Page 120 of Vandal Unbound

Camila screws up her nose. “No. My husband’s cousin only does what serves him. He’s forgotten what my husband gave up for him. He told us he would help. But I had to hear from a lower-ranking officer that Elsie had been found.” She shifts her glare to Daisy. “You destroyed my family. All I’m trying to do is put us back together again, and that includes my husband’s daughter.”

Daisy looks like she’s been punched. Because knowing what I know, I bet Daisy believes her story about breaking their family apart.

“Your husband was a lying cheating scumbag who played you both,” I say. “You’re both victims.”

Daisy shakes her head. “I tried to explain that day you came to the apartment, after the trial. If I’d known he was married, I would’ve walked away. But I thought we were building a life together. He told me his work took him out of town a lot. I know now that he was back spending time with you. I would have left him sooner if I’d known. But I don’t regret having Elsie, and I will never let her near her father or you.”

“Please,” the driver says, suddenly. “We were just helping our sister.”

Knox looks completely unimpressed. “Don’t give a fuck who you were helping. You don’t get to fuck around with any member of the Iron Outlaws.”

“Wait,” I say, suddenly. “I want to adopt Elsie.”

“You do?” Daisy asks.

“Of course I do.”

“What does ‘adopt’ mean?” Elsie asks.

“Means I love you.”

“And you know me now,” Elsie says. “You want to be a family?”

I nod. “I do.”

Her teary face turns into a watery smile.

I turn back to Knox. “I’ve still got to build a legal case to force Elsie’s father to relinquish rights to her. Let’s call the police.”

“You don’t want to…” Sunny mimics slitting their throat.

I look at Camila. “Yeah. I do. But it’s better if we can show the courts that Camila and her husband colluded to kidnap Elsie to get her. It’ll make it easier to convince them she belongs with us permanently when there are abduction charges against Camila.”

Camila starts crying.

One of her brothers starts shouting about jail time as they realize just how badly they fucked up.

But then I look down at Daisy and Elsie. They’re the future I didn’t know I needed.

Marriage.

Adoption.

A family.

“Knox, can we take a vote on making Daisy my old lady?”

“Now?” North asks.

I shrug. “It’s as good a time as any.”

Sunny shakes his head. “Dude, it’s really not as good a time as any. That’s just something people say when they know it’s not really a good time.”

Reaper looks at the weapon in his hand, then raises his other arm. “Yup, I’m good for a vote.”

Knox rubs his hand over his chin. “Vote for Daisy to become Vandal’s old lady.”

North raises his hand. “Easy yes.”