Page 78 of Tempt Me

“Tornado?” Hudson asks, alarmed as he runs over to his mom. “We need to hide.”

“No, baby. Or maybe yes.”

Everyone looks to me. The dogs sit at the door, waiting for something. I frown at Indigo, wishing he would take charge. I’m afraid to be wrong and make Carys’s delivery day worse.

“The guy hired more mercs, and they might still be in play. Now, the dogs are acting weird. With most of the guys off the farm and Carys in labor, Noble wanted us to play things safe. So, we’ll stay inside and away from the windows.”

Carys groans before unleashing instant sobs. “My boys are in danger.”

“Daddy!” Hudson squeals. “Where’s Daddy?”

“Game over, man,” Hicks mutters, shaking his head. “Game over.”

“That’s your brother’s line,” Siobhan mumbles as she rounds up the kids. “We’re going to the basement playroom. There’ll be no windows or doors.”

“I want to stay with Mommy,” Hudson whines and clings to his sweaty mom.

Siobhan looks around and begins to cry. “I don’t know what to do.”

The twins glance at each other before mimicking their mom’s tears. Indigo frowns at me as if I need to fix everything.

Hunter stands up and joins me. “We need to close all the curtains and shades. Carys can be moved downstairs. Siobhan and I will stay with her. You and Indigo can keep watch up here,” she says and looks around. “That’s a good plan, right?”

Carys kisses Hudson’s wet cheeks. “Help Mommy downstairs. We’re going to hide out in the playroom until Daddy says we’re safe.”

“What about the baby?” Hicks asks Hunter.

“Your mom can rest on the couch downstairs. We’ll put on a fun movie for her. It’ll be okay.”

Hunter turns to me. “What’s the plan outside the house?”

“I don’t know.”

Hunter blinks rapidly as if she expected me to have an overall strategy.

“We can arm up and hunt them,” Indigo suggests.

“No,” Siobhan hisses like he’s a moron. “You can’t just wander around the woods when they might be dug in like ticks. Stay here and protect us.”

“Okay,” Indigo replies immediately as he stares at the woman he loves.

Siobhan smiles at how she got what she wanted. Rejuvenated by Hunter’s plan and Indigo’s obedience, she takes her daughters’ hands.

“Let’s round up snacks to take downstairs for everyone. We’re a team. Indigo will close the shades and curtains in the house.”

As everyone moves around, I consider those men possibly hiding in the woods. Do they know their boss got pinched?

“Maybe we can use the speakers to alert the mercs to their current situation,” I suggest to Hunter before she can disappear downstairs. “They might bail on this thing if they know they aren’t getting paid and the cops are on to them.”

Hunter’s face lights up. “That’s brilliant.”

Her praise has me smiling like a goof. “How close is Carys to delivering?”

“I don’t know. Siobhan said her mom and aunt were on their way here. Will they still come if the farm is locked down?”

“Yes,” I reply, knowing Aunt Fred would ride into war zone to protect her daughters. “Noble’s got the entire club headed to the farm. We just have to survive long enough for the cavalry to arrive.”

“I love you,” Hunter says. “Don’t do anything reckless to prove your worth to me. I’d rather you be a living chickenshit than a dead hero. Do you understand?”

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