"Hey, no. We aren't going there. That's not going to help anyone. Mind on the outcome, that's how we get through this with our sanity intact."
"Okay," she agreed, nodding. "Joss with his little sister back."
"Yes... what?" I asked when she went from understanding to upset again.
"That little girl goes from kidnapping victim back to living in a house with addicts who don't even notice when she is missing."
"Babe, she has a brother who loves her, who would kill for her. I'm not saying her life is ideal, but she's got more than some people do. And if you want, we can keep an eye on them after."
"I want."
"Okay."
"That's it? Okay?"
"Is it important to you?"
"Yes."
"Then okay."
"It can't always be that simple."
"Can't imagine why not."
"What if it was important to me to suddenly replace everything I own with stuff from Tiffany and, ah..."
"Babe, if you can't name a single other luxury brand, I think we can both agree how ridiculous an example it is."
"Fine. Well, what if it was important to me to open a cat rescue and save all the Franklins and Oscars of the world?"
"Guess we'd have to get a place with a heated and cooled outbuilding then," I said, shrugging.
"You're ridiculous. But I get your point."
"Good. Go talk to Belle and pack a bag."
"What about the animals?" she asked.
"Trust me, doesn't matter what the fuck we have going on, there isn't a force in this world strong enough to keep Remy from getting back here to take care of the animals when they need it."
"Okay," she agreed. "But if Belle wants to take Max?"
"Teddy won't care."
"We have to ask him."
"Babe, Teddy will give the women literally anything they want."
"What? That makes no sense. He barely knows us."
"It doesn't matter. Teddy has a thing about women. We've never been able to figure out what it is, but he's got a real soft spot for anything you might want or need. He doesn't care if it is over-the-top or inconvenient. He will make it work."
"Oh. Ah, well, okay. I will talk to her."
"Good," I said, nodding.
"McCoy?" she called after starting up the stairs.
"Yeah?"
"You're going to save her, right?"
"That's the plan," I agreed, giving her a nod.
About forty minutes later, Arty was in the camera cloud of not only the liquor and smoke shop, but also the convenience store on the next block where the SUV happened to be parked.
So not only did we finally get to see the bastard who'd been the mastermind behind the kidnapping extortion and murder scheme, but the full plate on his car. And the direction he drove off in.
"Tell me you have something," Huck demanded, passing a coffee toward Arty.
"I... one minute," he demanded, brows pinching as he looked at the picture. There."
"There what?" Huck asked, moving around the island to look at the screen.
"Anton Guera. And a known address," Arty said, turning the face toward Huck.
"You're worth every fucking penny, Arty," Huck declared, clamping a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Can I count on you to be on-call if this address doesn't work out?" he asked.
"Yeah. Booker is going to take me to get some food," he added, puffing up a bit at the idea.
"After you help us drop some of the women and kids off," Huck agreed. "Booker will help with that too."
"Yeah, I can help."
"My driver is almost here with the town car," Teddy supplied.
"The girls are all ready," Eddie piped in as he walked back into the kitchen.
"Alright, Joss, you're with me," Huck declared.
"With you for what?"
"For driving you to Teddy's."
"What? No. I'm not going to Teddy's. I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not," Huck declared, patience running thin already.
"That's my sister!" Joss shouted.
"Yeah, I get that. And I get that you want to save her. But you will only be a fucking liability. You have no idea what you are doing. You will end up getting her—and us—killed. You're going to Teddy's."
"No," Joss insisted, moving to stand in front of Huck, angling his chin up.
It was an impressive amount of bravery on his part. When Huck was in boss-mode, he was a scary, intimidating fucker. The kid should have been cowering, not standing up to an outlaw arms dealing biker president.
"Back the fuck down," Huck growled, shoving a hand into Joss's chest. "You go to Teddy's and let us handle shit, or you go ahead and handle it yourself. But let me tell you, kid, if you pick the second option, you're going to get the both of you killed. Make this decision with your head, not your fucking ego."
Joss's jaw tightened. At his age, all of us would have struggled swallowing our pride and admitting we didn't have what it took to save someone we loved. So it said a lot about Joss that he gave Huck a tight nod before turning away, and following the procession out the front door.