Son of a bitch. He caught up with Curley and motioned him to pull over.
As soon as he cut the engine, he asked, "Did you see where he went?"
"The alley was empty once I got there. He probably had someone waiting for him." Curley took his hands off his handlebar. "I wasn't sure it was him. I couldn't pin what it was that set you off."
"He's dyed his hair." He rotated his shoulder, trying to work the stiffness out of his muscles from being on his motorcycle all day.
"My shift is over." Curley looked at him. "You should get home, get something to eat, and stay sharp. It's been a long fucking day. Priest has another team of members who will be out keeping their eyes open overnight."
"I'm going to make a few more sweeps before I call it a night. He's around here somewhere. He can't stay hidden forever." He toed his kickstand.
"I'll ride with you, then." Curley started his bike.
Tarkio wasn't going to give him a chance to catch Dean by himself. He worried that all the attention on him would only delay finding Dean. If he could draw the fucker out by himself, he might stand a chance at ending everything.
He turned on his headlight and rode away from the side of the road. The kids would be with Joey right now, probably eating dinner together. She'd canceled her night at Riverside Bar, telling him it was okay, that she'd make up the money on Friday. But he knew she was behind on reaching her goal.
She asked no questions of him like he'd asked, and the fact that she trusted him made it all that more important that he catch Dean as soon as possible. Joey never asked for him to interrupt her life and keep her from working toward earning enough money to enter the Blackfoot Pool Tournament coming up in November.
Ten thousand was too much to take out of his company profits, especially at the end of the year, but he could help her with his personal money if she let him. Right now, she was against the help, claiming it was gambling money and not a sure thing. She wouldn't risk losing other people's money.
He turned the corner, following the flow of traffic. None of the people on the sidewalk looked suspicious. They all were going somewhere, not looking around or acting paranoid.
A half an hour later, he called it good, and signaled Curley to head on out. Escorted to the apartments, he parked and headed to the door understanding that there would be one Tarkio member hanging at the street entrance to the complex overnight, just in case Dean showed up.
He used his key to unlock the door and went inside. Jess, Travis, and Joey sat around the table, slapping playing cards down on the table.
Joey looked over and smiled. Jess shouted out in victory and yelled, "Nerts."
Travis groaned, shoving the assortment of cards in front of him to the center of the table. Joey held up her hand and high-fived his daughter, then got up from her chair and walked to him.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "I taught them to play Nerts."
"I see and hear that." He captured her lips again. "Looks like my daughter is kicking everyone's butt."
"It's so fun." Jess picked up all the cards and started dividing them into separate piles. "Do you know how to play?"
"It's been years since I played, baby." He sniffed. "What was for dinner?"
"Hamburger Helper. I saved you some. I'll go heat it up." Joey walked into the kitchen.
He caught Travis as he headed toward the couch. "School tomorrow. Did you get all your supplies put in your duffle and get your schedule off the fridge?"
Travis started his freshman year in the morning. Things would be different for him. New school and he'd have to walk from class to class. Jess wouldn't be any help to her brother since it was her Junior year. Her class load was different and her locker was in a completely different building.
"I'll double-check after I watch Miami Vice." Travis changed the channel and then plopped on the couch. "Are you taking me in the morning?"
"Nope, you're going to catch the bus and take it home afterward. You'll walk to Joey's apartment and wait until I get home."
Travis groaned. He knew his son's dislike of riding the school's transportation. It required him to get up an hour earlier to catch the bus and brought him home at five minutes after three o'clock instead of two-fifteen if someone picked him up.
He'd already asked Joey to stand outside the door and keep an eye on Travis and Jess as they got on the bus in the morning and then again when they got off the bus. For right now, until Dean was caught, he wanted his kids and Joey together.
"Don't forget, I won't be on the afternoon bus tomorrow. I'm going to volleyball tryouts after school," said Jess.
Shit. He'd forgotten and planned to be out looking for Dean.
"What time will you be done?" He walked over to the table.
"Five o'clock. Oh, and I need ten dollars for an ASB card."
"Me, too," said Travis.
He took out his wallet and passed Jess two ten-dollar bills. "Give one to your brother." He sat down at the table. "Hang on."
There would be expenses and school lunches the kids had to buy. Rather than have them pay late, he preferred they took care of business tomorrow.
Taking more money out of his wallet, he passed it all to her. "Split it between you guys and hold on to what's left for lunches this week."
"Awesome." Jess walked away, counting the money.
Joey stood by the stove, watching him with concern. He lifted his brows in question, and she smiled. Though, he'd seen something pass on her face that told him that she was paying close attention to him.
"Miss me?" he said, leaning back in the chair.
She stirred the food in
