it’s impossible to ignore the rightness of it.

Mattie and I talk quietly on the way to the hospital. She tells me everything that happened from the time she got into Charlie’s car until I rescued her. I don’t blame my Mattie for being abducted, because I might have made the same decisions had I been in her place. I would never judge a good woman for making the best decision she could with the information she had at the time. And as I gaze down at Evan’s pale face, I know that if she had not taken this chance, this boy surely would have died.

By the time we pull up to the emergency room door, I’ve made a decision. I was going to do everything humanly possible to make Mattie my wife and Evan my son. Of all the battles I’ve ever fought in my life, this was by far the most worthy one of all.

Inside the ER, nurses quickly took Evan away to be checked out and taken care of. Mattie follows Evan, and I do what I can to get him checked in at the front desk. I start by giving his name and alerting them that he’s on the missing person’s registry and the woman with him is a Child Protective Services supervisor. Then I give them the limited amount of information that I can remember from his file.

I sit in the waiting area, pull out my phone, and text Smoke.

Me: Mattie found that kid we’ve been moving heaven and earth to find, Evan.

Smoke: I heard about that from Siege. What do you need me to do?

Me: My Mattie wants to foster him, maybe even adopt him.

Smoke: I know the judge working night court. I can petition them to make her his legal guardian on an emergency basis.

Me: Please.

Smoke: Text me all the information and I’ll jump on it right now.

Me: Thanks, man. I gotta go. The cops are here.

I watch them walk up to the front desk and then get directed to me. Sliding my phone into my pocket, I stand as they approached.

One of the officers reaches out to shake my extended hand. “My name is Office Boyce. This is Officer Shriver.”

“My name is Richard Kowalski. It’s nice to meet you both. I assume you’re here to talk to me about Evan White. I’m an ordained minister and have been working with one of the supervisors at Child Protective Services, Matilda Mathews, to find him. Evan’s been on the missing person’s registry for several months.”

We sit down in the nearly empty waiting area. “Do you mind if I ask how you became involved in this situation?” Officer Boyce asked.

“I heard there was a missing child in our community and naturally wanted to help find him. I contacted the CPS supervisor in charge of his case and asked if there was anything I could do help.”

“That makes sense. Ministers are do-gooders after all,” Officer Shriver says, and I notice him staring at my vest.

I smile at him. “We try to be.”

“Care to explain the Savage Legion cut you’re wearing?” Officer Boyce asks casually.

“There is nothing much to explain. The founder was my mentor when I was a teen and encouraged me to go into the Marine Chaplain program. It turned out to be a good fit for me. I came back and became the spiritual advisor for his club, God rest his soul.”

Both officers relax a little.

“How did you find Evan?” Office Shriver asks, getting back to business.

“I didn’t. I believe Mattie got an anonymous tip. Someone volunteered to take her to a shed out by the river that had some of his possessions. Naturally, she was excited about finding a lead. Once she got there, she found Evan was chained up and sick. The person chained her up as well.”

I know Mattie wanted to come clean, but my gut tells me to hold off for a bit. We don’t know why Boyles decided to keep them alive rather than kill them on the syndicate’s orders. Until I track down that bastard, I want him to think they’re still in the shack.

“Where were you?”

“Our club owns a bar in town. I was there. Mattie texted me to come right away and I did.”

“Do you have any idea who the abductor might have been?”

“I’m afraid not, he was gone by the time we got there. Mattie might be able to tell you more.”

Officer Boyce writes that down in a small notebook. “Is Ms. Mathews with Evan now?”

“Yes, the doctors took him, I doubt a team of wild horses could drag her away.”

“Is there anything else you think we should know?”

“Not that I can think of. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you for your time,” Shriver says, and hands me one of his business cards.

I watch them wander back toward the doors leading to the emergency room and sent Mattie a quick text to alert her that the cops were on their way and that maybe it’s best to keep Charlie Boyles out of the story until we know exactly why he kept them alive.

Then I send a message to one of the prospects to get Evan some clothes and other basic necessities. I call the clubhouse and ask another one of the prospects to pack Mattie an overnight bag and to pick up some food for us on the way.

Next, I begin looking at wedding bands and houses. My Mattie wanted to take care of Evan, and in order for that to happen, we need a proper home. Something with a fireplace and a white picket fence, I thought. A house fit to impress any social worker.

I feel myself transforming from the jaded spiritual advisor who did the club’s dirty work so my club brothers didn’t have to, to a man worthy of having love in his life and a family to care for.