“You look like you’ve been rode hard and put up wet,” Lou Ellen said, as Griff slid into the passenger seat of her car.

“I feel worse than I look,” he replied gruffly, as he shut the door and shivered hard.

She reached for the heat knob on the dash and turned it up to full blast. “I think hell may have frozen over since you decided to call me. If not, it’s forecast to freeze over tonight, so I’m glad you called.”

He looked over at her. “I’m glad I called, too. I know this is going to cost me, but if I find Layla, it will be worth it.” Another shiver rocked him and he sighed.

“Who is Layla?” she asked, frowning as her heart dove to her pelvis.

Was that his lover? His wife?

“Layla is a fifteen-year-old runaway, who I promised to protect, but let down.” His eyes glittered in the lot lights, before he dragged them away to stare out the window. “She’s with gangbangers somewhere in this city and I have to find her before it’s too late.”

Gangbangers?!? Good Lord. His worry became her own as she put the car into drive.

“Okay, we’re going to Whataburger and you’re going to eat while you tell me what’s going on,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

She didn’t know if that emotion was from relief that Layla wasn’t his lover, thankfulness that he was out of the elements tonight, or worry that a fifteen-year-old might freeze to death tonight, or be holed up with a gang. As large as the knot in her throat was, it was probably all of those reasons.

Lou always thought about the homeless vets who lived in Tent City, worried about those men, but she never considered the lost kids who lived there too. That this man took it upon himself to protect one of those kids did not surprise her, but it upped her determination to help him once they found the girl.

Ten minutes later, she grabbed the bag from the drive-thru attendant’s hand then quickly rolled up her window before setting it on Griff’s lap. She drove across the lot to an empty parking space and parked, but didn’t kill the engine because they needed the heat. Turning in her seat, she stared at him as he pulled the food out of the bag.

“Talk while you eat. I need to know what we’re dealing with so I know who to call for help,” she said, and he glanced at her.

The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You are a pistol aren’t you? I bet those men you work with don’t stand a chance.”

“I don’t take crap from them and demand respect, if that’s what you mean. I suggest you take that as a lesson if you want my help,” she replied, smiling.

He stopped with the burger halfway to his mouth to look at her. Really look at her. Her insides quivered as his bold blue eyes slowly tracked down her face to her mouth and lingered there a moment before sliding down her body to her lap. When his gaze met hers again, she no longer needed the heater to keep her warm. Steam rose from her coat collar to bake the underside of her chin.

“That directness of yours is one of the many things I like about you, so you won’t be getting any of that from me, either,” he said, the corner of his mouth kicking up.

“That’s good for your health,” she replied with a laugh, folding her arms. “Now what is Layla’s last name?”

“She says it’s Smith, but I think she’s lying. Doesn’t matter anyway—I’m sure the gang didn’t ask her name at all. They would just want her for one thing.” His body tensed and his face pinched as he stared at his hamburger.

“What happened? When did she leave?” Lou Ellen asked.

“While I was with you on Thanksgiving, she left with a banger named Dragon. I don’t know which gang he’s affiliated with, but my neighbor insists he was a gangster.”

“Did he drag her off? Or did she go willingly?” Lou Ellen asked, as he finally took a bite of his burger. He chewed, then swallowed twice as if it wouldn’t go down.

“She left on her own, but I doubt she knew what she was doing. Whether she stayed gone on her own is the question I need answered. She’s probably in big trouble, because, although she tries to act tough, she’s pretty naive. I know she’s not with Varrio or the Crips. I spent a week in each territory looking for her and found nothing. That mean’s she’s probably with MS-13, which scares the shit out of me.”

“Why did she run away from home? When?” Lou Ellen asked.

“She’s been on the street a year and a half, with me for six months of that time,” Griff replied, rewrapping his burger to toss it into the bag, before he looked at her. “Sad situation. Her father was an alcoholic and petty thief, her mother a druggie. She and her brother were in that environment until CPS took custody of them when her mother violated probation. They put them in different foster homes. Hers was abusive and her case worker wouldn’t help her, so she figured she’d be better off on her own.” He cleared his throat. “I think she made the right decision, but thank God she found me or there’s no telling what would’ve happened to her.”

Lou Ellen couldn’t speak for a moment as she fought the burn in her eyes. “How old is her brother?” she finally asked, her heart breaking for children she didn’t even know.

How many kids had been let down so badly by the system? How many of them didn’t run into heroes like this man? How many died just trying to survive?

She really didn’t want to know the answer to that question.

“He was twelve then, so probably almost fourteen now. Layla was like his mother, so it killed her to be separated from him. She has no idea where he was sent.”

“So MS-13, huh?” Lou Ellen asked and shivered again, not from the cold.

She’d read a lot about that gang in the local newspaper. Every day there was another murder or crime attributed to them. According to police, they were the most brutal gang in the city and trafficked in new members across the border every day. It wasn’t just a Texas problem either, their branches were now spread to every state in the union to create a drug pipeline.

“Yes, you’ve heard of them?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as they swung her way.

“Unfortunately, yes, I’ve heard too much lately,” she replied with a sigh. “I think we’re going to need all hands for deck for this one. We’ll talk to Dave and Slade at the compound and come up with a game plan.” Lou Ellen put the car in gear and looked over at him. “You can tell me your story on the way to the compound. That is my price for helping you.”

Griff’s body tensed and his hand moved toward the door handle. Lou Ellen waited for him to make a decision. She wasn’t stepping off into this if he was on the fence about being completely honest with her. He finally nodded and she smiled as she took her foot off the brake to head to the compound.

“You made the right decision too,” Lou Ellen said with smile, which earned her a growl from the other side of the car.

While he was telling her his story, she would be making up one of her own to explain how they met. She knew if she told the guys the truth, they would assign her a bodyguard or tail her every time she went to volunteer at the shelter from now on.