Page 32 of Tempt Me

“I don’t know. My head is spinning.”

“We need to find cover.”

Indigo is at my back when two men appear from behind Hunter’s SUV and prepare to unload on us. I hear another man yell at the others not to injure the “target.”

While they don’t shoot Indigo and me, the mercenaries do unleash hell on our friends behind us. Cars are shredded by the high-powered rifles, forcing Noble, Bear, and Golden to fall back.

My friends return fire. Bullets whip past us. Indigo and I create a wall around Hunter. Our allies and the enemy shoot past us. We’re safe yet stuck out in the open.

The chopper flies overhead. The noise again leaves me nearly deaf. I hear muffled gunshots, the propeller, glass shattering, and Hunter screaming in terror.

Trapped in a fucking meat grinder, we’d be dead already if each side didn’t want us alive.

I face Indigo as we huddle around my crying woman and wait for something to happen.

Indigo’s brown eyes are calm. He has a way of focusing on a person and making the world go quiet. My mind pushes everything away except his calm gaze.

“When they get distracted,” he says in a calm voice, “you need to move Hunter to your bike and take off. Don’t hesitate. Don’t look back.”

As if beckoned by Indigo’s words, the cavalry arrives. Guns blazing, Elvis and the Hills Chapter ride up from behind the enemy’s getaway SUV. They take the men by surprise, dropping three of them. The two with the assault weapons are stuck behind the crashed vehicles. Outnumbered, they start looking for an exit.

Indigo turns away from me and opens fire while I grab Hunter by the arm and run. We rush past trashed vehicles and my club brothers. I don’t stop moving until I reach my motorcycle resting on its side like a discarded toy.

I ready the bike as Noble arrives at our side.

“Get on!” he yells over the noise.

Once I’m on my motorcycle, Noble lifts Hunter and settles her behind me.

I glance over my shoulder to see him holding her face and staring into her shell-shocked eyes.

“Don’t you dare let go until you get to the farm, okay, Hunter?”

Hunter nods and tightens her arms around me. There’s no time to worry about her falling off. I need to get out of here. We don’t know how big the mercenary team is or if the remaining men will decide to shoot Hunter as a final “fuck you.”

That’s why I lean on the throttle and race away without looking back at the chaos currently threatening the Backcountry Kings.

HUNTER

In my head, I’m screaming. As soon as the SUV is struck, the world gets very loud. The airbags deploy, throwing my head back.

I’m stunned by the impact. Outside the SUV, car horns blare. I hear Atticus calling my name. I turn toward him. Our eyes meet. He looks so relieved to see me alive. I think I say his name.

Turning my head toward my window, I see Tack. My mind sharpens at the sight of him. He looks unharmed, only worried. We’re going to be okay.

I hear a shot, and Tack drops out of view. I think I cry out. My hand goes to the door handle. I want to help him. We can escape together.

Atticus says my name. I hear him telling me to keep the door locked. I should stay inside where he can protect me.

I turn away from where Tack disappeared and look at the head of my family’s security. Atticus doesn’t care if Tack lives or dies, but I do. I need to make him understand.

Before I can speak, the front glass shatters, and Atticus is torn apart by bullets. Hot liquid splashes on me. Everything stubborn inside me drains away like Atticus’s life.

Someone frees me from the SUV. I nearly drop to my knees once I’m pulled out. My body feels weird. Am I in shock? I don’t feel pain as much as boneless.

Around me, the air smells like blood and smoking vehicles. The hovering chopper blades send dirt in the air, making my eyes burn. I glance around, searching for Tack’s body. He isn’t on the ground. Or he is, but I can’t spot him past the chaos.

I turn my head slightly to see a stranger wearing a skeleton-style tactical mask. Another one with a beige version of the same mask stands on my left side. They hold me under the armpits to keep me upright.

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