Messing with someone's family member was called for all-out war. Blood would be shed. People would get hurt. People would die. Territories would change hands.
Romeo rode toward Interstate 90. Learning the truth from Dice redeemed his MC brother. Dice was no longer a dead-beat Dad but a man trying his best to keep his daughter alive and away from a life of hell.
Except, Timber was no longer a minor.
She was a full-grown woman who happened to be the granddaughter of a crime kingpin.
Because Romeo had liked looking at her and had gotten to know her, he couldn't ignore the fact that they were up shit creek.
At his house, he shut off the engine. One thing still bothered him.
"Does Timber know where her mom goes when she's not around?" he asked.
Dice's gaze narrowed. "No. She can never find out."
"She needs to know, brother. It'll keep her safe."
Dice's face hardened. "If she knows, she'll run right into Gabraldi's arms. I know her better than anyone, including her mother. That girl has led a lonely life. She pretends it doesn't bother her and she's strong, but if she finds out there's someone who wants to love her, she'll be gone in a blink. You and I both know that Frank Grabraldi would think nothing about using his granddaughter. "
"You can't know Timber would runoff. She seems sensible to me. Hell, she traveled from Seattle to Spokane, got a job, found a place to live, and supported herself without anyone's help."
"She's lived a hard life. It hasn't been easy for her. I've tried..." Dice clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. "She's got a lot of her mother in her. I've tried to keep her sheltered. I wanted less attention drawn to her. But I'm losing the battle at keeping her safe. I never would've thought she'd come here."
Romeo waited for him to continue, but Dice shut up.
Like father, like daughter. They both clammed up when it was vital for them to talk.
Chapter Seventeen
Timber walked out the back of the diner, wrestling with her purse. Romeo smacked Bull on the arm, letting him know he was leaving and took off in a jog across the lot. He'd meant to get to Timber sooner, but the club meeting went longer than planned.
Getting her strap situated around her neck and the bulk of her purse behind her hip, she turned to where she'd parked her loaner bike earlier and stopped, planting her hands on her waist.
"Hey." He slowed to a walk. "Change of plans."
"For me?"
He stopped and hitched his chin. "I'm taking you to my house."
"Um. I've rented an apartment, remember?" She glanced behind her. "I don't understand. Where did the bike Vega let me borrow go? I put it right here so I'd have it after work."
He could tell her that he rolled it over to Vega's motel room and gave it back, but then the subject would be open to conversation, and he had more important things to do.
"Damn, truckers. You can't leave anything outside anymore." He hooked her neck, bringing her against his side so he could loop his arm across her shoulders, keeping her with him. "I'll give you a ride."
All he had to do was get her on the Harley. She couldn't get off if the wheels were turning. If he told her Dice was at his house waiting to talk with her, she'd never go with him.
He kept walking, bringing her with him. "Did you have a good day?"
"I guess." She glanced behind her. "Until someone stole the bike. I'm going to have to pay Vega back. She only loaned it to me."
"I'd wait to see if it shows back up. You never know. One of them might've taken it for a ride and planned on bringing it back."
"That's weird."
"Yeah." He gazed around. "Stranger things have happened."
"I guess."
"Do you work this weekend?" he asked, getting on a safer topic. "Things will get crazy by Friday. The motel is booked solid. More people will be at the diner."
"I only work on Friday but have the weekend off." She hurried to keep up with him.
He could let go of her since she was willingly moving along with him, but he liked the feel of her against his side. "Lucky you."
"Are you working security this weekend at the diner?" She stopped at his Harley.
"Nah, I'll probably stick around the clubhouse and party with the rest of them." He got on the motorcycle.
"Oh." She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around him as if she'd done it her whole life.
He started the bike to cover the chuckle of satisfaction that came out of him. Dice had never taken her riding. He liked that he was her first. At least in that area of her life.
Before he and Dice could get the situation with Swallows under control, he suspected there would be more firsts Timber would go through.
When he pulled onto his street and cut the speed down to thirty-five, Timber shouted, "I thought you were taking me to the apartment."
"Got something to do first," he said loud enough for her to hear.
Her cheek went back to his shoulder. He had the uncomfortable urge to delay their return to the house to enjoy the feel of her body wrapped around him a little longer.
When he'd left Dice at the house, he was halfway to storming out. It'd taken a half-filled whiskey bottle to make him stay while Romeo attended the meeting at the clubhouse. Hell, he wasn't sure if Dice would even be there when they arrived.
Dice used a heavy hand with Timber. Not physically, that he knew, but verbally. And he didn't like it.
He'd witnessed Timber opening her mouth to Dice and answering him as if she hadn't a choice in the matter. While he'd done everything to make her talk to him and join in the conversations at the house with his brothers—and finally succeeded where she enjoyed her time with them—it irritated him that Dice took that choice away from her. Whatever he'd done had her scared enough that she answered him under pressure.
It would be one thing if Timber knew what they were dealing with, but from what he understood, she'd gone her whole life thinking she was unloved, neglected, and unimportant.
While Dice had a hell of a way of taking care of her as an absentee father, he'd kept her safe. But Timber would've been better off if someone had shown her some love.
He pulled up in front of the house. Patting Timber's calf, he signaled for her to slide off.
"Let's go inside." He strolled toward the house and stopped halfway to the door, looking over his shoulder. "Aren't you coming?"
She stood beside the Harley and shook her head. He exhaled, knowing he'd gotten lucky to get her home without telling her about her dad waiting to talk to her. He couldn't take her in, unaware. Too many people had already fucked up her life enough. She needed a choice in the matter, even if he had to pack her over his shoulder to get her to see her dad.
He approached her. She looked up into his eyes, searching for the truth.
"I've learned a few things about your dad today, and I think you need to go talk to him." He hitched his thumb. "He's inside waiting for you."
"No."
"Timber." He reached for her neck to bring her closer, but she dodged his hand. "Just listen to him for a few minutes, and then you and I will talk, okay?"