6. Rory

6

Rory

W hat the hell just happened? Rory asked himself.

He wasn’t the hugging type, especially impromptu hugs involving the nanny. Yet, he had felt an overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms. The electricity that had exploded inside of him was overwhelming and stole his breath away. His heart was thundering in his chest as he went downstairs to grab some coffee and a quick bite.

I really want to just go back upstairs, hug her again, and see if I get the same feeling.

Rory was pretty sure that he would. There was some kind of chemistry that existed between them that was almost visible.

He had never been a dog, but he had indulged with other women a few times to take care of his needs, so it wasn’t like he was desperate for the touch of a woman. There was something special about her.

What’s special about her is that she is my kids’ nanny and they love her. I have no business touching her in any way except to hand over her paycheck.

He sipped coffee and enjoyed the omelet that Rosa put in front of him.

I’m likely still feeling guilty over the fact that she was hurt because of Griffins’ business.

Colby sat in front of him and said, “I’ll keep an eye out today. If the kids and Savvy go outside, I won’t let them out of my sight.”

“I appreciate that. I don’t think that they would attack during the day, but you never know, especially since they might think it would be easy since it’s just a single woman with two kids.”

“They won’t go near them,” Colby vowed.

Rory knew that the old bear would fight to the death to keep his family safe. Colby, Amy, and Rosa, who were all shifters, loved his pups as much as he did.

He patted Colby on the back and climbed into his truck. He called Sebastian using the blue tooth in his truck as soon as he made it outside and told him what happened the night before.

“Shall we call a meeting of the Griffins tonight and let them know?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. They should be warned.”

Rory and Sebastian got on the line and called a meeting. Almost everyone agreed to show up at the clubhouse that evening.

The day went by excruciatingly slowly. He had to resist the urge to call Colby or Savvy every five minutes to find out what was going on. Rory knew that they would call if there was any hint of trouble. They were radio silent.

Luckily, he didn’t have court, so his inability to focus didn’t hurt him too much. He found himself reading the same portions of a deposition several times without any comprehension. His kids were his life. If anything happened to them, he would slaughter everyone even remotely associated with the people involved. He was also worried about Savvy. She sounded very brave when she said that she had great self-defense skills, but she wouldn’t stand a chance against more than one person attacking, especially shifters. He couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt, especially when it wasn’t even her battle.

He rushed home and grabbed some dinner. The kids wanted a game night, but he said, “Maybe tomorrow night. There’s something that Daddy has to take care of tonight.”

They nodded. “I bet that we can talk Amy, Rosa, and Colby into playing Pictionary tonight,” Savvy said.

“Of course. You know I’m the master at that game,” Rosa said.

“You wish,” Colby said. “My team always wins.”

“That’s because I’m on your team,” Drake declared.

Everyone laughed and Rory was depressed when he pulled on his jeans, T-shirt, and vest and then headed to the clubhouse.

Once again, Rory explained what happened. There were various calls for the Griffins to annihilate the Silver Fangs.

Finally, once the uproar began to die down, Sebastian said, “I think that the best thing for us to do is to go talk to the leader and give him a warning. We’ll let him know that if anything like that happens again, the offending club members will be annihilated. We can tell him that if he has anything to say to us, he should say it to our faces and not harass our women and children.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Rory said. “Shall we take a trip?”

The Griffins rode their bikes to the Silver Fangs’ headquarters. Everyone wanted to go inside, but Sebastian said, “No. Rory and I will go in. The rest of you guys hang out here. You’ll know if there’s trouble and we need you.”

They grumbled but obeyed.

Rory and Sebastian walked inside and all of the Silver Fangs stood, posturing for a fight.

“Well, well, well. Look who just walked in,” a large, grizzled man in the back said. He sat in a high chair at the end of the bar. “To what do we owe the honor of your visit?” he asked sarcastically.

“Blackjack, we need to have a conversation,” Sebastian said.

A couple of the Silver Fangs moved toward Rory and Sebastian and reached for them, but Blackjack, seemingly amused said, “Let them speak.”

Rory stood tall, with his shoulders back and head up. He stared straight into Blackjack’s eyes. “Three of your members came by yesterday. They were in the woods and approached my kids’ nanny to give me a warning, and then one of them clawed her face. If the Silver Fangs want to fight, we have some Griffins outside who are ready to go. If you, or any of your men, have something to say to me or anyone else in our club, say it to our faces. You and your men are to stay away from my house, my staff, and most especially my children. Only a coward would stalk children and a small, defenseless woman.”

“Who paid a visit to his house last night?” Blackjack asked, looking at the men in the room. No one spoke up.

“Let me make this clear. Our fight is with the Griffins – not their women and children. Stay away from them,” he said.

Rory wasn’t sure how serious the order was, but it was at least a start.

“As for the warning, you should heed it. The Silver Fangs are moving in. You can either join us or be destroyed.”

Sebastian laughed and said, “We’re not joining forces. And if you want to settle this right now, we can.”

Rory could feel the tension in the air as all of the Silver Fangs stiffened and got ready to fight.

“Nah, I’m not in the mood right now. We’re just having a nice, relaxing evening. Have a good day.”

Rory half expected to feel knives in his back as they walked out, but the Silver Fangs let them pass. Sebastian reported what went on inside the clubhouse.

“Do you think he meant the order when he said women and children are off limits?” one of them asked.

“Nope,” Rory and Sebastian said at the same time.

“I don’t trust that man as far as I could throw him,” Rory said.

Sebastian said, “I think that I’ll start investigating the members. If any of them have warrants, I’ll alert the authorities and tell them where to find their fugitives. That might thin down the pack a little.”

“I’m afraid that we might have a war,” Rory cautioned. “Watch your backs.”

The Griffins headed back to Angel’s Creek and hung out at the clubhouse. Several of them wanted a fight.

“Do you think they’ll wait for the Silver Fangs to come to us?” Sebastian asked.

“I think so. Most of these guys just want to ride their bikes and enjoy life. We have a doctor, a veterinarian, two teachers, and other professionals. There are a couple of roughnecks, but they aren’t stupid enough to walk into the lion’s den alone,” Rory said.

Sebastian nodded.

He wasn’t surprised that everyone was in bed by the time he got home. He checked on the kids. Cat was curled up around a stuffed bear she had gotten for her birthday with a ton of stuffies surrounding her. Drake was laying on his side, sucking his thumb, which he only did while he was sleeping. Rory pulled the covers up around him and smiled. These kids were his heart.

Rory really wanted to knock on Savvy’s door to check on her and ask whether there had been any suspicious activity around the house -- at least that’s what he told himself. He didn’t want to admit that he was attracted to her and really wanted to talk to her. However, it was late, and she was likely asleep. The kids were amazing, but they had a way of wearing a person out.

Rory jumped in the shower and went to bed. He thought about Savvy and pictured her lying next to him. He could almost feel her body pressed against him and her full breasts rubbing against his chest. His hands flexed as though he was holding onto her shapely ass.

“Knock it off,” he told himself.

He purposely thought about movies and music until he drifted off.

The loud jingle of his alarm clock woke him up. He groaned and thought, not for the first time, about ripping it in half, but then he would have to buy a new one. Rolling out of bed, he got ready for the office.

Cat, Drake, and Savvy were already eating by the time he stumbled downstairs in search of coffee and food.

“Daddy. We missed you last night,” Cat said as both kids ran over to him for hugs.

“Did you, now?” he asked, looking at Savvy.

“They did,” she said.

He was hoping that she would say, “We did,” but he knew she wouldn’t. Sighing heavily, he slid into the chair at the table and gratefully accepted the coffee and pancakes that Rosa put in front of him.

“We’re going to play in the sprinklers today,” Cat said. “Can you stay and play with us?”

“I wish I could, baby girl, but I have to work,” Rory said.

“That’s okay, Daddy. We have Savvy,” Drake said.

Rory wasn’t sure whether he was glad that they loved Savvy so much or if his feelings were hurt because the kids didn’t need him.

“How are you doing?” he asked Savvy. He touched his face to let her know that he was asking about the wounds.”

“Great,” she said, smiling.

“Definitely going to have to get some of that salve,” Rory said.

Savvy just grinned at him. Once again, he got a feeling that there was something she wasn’t telling him. It was more than just about the salve. He had met healers in the past who could create some miracle cures for just about everything, but her face had healed overnight. The gashes had been deep enough that he was surprised he couldn’t see bone through them.

“Alright, babies. Come give me a hug,” he said after he finished eating.

“We’re not babies anymore,” Drake said solemnly.

“You’ll always be my babies,” Rory said. “Even when I’m a hundred years old and you are seventy-six.”

Cat giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

“I love you guys and behave,” he told them.

“We always behave with Savvy,” Drake said solemnly.

“Call me if anything happens,” Rory said to Savvy.

“I will. I’ll be on alert. They’ll be safe, I promise.”

He nodded. Rory really wanted to pull her into a hug again, but it wouldn’t be appropriate, especially in front of the kids. Besides, he didn’t know whether he really wanted to feel the blazing inferno that coursed through him, especially when he was headed toward the courthouse.

As he passed by, he caught her scent. It was intoxicating and explosive all at the same time. Rory hurried out the door before he could turn around, tell Amy to watch the kids, throw Savvy over his shoulder, and carry her upstairs to his bedroom.