Her death gave him what two lawyers, three judges, and money couldn't get him. His kids were finally in a safe environment with a parent around to support them.
He rubbed his face. Dean calling and threatening to take the kids kicked him into siding with Tarkio. He wanted Dean away from his kids. At their age, he couldn't be with them every second of the day, and he wanted to guarantee they'd be safe.
Tomorrow, he'd let Priest know that he was in. He'd do whatever was needed to get Dean Miller out of Missoula, out of his life. What Tarkio wanted to do to Dean would sit on their shoulders, not his. Priest gave him no information on what they had planned. The club only wanted his help in capturing him and according to them, Dean Miller had disappeared three days ago.
He wasn't coming around the house, and there were addicts showing up out of the woodwork, looking for him.
The only one who had heard from him was Wyatt when Dean had called tonight and threatened him if he couldn't see the kids. With the lifestyle Dean lived, there was no reason why he should want to hang around children, especially when people were out there ready to put a bullet in his brain. Thinking about him using his kids for protection, believing nobody would gun him down if Jess and Travis were around scared the shit out of him.
Unable to sit, he walked into the kitchen. Picking up the phone, he dialed Joey's number, then stretched the cord to the back of the room so as not to wake the kids.
"Hello?"
He lowered himself to the floor and leaned against the cupboard. "It's me."
"Are you okay?"
No, he wasn't okay. He needed everyone he cared about under the same roof. Joey was too far away. He needed to have his arms around her. Only then would he be okay.
"I need you over here." He cleared his throat. "Please, tiger."
She breathed over the phone. "Let me get dressed, and I'll come."
"I'll be outside waiting." He hung up.
A walk from her apartment to his after dark no longer felt safe. He slipped out the door and stepped out onto the small strip of grass until he had a view of her apartment door. The minutes ticked by, anxious to have her with him.
The last couple of days were hit or miss with Joey. He'd fucked up, first pushing her away when he went off the rails about Jess seeing a boy. Then, tonight, he'd lost his head thinking she went missing. He'd taken that out on her when he found her in a bar with a rough crowd, not having anyone there to watch out for her.
The outside light at Joey's apartment door came on. He spotted her hurrying toward him. He started walking. The moment she came in reach of him, he tucked her against his side and took her into the apartment.
Joey muffled her rapid breathing. She'd put on a pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt with paint splotches. Her hair was pulled off her face and braided down her back. All the makeup she had on earlier was washed from her face.
She never looked more beautiful.
And, all he had to offer her at the moment was the couch. He slid his hand into hers and went to the sofa. Stretching out, he patted his chest. She never questioned him, and climbed over the top of him, squeezing one leg between him and the back cushion, half lying on top of him.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. It took several minutes for the pressure in his chest to ease and allow him to breathe.
"Don't let me fall asleep," whispered Joey. "The kids could get up and find me on your couch."
"I don't care," he whispered back.
"I do." She lifted her head. "Not that what we're doing is wrong, but I don't want them to get the impression that I'm with you purely for sex."
"Tiger, we've both got clothes on, and we're in the fucking living room. Trust me, my kids will see what they see."
"What about Jess? You don't want her to sit in a truck and talk to a boy, but then turn around and show her it's okay for you to have a woman spend the night in your apartment." She paused. "That's not cool, Wyatt."
He stroked her hip. "You're good to my kids."
"I like them."
"They like you."
"I'm glad." She rubbed his stomach. "Because I like their dad, too. Even when he's being a butthead."
Right in the feels. He kissed her softly. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up before the kids need to get up for school, and you can sneak out."
"Promise?"
He wasn't going to be able to sleep. Too many things were running through his head. He needed answers and a plan, and he wasn't calm enough yet to make sense of everything.
"Promise," he whispered.
Concentrating on the quietness in the apartment, he could feel Joey's heart beating against his. He stroked her hip as he replayed the night. Little details came to mind that he'd brushed off in his panic to find her.
"Joey?" he whispered.
"Mm?"
"Did you win the pool game?"
She sighed contently. "Fifteen hundred dollars added to my goal."
Proud of her, he kissed the top of her head and stared up at the ceiling. He needed to take care of Dean, so his family would be safe.
His kids needed the freedom to be kids. To make mistakes, to discover new joys, and learn that he was never going to leave them.
Joey deserved better from him. She shouldn't be crammed on a couch, trying to catch a few minutes of rest or waiting until he was free to have sex.
Chapter 19Joey
THREE BIKERS PARKED behind Wyatt's Harley and remained on their motorcycles. Joey headed toward Apartment
