“Yes.”
“Even if this takes months?”
Leo hesitated.
Then:
“Yes.”
Angela nodded.
“Okay.”
Paramedics examined him.
His injuries were not life-threatening, but he was dehydrated and underweight.
One paramedic asked when Leo last ate.
Leo tried to remember.
“Yesterday.”
“What?”
“Bread.”
“That all?”
“Yes.”
Sully heard.
His jaw tightened.
Hank was not permitted to leave with Leo.
The decision came quietly.
No dramatic speech.
No cheering.
No motorcycle engines.
Angela simply walked toward Hank and informed him that Leo would enter emergency protective placement while abuse allegations were investigated.
Hank exploded.
“This is ridiculous.”
Angela remained calm.
“You’ll receive documentation.”
“He belongs in my house.”
“No child belongs to a foster parent.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Good.”
Hank pointed toward the bikers.
“You’re taking their word?”
“We have Leo’s statement.”
“He lies.”
“Medical documentation.”
“He ran away.”
“Video.”
Hank looked around.
Phones.
Cameras.
The pieces of his confidence collapsed one by one.
“And we have additional records to review.”
Hank’s face changed.
“What records?”
Angela did not answer.
For the first time, Leo saw real fear in Hank Dawson’s eyes.
Higgins was ordered back to his department pending review.
He protested.
Ortega reminded him that nobody was arresting him at that moment.
That phrase made him quiet.
Hank’s truck remained where it was while investigators finished documenting the scene.
At one point, several riders surrounded the vehicle.
Leo remembered the original fantasy that had lived in his head for years afterward: men tearing it apart, leaving Hank helpless in the desert.