Rowan
As I sit in my office, sifting through security footage from the other night of an attempted robbery at one of our businesses that’s a cover for the guns we move all over the country, Rhett sits on the floor of my office with his toys and cars playing. I remember doing this same thing when my Da worked in this same office. It’s been a few days since Clara’s migraine. I don’t think I’ve ever been as worried as I was when Sully came sprinting outside telling me Clara was pale, shaking, and throwing up in the bathroom. Knowing my ability to help her was next to zero, my mind whirled to what could be helpful. As I held her in bed and played with her hair while she drifted off to sleep the answer smacked me in the face.
I could take care of Rhett, it’s not even a hardship, it was justone less thing she’d have to worry about. So after searching for him and finding him with Kieran in the kitchen we all made dinner together. Kieran’s a really good cook, but he was taught by me. We all ate and joked around, Rhett was happy, and I pulled up the security cameras I have in our room to make sure Clara was still asleep. Rhett and I ended up in the theater room with, you guessed it, the turtle movie. Sometime during, we must have fallen asleep because one minute we were watching crime fighting animals while keeping an eye on Clara via my phone, and the next Rhett woke me up screaming from a nightmare. I got him calmed down, but we both wanted Clara. We snuck in the bedroom and snuggled up with her, sleeping until morning. Rhett and I let Clara rest while we went outside so he could run off some energy. Then we snuggled with her in bed all day. She’s been okay since, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t keeping a close eye on her just in case.
My phone rings pulling me out of my thoughts, the number on the screen giving me pause. I shoot off a text to Dec to tell him to come here while I answer. Deciding not to humor him with the bullshit pleasantries like he expects.
I answer, “Nikolai, you’re bold for calling me after what you pulled a few weeks ago.”
His sigh of exasperation floods my ear before he responds, “Rowan. Don’t be like that, you’ve been conspiring against me and we both know it. I was just sending a little warning.” He brushes me off, doing nothing but pissing me off even more. Right as I open my mouth to answer, Declan slides into my office, literally. He has on gym shorts and socks and just slid in here like he’s twelve.
I throw my finger up to him as I answer Nikolai, “Nikolai, don’t be ridiculous, the BOCG isn’t conspiring against youand never has been. If you’d pull yourself out of your own delusions you’d realize that.”
Moving the phone over to speaker, we can hear his hand slam on his desk, “Don’t lie to me! I called you to discuss a truce and a meeting. I’m trying to extend an olive branch, but I can’t do that if you won’t own up to what you’ve done.”
Looking at Dec, he rolls his eyes and mouths ‘He has lost it.’
“I’m not going to admit to something we had no part in, if you’d realize that we aren’t out to get you and haven’t been for years, I’d hear you out.”
He huffs out an annoyed breath, “I’d be willing to hear you out, I want the streets safe for my Natasha again.” This time when I look to Dec he’s looking everywhere but at me, what’s up with that?
Shaking my head I reluctantly agree, “Fine, we can meet up, it won’t be until next week, so I need your word on a truce until then.” Catching Rhett’s watchful eyes out of the corner of mine and glancing over at him he lifts his hands. Signing to him to give me just one minute, my attention goes back to the phone.
“Fine, next Tuesday, at three in the afternoon. We can meet at The Byrne so you know I truly am coming in and searching for peace.” Agreeing quickly I cut the call.
Declan doesn’t even let me take a breath before he’s cutting in, “We’re surrounding the place with security, we’ll have backup and backup’s for that backup. Kie will make sure they don’t enter armed and all of us will be in there. We’ll keep Killian here and on Clara and Rhett. We’ll handle this properly.”
Nodding in acknowledgment and turning my attention to Rhett, I lift my hands,“Okay, Little Bear, you have my attention.What’s up?”
I can see the apprehension in his green brown eyes before he starts,“Well, you know my old daddy?”Uh, where is this going? I knew he’d probably have questions one day but didn’t think it’d be today.
“Yeah, Bear. What about him?”
“Well, why is he here?”That has both Dec and I snapping to hyper alert. I’m trying my hardest to school my expression because Rhett can read a facial expression like no other.
“What do you mean he’s here? Have you seen him?”He’s nodding before I even stop signing the question and my heart stutters and stops in my chest. No matter what, they’ll be safe here. Until my dying breath, they’ll be safe.
“I saw him out of my window last night. He was really mean when we lived with him. He hit, hitting isn’t nice. Daddy, don’t make us go with him.”I’m shocked, he has to be mistaken. There’s zero chance that Preston was on my property. If I find out he was, I’ll murder my entire security and staff team then hire new ones without blinking.
Moving over to him and getting down on his level my arms wrap him up tight. Hoping I’m giving him every ounce of safety he needs to feel right now. When he hugs my neck back with the same intensity I know I’m doing the right thing. We break away and he looks at me with so much fear and worry.
“Bear, you and your mom are never going back with him. Remember? Safe, I promise. Can you show me and Uncle Dec where you saw him?”He takes both our hands and leads us out the office, across the living room, up the stairs, and to his window in his bedroom.
“I got up to potty. A light was in my window. My old daddy was holding a light. Right there.”He points to where the privacyfence sits, you can see to the other side of it from here.
If he saw what he thinks he did my question becomes, how did Preston Donovan get on and off my property undetected.
Declan beats me to it, “I’ll have Mac check it out.” Every square inch of this property is under surveillance, finding out who was shining a light in my son’s bedroom window should be no problem. However if we find out it was Preston, then it’s just the beginning of an infinite number of problems. The hellfire that will reign down on this city will be indescribable.
While Mac works on that I need to get everything ready for our big trip to the doctor tomorrow. We talked to Rhett about it and made sure this is something he’d want. He’s four and a half so he doesn’t get the final say, at the same time Clara and I both agreed if his answer was a resounding no we wouldn’t pursue it at this time. Surprisingly enough, he was really curious about it. We’ll see what the doc has to say tomorrow then Clara will decide after. If she asks my opinion on it I’ll tell her; however, this chance was pulled out from under her feet once before. I refuse to let that happen again.
* * *
Finding Clara exactly where I assumed she’d be, in the hammock reading, my smile isn’t able to be contained, neither is my instinct to kiss her. Taking her chin in my hand while standing over her I tilt her head back and press my lips to her. The corner of my lips tick up when she instinctively opens up for me and my tongue slides against hers as she moans in my mouth. Pulling away the happiness in her eyes is unmistakable.
“Hey, Pretty Girl.” Rhett and the twins are playing in the pool.So we can speak freely for now. Moving onto the hammock with her I pull her thigh and side until she’s laying directly on top of me, her head on my chest. “Is this a good time to talk?”
She snuggles in and lets out a content sigh, I love that sound. “Sure, what’s up?”
