It was only a short drive from the livery yard back to their house. Amy sat in the back seat and played with Jack. She loved her little brother very much, even though he seemed to take all her mom's time. Her mom had never had much time for her anyway. As they turned into their street her mom turned. "Looks like you have a visitor, sweetheart."
Amy looked out of the window. There, sitting astride a big black Harley, was the person she was so desperate to see. "Joe!"
She jumped from the car and ran towards him as fast as her legs could carry her. He dismounted and she launched herself at him, laughing with delight as he spun her round and kissed her hard on her cheek. "Hey, sugar. You smell like a horse."
"Hey, Joe." She buried her face in his neck. "You smell like you."
He set her on the ground and examined her closely. "Shit, sugar, whatever they been feeding you? If you grow any more, you gonna be taller than me."
He grinned and stroked her hair. Apart from shooting up like a weed, she hadn't changed that much. Her hair was still white blonde and she still had that cute lopsided grin. "Still as beautiful as ever." He kissed her forehead and looked up as Maria approached holding a tousle haired toddler on her hip. "Hey."
She smiled. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah. Can I take Amy on the bike? I've bought her a helmet and I swear I'll be careful."
"Sure. I know you'll take good care of her." She reached out and touched his cheek. "I'm glad you're out."
She turned to Amy, who was already climbing onto the back of his bike. "You hold on tight and do whatever Joe says."
Amy rolled her eyes and took the helmet from Joe. "Yes, Mom."
It was just a short ride to the nearest beach. Joe didn't want to ride with her for too long. Her feet only just reached the pegs, and he hated riding slowly. They dismounted and headed for a stand selling candy and soda. He bought them each a Coke and led her to a quiet spot on the beach, where they sat down and looked out over the sea. Amy rested her head against his arm. "I really missed you."
"I missed you too, sugar. I'm sorry I let you down."
"I'm okay. I don't mind living here now. I miss you and Nana Sophie, and Beth. But I've made friends and I start junior high next year."
"I'm glad it's turned out okay for you ,sugar."
They both fell silent for a while, just enjoying being in each other's presence. Amy shifted. "Joe?"
"Yes, sugar."
"Can I come stay with you?"
"I thought you said you were okay here now."
"I am. But in the summer break, I'd really like to go back home, just for a little while."
"I'll talk to your mom. See if we can't arrange something."
"Really?" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You really are the best, Joe."
"I know, sugar."
The rest of the day was spent goofing around on the beach and hanging round the beach side shops buying stupid stuff. They didn't talk much. Joe was planning on sticking around for a few days, and they needed time to reacquaint themselves. Two years apart was a long time, especially for a kid. Although she was obviously much happier now, Joe still couldn't help but get the feeling that she was holding out on him. Hopefully by the end of his stay she would trust him enough to open up and talk to him. Till then, though, he planned on keeping things light and just having fun. She was growing up fast and wouldn't be a little girl for much longer.
Amy really wanted to tell Joe how she felt about Rob, just not today. She watched him try and win her a sparkly unicorn, all she wanted to do was goof around and have fun like they used to when she was a little kid. She laughed as he got more and more pissed with the stall holder until the poor man gave in and gave her the prize anyway. Slipping her hand into his she dragged him towards the hotdog stand. "Joe?"
"Yes, sugar."
"It really is good to have you back."
"Good to be back."
"Joe?"
"Yeah."
"Try not to get locked up again."
"I'll do my best, sugar. I'll do my best."
~ oOo ~
For three days, Joe and Amy spent every available minute together. Despite Rob's disapproval, Maria had agreed that she could blow off school. She really didn't want to piss off Joe after their last encounter, and she could see that he and her daughter needed time to reconnect after such a long period apart.
They had revisited the aquarium, and she had taken him to the livery yard to meet her pony. She had hoped he would rent one of the bigger horses from the yard and go with her for a ride, but he had told her in no uncertain terms that wasn't going to happen. Most of the time though, had been spent on the beach, just walking along in the surf and talking. Amy slipped her hand into his as they walked to their favorite café.
“Joe?”
"Yes, sugar?"
"If I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad?"
"I'll promise to try." Joe smiled. "I will promise not to get mad at you. How about that?"
Amy nodded,
Joe frowned. "Amy?"
"I don't like Rob."
"You gonna tell me why?"
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"C'mon sugar, you can do better than that."
"He…I…I really don't know."
Joe stopped walking and sat on the sand dune. "Sit." Amy sat next to him. Joe took her hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. He really didn't want to put words into her mouth. "How about you just tell me how you feel when you're with him."
"I don't like being with him."
"Why?"
"He's creepy."
Joe could feel the anger rising in his chest. "He touch you?"
She shook her head. "No. He says stuff.” She glanced at him.”Joe you promised not to get mad."
"I ain't mad, sugar." He gave a tight smile. "What does he say?"
"He says I'm his special girl and he can't wait till I get bigger. I don't like it, he makes me feel uncomfortable."
"Have you said anything to your mom?"
"I tried, once."
"And what did she say?" Joe wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"She said I was imagining things, an' that I shouldn't tell anyone. Especially you." Amy sniffed. "She said no one would believe me."
"I believe you." He slipped his arm around her shoulders. "You want me to talk to him?"
"Will it make him stop?"
"Not sure, sugar. He's just gonna say that he hasn't done anything wrong."
"Will you talk to him anyway?"
"Yes, I will." He was going to talk to Maria, too. He wasn't sure how he was going to tackle this. Clearly Rob hadn't done anything, yet. If he went rushing in making wild accusations, they would keep Amy away from him. But if he said nothing and Rob…He couldn't even bring himself to think of it.
Amy rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm just glad you believe me."
"Of course I do. You know you can tell me anything, sugar. I can't promise I can always make things right, but I will always believe you."
It was early the following morning, Joe sat on the hood of Rob's brand new BMW, watching as Rob left his house and walked down his driveway. He looked up and scowled; "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Think you an' me need to have a little chat."
"I've got nothing to say to you."
"Then just listen." Joe slid off the hood and stood in front of him. "The shit you're saying to Amy stops now. You do not touch her, and if she doesn't want to be alone with you, you respect that." Rob opened his mouth to speak, but Joe held up his hand. "If you as much as look at her in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable. I will find you and I will kill you." He smiled. "Slowly."
Rob stuck out his chin. "I don't know what Amy's been saying to you. But I have never laid a hand on her."
"Nor will you, asshole." He pushed past him and headed towards the house. When he reached the front door, he turned. "I will be watching you."
Maria opened
the door. "Joe, you're early. Amy isn't up yet."
Joe shrugged. "I wanted to catch you before she got up."
"Oh, is there a problem?"
"Yes, M. I think there is." He turned and tickled the cheek of the baby sitting in a high chair. "Amy isn't comfortable around Rob. I think he might be grooming her."
"No! You're wrong. She's lying."
"Why would she lie, Maria?"
"Because, because." Maria opened her arms wide. "Because she's a shit-stirring little bitch."
It took every last vestige of self control not to bury his fist in her face. "That is your daughter you are talking about. Jesus, M. How can you not believe her?"
"Because it's not true."
He was trying hard to keep a lid on his temper. He didn't want to start yelling and wake up Amy. "Maria, I will tell you what I told that piece of shit of a husband of yours. I will be watching very closely. If I hear that he has laid one finger on her I will cut off his balls and leave him to bleed out." He pointed his finger at her. "I know I can't prove anything, and I'm sure the authorities will believe a respectable accountant over a convicted felon. But trust me, M. Mud sticks. You try to keep me away from her, and I will be shouting my concerns from the highest rooftops. I'm sure the members of his lodge won't be keen on him keeping his membership once I've finished talking to them."
"Please Joe, you can't say anything. Amy is mistaken. He hasn't done anything."
Joe leaned on the table. "Fuck, how could I ever have loved a selfish bitch like you?" He straightened up. "Have Amy ready for me in an hour. I'll be back then."
Maria reached out and touched his arm. Roughly, he pushed her hand away. "Don't." He turned away. "I can't even stand to look at you right now."
He stormed out of the house and onto his bike. As he roared off, the rage coursed through his veins. He needed to calm down; he couldn't be with Amy when he was like this.
He had promised the little girl he wouldn't get mad. And when Joe made a promise to Amy he always tried to keep it.
FIFTEEN
His lips curled up in a sneer as she ran towards him, her arms outstretched. "Why would I be interested in an ugly bitch like you?"
"Please." She whispered, stepping closer. "Please, just give me a chance."
In the background, she could hear Motorhead's “Kill by Death,” playing over and over, worming its way into her brain.
With a gasp, Beth opened her eyes as Joe's ringtone found its way into her consciousness. "Joe? What time is it?"
"Early. Sorry for waking you, darling. But this can't wait."
"Problem?"
"Yeah, I think so." Joe took a breath. "Amy say anything to you about Rob?"
"I know she doesn't like him." She frowned and sat up with her back against the pillows. "I've got to admit the guy gives me the creeps. What's going on, Joe?"
"I think he's been grooming her. I confronted him and Maria. Of course they both denied it."
"Shit! You think Maria knew?"
"No." He sighed. "I hate to put this on you, but I think we should get Amy out of there."
"What about the baby?"
"I think he'll be fine. I just don't want the fact that she talked to me blowing back on Amy."
Beth nodded. "Makes sense. I have some vacation time due. I can arrange a flight and go out there." She sighed. "My boss deals in family law. I'll talk to him. See where I stand legally. It would be best if we could keep the authorities out of this."
"Thanks Beth. You're…”
"Yeah. I know. I'm a good girl. I'll talk to you soon." She hung up and closed her eyes. If she was honest, she wasn't surprised. There was something about Rob that had made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. There had never been anything she could put her finger on, just a feeling. She sighed. In future she would have to trust her gut more.
Joe climbed back on his bike and headed back towards Maria's house. He wanted to get Amy out of there. He didn't believe she was in immediate danger, but he did think that by confronting Rob and Maria, he had stirred up a shit storm, and Amy was in the eye.
He banged on the front door, and she pulled it open, her eyes red rimmed from crying. "Amy, sugar. What's wrong?"
She sniffed loudly. "Mom's angry with me. She said I shouldn't have said anything about Rob."
"You did right, sugar. You should never keep things like that to yourself. Ever. Do you understand me?" He ran a calloused finger down her cheek. "You want me to talk to your mom?"
She shook her head. "I just want to go out an' spend the day with you."
"Okay, sugar. Whatever you want."
Instead of heading for the beach, Joe took her to the zoo. Amy loved animals, and he wanted to take her mind off things. He hoped Beth would be able to take her back to Calli with her. He wasn't sure whether it could be a long-term solution, but he figured that if Rob had been grooming her, like he suspected, he wouldn't put up much of a fight.
He had decided to give Mac a call and see if the intelligence officer couldn't do a little digging into the asshole's past. He doubted that Amy was his first, and there was a chance that he was already known to the authorities. Joe's instinct was to kill the fucker, but he knew had had to try and go through the proper channels, for Maria and Amy's sakes. Of course, if the authorities couldn't protect the little girl, well, there was always the Joe way.
Amy loved the zoo. She leaned over the barrier to get a closer look at the lions. "Would he really eat me if I went in?"
"Probably, although there ain't much meat on you."
"He'd prefer to eat you." She giggled.
"Nah, I'd take it out with one punch."
"You ain’t that tough."
"Yeah, I am. All the animals here are pussies compared to me."
"Even the gorillas?"
"Especially the gorillas."
"If you're so tough, how come you were too scared ride a horse?"
"I ain't scared of no horse."
"Yeah. Whatever." She grinned. "I'm getting pretty hungry, Joe. Can we get a burger?"
"Sure."
The restaurant overlooked a lake occupied by flamingos. They both sat by the windows, enjoying the view and the air conditioning. Joe watched Amy as she tucked into her burger and fries. It never ceased to amaze him that, despite all the shit she'd been through in her short life, just how well adjusted she was. He wished there was a way he could wave a magic wand and make everything perfect for her.
She looked up and smiled. "I'm okay."
"Good to hear."
Her smile got wider. "I know you will always look out for me."
"Yeah, I will." Her faith in him was truly humbling, and he wasn't sure he deserved it. "C'mon, sugar. Finish your food. If we hurry, we'll be able to catch the alligators' feeding time."
"S'pose you could take out a gator too."
"You'd better believe it, sugar."
As they walked to the alligators' enclosure, Amy slipped her hand in his. She knew he was planning on leaving in the morning, so she wanted this day to be perfect. There seemed no point in discussing what Joe had said to Rob or her mom. Clearly, judging by her mom's mood this morning, he'd said something. Amy didn't care what he said as long as he made Rob back off. He really made her skin crawl.
It was dark when Joe dropped her off at her house. They had been putting off this moment for as long as possible, but now the time had come. Joe was going home. After giving her a long talk about not bottling stuff up, and how she could tell him anything, he kissed her on the top of her head and watched as she ran down her path to her front door, before gunning the engine and roaring off into the night.
SIXTEEN
Beth parked her little rental car outside her sister's house. She hadn't warned Maria she was coming; anything she wanted to say needed to be said face to face.
As she walked slowly towards the front door, she had to admit to herself, she was a little pissed at Joe for dumping this on her. She got that there was no way Maria wo
uld let Amy stay with him, and legally he wouldn't have a leg to stand on. But would it have killed him to stick around and give her some moral support? That fucking club was always going to take precedence, even over an eleven-year-old girl at risk of abuse. Maybe his mother had a point.
"Beth. Wow this is a surprise, come in." Maria led her sister into her expansive kitchen. "Coffee?"
"Thanks." Beth sat at the island with the steaming mug in front of her, making faces at the baby in the high chair. "He's getting big."
"Yeah, he is." Maria smiled. "He's a good baby, not fussy like Amy was."
Beth frowned. Amy hadn't been a fussy baby, and what would Maria know, she was always too stoned to notice her. She ran her fingers through her hair, unsure how to proceed. "Joe called me. He's worried about Amy."
"Amy's fine."
"Joe doesn't think so, and I gotta admit I'm inclined to agree with him." She looked up at her older sister. "He thinks Rob is grooming her."
"He's not! I'd know. He loves Amy." Maria started to pace up and down. "Why can't Joe just butt out. Rob is so pissed off he stayed at his club last night. He just wants to come between me and Rob."
"Oh for fuck's sake, Maria. If Joe wanted to come between you and that piece of shit he would have done it a long time ago. You need to open your eyes and see what's in front of you. The kid hates being around Rob, and Amy is one of the most trusting kids I have ever met." She stood and laid her hands flat on the island. "I think it would be a good idea for Amy to come and stay with me for a while."
"And why would I agree to that?"
"Because if you don't I will call the authorities with my suspicions."
"Ha! They'd never believe you. What you gonna tell them? That a convicted felon thinks my highly respected husband is a pedophile."
"I think you will find that sex offenders come from all walks of life. Trust me, Maria. If an accusation is made, they will look into it. Of course if Rob is innocent and you are absolutely sure Amy and Joe are lying, then you'll have nothing to worry about will you?"
A Family Man Page 9