If anyone were with Timber, regardless of Dice hiring them, he and his brothers would kill to protect Timber.
"Hey, where are you going?" shouted Dice.
Halfway to his motorcycle, Romeo flipped Dice off. He had it with the man.
"Come on, brother. I'm going to go look for her." Dice cut across the line of bikes and threw his leg over his motorcycle. "We'll find her faster if we work together."
"I'll find her myself." He glared at Dice. "If anything happens to her, this is on your back. I will dog your every step and make you pay for the rest of your pathetic life because killing you would be too easy."
"You don't understand Timber. She's fine. She knows how to protect herself. Once we get her back, she'll settle down and forget about it all."
"You're fucked, man. She's not going to forget about it."
"Time after time, she gets over it, brother. It no longer bothers her that she has to keep running." Dice sighed heavily, putting on his helmet. "I've told you, she's broken. I've broken her."
"She's not fucking broken. She's young. She's a damn baby compared to us. Have you ever once taken care of her?" Before Dice could start flapping his tongue, Romeo continued. "She's young, and while everyone needs to learn how to survive and be responsible for their actions, she's fucking taken care of herself since she was too young to know any better. Just once, let her be your daughter and fucking take care of her like you're supposed to be doing."
"This keeps her safe from Sparrows," said Dice.
"Bullshit." Romeo faced him. "It keeps her scared. It keeps her hurt. It keeps her alone. You've let your fear dictate how she lives. When does she get to start living her life?"
Romeo shook his head in disgust and started his Harley. Ripping out of the parking lot, he left Dice behind.
He would find Timber.
And when she was back in his arms, he wouldn't let Dice, or any of the fucking men her dad had hired, touch her.
Chapter Twenty Three
The Uber driver looked at the money in his hand. "I don't think anyone has ever paid with cash before."
"Well, that was the option on the app." Timber opened the door.
"I guess there's always a first time." The driver chuckled. "Have a great day."
The man, probably only a few years older than her, honked his horn as he backed out of the parking lot in front of the motel.
She walked toward the end of the building. Standing outside the door, she knocked and waited for one of the girls to answer. She wasn't sure who worked today and who had the day off. But after dealing with the men her dad had sent after her, she only wanted some meaningless conversation and to get her mind off the way her dad pressured her. There was no reason for anyone to watch over her. She wasn't in Seattle anymore.
The door swung open, and Jess smiled at seeing her. "Come on in."
"Thanks." She stepped inside, surprised to find everything organized and clean. With more than one person sleeping in the room, she assumed the place would be overrun with items.
"Hayley told me I should stop by if I wanted some company. I finished my errands early, so I probably beat her home."
"She hasn't shown up yet, but you can keep me company." Jess stepped into the kitchen. "I just made some coffee. Want a cup?"
After the morning she had, she needed more than a coffee. "Sure. Thanks."
"Sit down and chill. Sierra's working until two o'clock, so I've been puttering back and forth between here and the laundry room. I swear I don't wear all the clothes that end up in my basket." Jess laughed, carrying two mugs into the sitting area of the motel room. "So, what are you doing today?"
"I went to check out a couple of apartments, but..." She waved her hand, unprepared with a lie.
Jess groaned. "Expensive, huh? The place I was staying at before getting a job at the diner cost over twelve hundred dollars for two bedrooms. I had an awful time keeping a roommate that would pay half the rent every month."
"That's too expensive." She blew out her breath. "Was that for an apartment around here?"
"Not too far away. Over on Dover Street."
Timber sighed. It was probably the same place she had planned to inquire about renting. Consider that a no-go now. There was no way she could live there. It would take so much of her money. She only worked part-time.
"Vega's looking for a roommate." Jess sat down on the couch. "Danielle was staying with her but moved in with her boyfriend."
"What about her daughter?"
"What about Freedom?" Jess shrugged. "Everyone's family around here. The kid is used to having someone live in the motel room with them. Though Vega is picky, she does likes you. You're quiet."
Having never been around a young child before, she had no idea if it was a good idea to live in the same room as one. She could upset Freedom's life by moving in.
"What happened with staying with Romeo?"
She burnt her tongue on the coffee and pressed her lips together for a minute before answering. "I still do. I'm just looking at my options."
"I would never move out if I stayed at the Muel house."
"So, I've heard everyone say," she mumbled, smiling at the last second in case Jess thought she was jealous. "They're good guys."
"Tell me about them."
What could she tell Jess? She sleeps with Romeo almost every night but only recently had sex. Should she confess that she had sex, and that's why she's at the motel, hiding out, afraid that he will pretend nothing happened between them?
"Honestly, the guys, well, they come and go. I barely see any of them outside my work schedule." She took a bigger drink, sacrificing her tongue to make her excuse to leave. "I should probably get going."
"Didn't you want to wait for Hayley? She should be back in a half-hour or less. We could call her cell and ask when she's coming."
"No, don't bother her. You reminded me that I have laundry to do, too. I should probably be doing that instead of wasting time running around on my day off." She smiled, getting up and carrying her cup to the small banquet kitchen and putting it in the sink. "Do you work tomorrow?"
"Yep."
"I guess I'll see you then." She looked over the apartment again. "I do like your place. It's homey."
"Thanks." Jess followed her to the door and shut it behind her.
Taking out her phone, she pulled up the Uber app. She should've stayed at the house. All of her plans were falling apart. She had no idea what to do or how to plan for the future.
Her dad's involvement only made things more difficult, like normal. She didn't need those men grabbing her today of all days.
"Timber!"
She raised her head and found Dumbass jogging toward her. She waved and put her phone in her purse without making an appointment for a ride.
Dumbass came to a stop in front of her. "Where have you been?"
"Here." She looked over her shoulder and back at him. "Visiting Jess."
He put his phone to his ear and held up his finger on his other hand. "Yeah, she's at the clubhouse with me." Dumbass looked at the ground. "Not with me, but right here beside me."