Her mouth twisted as she thought about her response. I could tell she was trying to figure out how much to tell me, and I felt irritation swell but before I could get mad for her treating me like a little kid, she spoke again.
“I’m not sure how much Elias wanted to tell you, but since you’re aware Elias is upset, I feel like it’s important for you to know why. This crew, they’re causing all that damage not just because they can, but also in an attempt to pin the blame on Elias’s crew.”
I made a face. “Why?”
“It’s complicated,” she replied. “I don’t honestly understand it all myself. But because they’re doing this, and Elias’s crew has no ability to fight back, they’re being forced to lay low. New rules were put in place, banning Elias from riding after dark, from bringing you and Isla to the clubhouse, and even from wearing his vest or anything that aligns him with his club. His crew is family to him. The separation is hard on him.”
My frown deepened. “Is it because of me and Isla? If we weren’t around, could he?—”
She shook her head, cutting me off before I could even finish the sentence. “No. It’s not just Elias, or even just the guys with kids to take care of who have this rule. The whole crew is under these restrictions, and they’ll stay that way until the bad crewleaves. It’s a form of protection. That crew can’t put the blame on anyone from Elias’s club if they can’t find them.”
That made sense, I guess, but I felt bad for Zero. Now that I was thinking about it, he looked sad sometimes, and he sighed a lot. It wasn’t fair that he had to stop being around his family just because some assholes were causing trouble. If I had my family back, there wouldn’t be anything that would keep me away from them.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“About the other club? No. I want you to promise me you won’t get involved in that, Jasper. Those men are dangerous. They carry weapons, and they have no problem threatening kids. If you see them, you steer clear, you understand?”
Her grip on my arm tightened, letting me know she was serious. I nodded in agreement. “Okay. But what about Zero?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to think of something, but he’s heartbroken right now.” She considered me thoughtfully. “What do you think would help him?”
I spent all weekend thinking about what would help Zero. It felt weird, like he was the kid and I was the adult, but I didn’t want him to just be sad all the time. Ms. Brooks stayed over on the weekend and that seemed to help a little, but whenever she was out of sight and Zero thought he was alone, his frown came back and his face got all cloudy. It bothered me and eventually I got annoyed. There had to be something I could do.
Figuring he’d been around the crew longer than I had, I cornered Xander at lunch. He looked up at me with a frown, cocking his head in question because his mouth was full of food.
“Can I talk to you about something?”
Swallowing his food, he shrugged. “Uh, sure? Here?”
I glanced at the table of kids, all looking at me now, and made a face. Xander huffed a laugh, sliding out of his seat and pointing a stern finger at Kaiden. “If you touch my dessert, I’ll tell Mattias not to let you join us next weekend. A single crumb gone and you’re out.”
Kaiden blanched, pulling Xander’s tray closer to him with a solemn hand on his heart. “I promise, I’ll protect it with my life. Don’t make me miss the trip.”
Snorting, Xander loped off. I followed him into the hall, then into the boys bathroom right next to the cafeteria. There was no one in there, and he made sure to check for anyone hiding in the stall before spinning around and leaning against the wall.
“So what’s up?”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I awkwardly admitted, “I need help with Zero. He’s depressed or whatever. He keeps sighing and staring out the window. I don’t know what to do about it.”
Xander made a face, nodding. “Mattias has been like that too. Mel says it's because of all the crap going down with the Hellfire Riders. We’ve been trying to figure out how to make it better, like a party or something, but Prez said no more than five club members together at a time. Not sure if that’s only at the clubhouse or just in general. I try not to ask too many questions. It only makes Mattias upset.”
I hated that the rule made sense. If those assholes were looking to pin something on the club, then a group of them together would be an easy target.
“What about just a few then? There was that barbecue when me and Isla first got here. How many guys were there?”
He thought about it before answering, “More than five I think, but we can just invite a few if we want to keep it small. Who’s Zero closest to?”
When I shrugged, he pulled out his phone, offering it to me. “Here. Type in your number. We can make plans for something soon. Maybe if we do it during the week, Prez won’t get pissed.”
Last time we talked one-on-one, I’d refused to speak to him. This time, I recognized that he was a good ally, especially with everything going down. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to work together with him. Typing in my number, I asked, “How do I figure out who he’s closest to?”
“Check his phone,” Xander suggested. “It’s probably whoever texts him the most. I’ll get Mel involved. She’s like the most sunshiney person I know. She’ll be on board with something like this.”
I made a mental note to invite Ms. Brooks. Zero liked her, and he smiled more when she was around. It was one of the reasons I didn’t complain about them sneaking around every night. They thought I was clueless, but I’m not a little kid. I’m not stupid. I chose to feign ignorance because honestly, I didn't want to think about that.
I shuddered. Gross.
It felt dumb planning a playdate for a bunch of bikers, but if Zero didn’t snap out of his funk, I was worried he’d stop wanting to watch over me and Isla. If we weren’t around, he’d at least be living at the clubhouse and around his crew more often. He might figure out eventually that if he gave us up, he’d be free to go back to the life he’d had before. I couldn’t let that happen, at least not until I was eighteen. Then I could find a job and take Isla myself.
