Chapter 7
It was about three in the afternoon, and Jack, Bonnie, Vance, Kassidy, Draven, Three, Findley, and even Brinnley were sitting around the pool with some of the females and kids from the Gamieyon Pride while yet other females were swimming and playing on the splash pad with Izzie, Bella, and Griffin.
There were several other males nearby keeping watch, but only a few were visible.
Steve and two of the males that had come to the Laighin Pride with him were seen providing security, but the other two of their males had decided to get some rest so they could go on duty at sundown to relieve Steve and those on duty now.
The adults were chatting as the kids ran and played. It was a much needed activity for the Gamieyon Pride. They needed something fun and energy releasing to do. Something that did not bring danger or worry to mind.
“I wish Gwen had come down to swim with us,” Findley said.
“Me, too. I asked, but she said she’s still a little sore from a fight she had while getting to safety back home.
She said she’s going to rest a little more and see us for dinner.
I offered to take the kids for her, but she said they’d play quietly in the suite with her.
I took them some toys and crayons and stuff.
They’re actually very well behaved,” Bonnie said.
“She probably doesn’t want to let them out of her sight after everything they’ve been through,” Findley said.
“I noticed her favoring her side, and tried to take a look a few times, but she said it was nothing,” Bonnie said.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Niko called out, walking around from the side of the house.
“Where y’all been?” Vance asked.
“Cleaning his house,” Niko said.
“Not the whole time. We went and made the rounds to check on security, too. Just to put in a face and let them know we appreciate them and find out if they need anything,” Rance said as he glanced around the pool and the splash pad a few times.
“She didn’t want to come down. She’s resting,” Bonnie said.
“Who?” Rance asked, playing stupid.
Bonnie smirked at him and he ended up grinning at her.
“Y’all got the house clean?” Findley asked.
“Yep. Anybody that might want to stay there can stay there. At least until we start working on it.”
“You talk to Titus?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, I did. He’s finishing up what’s planned for the rest of Gwen’s Pride, and the last two places you originally asked for and then he’ll get with me.”
“You going to stay on your land?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You gonna add on, or tear it down and build another?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know,” Rance answered.
“What do you know?” Vance asked.
“I know Niko has a job in house cleaning if he ever needs a new career.”
Vance laughed. “You never noticed that before?”
“Never paid that much attention. I do appreciate it now, though,” Rance said, slapping Niko on the back.
“Mr. Niko! Mr. Niko! Come play with me!” Griffin called out from the shallow end of the pool he’d just moved to.
“Griffin! My man! You having fun, little dude?” Niko asked, as he stepped around those lounging by the pool and walked over to kneel down by the side of the shallow end where Griffin floated in a small, colorful inner tube.
“I am! This is so much fun! I didn’t know there was a pool where we were going! I want to stay here always!”
“Well, that’s up to your momma. But I’m sure that can be arranged if she decides she wants to do that.”
Griffin smiled at Niko and produced a water gun from beneath the water and started squirting Niko.
Niko started shrieking, pretending he was melting while he tried and failed valiantly to block the streams of water hitting his teeshirt and his jeans.
“Griffin! Stop it! Stop it, Griffin!” a woman was shouting as she rushed toward her son from her place between the splash pad and the side of the pool. “Stop squirting him!” she demanded.
Griffin was laughing just like Niko was and didn’t hear his mother until she was right on them.
“I said stop it!” she insisted, leaning down to take the water gun away from him.
Griffin stopped laughing and looked from his mother to Niko worriedly, thinking he might have done something wrong.
“You don’t shoot the adults! Especially when they’re wearing clothes and not swimsuits!”
“It’s okay,” Niko said.
“I’m so sorry. He just gets carried away sometimes and forgets that not everybody likes to play all the time,” Griffin’s mother said, still looking at her son.
“It’s okay, really. We’re buds, and I didn’t mind at all. I was actually having fun myself,” Niko said, still kneeling down beside the edge of the pool and Griffin.
“Thank you for being so…” she stopped speaking as she shifted her gaze from her son to Niko.
They both seemed to forget what they were doing for a second before she recovered and started speaking again. “Thank you for being so kind.”
“It’s not a big deal. I was having fun,” Niko said, standing up nervously.
“See, Mom? I told you my friend Niko was nice. He said he’s going to keep us safe,” Griffin said.
“You did, and he is very nice.” She stood and turned to Niko who was standing in the same place he’d been kneeling in. “I’m sorry he asked you to protect us, please don’t feel pressured to honor that request. We’re fine. We’re safe here and I’m well aware of it.”
“I’m not feeling pressured at all. We keep all females and children safe. I’m flattered he asked. No worries,”
She smiled nervously and extended her hand. “I’m Maeve.”
Niko stared at her hand for a moment, then looked up at her face. “Maeve.”
“Yes,” she said, slowly returning her hand to her side.
“Oh, sorry!” he said, reaching for her hand quickly and shaking it vigorously. “I’m Niko.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Niko.”
“Yeah, same. Well, I gotta go. Gotta get some rest, I’ll be at the bar all night. Haven’t been there in a few weeks, so they’ll be looking for me.”
Maeve’s brows rose and she nodded slowly. “Okay, then. Have fun at the bar.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah, always! Bye!” he said, as he started walking away before he even looked in the direction he was going.
“Bye, Mr. Niko!” Griffin yelled, waving at Niko as he rushed away, backwards.
“Bye!” Niko repeated, still looking back at Maeve. He was paying so little attention to the direction he was walking in, he actually bounced off Alison.
“Oh, shit! I’m sorry, Alison!” he exclaimed, grabbing her arms and holding her steady.
“Where you going so quick?” Alison demanded, as her hands came up and grabbed at his arms, as well. “You about knocked me over.”
“Sorry, I was hurrying to go catch a nap so I can go to the bar.”
“Be careful! What if I’d been holding food and you made me drop it all.”
“I’d feel like shit,” he said, grinning at her and kissing her cheek as he passed her quickly and darted into the house.
“You see that?” Bonnie asked Jack.
“Yep. You see that?” Jack asked Draven.
“I did. You think it means what I think it means?”
“I don’t know, he left pretty quickly.”
“Because he’s terrified,” Vance said.
“What’s he terrified of?” Rance asked.
They all turned around and looked at Rance.
“Women,” Three said, his tone indicating he was surprised they didn’t know. “How did you not see that?”
“Why is he afraid of women?” Rance asked, looking around the group of friends reclining by the pool as the kids continued to squeal and laugh.
“He’s afraid of that woman,” Jack said. “Which kind of says a lot.”
“Is that woman Griffin’s mom?” Rance asked.
Everybody turned around and looked at Rance like he knew something they didn’t.
“Yes, she is. Her name is Maeve and she’s very, very nice,” Kassidy said.
“He’s just making sure she doesn’t get the wrong idea. He promised her kid he’d protect him and his mom, and he doesn’t want her to think he promised anything he wouldn’t promise anybody else.”
“You sure? I mean, we were sitting there this morning and heard him promise Griff. It didn’t seem like a big deal to him then,” Bonnie said.
“You been putting worries into his head about what she might think about his promise?” Jack asked.
“Not intentionally. We talked about it, but it wasn’t a big deal. I just said he should make sure she understands he was just comforting her kid. A lot of females out there looking for a mate, you know? And her kid intentionally said she didn’t have a mate,” Rance said.
“Rance, how ‘bout you don’t give any more romance advice?”
“Romance? I wasn’t talking about romance. I know nothing about romance.”
“Glad you’re aware of that,” Jack said.
“Hey, y’all. I wanted to let you know that I went home and made a big roasting pan full of dirty rice.
And I brought over some corn on the cob, too, already slathered with butter and salt and pepper and Parmesan.
Both pans are wrapped in foil. If you just pop them in the oven while you’re frying the chicken later, it’ll warm up nicely by the time the chicken is ready. ”
“Thanks, Alison. We appreciate that.”
Alison smiled at Bonnie. “Glad to help out. It’s nice to be needed.”
“You’re always needed,” Bonnie said.
Alison smiled quickly and kind of shrugged a shoulder.
Jack’s phone buzzed at the same time Rance’s did. They both checked their phones. “Frenzy says he’s on his way up with friends,” Rance said, then scrolled to the next message. “Paxton says the same, but he says two Suburbans.”
“Yep. I got Paxton’s message, too. Didn’t get anything from Frenzy, though.”
“Apparently, you’re not his favorite,” Rance said with a chuckle.
“Thankfully,” Jack said.
“Ladies!” Bonnie said, standing from her lounge chair and raising her voice.
“I just wanted to let you know that we’ve got some friends coming up to join us, they are members of the Variant community.
We just didn’t want you to become alarmed.
They’ve been our friends for a very long time and there is nothing to worry about. ”
“Thank you,” a few of them said, but all seemed unaffected. They trusted Jack and Bonnie and their Pride to keep them safe since they’d officially been granted sanctuary.