Page 35 of Loving Jared

Nineteen

Jared hadn't wanted to leave Amy for the day, but he had to get back to work. One of the job sites had been broken into overnight – tools stolen, graffiti on the side of the building, windows broken. Jared's job was to direct the employees on cleanup, get the tradesmen working again, and find out who vandalized the site.

He had placed security on his house to keep Amy safe, which helped him feel marginally better about leaving her alone, but she was always in the back of his mind. He hated that her father was free to harass her and her siblings. He needed to hunt the guy down, figure out what his deal was and then decide what to do with him.

At the job site, it was becoming clear that the place had been ransacked by someone with an agenda against Vincent and Jared. Though it was made to look like an unprofessional job with the graffiti and the missing tools, whoever had done it had gone for maximum damage. They'd ensured that the job would be set back by weeks, losing the company thousands of dollars.

"Ghosts." Avery, head of security at the jobsite, spat the word like it was dirty.

Jared nodded in agreement. It most likely was the work of their former biker pals. Ironic that the club was called the Ghosts when that's all Jared and Vince had left behind when they took out the club.

Unfortunately, these ghosts were becoming all too real. They’d been a thorn in the side for far too long. It was time to cut them down to size again. Maybe take out the lot of them, instead of leaving a few behind.

As he was talking to Avery, a prickling at the back of his neck told him something was wrong. Instantly he thought of Amy and was reaching for his phone to call her when it started ringing. He dug it out of his pocket and answered quickly, looking at the name as he lifted it. Enrico.

"Start talking," Jared growled.

Enrico was to update him regularly on Amy's movements and the happenings at the house. However, Enrico was only to check in at specific times unless something had gone wrong. Which meant, he was calling now because something was wrong.

Enrico didn't hesitate. "Your girl's house is on fire."

Jared crooked his finger at Avery and started running toward his vehicle.

"Where's Amy?" he demanded, swinging his leg over the top of his bike. He left his SUV behind in case Amy needed to use it.

"She ran inside your house a few minutes ago. She’s safe."

"I want you to put eyes on her right now. Find her and put her on the phone," Jared shouted. “I want her voice.”

Avery's hand came down on Jared’s shoulder. Jared whipped around to glare at him, but Avery just shook his head. "Let's take my car. You're not gonna be able to talk to your guy on that bike."

Jared jerked his head in a nod, hopped off his bike and ran toward Avery's car, a 1967 Firebird, restored to original condition. Though Avery loved the beautiful car, he wasn’t a car person, something the guys teased him about.

As the car roared to life and Avery hit the gas, taking them out of the job site at speed, Jared waited, his heart in his throat. Finally, Enrico came back on the line. "Can't find her, she's not inside the house.”

A rush of fear and anger hit Jared hard and it took him a few seconds before he could speak again. "Search everywhere. Her father has her and he's unstable. He could kill her."

"Gotcha. We're on it, boss."

Jared hung up and shouted into the car, "Son of a bitch, motherfucking hell."

Avery didn't say anything. Something else that made him a good man. He kept his nose out of it until invited.

Jared was impressed with Avery's driving. He took the corners at the highest speed he could, hitting the gas as soon as he was on the other side and racing up the street until they were at Jared's place. Jared was out of the car before it even rolled to a stop. He spotted his guy standing on the front lawn with several firemen whose hoses were aimed at Amy's house.

Even though Jared was sure that Amy wasn't inside, his heart froze at the sight of those giant flames leaping out of the roof of her house. It was going up fast and she was missing.

He shouted for Avery, who started to turn around. As Jared was passing his garage the door started open. Jared leapt back, bringing his fists up, when Amy came hurtling through the door. Tears were streaming down her face and she didn't immediately see Jared, nearly running past him. He reached out to catch her arm, but she screamed in pain and jerked away from him.

"It's me, baby, it's me."

She stopped, looking around in confusion, trying to see him through her tears and the smoke streaming from her house. As soon as she spotted him she flung herself into his arms. He noticed that she was cradling her arm. He held her tight, careful not to squish her arm, which he suspected was broken.

"Talk to me, baby."

"My… my… f-father …" She couldn't get the words out, but Jared got the gist.

"Enrico." Jared jerked his head toward the garage, the door was now completely open.

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