As he was leaving her house, Amy left his to meet him in the front yard. She walked into his arms and murmured against his chest, "The police will be here in a few minutes. They told us to stay inside your house and not leave until they're able to secure mine."
Jared nodded. Even knowing there was no one inside Amy's house, he figured it was best to go back inside his and wait for the police. "Send your brother a text. Tell him not to come home. Or if he does, tell him to come over to my house and not yours."
Amy picked up her phone and began texting. That was one of the things he loved about her. She could be stubborn, wanted her own way most of the time, which wasn't a problem for him because he loved giving her everything she wanted, but she rarely complained when Jared told her what to do. He was a reasonable guy, so he never gave her an order that wasn't necessary.
Amy and Jared decided to dish up plates for each of the girls so that they could eat before the police came. Amy gently explained to them that there was something going on over at their house and that the police would be there shortly. Given how curious and outgoing the two little girls were, it wouldn't take them long to notice all the activity. Amy skated around the truth without telling an outright lie. Jared was impressed at the deftness with which she handled giving her sister's information. He supposed that she had plenty of practice.
The police came and went in a predictable manner. They looked over Amy's house, assured her that no one was inside, and began questioning her about items that might've been stolen and anyone who might target her. A few minutes into the conversation, one of the officers finally recognized Jared. He'd been expecting it. Constable Kevin Smith had been on Jared's case for years. Whenever anything went down near one of the jobsites, this officer always took it upon himself to harass them.
Jared didn't particularly care about the officer and enjoyed playing cat and mouse games with him. However, when it came to Amy's comfort and safety, Jared no longer had a sense of humour.
Officer Kevin narrowed his eyes at Jared but spoke to Amy. "Where was your boyfriend while you were out shopping? He has a record, you know."
Jared wanted to put his fist through the other man's face, but Amy jumped in before he could. Her face flushed with anger and she jammed her fists over her hips. "Do you think it's cool to make fun of my boyfriend when I'm dealing with a break-in? I have children living in that house. Someone violated my space and you think it's okay to make nasty comments like that? Jared has had access to my home for almost a decade. Why would he decide to break in now?"
The officers face turned bright red and he tried to salvage the situation while saving face. "We'll have to check on him. He's a known criminal that lives in your area."
"If you want to waste time checking on Jared, that's your business. Just don't talk to me about it. And I will be speaking to your boss. We are the victims here, not the perpetrators. You can take your attitude and get off my front lawn if that's all you have to offer."
The other officer jumped in to smooth things over, pulling Amy to the side to talk to her rapidly and assure her that they were taking her case very seriously and that they would be not checking on her boyfriend.
Jared stood staring at Officer Kevin, his arms crossed, his tattooed biceps bulging in a not-so-subtle threat.
"When you're done checking on me, you might think to check on her father."
Kevin's lip curled in a sneer. "And why would we want to do that?"
"Because he was released from prison this morning. He called Amy right before he was released to tell her he needed money. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out this is probably the first place he’d go."
Amy's eyes were huge on Jared as she caught what he said. "How do you know that?"
"A buddy told me earlier.” He reached out to take her hand and draw her closer to his side. “I was gonna tell you, but the girls were around and I didn’t want to upset them."
Amy nodded, but it took her a few seconds to recover from the news enough to speak. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands while Jared wrapped an arm around her.
When she looked up, she said, "It was him, it had to be him. I don't know who else it could be."
Jared held her close as her eyes filled with tears and her shoulders shook with emotion.
"Mind telling me who you're talking about?" Kevin snapped.
Jared glared at the officer. "Her father is Michael Funk."
Kevin’s eyes widened as he recognized the name. Their city was not so big that a murder that high-profile wouldn't be remembered only a few years later. "Then that would mean her mother…" His words trailed off into nothing as he realized how insensitive he was being.
"Yeah, no parents," Jared said, his voice hard so the officers would understand that this was no joke and that the Funk siblings were vulnerable.
"Impossible. There's no way that man could've been released from prison that quickly," Kevin sneered. "Your sources are wrong."
Jared shrugged. "Look into it and get back to me when you find that I'm right. I’d like to know how he got out of prison too. If he’s responsible for this mess, you guys have a lot to answer for.” Jared tugged Amy closer against his side and said to the officers, "If that's all you have for now, we’ll be next-door. Let us know when you have her father back in custody."
Jared didn't give the officers a chance to stop them, pulling Amy toward the house and back inside. Millie and Sarah looked at them with concern, but Jared shook his head. "I'm gonna take your sister upstairs for a nice warm bath. You can watch some TV when you’re done eating. Don't answer the door. If anyone drops by, you come tell me."
"Okay," they both said in unison. They watched closely as Jared helped Amy up the stairs.
He filled the tub in his private bathroom with water. He'd splurged and had a big jet tub installed, one that was big enough to fit him and another person.
Amy seemed to be in shock as he helped her stand and gently pulled her clothes off her. She didn't protest that it was the first time he was seeing her naked. He wasn't even sure if she noticed. Her rigid, frozen state was beginning to worry him. He would try to warm her up and get her talking, but if that didn't work, he would have to take her to the hospital.
He picked her up in his arms and walked naked with her to the bathroom, stepping in the big tub and slowly lowering them both into the swirling heat. Amy began to thaw almost immediately, sighing deeply and wiggling on his lap until she’d snuggled into him with her head under his chin. Jared's cock immediately came to attention, but he told it to stand down. Now was not the time.
"Thank you," she whispered against his throat. "I don't know what I would do without you."
"You don't have to do anything without me," he murmured, smoothing her hair back with long tattooed fingers and pressing a kiss against her smooth forehead. "I'm here for you and I'm never gonna leave."
Fourteen
Jared kept the girls at his house for the night. He didn't want them spending the night at their own house, where their father could come back.