Rory
Twenty-Seven
Leaving Hades’s bed the second time around was harder than I thought it would be.
Three days passed since I snuck over there, but this time I left her my number.
For the first time in a long time, I had experienced intimacy without taking my clothes off.
As much as I hated to admit it, the last time that happened was when I was with Widow.
Hades whispered sweet promises in my ear, and it scared me shitless.
I had two women I’d been enamored with for six years play hard to get or downright reject me, then Hades came along, claiming she wanted me immediately.
It was odd, but I deserved a love that felt explosive.
One day when my life wasn’t a mess, I could bring her home and introduce her to my dysfunctional family, but that would be a snowy day in hell with the feud.
Since I left, she’s sent me good morning and good night texts. It brought back that first high school crush giddiness from the date. Given I never got that opportunity, it felt nice being desired in a different way. God, I sounded insane.
I was outside the clubhouse washing my bike, getting ready to go to my shop to do a few tattoos when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Something felt off. Widow, Vesper, and my sister were all outside, but they were on the side of the clubhouse when I heard the screeching of tires.
When I whipped around, I saw the flash of silver and froze.
“Pull the trigger, Aurora,” she snapped.
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “Mama, I-I don’t wan—”
I screamed when the gun went off and nothing happened, but her scary laugh rang as she pulled her gun away. “Stop fuckin’ cryin’ or next time you might not get so lucky.”
I was pulled back to reality when Widow slammed against me and I roughly collided with the pavement.
A grunt escaped my lips as my body went slack in her arms. Widow took me down and covered me with her body.
I hated how I couldn’t bask in this moment or tease her slightly because I was paralyzed with fear.
Fuck how my brain worked.
Widow pushed herself up, brushing my hair away from my face as her touch lingered on my cheek. “Are you okay, phoenix?”
I nodded. “I think so?” I looked down at my body, feeling random areas to make sure I wasn’t bleeding. “How do I look?”
Widow’s eyes skimmed my body. “It doesn’t look like you were hit.”
“What about you?” I questioned. “You wanted to be a hero, did you take a bullet for me?”
“No bullet. Just some scrapes, but it’s worth it.”
I hated when she spoke like this, because it showed me she had feelings for me but she wouldn’t do anything about it.
The need in my chest grew and I wanted to pull her into me, slam my lips to hers and claim her in front of everyone.
It would lead to more trouble than the bullet that just tried to take me out.
“Rory, are you okay?” My sister’s panicked voice finally came through. “You two go with Fang and Bree and see who the fuck just tried to shoot her.” I didn’t realize Fang and Bree were gone, but it made sense. Someone just shot at us—at me? No one did that.
Widow got on her bike as Vesper went to her Escalade, leaving with the crowd. Cinder brushed my hair out of my face as I leaned into her. “I’m okay, Cin.”
“I thought you were hit,” she rasped. “I saw you go down.” Cinder’s phone rang as I sat in her arms as she talked and listened to the other person. “I want them found. Now!”
I adjusted myself to look at Cinder. “Cin, I’m okay. I’m not dead or dyin’, you don’t have to go on a rampage.”
She blinked at me a few times, and I knew I set myself up for a lecture. “Rory, someone just shot at you.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time someone put metal into my body without my consent.” I cringed when I saw the grimace on Cinder’s face. “Sorry. Bad dark humor connection. I’m okay, I promise. Please don’t do something stupid.”
I didn’t need her raising hell because she was pissed off. Yes, someone did try to shoot me, but we didn’t know who. She would automatically think it would be the Devils, and I didn’t need to be the reason for a turf war. I didn’t want to be the reason for anything.
“Rory—”
“No!” I hissed. “I am not being used as a reason to start a war. Maybe I pissed someone off or it’s from—” Fuck.
Shut up, Rory. “Just…don’t do anything that will fuck things up.
I get that you wanna save me, but like, just don’t okay?
Think with your badass MC president head, not your older sister one. ”
I didn’t need her overprotectiveness to cause anything if they failed to look into it more. There was more at play than a simple bullet being aimed at me.
“You sure you’re feelin’ okay?” Cher asked me as she pulled the blood pressure cuff off my arm. “Your blood pressure is elevated.”
“Well, I take high blood pressure medicine because my body hates me, my sleep is ass, and someone did try to load my body full of silver bullets like I was a werewolf," I joked. “I promise, mon cheri, I am okay.”
With how hard Widow tackled me, Cinder and Widow were both paranoid that I was hurt. Except the only thing bruised was my pride, because I froze like a deer in headlights. I had a few scrapes on my arms, but it wasn’t anything peroxide and a Band-Aid couldn’t fix.
“If you’re sure, I’ll let Cinder know.”
“Thank you. Did you check Cinder to make sure her head didn’t explode?”
A smile barely tugged the corner of her mouth. “I know it feels like she’s hoverin’, but she has a lot goin’ on with the club and attacks.”
“There was more than one?”
“Cinder doesn’t share everythin’, sugar. She wants you safe and she does everythin’ in her power to make sure of it.”
I wished she would focus on the club instead of me.