On the back was a special emblem.
ANGELS FAMILY.
Daisy touched it carefully.
Hawk looked into her eyes.
"This doesn't mean you're one of us."
He paused.
"It means you're family."
The Other Side of the Line
Daisy asked about the three men.
"What happens to them?"
Hawk's expression became serious.
"We let the law handle them."
Bear nodded.
That was important.
They were angry.
But they refused to become the people they hated.
The bikers formed a long convoy.
Raven drove Daisy in the truck.
Motorcycles surrounded them.
The procession moved through the snow toward the bar where the three men had gone.
Inside, the men were watching the video.
They were still trying to convince themselves it had been a joke.
Then they heard the engines.
One motorcycle.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
The windows began to vibrate.
The three men stepped outside.
Their confidence disappeared.
Five hundred motorcycles surrounded the bar.
Hawk stood at the front.
Bear stood beside him.
The sheriff arrived moments later.
Hawk looked at the three men.
"Morning, gentlemen."
No one answered.
Hawk played the video.
Everyone watched Daisy throw herself over Bear.
Her voice echoed through the cold air.
"Just don't hurt Santa."
The men looked away.
"You crossed a line," Hawk said.
He pointed toward the sheriff.
"Now you're going to answer for it."
Daisy Speaks
The sheriff explained the charges.
Assault.
Child endangerment.
Leaving the scene.
The video was evidence.
The three men had nowhere to hide.
Then Hawk looked toward Raven's truck.
"Daisy."
She stepped outside.
Her little leather vest showed beneath her coat.
The bikers opened a path.
Daisy walked toward the men.
She was frightened.
But she kept walking.
The man with the bat lowered his head.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Daisy studied him.
She had heard apologies before.
Some meant nothing.
This one was different.
"You scared me," she said.
The man swallowed.
"But you don't get to do that again."
The words were quiet.
Yet they carried farther than any biker's shout could have.
The sheriff placed handcuffs on the men.
The bikers did not touch them.
They didn't need to.
The law would handle the rest.
For the first time, Daisy understood something important.
Being protected didn't mean someone had to hurt the people who hurt you.
Sometimes protection meant making sure they could never hurt you again.