Loving Jared: A Mafia Romance Novella

by Nikita Slater

  "I'm good. How are you?" Amy glanced around. "Where's Lola and Vince Junior?"

  Lola was Jenna's six-year-old daughter, just freshly started grade one. Vince Junior was her brand-new, absolutely freaking adorable baby boy. According to Jenna, she was supposed to have a girl, but the couple had been surprised with a little boy. Jenna had been over the moon with happiness and drugs and had subsequently named him after the love of her life.

  "They're with the nanny," Jenna answered, leading them to a table. They both sat, setting their trays down.

  "You have a nanny? What do they do?" The words slipped out before Amy could call them back and she blushed when she realized what she'd said. She'd assumed since Jenna didn't work anymore, that she wouldn't need a nanny. Plus, Jenna, a former nurse, was down to earth and hands-on. Amy couldn't imagine her giving up any kind of control to another person when it came to her children.

  Jenna didn't take offence. She grinned and dug into her plate of California sushi rolls, a hamburger and onion rings. Amy almost wanted to ask her if she was pregnant again. It was a weird combination and a ton of food. But even Amy knew it would be out of line to ask.

  "I hated the idea at first, but Vince insisted I needed a nanny to help out with Lola. He wanted me to take time to pursue my own hobbies. Turns out I don't know how I ever lived without Sharon. And it's not even the extra hand when it comes to cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids, it’s the conversation. She's a good friend."

  "Sounds like it. Where did you find her?" Amy was legitimately curious about the nanny situation. Where did one find a nanny? Were they expensive? Maybe if Amy got a third job she could afford one.

  “Vincent and Jared knew her from their biker days. I think she hung around the club or something. Jared even dated her for a few weeks."

  It was like having a bucket of water thrown in her face. Amy sucked in a breath and told herself to calm down. Of course, a man of Jared's age and experience would have had girlfriends in the past. She just hadn't been confronted with one yet. But a biker chick? How could someone like Amy even begin to compare with that? She’d never even been on a bike until a few weeks ago.

  As if reading her mind, Jenna reached out to touch the back of her hand. "Hey, it's not a big deal. Honestly. I think it was a mutual split. They tried dating but were too different to make it work. They each went their separate ways, no hard feelings. They still talk when Jared comes over to the house."

  Somehow, that last bit didn't make Amy feel better. "Jared and I don't have much in common," Amy mumbled.

  Jenna blushed and set her fork down, a worried expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm really bad at this. I shouldn’t have said anything. Honestly, there’s nothing going on between Jared and Sharon. He has no feelings for her other than friendship. Trust me. What he feels for you is way different. It's like, when he's on the job or at the house his mind is always on you and there's always this half smile on his face. Not something I've ever seen before. He adores you and dotes on your sisters. You have nothing to worry about."

  Amy sighed deeply and shook her head as if trying to shake away the negative thoughts. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm not usually this insecure. But then, I've never dated anyone like Jared before. He's just so… larger-than-life, I guess."

  "Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. I felt the same about Vince when I met him. Those guys are just too much."

  Jenna picked up her burger and took a big bite of out of it, closing her eyes and relishing the taste. She waited to swallow the food before she started speaking again. "When I first met Vince, he seemed impossible to me. Too big, too tattooed, too grouchy."

  Amy let out a giggle. Jenna's description of her own husband was very close to how Amy described him in her mind.

  Jenna continued, "But he turned out to be everything I could've ever hoped for. He is the exact opposite of my ex-husband. He's kind, gentle with me and the kids, attentive and super protective."

  "That's exactly how Jared is with me and my siblings," Amy said enthusiastically.

  Jenna nodded knowingly. "Jared has a huge soft spot for women and children." Seeing the look on Amy's face she was quick to reassure her, "No, he doesn't go picking up women anywhere and everywhere, he just doesn't like seeing a woman in distress. Not that you're in distress." Jenna smacked herself in the forehead and grimaced. "This is probably why I don't have more friends."

  Amy laughed so hard she spit out some of her Coke. "No, it's fine, I like hearing about Jared. Honestly, I'm not worried about other women, you’ve reassured me."

  "Good, because he's a great guy and he's absolutely head over heels for you. I'd hate to be the one to do something to damage your relationship."

  Now it was time for Amy to reassure Jenna. "Our relationship would have to be pretty fragile for something like this to damage it. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm pretty head over heels for him too."

  The two women continued to talk, finishing up their meals. Amy was astonished by the amount of food that Jenna could pack away. Maybe she really was pregnant again. The thought filled Amy with longing and an image of Jared flashed into her mind. He would make an amazing father.

  She was getting ahead of herself though. They'd only been dating a few weeks. No one had said the ‘L’ word yet, let alone any kind of proposals or talk of future children. Despite that, Amy was pretty sure Jared wanted them. The way he was with her sisters spoke volumes about how much he liked children. He spoiled them, played with them, acted like a child himself more often than not and he seemed to understand them.

  The two women spent more time chatting than they did shopping, walking past row after row of stores without going in. Amy left the mall empty-handed, but with a heart full of hope. She was making a solid friendship with someone she genuinely liked. Even though Jenna was older than her, they had a lot in common. They both had children to take care of, both dated possessive ex-biker bad boys, and they had similar personality traits.

  As Amy climbed into the SUV, heading for home, she contemplated her former friendships. When her family life exploded into a million pieces of drama, it had become extremely telling who her real friends were. Only a handful of her former friends stuck around to help her pick up the pieces. Two to be exact. Rhoda and Lindsay. Rhoda had moved away about a year ago to attend college, and though Lindsay was still around, they each had their own busy lives to attend to and couldn't see each other often.

  It felt good having another female friend that could relate to Amy's life, even a little bit.

  She parked the SUV in her garage, at Jared’s insistence since she had to work at the factory in the morning, and locked up and headed inside, checking her phone. It was 4:00 pm. Millie and Sarah were over at Jared's house, baking cookies. Amy would drop her purse off, take a quick shower and head over.

  She unlocked the door and pushed it open, calling into the shadowy house, "Teagan, are you home?"

  She only half expected him there. Even though he was coming around more often, he was still prone to spending most afternoons and evenings with his friends. Amy wasn’t surprised when no one answered back. She reached out to turn on the living room light.

  Amy gasped as light filled the room, illuminating utter chaos. Her home had been torn apart. She started to step inside, her eyes glued to the couch where the cushions had been throw off. Papers were strewn everywhere and she could see broken dishes through the opening into the kitchen.

  She froze, midway to reaching out to pick up a doll which had been upended from the girls’ toy chest. What if the burglar was still there?

  Without thinking twice, Amy turned and fled out the door, heading straight over to Jared’s place.

  Thirteen

  Jared was in the middle of explaining to a rapt audience of two young girls how it was entirely possible to have pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and all the amazing breakfast food they could possibly want, for supper. Apparently, this was not something their fami
ly had ever done. Breakfast for supper was a go-to meal for Jared. It was easy, comforting and filled his belly with bacon. Jared loved bacon almost as much as he loved sex.

  Jared's brain immediately latched on to Amy and he nearly groaned out loud, closing his eyes for a few seconds as her luscious curves filled his mind. Then, he gave himself a sharp reminder that there were two children in his kitchen and his brain absolutely could not go there.

  As he turned back to the stove to check on the bacon, as if she had been conjured up from his imagination, Amy came hurtling into the kitchen.

  "Amy!" Millie called out and threw herself at her sister.

  Millie was the youngest and more prone to wanting physical contact with her older sibling. Amy had explained to him that after the death of her parents, Millie had become so attached that she'd spent nights in Amy's bed until she was comfortable enough to be move back to her room. Apparently, she still experienced anxiety when separated from Amy.

  Amy clutched her sister hard, pulling her into a hug that was so tight Millie squeaked and protested. Amy loosened her hold and murmured an apology as Millie hopped back up on her stool. Then Amy’s eyes lifted to Jared's and he knew something terrible had happened.

  Her beautiful hazel eyes were filled with terror and her face was white, as though she'd seen a ghost. Her hands were shaking as she clasped them in front of herself. Luckily, neither of her sisters noticed and sat happily chattering at the island, each with their own colouring book that Jared had provided for them.

  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.”

&n
bsp; 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.

  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.