The child protection investigator was a woman named Nadia Flores. She wore no uniform, only a blue blouse and a battered leather satchel, and she seemed accustomed to people assuming that anybody with paperwork had come to take something away. She told Leo about his right to be heard in decisions concerning his placement and the possibility of a youth advocate being appointed to help him navigate the process. Her explanation was careful, filled with phrases such as pending review and subject to approval, but at least she did not pretend a life could be fixed between breakfast and lunch.
"I don't want another house like Hank's," Leo said. His voice went small at the end. "I'll sleep in the garage before I do that."
"I believe you," Nadia said. "And I'm not going to send you back there. We need to find you somewhere safe while the case is reviewed. You get to tell us if something feels wrong, and there are people outside this office who can help you make sure we listen."
Leo waited for Sully to object that the state had already failed once. Instead the biker leaned forward and asked what kind of temporary placement might allow Leo to continue receiving medical care, finish his schooling, and work toward a mechanical apprenticeship. He did not offer to take the boy home that instant, and that restraint surprised Nadia. She had spent enough years around children in crisis to become cautious about adults who promised rescue while ignoring every boundary that made rescue safe.
"He needs a real plan," Sully said. "I'm not asking for a favor outside the rules. I'm asking what the rules actually are."
Nadia studied him. "That's a better question than most people start with," she admitted. She explained that Leo could potentially be placed in an approved supervised youth residence while his longer-term options were reviewed. She also described the requirements for a work placement and the restrictions that applied until he reached eighteen.
The discussion took nearly an hour. Leo listened from the bed, too tired to participate in every detail, but one phrase held his attention: he would not have to return to Hank's home. Nadia repeated it before leaving, and Ruiz repeated it again later because she seemed to understand that a promise heard only once could disappear under the weight of years of disappointment.
Sully remained quiet until the room was empty. Then he asked Leo what Daniel Gallagher had taught him to repair first. The question was so unexpected that Leo blinked. "A bicycle wheel," he said after a moment. "Dad told me nobody should start by working on a machine that could hurt them if they got it wrong."
"Smart man."
"He was," Leo answered. He swallowed, feeling something shift in his throat. "Sometimes I think I remember him wrong. Like maybe I only remember the good parts because I miss him."
Sully leaned back in the chair. "You probably remember some things wrong," he said. "Everybody does. Doesn't mean what mattered wasn't real."