Page 77 of Tempt Me

We remain outside for thirty minutes before I’m distracted from my daydreaming by a text from Noble.

I smile at the words I read. Apparently, the feds zeroed in on Matt Parker’s name once Zoot connected one of his shell companies to the mugger. They were also able to tie another of his shell companies to the payments to a mercenary from the road. After the last attack, Matt Parker flew to Paris, where he’s been hiding at a villa. An hour ago, the French cops raided his location and made an arrest.

Justice for rich people is an impressive thing to watch unfold. If Matt Parker had messed with a normal woman, he might have spent the rest of his life without any consequences. No one would have cared enough to bring down the heat on him. However, Suzanne is old money and is tangled up with a lot of powerful people. The FBI were never going to let this case go cold. Now, Hunter can stop hiding.

Despite the good news, the end of Noble’s message leaves me edgy.

“Parker hired another mercenary team,” I explain to Indigo who kneels to pet the whining dogs. “The authorities tried contacting the men to call off the job, but the mercs’ numbers are dead. That third team might still be in play.”

“That’s ominous,” Indigo mutters.

I look at where Sleepy stares toward the woods. “How long have the dogs been acting this way?”

“Since yesterday. We were walking around back there, and they got spooked. I think they wanted to chase whatever they sensed, but I called them off. I’m honestly surprised they listened. Usually, they’ll ignore my commands and chase the rabbit or raccoon. Maybe they sensed coyotes or wild dogs and got intimidated.”

“Or they’re sensing a team of mercenaries sitting out in the woods trying to figure out how to hit the farm and steal Hunter away.”

Indigo flicks the safety off his gun in his back holster. “Yesterday, Golden found a few discharged traps. Nothing snagged in them. Maybe those mercs tried creeping closer and set off the traps. Now, they’re waiting for the farm to be empty like today.”

Indigo and I stare out at the heavy woods behind the farmhouses. As a teenager, I often got turned around in there. The woods are deceptively confusing. You can hear the farm’s activities—vehicles, music, voices—yet it can feel like you’re a hundred miles away.

“We could go look,” Indigo says as the dogs whine again and stare at the woods.

“Or we can assume the worst and react accordingly.”

Indigo glances at the twins and then the boys. His shoulders go tight. I feel the same way. The farm is our safe space, but anyone could be watching us right now.

“Kids, go play inside,” Indigo says.

The boys give him a frown similar to Pork Chop’s. Nearby, the girls seem confused and start shaking their heads.

“Red light, green light,” Indigo announces, saying the words used by the kids’ moms to indicate something is serious. “Red light. Now, take your toys inside.”

Kiera instantly gets scared by the “red light” part, thinking they’re in trouble. As Deirdre hugs her sister, they start whispering about their mommy.

Indigo startles the dogs when he makes a move for the kids. I keep an eye on the woods while my brother sweeps the girls up into his arms and orders the boys to follow.

“Red light means you need to take things seriously,” Indigo grumbles as the girls squeal with surprise at how he has them under each arm.

While Indigo hauls the kids into the house, I text Noble since he’s better about checking his messages than Zoot. As I explain how we’re spooked, maybe over nothing, I murmur to Sleepy and Grumpy to keep them settled.

Noble responds immediately. “Hit the alarm. Play this like an attack. Be wrong rather than dead.”

Despite worrying I’ll upset Carys and Hunter over nothing, I still hit the farm’s alarm. Sleepy and Grumpy flinch when the tornado-style warning winds up, blaring from speakers across the community. I bet the siren also startles anyone prowling in the woods.

A cold fear washes over me. I feel myself in someone’s scope. The dogs begin to bark, focused on a specific spot past the main farmhouse.

Giving into my paranoia, I reach down and pick up each dog. A startled Grumpy snaps at me. I feel his teeth brush against my jaw. Sleepy whines as I hurry past the white picket fence surrounding Carys’s house and bring the dogs inside.

“They smell,” Carys whines from the couch. “What’s happening? This one won’t tell me anything.”

I look at Indigo who frowns at where Siobhan calms the crying twins. Hunter’s gaze meets mine, and she instantly understands how this is about her.

“They caught the guy,” I tell her, trying to focus on the positive.

“I know,” Hunter replies and lifts her phone to show a message from Suzanne. “The news showed Matt Parker getting his ass hauled out of a villa by the French police.”

Carys swipes the phone from Hunter and looks over the information. “This is good news. Why are we preparing for a tornado?”

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