“Well, there you go,” Z mutters, and the rest of the guys chuckle, while Wes lets out a sigh then looks at me.
“I want to know how long he thinks this shit is going to take. When we have that information, we’ll figure out our next step,” he mutters and heads for the door. I do the same, lifting my chin to the guys before stepping outside behind him.
*
“Lane’s free. All charges were dropped yesterday,” Jax says as soon as I put the phone to my ear, before I even have a chance to say hello.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I growl, and June, who is asleep, draped half over me, her leg thrown over mine with her hand across my waist, stirs. “Hold on a sec,” I mutter to Jax, dropping my phone back to the nightstand.
Kissing the top of her head, I move out from under her, being careful not to wake her as I slide out of bed and pick up my sweats off the chair. Putting them on, I grab my cell and leave the room, shutting the door behind me.
“I thought they had a case against him?” I prompt, when the door is closed.
“Nothing stuck. His lawyers made it look like he was just a good, wholesome college kid with a bright future, and a fucked-up family who happens to be into bad shit.”
“Fuck.” I run my hands over my face, taking a seat on the edge of the couch and putting my elbows to my knees. “Is the no-contact order still in place?”
“No. Like I said, he was cleared of all charges.”
“I want a restraining order against him. I don’t want him anywhere near June,” I say, while trying to keep from roaring or crushing my phone, which is exactly what I want to do.
“I’ll see what I can do, but my guess is that won’t be possible. He hasn’t harassed or threatened her in anyway, so it won’t be easy to convince a judge there is a need for one.”
“Try,” I demand.
“You know I will.”
“If he shows up here, I won’t be held responsible for what I do to him.”
“I don’t think he’d hurt her,” he says quietly, and my teeth grind together. I don’t think he’d hurt her either, but the fact that he’s touched her is enough of a reason for me to put a bullet in him. “Evan,” Jax calls, and I let out a breath, realizing I had gone quiet.
“If it were Ellie, how would you feel?”
“Point taken,” he mutters. Ellie and her daughter Hope, who Jax adopted as his own, are the two most important things in his life. Jax would never let anyone he perceived as a threat anywhere near them, and knowing that, I know he understands where I’m coming from.
“I need to talk to June. See what you can do about the restraining order and get back to me. I’m sure Nico already called her dad, and with my luck, he’s going to show up here, wanting to talk to his girl in person.”
“You learn quick,” he laughs.
“No, I just know what I would do if I had a daughter.”
“Right.” He sighs. “I’ll get back to you on the restraining order.”
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“Have June call me when she’s up. I need a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“I made reservations for Ellie and me weeks ago for Diego’s in Nashville. Mom and Dad were supposed to watch Hope, but they had to go out of town, and Ashlyn’s busy, so I need to see if June minds watching her.”
“Bring her over.”
“You sure?”
“June will probably need the distraction, and we’ll be home.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll give you a call back,” he says then hangs up.
Dropping my eyes to the carpet, I sigh. This shit is fucked up and not what we need right now. Knowing there is nothing I can do at the moment, I look at Ninja, who is lying on the chaise with his head hanging half off the side, watching me as his head lifts and tilts to the side.
“Come on. Let’s go outside.” I stand then move to the backdoor, turning off the alarm before sliding the door open and letting him out. I watch him for a few minutes while he wanders around the backyard, sniffing everything he comes in contact with. Leaving him out back, I head for the kitchen and start a pot of coffee then hear June’s phone ringing from somewhere in the house. It’s not in the bedroom, but where the fuck it is, is anyone’s guess. Half the time, I wonder why she even has a cell, since she never has it on her and can’t find it most of the time.
Heading for the laundry room, planning to start my search for the phone there, I hear a loud thump and cry from the bedroom. I rush back in that direction then laugh when I open the door and find June on the floor, the blankets tangled around her and her hair in disarray.