She didn't believe him.
And Luther sat at the table with Dwayne's file in front of him.
The file he'd requested through FOIA twice.
The file that had come back redacted.
The sections redacted, placement destination, signing official, follow-up care.
All the things that mattered.
He stared at his brother's photo.
19 years old.
Smiling.
Holding a drawing he'd made of a house and a tree.
The same drawing Luther had tattooed on his forearm 18 years ago.
"We're going to find you," Luther whispered. "I don't care how long it takes."
His phone buzzed.
Rivera.
Message:
FBI opened full investigation. RICO charges filed. Aldridge arraigned tomorrow 9:00 a.m. Press conference 2:00 p.m. You should be there.
Luther typed back:
I'll be there. But this isn't over until we find the 16.
Her response came fast.
Agreed. We're working it. I'll keep you updated.
Luther set the phone down.
Looked around the room at his brothers.
"It's happening," he said. "Federal case. RICO charges. Aldridge arraigned tomorrow morning."
"Bail?" Specter asked.
"Denied," Luther said, reading another message. "Flight risk, severity of charges. They're holding him."
Rimshot whistled low.
"Hell of a day's work."
"It's not done," Luther said quietly. "Not until we find everyone he disappeared."
He looked at Emmett, still sleeping on the cot.
"That boy walked 6 miles to bring my daughter home. Now we're going to walk however far it takes to bring everyone else home, too."
Nobody argued.
Because that's what they did.
That's what they'd always done.
And 48 hours after a homeless 15-year-old collapsed at their door in a storm, the Hells Angels had just opened a federal investigation that would bring down a 15-year pattern of institutional corruption.
Justice had been served.
But justice wasn't the ending.
It was only the beginning.
The hard part was over.
Or so they thought.
Because what came next, the logistics of rebuilding a life that had been torn apart, would prove to be just as challenging as bringing down the man who'd destroyed it.
Just in a different way.
Three days after Preston Aldridge's arraignment, Diesel drove Emmett to McDowell County General for a follow-up appointment.
Same hospital where Luther had collapsed.
Same entrance where Emmett had found Lily.
Different reason for being there.
This time someone was making sure he got the care he needed.
They sat in the waiting room.
Diesel had brought a package of crackers and a bottle of water.
Set them on the chair between them without saying anything.
Emmett looked at them for a moment.
Then picked up the crackers.