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But Savannah is a small city in quiet ways, and stories have a habit of traveling.
Madison’s world shrank. She stopped sleeping through the night. Her teacher noticed how she startled when doors slammed, how she clutched her stuffed rabbit like it was armor. Reports were filed. Old calls resurfaced. Patterns emerged that Kyle couldn’t explain away forever.
The day of the custody and protection hearing arrived gray and cold, the courthouse humming with quiet tension. Nicole sat on a bench in the hallway, spine straight, fear simmering beneath her composure. Madison leaned against her side, rabbit tucked under one arm, eyes fixed on the elevator doors.
“She’s coming home with me today,” Kyle called out, too loud, too pleased with himself. “A girl needs her father.”
Nicole said nothing. She couldn’t afford to.
Then the sound came.
Jordan Blake walked in wearing his leather vest, the Hells Angels insignia unmistakable across his back. Behind him were six others, men built like oak trees, faces lined with years and choices, eyes sharp with quiet resolve. Veterans, mechanics, grandfathers. Men who knew exactly when to stand still.
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