Chapter 9
(Blood of the Enforcer)
It was early evening as Tori drove home after a long day of working at Chadler’s. The day had been good but fast paced. She was looking forward to getting home, eating dinner, and turning in early. She was stopped at a red light when she suddenly saw a vehicle she recognized go racing past. The blonde woman thought it was odd but wasn’t concerned until she noticed two other vehicles racing after it.
The blonde woman suddenly got a sick feeling in her stomach; alarms went off in her head. Hitting the gas she made a left turn, running a red light and cutting off the vehicle in the lane next to her, and went in pursuit of the three vehicles. Unfortunately she was too far back to be able to tell who it was she was following. It took her a few moments before she realized where she had seen the blue and silver trailblazer; her eyes widened at the dawn of information. It was the vehicle Nancy had been driving.
Tori pulled out her phone and Dialed River’s number. When the number was busy she dialed her father’s. Getting his voice mail she hung up and set off the alert tracker her father had installed in her car. He would instantly be alerted she was in trouble and in need of help.
The blonde woman drove faster. She made a right and continued trying to follow. As they continued to drive she realized they were heading towards far less populated areas. “No Nancy, Stay with the population,” Tori said knowing the woman was making a mistake.
The vehicles made a turn to the right and Tori went straight. She knew the road they had turned on would curve around and meet up with the road they had been on. She reached the point the roads would cross, but Nancy never came. Tori made a right and followed the road. It took only a couple of minutes to find Nancy’s car was in a ditch. There were men outside and Nancy and Teresa had already been pulled from the vehicle.
Tori didn’t think she acted. Speeding faster she hit one of the two vehicles surprising the men enough that Nancy was able to pull free and she and Teresa started up the side of the ditch toward Tori.
The men began to run after them but Tori threw open her door and Nancy and Teresa quickly got in. Tori hit the gas and sped away.
“Tori!” Nancy screamed looking toward the right side of the vehicle.
There were two Hummers coming at them. Things were not looking good. “We have to get back to a populated area,” Tori announced.
“River and Trevor are on their way. I was trying to reach them.”
“Who are they?” Tori asked not hiding her concern.
“Salazar’s wolves.”
Tori groaned. “Damn it!” She yelled narrowly missing a vehicle that came out of a side street at her. “Alright we have to get to an open area and keep them at bay as long as we can. I sent off an alert so my dad will track us. We have to hold out as long as we can without stopping.”
Nancy nodded. “I’ll try Trevor again.”
The brunette tried a few times but was not able to reach him. As they neared an intersection several vehicles came out of nowhere. They were trapped.
“Stay in the car and lock the doors,” Tori ordered.
“Tor…”
Tori got out of the vehicle and looked at her. “Stay.” Closing the door the blonde woman turned to face the enemy wolves.
“You’re making a big mistake,” A large wolf with shoulder length black curly hair warned.
“Are you sure you aren’t?” Tori asked. She watched him with a masked expression. She emptied her mind of anything but strength.
“Give us the wolves and we won’t have to hurt you,” A dark tan skinned man with short brown hair replied.
“How do you know I won’t hurt you?” The green eyed girl challenged.
“Look little…”
“You want Nancy and Teresa you’ll have to go through me.”
“Fine!” A woman with choppy short hair said and attacked. It was a mistake. Tori jumped up and kicked her so hard she went flying over a closely parked black Tahoe. Instantly, two more wolves attacked her.
Tori gave no thought of safety to her-self at all. The only thing that mattered was protecting Teresa and her mother. Warner had kept his daughter out of view and hidden for the most part from the pack. However he had done the one thing no one would have expected. He’d trained Tori like he would any new enforcer. Tori knew how to fight; how to fight against bad odds, and win.
Salazar’s men kept coming but Tori never stopped fighting. She felt an energy flow through her she had never felt before.A couple of wolves finally managed to grab opposite arms.
“Girl you’re going to regret messing with us!” The dark tanned wolf said angrily. He went to hit her but she kicked him between the legs and he bent over in pain. A moment later he stood up and backhanded her hard enough the wolves lost their grip and she fell to the ground and hit her head.
The last thing Tori heard was a screech of tires. She hoped it was Nancy getting Teresa and her out of harm’s way.
**
Warner saw his daughter hit the ground and jumped out of the vehicle. The enforcer took out four wolves in no time flat; killing the wolf that had dared to strike his daughter. One wolf got away but the others were killed.
“Tori!” River said quickly going to his fallen bride. Gently he turned her over. A bruise was already forming where she’d been struck. Her face had a few minor scrapes and there was a little blood on the side of her head from hitting the ground.
“Is she okay?” Nancy asked concerned.
“Auntie Tori!” Teresa screamed and went running to her. The group watched as the child clung to the unconscious woman.
“She saved us,” Nancy said looking at Trevor. “Tori saved us.”
**
River paced the living room waiting for news on Tori. The woman was still unconscious. Furry raced through him that Salazar’s men had hurt her. His only consolation was Warner had killed the wolf that had actually hurt his bride.
Warner would have gotten on to him for pacing but he was pacing himself. Nancy was sitting on the couch with Trevor’s right arm draped around her. Teresa was in his lap and refused to leave until she knew Aunt Tori was okay.
“Where is she?” Warner cringed hearing his wife’s voice. Karen was mad enough at him that their daughter had been betrothed. Now that she’d been attacked he had no doubt he’d be blamed Karen would be even angrier with him.
Karen entered the room and there was no hiding her fear or concern for the girl. “Where’s Tori?”
“The doctor is still with her,” Warner said trying to be calm.
“I didn’t ask you!” Karen snapped at her husband. Warner had expected the woman to be mad but not be quite as angry toward him in front of others. He’d expected her to let him have it when they were alone. “You’re the reason she’s hurt!”
“No Karen, I am,” Nancy told her. “She saved Teresa and me.”
“That is Warner’s fault not yours,” Karen insisted. “You should...”
“Lower your voices.” Karen turned to snap and stopped as she saw a man in a white coat.
“How is she?” River asked quickly approaching the doctor.
“Amazingly she’s only got some bumps and bruises. Tori did get knocked out and has a heck of a headache but...she’s okay.” Dr White looked at Warner. “I’d say she takes after you. Not sure how or why but the girl seems to favor the wolf in her; at least where injuries are concerned.”
“I want to see my daughter?!” Karen demanded, rather loudly.
“Is she awake? You said she has a headache,” River replied.
“Unfortunately.” The group turned to see Tori leaning on the wall.
“My baby!” Karen yelled and went running to her. “That’s it I am sending you to…”
“Stop yelling,” Tori said and covered her ears. “I love you but please be quiet; my head hurts enough as it is.”
“Auntie Tori!” Teresa screeched and went racing to her. The child didn’t think and jumped at the woman who had saved her only an hour ago.
“Teresa No!” Several people yelled at once.
Tori caught the child but immediately went to the ground against the wall. “Auntie Tori! Auntie Tori!” The child said as tears of joy streaked down the child’s face.
“Shshsh. It’s alright Teresa,” The blonde woman soothed. “Auntie Tori has a bad headache though so let’s use our inside voices okay?” Teresa nodded and falling silent stayed wrapped around her savior.
There was silence in the room for several minutes when the red headed child said, “You came for me. You saved me.”
Tori sat the child back enough and lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. “Listen to me very carefully Teresa. I will always come for you. Even if someone grabs you and it takes a little time I will find you; understood?”
Teresa nodded. “Auntie Tori will come.”
“Yes sweetie, always.”
Warner felt tears of pride enter his eyes but forced them back. Tori had committed herself to protect a child of her future family. Karen wouldn’t understand what Tori had done but Warner did. Tori knew the rules of an enforcer. She had just committed herself to Teresa. The enforcer watched as his daughter looked at him.
“You need to train me harder. Salazar can’t have her.”
“Train? What is she…..you didn’t! We agreed to keep her out of all this!”
“Yes Karen we did. I never said I wouldn’t give her the means to protect herself if someone went after her to get to me,” Warner said showing his own anger. “You don’t understand what’s happened Karen but Tori does. She knew what she was doing before she did it.”
“Understand what?” Karen demanded.
“Tori told …ordered us to stay in her Armada when she got out to face Salazar’s men,” Nancy informed her. “They don’t see her as an innocent bystander. She chose to save us and protect us.”
“Enforcers aren’t just random wolves that decide to give it a try. Enforcer’s are bred for it,” Dr. White explained. “Tori took up the role of an enforcer today. She took out wolves on her own and kept several at bay. The blood of the enforcer runs through her and she let it show.”
“Tori also just committed herself to Teresa. Few things could override this type of commitment,” Warner informed his wife. “Like it or not Tori belongs to Lord Gregory’s family as much as ours. She’s committed herself to a child of this family and she will marry River.”
“I don’t…”
“Enough!” River said becoming angry. “This has not been an easy night for anyone. Tori needs her rest and everyone needs to stop arguing around her.” Calmly he looked at the child in his bride’s arms. “Teresa you can see Tori tomorrow but she needs her rest okay?”
“Be here in morning?” Teresa inquired.
“Yes. She’s staying here,” River said firmly.
“No she…”
“Yes Karen she is,” Warner interrupted. Karen looked at him shocked. “Dr White will also be staying in case anything comes up.”
“She could be dead!”
“Thanks to dad I’m not,” Tori said becoming annoyed. Looking her mother dead in the eye she said, “You don’t have to like it mom but I am going to train every day. There is no one better to train me than dad. I may not have been around the pack but one thing I learned during my time as a potential is no one wants to mess with him and everyone considers him the best enforcer around. I’d want to train with him even if he wasn’t my father.”
Tori tore her eyes from her mother and looked at the most feared enforcer; the man she called dad. “I know you’ve trained me dad but …”
“Careful Tori, I won’t be easy on you and I may even be harder because you are my daughter.”
“I’d be disappointed if you weren’t.”
“It means every day Tori,” Warner warned. “No acceptation. Rain, snow, tornado…you train.”
“When can we start?”
Warner sighed. She was so much his daughter in so many ways. “If you’re still good in the morning we’ll start tomorrow.” Tori nodded. “I’ll call work but you stay here tomorrow.” Again the woman nodded. “Get some rest you’re going to need it.”
“Yes sir,” The green eyed girl replied.
“Alright. We’re going to go.” Karen went to argue but he cut her off. “Tori is in good hands here with River. You and I are going to let our daughter get some peace and quiet and some rest; while I…enlighten you on a few things.” Without letting the woman argue he took her firmly by the arm and led her out of the room.
“River, take Tori up to her room. I’ll have some dinner brought up,” Lady Kendra announced. River nodded and gently uncurling Teresa from his bride, he handed her off to Trevor and then led Tori upstairs.
“Karen is in for a very rude awakening,” Nancy remarked.
“Yes and its long overdue,” Lord Gregory announced. “Take the little one up to bed.” Nancy didn’t argue and taking Teresa’s hand she took the little girl to bed.
“Dad.”
“Salazar is not going to take what happened lightly.”
“Don’t be mad at Tori,” Trevor pleaded.
“Mad? I’m not mad Trevor; not at Tori anyway.” The Lord sighed and sat down. “I have no doubt that if she hadn’t happened by Nancy and Teresa would be in Salazar’s hands; if they weren’t immediately killed.”
“Tori stays marrying River. Even if someone throws a fit that she’s too much an enforcer I want your word you won’t cast her aside,” Lady Kendra demanded.
Lord Gregory looked at his wife mildly surprised by her firm demeanor. It took a moment for her concern to dawn on him. “No Kendra, I’m not letting this affect anything. I want that girl married to our son as much as you do. I won’t change my mind. Tori and River’s contract is signed and it will stay that way.” Lady Kendra gave a nod. Come what may River and Tori would marry.