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Joseph was having the worst day possible and the meeting he sat in was a drag. He listened to his lawyer go on and on about his case which didn't seem to have a silver lining. Every angle they tried brought them to a dead end.
His phone started ringing which startled everyone. He usually had it on vibrate during meetings. When he saw Miranda's name though he wasn't about to reject the call.
He pushed away from the table and waved for the meeting to continue.
"Hello?"
His heart clenched when he heard her sobs echoing through the phone line.
"Baby," he rose from his chair while listening "Miranda!?"
Before he knew what he was doing he was out of the office leaving his lawyer and the others with startled looks on their faces. His feet pounded against the ground as he rushed out of the office.
"Joseph, what's wrong?" Jason asked as he almost ran into him.
"Give me your keys!" Joseph demanded.
"What? You don't even drive Jo-"
"Gimme your God damn keys!"
A few persons drew started breaths but he ignored them as he grabbed the keys that Jason held out to him. He ran for the elevator and wasn't at all surprised when Jason followed him.
If he was nothing else his brother was always loyal to his siblings.
"Talk to me," Jason asked quietly as the elevator descended.
"Someone broke into their house," Joseph replied in a tight voice as he paced around.
Fear and anger made him feel queasy. He had to take deep breaths to calm down.
"What? Miranda's place?" Jason asked turning to stare at him.
Joseph nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath and exhaled. As the doors slid open into the parking lot, he didn't bother to argue when Jason grabbed the keys and said he would drive.
His brother knew he was on edge so he didn't bother to play nice in traffic. Once his foot had hit the gas all yellow lights meant to slow down except for them, right now it meant to speed up. He only prayed that they wouldn't get pulled over.
As they got to the house he saw the police cars and neighbors standing outside. As he pushed the door open he saw Miranda and Zeke walking out of the house. He breathes a sigh of relief.
When Zeke caught sight of him he let go of his mother's hand and ran over. Joseph pulled him up into his hands and wrapped him tightly in his hands. As his son cried Joseph stood watching Miranda walking closer to them.
She stopped in front of him and Joseph didn't hesitate to pull her to him and wrap his hand around her. He buried his face into her hair and breath in her scent as she trembled against him. He knew without a doubt that she was crying.
He sent up a silent thanks that they were alright. He couldn't afford to lose his family now that he had found them.
Family.
The thought had him pulling them tighter against him.
"Are you alright?" he finally asked her.
"Everything is gone. He destroyed everything." she sobbed into his jacket.
"I'm so sorry sweetheart. I might sound like an ass for saying this but, I'm glad it was the house and not you guys. I couldn't... " he paused to drag in a deep breath.
She look up at him and he knew she understood when she nodded. Her lips trembled as she looked back at the house.
An officer walked over to them and introduced himself. Joseph listened while the man spoke but all the while his mind was on protecting his family. He had to find a way to keep them out of danger. This psycho was getting too close. Next time they might not be so lucky.
"This person will no doubt come back based on the message they left." the officer said
"They're moving in with me," Joseph assured him.
He held his breath waiting for Miranda to argue but released it when all she did was snuggled closer to him.
"We'll have our best men put on this case, Mr. Walters. We'll catch him." the officer assured him.
"I sure hope so." Joseph breathed out.
Miranda moved to take Zeke but he only clung tighter to Joseph. He looked at her and signaled to her to follow Jason to his car.
The drive back to his apartment was tense and quiet. The events of the day obviously weighed down on everyone.
He caught Jason's stare in the rearview mirror. He knew his brother was as worried as he is. The Walters took family business quite seriously.
"Here we are," Jason announced pulling up to his building.
Joseph thanked his brother and promised to call him later.
"Don't worry about it. Just take care of them." Jason told him before he nodded at Miranda and drove off.
By the time they got upstairs, Zeke was asleep so Joseph brought him through to his room. His room, that's how he thought of it since the first night they had slept over.
When he got back to the living room he saw Miranda standing out on the balcony. The carpet quieted his footstep as he walked out to her.
"I'm scared," she said quietly.
He stepped closer to her and pulled her to him. She was tense against him but he didn't let her go.
"I won't let anything happen to you," he told her.
"You don't have any power over that," she said turning in his arms to look up at him.
He brush the hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"I promise to do whatever I can to keep you both safe." he corrected himself.
"OK," she said leaning into his touch.
"I can't lose you guys Miranda, I couldn't handle it," he said honestly
She looked up at him without saying a word. He knew what she wanted, what she needed at this moment so he move closer and placed his lips against hers.
She responded to him like wildfire and he groaned at her immediate response. She gripped the hair at the back of his head almost painfully as she pressed closer to him. He pulled away breathing heavily.
"I'm going to get you guys out of town for a bit, I know you have work and Zeke had school but I need you guys safe," he whispered against her lips.
"I trust you," she replied
Right then Joseph knew he was well on his way to falling in love with Miranda Tait, the thought warmed him in a way he didn't expect.
