Page 49 of Tempt Me

I sense the O’Malley brothers are arguing over whether Hunter should remain at the farm. If they send her away, I’ll go with her. I’m unsure if I’m tough enough to keep her safe on my own, but I won’t have any choice in the matter.

I set the thermos on the ground between my feet and sulk over how other people decide my fate.

“Chill,” Bear mumbles and nudges my leg. “You’re showing too much.”

Crossing my arms, I don’t know if I can turn off my irritation. Hunter isn’t ready to leave the farm. She looked exhausted and battered this morning. Her bruises were more pronounced, but she also smiled easier.

I want to wrap Hunter up in the farm’s routine and keep her safe. But I apparently have no fucking say in the matter.

The brothers walk to the screen where Noble shoots a dirty look in Zoot’s direction. Elvis and Aunt Fred take spots near the front.

“All right,” Zoot says and snaps at Golden to shut up. “These are the fucks we’ve identified from the three attacks.”

“Did you create this PowerPoint presentation yourself, boyo?” Caveman asks as he enters the meeting hall, claims the last row of chairs for his members, and stretches out his large build. “Real handy skill there, Zoot.”

“Shut up or I’ll throw you out.”

“Naw, I don’t think you will. I’m a man you might need help from one day. Best let me stay so you can beg for shit later.”

“Zip it,” Aunt Fred admonishes. “Let’s get this meeting over with so Tack and the boys can rest up after yesterday.”

When Caveman and Zoot glance in my direction, I frown back at them. My president cracks his neck and tries to get organized mentally. Caveman just grins at me, loving to stir up trouble.

With Zoot too irritated at Caveman to focus, Noble takes over and explains, “The mugger was a local guy. The two mercenary crews are both from out of town. The men from the garage aren’t from the same area as the ones from yesterday. Whoever hired them might be picking at random from a mercenary phone book.”

“What about a money trail?” Caveman asks. “This fucker is paying them somehow.”

“We’ve got people checking out every single one of these men,” Noble explains, “but we’re not the only ones looking. The garage thing was easier. The local cops stayed out of our way. But everyone and their fucking mom saw the videos of yesterday’s shootout. The feds are in play now.”

Caveman nods. “If Banta City’s crawling with badges, now might be the best time to send the ginger lass on her way.”

Zoot frowns at Noble who shakes his head. Aunt Fred waits for them to say something. Hell, we’re all waiting for Zoot to take charge.

When no one speaks up, Caveman switches gears and asks, “Any idea where they were going to drop off the rich girl if things had worked out for them?”

“We were only able to grab a single burner phone from the scene. The feds might be more helpful with that situation.”

“Looks to me like the answer is clear,” Caveman says. “The world’s a big place. Not as big as Suzanne Knutsen’s bank account, for sure. You’d be smart to have Hunter’s rich mommy send a chopper here to steal her away.”

“We don’t want Tack to leave town,” Noble tells Caveman. “Right now, the city is basically locked down. The feds want to talk to all the players. Everyone is behaving. We all saw how the feds’ involvement changed things after the Kovak family’s convoy was attacked.”

Noble glances at his pissed brother before continuing, “That shit lasted weeks. In theory, the asshole behind all this has got to be scared. He might even be on the run. Whether it’s us or the feds, someone’s bound to link those mercenaries to the rich fucker pulling the strings. This situation might work itself out without us doing anything.”

“Sending Hunter away makes sense,” Caveman says, smirking at how I glare at him. “But sending your boy into the wild to keep her safe is dumb. Best to keep them locked down here.”

“No one asked you,” Zoot growls.

“Yet, I’ve graciously offered my advice anyway,” Caveman says and stretches his arms out as if taking a bow. “I’m a man known for his charity.”

The Hills Chapter members chuckle at their president’s bullshit while everyone else waits to see if Zoot will lose his temper.

“What if you’re wrong?” Zoot asks Caveman, but I sense he’s talking to Noble. “What if this rich asshole thinks he’s safe, and he figures Hunter is hiding out here with her boyfriend? And he hires new mercenaries who sneak onto the farm. What if they’re willing to kill everyone like they were on the street? Do we want our people turned into hamburger like the Knutsen family’s staff?”

Zoot’s temper hits another gear, and he hollers, “Civilians died, too! No one was safe out there, except Hunter!” He pauses his tirade to point at Indigo and me. “She’s the only reason these two are still breathing!”

When Aunt Fred looks ready to speak up, her brother-in-law cuts her off. “If Hunter is in the same location with Siobhan and Carys, do you think your girls will get out of it alive? We are talking about more than Tack and one woman. By allowing Hunter to remain here, we’re putting a target on every man, woman, and child on the farm.”

Indigo squirms in his chair and mutters, “If Tack gets sent away, I’ll go with him to make sure someone has his back.”

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