Jared quickly turned the stovetop off and moved the pans off the hot elements. He pointed at each of the little girls with a tattooed finger that said, ‘ride or die,’ and growled, "Butts stay on stools, got it? If you listen good, I'll make sure there's an ice cream treat with each of your names on it after supper."
They both crowed their delight at his suggestion and promised that they were glued to their stools. Jared strode to Amy, took her arm in a gentle grip and pulled her from the kitchen. He paused in the front room but realized that it was too close to the girls. He pulled Amy over to the stairs and they climbed together, Amy in some kind of numb trance as she followed behind him, stumbling a little. Jared's concern grew and he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up and pulling her in the direction of his bedroom.
Together, they walked through the door and Jared pushed her down onto the bed, then closed the door just in case the girls wandered upstairs. He took another look at her pale face and strode into the bathroom, filled a glass with water and then moved back to sit beside her. He pressed the glass into her hand and when she didn't move, he helped her lift it to her lips. She took an obligatory sip and then nodded.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do. I'm so stupid, I should've called the police." She spoke too fast, her thoughts all over the place as words poured from her. "There was stuff everywhere and I'm not sure if there was someone still in there. Who would do this?"
Jared was beginning to get the gist of what she was saying. "Someone was in your house?" he asked sharply.
She nodded her eyes wide with fear. "Everything in the living room was messed up and some things were broken. I could see the kitchen through the doorway and my dishes were all on the floor in pieces." Her eyes filled with tears. “My mother’s dishes.”
If the culprit had been standing in front of Jared at that very moment, he would've happily put a fist through their head. "You think they might've still been in there?" He asked as gently as he could, blood pounding through his veins.
"Yes… no… I don't actually know. I didn't hear anything or see anything, but they might've been there still. I was scared so I ran."
Jared drew her against his chest and held her, dropping a kiss on to her forehead. "Okay baby. Here's what we're gonna do. You’re going to call the police and give them your address and ask them to come right away. I'm going to go over to the house and have a quick look."
Amy gasped. "You can't do that. What if they’re still over there? What if they hurt you?"
Jared bit back a dark laugh. If anyone should be afraid, it was the intruder who should fear Jared, though he didn't think anyone would be over at Amy's house. He sure as hell hoped they were stupid enough to hang around. He would be very happy to explain why Amy and the kids were off limits. Though Jared suspected he knew exactly who had been in the house and he would dearly love to get his hands on the man.
"Trust me, baby. Nothing’s gonna happen to me, but I have to go check. What if Teagan shows up while there’s someone still inside?"
Amy gasped and the terror in her face grew. Jared almost regretted his words, but he needed her to understand how serious the situation was. He had to go check on the house and make sure her brother wasn’t inside. Though Teagan could be a standoffish brat, the kid was growing on him.
Amy finally let him leave and Jared ran down the stairs, three at a time, and out the front door, calling to Millie and Sarah that their butts better still be on those stools. Childish laughter followed him assuring him that they were indeed still sitting in his kitchen.
Amy had left the front door wide open so Jared was able to walk inside without touching anything. Though he had nothing to do with the crime, he did have a record. His fingerprints would be all over her house anyway, since they were dating, but he didn't need to add more, especially if whoever broke in came in through the front door.
Jared toured the house, his anger growing. Each of the girls’ rooms had been completely tossed, stuffed animals, dolls and toys everywhere. Teagan's room had been torn apart too, though there was much less in there to search through. It was in Teagan's room the Jared realized whoever had broken in hadn't been attempting to steal anything big. They left behind a fairly new TV, iPod and computer.
Amy's room was the clincher though. After witnessing the devastation in Amy's bedroom, panties thrown on the floor with no regard, papers strewn everywhere, and a picture of her mother smashed on the floor, Jared knew that when he got his got his hands on the fucker who’d done this he was going to kill him.
It wouldn't be the first time Jared had killed.
Though Jared and Vince had kept a low profile since their biker days, they still frequently worked on the wrong side of the law, they made business deals with local criminals, ran product across state borders and liaised with local politicians. Anyone even remotely shady knew who Jared and Vince were. They also knew not to cross the biker boys.
Jared and Vince had still been teenagers when the club had betrayed them. They decimated the club, killing half the members and running off the rest. Since then, their reputation had only grown. A little over a year ago Jared had helped round up Vince's wife's ex-husband, systematically broken each of the man's limbs and then dumped him in a vat of quick drying cement. Though fleeting, the experience had been satisfying. Jared didn't like abusive, manipulative men. Zach had been both and Jared had been happy to rid the earth of him.
What Jared had felt that day was nothing compared to how he would feel when he got his hands on the person trying to hurt Amy. And he knew exactly who that person was.
Michael Funk, Amy's father. He must’ve hired someone to come over to the house to search for money or whatever he needed.
Jared called Avery, head of jobsite security. He’d asked Avery to look into Michael. Avery picked up on the second ring. He didn’t even pause before launching into an explanation.
“Just heard your girl’s place got broken into. I’m on my way over, gotta talk to you.” He sounded out of breath, like he was running. Jared heard the slam of a car door. “Got some bad news. Michael Funk was released from prison this morning. According to his attorney there’s evidence his wife slipped and fell in the bathtub and that his client was falsely accused.”
“That’s bullshit,” Jared exploded. “Amy heard and saw what happened.”
“Yeah, her statement held a lot of sway over the jury during the trial. I think it’s probably what got him put away.”
Jared’s gut twisted as he imagined an 18-year-old Amy going through police interrogation and then being questioned by lawyers. The whole process must’ve been exhausting and terrifying.
“Still doesn’t make sense, man. Even if his conviction was overturned, it should take longer than this. There should’ve been some kind of warning to the kids. How the fuck can a murderer just get out within days?”
“Don’t know,” Avery replied. “Overcrowding at the prison maybe. He didn’t have a prior record. Not considered a flight risk since his family’s in the area.”
“This is some kind of fucked.” Jared shoved an angry hand through his hair as he stood in the destruction of Amy’s living room, contemplating how he was going to tell her about her dad. She was going to be devastated. It made Jared want to beat the shit out of something – preferably Amy’s father.