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“Christ,” I mumbled.

“This isn’t going to be good for you.” Natalie crossed her arms over her chest.

“Maybe you should be worried,” I said. “You’re not taking her.”

“I don’t need your permission. She wants to go.”

“Because she doesn’t understand.” My voice rose. “She thinks she’s leaving for a day. Tell her the truth. You’re taking her and not coming back.”

Lili glanced at her mom. “Not forever, right, Mom?”

“No, not forever.”

“Natalie,” I said with a cautionary tone. “Don’t lie to her. She’s old enough to understand.”

“Lili, do you want to go for a walk with me?” Jaymi glanced from me to Natalie. “You two need to talk, but she doesn’t need to hear it.”

“Lili, go in the house while I talk to your dad.”

Big tears slipped onto Lili’s cheeks. “Don’t fight.”

Two officers stayed back on the sidewalk, and two approached. “I’m Officer Peters. This is Officer Kerry. What’s the trouble here?”

“I’d like my ex-husband to leave.”

“Divorce isn’t final,” I said.

Jaymi bent down in front of Lili. “Do you want to take a walk with me?”

“I don’t want to go forever.” She slipped her hand into Jaymi’s.

Henri stepped forward. “I’ll take Lili back into the house.”

Lili scooted behind Jaymi’s legs. “I don’t want to go in the house with Ornery.”

“It’s okay.” Jaymi’s tone was soft and assuring. “We’ll just take a walk to the end of the block and look for butterflies.”

Officer Kerry stared at my face as he pulled a small notebook from his pocket. I’d healed, but I still carried the reminders of my run-in with Kodiak and my former club. “Can you explain where you received your injuries?”

“Nothing related to this. It happened two weeks ago. I filed a report.” The cops had come to the hospital. Nothing was going to come of the investigation because I’d claimed not to remember much. Wrong place at the wrong time bullshit.

He nodded. “What’s going on today?”

“I’d like him to leave,” Natalie said.

I scrubbed my hand down my face. “I’ll go, but we share a kid. I’m not leaving without her.”

“We’d like to speak to each of you privately. If you’ll come with me,” Officer Kerry said to Natalie. Henri walked away with Natalie, leaving me with Officer Peters.

“Be straight with me. What’s going on?”

“Ugly divorce. Uglier custody battle. We’ve agreed to joint custody, but I’m telling you, if I leave here without my kid, I’ll never see her again. My ex is running.”

“Why would she need to run?”

A rumble of motorcycles broke the quietness of the neighborhood. Dozens of Harleys pulled into the drive and rolled to a stop on both sides of the road. Looked like the whole fucking club was here for backup. One by one, the engines stopped.

“Steele,” Natalie shrieked. “I don’t want them here.” She turned to the cop. “This is why I’m leaving.”