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Joker walks into the room. He’s six foot three and bulkier than a linebacker. It’s all muscle, and I hope his size doesn’t intimidate Max. Joker’s a good guy, though he’s a bit of a prankster. I don’t know what he has in store for Max, but he’s got enough sense not to do anything to scare the kid. After they’re comfortable with each other, I’m sure Joker will be up to his usual hijinks.

“Oh, shit, pizza party? Damn construction bullshit made me late.” Joker grabs my hand, and we bro-hug, slapping each other’s backs. “Been a while.”

“Too long. Next time we barbecue, you have to join us,” I say.

“Better do it before summer’s over. I hate driving my car in the winter. It’s too claustrophobic.”

“How are things in the North Dakota chapter?” I ask.

“Same shit, different day. There’s a rival club trying to form and poach our members, but that’s never going to happen.” Joker grabs a slice of pizza and shoves most of it into his mouth before biting off the crust.

“You need any help, call me. We’ve always got your back,” I say.

“Will do.” He wipes his mouth, then sits on the edge of the desk. “You must be Max.”

“Are you my big brother?” Max’s eyes are huge. They’ve been that way since the minute Joker walked into the room.

“Yep. I’m going to take you the rest of the way to your new family. I live in the same city, so if you ever need me, call, and I’ll be right over.” His gaze turns to me and asks, “You gave him the phone, right?”

“Yeah. Untraceable and permanently prepaid. He just needs to make sure it’s charged at all times. The FBI’s still interested.”

I don’t say anything more because I don’t want Max to worry. I don’t think the feds have enough time or manpower to look for the boy longer than a few weeks. We’ll be giving Max a new identity, which will help keep him off their radar. Joker will explain the details later. This isn’t his first rodeo.

“Got it,” Joker says.

“Want any more pizza?” Cleaver asks.

“I’m stuffed from burgers earlier,” I tell him.

“My tummy’s full,” Max says. He pats his stomach, then looks at Joker. “Are we going to play catch together?”

“Sure,” Joker says. “I’ll play any game you want. We barbecue all the time. You’ll get to meet the other kids in my chapter this Saturday.”

“I never had friends before,” Max says softly. His gaze drops, and he fidgets in his chair.

“Well, you’ve got some now. Scar’s your friend, and so is Cleaver. I’m your big brother now, so we’ll be friends forever.” Joker’s face softens. He really does love kids. One day I’m sure he’ll have some of his own, but he’s still single, like most of the guys in his club.

“Forever?” Max asks.

“Forever. Come here, little bro.” Joker hugs him, lifting off his feet and swinging him around. Max accidentally kicks over a lamp, but Cleaver just laughs.

“You guys should get going before you destroy his office,” I say.

“Sounds like a plan.” Joker sets Max down. “Ready to meet your new family?”

“Right now?” Max grabs Joker’s hand.

“We’ve got a long ride to get there, but yeah. You’ll get to meet them tomorrow. Tonight, we’re riding for a few hours. Then we’ll stop and get some rest.” Joker tells him the plan we ironed out. It was already a long ride to get to Billings. We didn’t want Max to get too tired, so we made arrangements for them to stay with a friend of the club in Miles City.

“Come on, bring it in.” I hold open my arms. Max rushes into them and gives me a big hug.

“Thanks for saving me,” he whispers.

What he doesn’t know is he saved me, too. Every time I rescue another kid, a little part of me heals. It’s a drop of hope in an ocean of pain, but it’s the only thing I live for. Well, that and getting vengeance against Blackstone.

After we say our goodbyes, I stop to talk to Reaper and Talon. They’ve been keeping watch outside. Since there’s no sign of trouble, we get on our bikes and ride back to our clubhouse.

Matrix greets us as soon as we get there. He’s got a six-pack dangling from his fingers. He peels one off and hands them out as we walk in. We grab seats in the living room. The television’s tuned into the local news station, but the volume’s off.