Jack knelt until he was eye level with the little girl.
His voice became soft.
"Sweetheart..."
"Why would you ask something like that?"
The little girl looked down at her worn sneakers.
"My name is Lily."
She took a deep breath.
"My mommy says I'm going to live somewhere else."
Jack frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lily held up her stuffed bunny.
"Mom says she can't take care of me anymore."
One of the younger bikers quietly set down the wrench he had been holding.
Another removed his sunglasses.
Nobody spoke.
Lily continued.
"She cried when she packed my clothes."
"She said someone else could probably love me better."
Tears filled Jack's eyes.
He had heard painful stories before through the club's charity work, but hearing those words from such a young child was different.
"Where's your mom now?" he asked gently.
Lily pointed toward an old sedan parked outside the garage.
Inside, a woman sat behind the steering wheel with her face buried in her hands.
Jack walked toward the car while another biker stayed beside Lily.
The woman quickly wiped away her tears as he approached.
"I'm sorry," she whispered before he could speak.
"I wasn't abandoning her."
"I just didn't know where else to go."
She explained that she had recently escaped an abusive relationship, lost her apartment, and had been living in her car with Lily for weeks. Child Protective Services had informed her that temporary foster care might become necessary unless she found stable housing immediately.
She wasn't looking for someone to take her daughter forever.
She was looking for hope.