But he moves on. “So you know where they’re at then? We gotta go get her. They had guns and hit her and dragged her away. She’s in big trouble.”
My stomach lurches at the thought of Selkie getting beat up. “Jesus Christ! They hit her?”
“Wow, thanks!” Henri sneers at Oscar. “I feel so much better now.”
Oscar turns to her. “I’m not tryin’ to make you feel better, you idiot. I’m tryin’ to get your mom back.”
She says, “Sorry,” in a small voice,
We both stare at her in disbelief. Hell has truly frozen over.
“Let’s go,” I say grimly.
They scramble after me as I head to the truck. I can tell Henri’s rattled because she hops into the back without protest.
Once we’re in motion, I head towards the clubhouse. “What’s goin’ on, dad?” Oscar says. “I thought we were headin’ to Reno.”
“You’re not comin’ with me,” I tell him. I’m pissed at myself for exposing Henri to the fuckin’ Russians. I can’t believe I did something that stupid. Henri interrupts my thoughts. “I’m comin’ with you. She’s my mom.”
The tension I’m feeling needs an outlet and I explode. “You two are kids! Twelve-year-olds. I don’t have time to worry about you while I’m trying to get Selkie back!”
Dead silence. I glance at Oscar who’s staring straight ahead, his expression hard as nails.
I soften my tone. “I’m takin’ you to the clubhouse where you’re safe. Then I’ll get a couple of brothers to help out.” I glance at Henri. “I’ll get her back. I promise.”
She takes a deep shaky breath. “You gotta get her back.”
“I will.”
“Why would they grab her in the first place, dad?” Oscar says.
The question of the day. “I don’t know.” I think about Selkie, who she is, how she is. Maybe she picked up one of their boys and they want revenge. I try to settle the thunder of my heart by rationalizing. If they were gonna kill her, they’d have done it in the alley. But that doesn’t allay my fear. There are much worse things that can happen when Brother’s Circle is involved.
“Why are you slowing down?” Henri says as I ease off the gas.
Because maybe Hangman’s involved. Maybe that was the favor Kozlov called in. Maybe Hangman pointed the way to Selkie. Where Hangman’s concerned, it’s not that farfetched. Last year he put Red’s girl and five-year-old sister in the line of fire. He’s unpredictable, justifying the unjustifiable.
“I changed my mind. We’re not going to the clubhouse. Not right now, anyway.”
“We’re going with you?” Oscar asks.
“No. You’re not coming with me.” My brain is racing as I choose then reject places to stash Henri and Oscar. A safe place that’s not the clubhouse. I don’t know if Hangman’s involved or why. I can’t really believe that he’d do something like this, but at the same time, I can’t risk the lives of these kids.
Then the light bulb goes off. Red. I’ll take them to Red. He was a former Jury brother until his mother was killed and his world imploded. He walked away and Hangman let him without telling us why. But a brother leaving the fold makes him the enemy. He’s dead to us and if he betrays us, he’s just plain dead.
I haven’t seen or talked to him in six months, so no one would think of looking for the kids there. And he’d do it for me. He’s good down to his bones and more than anyone in the club, he knows right from wrong.
“Where are we going, then?” Henri asks.
“A friend’s. He’ll keep you safe.”
“I don’t get it,” Oscar says. “Why do we need to be kept safe?”
“They saw you in the alley. They know Henri is Selkie’s kid. The two of you probably aren’t in danger, but I don’t want to risk it. Not until I find out what’s goin’ on.”
There’s a few moments of silence, then Henri says in a small voice, “I’m scared.”
I don’t try to reassure her because she’s smart enough to know it would be bullshit. Instead, I say, “Me too.”
