Levi watched the little girl eat her hamburger like it was the first real meal she’d had in months. He was having a lot of mixed emotions. He knew that DCFS was going to take her to a foster home, at least until her mother was out of jail…and hopefully clean. He knew that she’d have to be better off there than she was in that dangerous pigsty she was living in, so he was happy about that. Krissy had grown up in foster care. She never knew who her parents were or why she was left, abandoned at a fire station when she was three years old. Krissy’s spirit and her love of life kept her from being bitter or angry about that. She decided when she was just a little girl that the people who gave her life had been trying to do what was best for her. Her life in the system hadn’t always been easy, but even when she told Levi about the bad things, she always tried to put a positive spin on them. Growing up in foster care had made her tough…but it hadn’t hardened her or made her bitter. He knew that a lot of kids who grew up there weren’t that lucky, and as he sat and looked across the table at little Susie, he wondered what it was going to do to her. As he was pondering that, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the face…it was his friend Casey, the woman that had taken Krissy in and given her a place to live when she first got out of foster care and had no place else to go.

“Hi, Casey,” Levi said as he put the phone to his ear. He hadn’t talked to her since Krissy’s funeral. They’d sent a few text messages back and forth, but that had been it. Casey was the only person in the world that loved Krissy as much as he had and for some reason that fact had made it harder, rather than easier, for them to lean on each other. Maybe it was because each of them was just too immersed in their own grief to be able to be there for the other. Either way, he felt a little guilty about it.

“Hey, Booger.” Levi and Casey grew up together. Casey was a few years older and as soon as she turned eighteen, while her father was in prison, Casey broke all ties with the club, except for her friendship with Levi. She’d called him “Booger” since he was ten years old. He’d had a cold and he’d used his sleeve to wipe his nose. When they got off the school bus that day, some bigger kid had noticed the big, green booger on his sleeve and started making fun of him. Levi wasn’t one to back down from a fight, even then, but Casey hadn’t let him get into one with the much bigger boy. Instead, she’d grabbed the fourteen-year-old by his nuts and took him sobbing to the ground. She told him if he ever looked sideways at Levi again, she’d tell everyone in school that she felt his dick and it was only two inches long. He ran home crying and never bothered them again. But Casey continued to call Levi Booger, because it was okay for her to tease him. She used to even joke that when he was old enough to patch into the club, he should take on the name as his moniker. “You busy?”

Levi smiled at the little girl, who was now slurping her chocolate milkshake. She smiled back around the straw. “I have a minute for you. What’s up?”

“Well, I’ve been putting this off, but I went through Krissy’s stuff today. I have a couple of boxes for you and I was wondering what you thought about me donating her clothes and shoes to the homeless shelter.”

“I think she’d like that. Hey, Case…I’m sorry that I haven’t been around…”

“Oh, stop it. I know how much you loved her. You’ve been dealing with losing her and your dad.”

“You lost her too.”

“And my heart is broken. But I’m dealing. By the way, I passed my nursing boards. I’m a full-fledged registered nurse now.” Levi felt a pain in his chest. Being a nurse was Krissy’s dream too. She’d wanted more than anything to work at a children’s hospital once she was licensed. She’d almost been finished with school when she died.

“That’s awesome, Case. You’re going to be an amazing nurse.”

“Thanks. I wish Krissy had been here to celebrate with me. It’s a little anticlimactic without her. I’m celebrating with a glass of wine, in my pajamas, packing up her stuff.”

“No way. I’m in the middle of something I can’t get out of right now…but tonight, you and me and a Chinese feast, okay?” Chinese food was Casey’s favorite and Levi owed her so much. The least he could do was buy her dinner.

“You really don’t have to…”

“I really do. You want to go out, or you want take-out?”

“Nah, just bring it here. We’ll eat and talk about Krissy. I miss her, Booger.”

“Me too. I miss you too. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Thank you.” He heard her voice crack and felt like shit once again. He hadn’t been a very good friend.

After he ended the call with Casey and Susie finished eating, he walked her to a small park down the street. It wasn’t a nice place, but there were swings and a slide and since Susie was with Levi, no one would bother her. He was watching her swing with a big smile on her face when he got the call from Zoe’s grandfather. “We’re finished here. Where are you?”

Levi told him and a few minutes later the older man drove up in an unmarked police car. Another car pulled up behind him and a woman got out. She was holding a clipboard and Levi figured she was the social worker. While she went over to talk to Susie, Zoe’s grandfather approached Levi. “Cute kid,” he said, looking at Susie.

“Yeah, she seems like a sweet kid too. What’s going to happen to her?”

“She’s been in foster care before,” he said, disgustedly. “I don’t think they’ll be giving her back to Mom any time soon this time. But the good news is that the social worker knows the family and she says there are grandparents in Alabama that might be willing to take her.”

“Good,” Levi said. He didn’t know if that was good or not, but he wanted to believe so.

“So…you want to tell me how you found this guy? Is he affiliated with your club?” Levi looked down at his kutte. It was the first time he’d worn it around the older man.

“Sort of,” Levi said. “I was supposed to harbor him for a few days until he could get out of town.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling Zoe’s grandfather that, but they somehow seemed to be past the point of a lie’s being accepted.

“So you’re probably going to be in some deep shit with your club.”

He sighed. “Yeah, probably.”

“Patrick Monaghan was wanted for a lot more than shooting Zoe. He has three active warrants. We could always haul you down to the station, say we picked you up out front…cite and release…”

“You’d do that for me?”

The older man looked back over at the little girl and said, “If she hadn’t been there, would you have called me?”

“Doubtful,” Levi said.

“Were you going to harbor him?”

Levi shook his head. “No. I was going to kick his ass.”

For the first time since Levi met him, Zoe’s grandfather smiled. “That’s why I’d do this for you. I’m not usually a fan of anyone that belongs to a gang, but so far, you’ve got more going for you than against you. Besides, my wife likes you and she’s a fairly good judge of character.”

Levi smiled too. “What about Zoe? She likes me.”

“Yeah, but my poor Zoe can’t judge good character for shit.” He laughed. Then, sobering up, he said, “Give me your gun and I’ll have a uniform come pick you up.”

“My gun?”

“Don’t start bullshitting me now, kid.”

Levi took the gun out of the back of his jeans and handed it to Zoe’s grandfather. He looked at Susie and the social worker. The little girl was smiling and they looked about to head for the car. “Can I tell her goodbye?”

“Sure.”

Levi walked over and before he got there Susie said, “Maria is taking me back to the house where I used to stay when Mommy was sick. They have a playhouse and a lot of toys and I’m going to get to go to school!”

“That’s awesome, Susie. I’m glad you’ll be in a good place.”

“Just until Mommy gets better, though.” She looked sad and Levi wasn’t sure if it was because she missed her mother, or she didn’t.

“Yeah, baby girl. I hope she gets better soon. It was fun hanging out with you today.”

She smiled brightly. “You too. Thank you for the milkshake. I haven’t had one in a long time.”

“You’re welcome…” He hadn’t gotten the words out of his mouth before she opened her little arms and wrapped his legs up in a hug. With tears stinging his eyes he got down on one knee and hugged her back. When he let her go, she smiled at him again and then put her hand out and went willingly with the social worker. As she walked away he stood up and looked over toward the social worker’s car and his heart nearly stopped. Krissy was standing next to it. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss. Levi started toward her, but he’d barely taken three steps before she vanished. He was just about to tell himself that he was losing it again, when Susie turned around and said:

“Mr. Levi, the pretty angel told me to tell you that you’re a good man.” The social worker looked back at him and he knew his face had to be as pale as the ghost he’d just seen. He tried to smile at her and shrug, but when she turned back around, he winked at the little girl and mouthed:

“Thank you.”