Page 21 of Tempt Me

“Hunter plans to hide out in Hong Kong until this thing is dealt with,” I explain, hating to say the words. “I want to escort her to the airport. I’d like to take a few guys with me.”

“No,” Zoot mutters and rolls his eyes.

To counter his brother’s dismissive bullshit, Noble tries logic on me. “Hunter has the money to double her security detail. She doesn’t need our guys in the mix.”

“I still want to escort her.”

“If someone is gunning for her and they know you saved her ass last night,” Zoot explains slowly as if I’m a dumbass, “they’re going to kill you first. Why the fuck should we let you put your life on the line? Naw, fuck that. Let her security team get killed to keep her alive.”

Narrowing my eyes at Zoot, I meet his aggression with my own. “Feel free to keep the guys from coming with me, but you won’t stop me from escorting her.”

“You aren’t your own man,” Noble reminds me.

“If it was your heart, you’d blow off Zoot and do what you want.”

Noble glances at his brother and then back at me. “No, I wouldn’t. That’s not a hypothetical, either. I could have walked away from Zoot, Elvis, and the club back when I had Xana. She’d be alive. I’d have fewer scars, but I made a choice back then. I’d make the same one now.”

“Well, I’m not willing to sacrifice Hunter for the club. Every man has a limit, and this is mine. If you asked me to go to a certain death for the Backcountry Kings, I’d do that shit in a heartbeat. But I can’t let Hunter die or get snatched away. It’d kill me, and I’d hate you for making me choose.”

“Look at the little shit threatening us,” Zoot mutters, even as the heat of his rage fades.

“For now, let’s set aside your childish behavior last night,” Noble says, clearly pissed at how I blew him off at the garage. “From the club’s standpoint, protecting Hunter makes sense. Having someone within our social circle get abducted would make the club look weak. Meaning Hunter’s safety is our problem.”

“Fuck that,” Zoot growls, as his temper roars back to life. “Suzanne has the money to hire a fucking army to follow Hunter around.”

“She’ll need to do more, for sure,” Noble replies in a calm voice. “But Hunter is seen in public with Siobhan and Carys all the fucking time. She’s known to be tight with Natasha Kovak, too. If she’s taken, the club will take the heat. Let’s just accept this is our problem and move on.”

“Fuck you. I’m not turning our club into a security detail for every rich fuck in Banta City,” Zoot snarls, getting in his brother’s face. “Suzanne called us to help her older girl. Now, we’re saving Hunter. How soon will it be until this city looks at the Backcountry Kings as expendable bodyguards for the wealthy assholes?”

“That’s a valid point,” Aunt Fred says from behind me.

Having never heard the door open, I have no idea how long she’s been listening. Aunt Fred’s thick, curly brown hair is tied up on her head and she wears a white T-shirt and faded blue jeans. Her outfit mimics the brothers’ clothes, yet they look rough while she seems soft.

“Don’t take his side,” Zoot demands of his sister-in-law. “Tack fucked up. He’s too emotional. No one should listen to him.”

She smiles at his bullshit before patting my cheek. “How is Hunter?”

“Banged up but okay. That’s what she says, anyway.”

“You kept her safe yesterday, but you shouldn’t hide from your club. This isn’t an either-or situation. Hunter is our problem, too.”

“Is she, though?” Zoot asks and drops into his chair like a giant pissed baby.

Noble glares at his brother. “I knew you weren’t listening when I was talking earlier.”

Aunt Fred ignores them and studies me. “Who do we think is behind these attacks?”

“Someone’s trying to grab her. A weirdo, maybe. Or a kidnap and ransom situation.”

Aunt Fred looks at Noble. “Did you dig up any useless information about the dead guys?”

“They’d have been more useful if they weren’t dead,” Zoot grumbles in my direction.

Ignoring Zoot, Noble explains, “They were ex-military. Rangers or some shit. They were likely guns for hire.”

Aunt Fred focuses on me. “Hunter lives very publicly. She’d be an ideal target for a for-profit kidnapping. Suzanne has kidnap and ransom insurance for her daughters and is less likely to contact the police for help. Someone might think taking Hunter would be an easy payday.”

“The mugger was a local thug,” Noble says. “He did time for minor assault, petty theft, dick-flashing pervert shit. Nothing too serious, but he’d definitely take a job to grab her for easy cash.”

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