Chapter 60

Ilost my hat somewhere again. I only realize it when I notice Dakota dusting his off and plopping it back on his head. It reminds me to check my own head only to find it gone. I must have lost it out at the main gate after the bomb.

I really fucking liked that hat. I keep losing the motherfucker.

There are so many people in the house, it becomes almost overcrowded. With the dogs meandering through, it’s damn near claustrophobic. William slips down the stairs and I order him back up. He goes to the top of the landing at most and refuses to go any further. I don’t have any time to go up after him and try to catch him. When William Shakespurr doesn’t wanna be caught, he’s damn near impossible to catch. So I give him a stern finger and look and hope that he runs to hide if shit hits the fan.

“Where the fuck is Fuzz?” I ask, looking around when I find his bag empty. “Anyone seen Fuzz?”

“Okay, they’re through the second gate,” Dakota announces. “Everyone not essential go on out the back door and head out toward the mountains.”

I whip my head toward him as those who have become family start heading for the back door. “What?”

“Too many people in here,” Dakota says. “Anyone we don’t want in danger is going out. Only those willing to help fight will be in here with us.”

Naomi comes up then. “I should be stayin’.”

“You’re leavin’,” Dakota growls. “You ain’t stayin’ here to get hurt.”

She scowls, clearly preparing to argue, so I step in.

“I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you because of me,” I tell her, pulling her in for a hug. “Please go. Be safe.”

“Oh, honey. This ain’t your fault. You’ve just been caught between a rock and a hard place is all.” She hesitates. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“The guys will keep me safe,” I reassure her. “They promised.”

She frowns. “If you die, I’m gonna be so mad at you,” she says before tugging me into another crushing hug. I hug her back just as tightly knowing that I can’t really know if I’ll survive this or not. I can only have faith in my guys and myself.

Naomi releases me and heads out the back with the others. I watch as they all climb onto four-wheelers, minibikes, and side-by-sides, before they all move out toward the mountains, off to hide wherever Dakota has planned. Some of the dogs run alongside them, but a few stay with us. Ole Red sits happily in the kitchen, loving the cool tiles there. In the end, there’s only four others who stay with us, one of them being Jimmy with the head injury.

“This is it?” I ask Dakota, staring at our small numbers with wide eyes. “This is your big plan?”

Dakota glances at me just as one of the cars falls into the cattle guard trap, the nose of it going in and slamming to a stop. The hole is apparently deeper than I assumed because it lifts up the back of the suburban into the air. I watch, surprised, as the other cars start trying to find a way around.

“No,” he answers, before pressing a button. A door opens up in the wall, revealing a shit load of guns and ammo. More doors open, all carefully masked behind normal wall ornaments. Horrified, I glance over at Levi as he starts grabbing guns from the wall.

“How many guns do you need?” I gasp.

“Clearly this many,” Dakota says, grabbing his own weapons. He finds a revolver, one smaller than the one he carries, and hooks a holster to my jeans before sliding it inside. “Remember what you learned?” he asks. When I nod, he says, “Good girl. Don’t hesitate to shoot. They won’t hesitate to take you.”

I nod again, my heart thundering in my ears. We’re preparing for a fucking war apparently. I get handed a few more weapons, a box of bullets for the revolver, and some knives Dakota tells me to slide into my boot. I do as he says, letting him load me up, knowing he has at least four times as many weapons on him as he does me. Levi has even more. Wiley looks like he’s prepared for World War Three.

“Did you call John?” Dakota asks Levi as he closes up one of the doors after handing out guns to the others.

“I did,” Levi answers as he loads bullets into a handgun. “Told him we’re under attack. He swore and said he’d see what he could do.”

“Then we’re on our own,” Dakota grunts. “At least for now. Our job is to hold them off, to stall them until we can get some help.”

The cars in the camera view make their way around the cattle guard trap, but not before another one manages to hit the corner and fall down into the pit. When they try and get out, something makes them drop.

“Automatic deer feeder rigged with BBs,” Wiley says, answering my unspoken question. “Modified it myself. That thing’ll put holes in you.”

Four cars still make their way up the driveway, still headed our way.

“Fuck! The horses!” Wiley says suddenly, tucking a gun into his waistband. “I’m gonna go close the barn doors to protect them. Hopefully no bullets spray in their direction.”

And then he disappears so quickly, none of us get a chance to argue.

Levi watches him go before his eyes flicker with something. “I’ve got an idea,” he says, clapping Dakota on the back. “You got this for a few minutes, man?”

Dakota nods. “Go. Hurry back.”

Levi nods and disappears, too, leaving just the two of us and the four others helping out. I touch my hand to their shoulder gratefully, knowing they’re here to protect me.

“No one risks their life for me,” I order. “If they get ahold of me, don’t get shot trying to save me.”

Jimmy frowns. “Shucks, Ms. Kate. We ain’t gonna let no city assholes take our city girl. You should know that by now.”

“If you die, I’ll never forgive you,” I threaten, worried for each of them.

“And if we couldn’t save you, we’d never live with ourselves. Ain’t a one of us not know what we’re getting’ into, Ms. Kate. We’ll be fine.”

I tug him in for a hug before doing the same to the others. “Remind me to buy y’all a bottle of whiskey after this is done.”

Jimmy grins. “Only if you say ‘yeehaw.’”

I laugh. Despite the situation they never hesitate to seize an opportunity. To this point, I haven’t said the words, not quite feeling as if they belong in my mouth. But it feels more appropriate these days. Still, I’m not ready to give them that satisfaction yet. “Maybe if we win this.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Jimmy says, grinning, before turning back to the window seriously. He throws it up and settles down looking over the windowsill, each of the others doing the same. Someone at some point had pushed metal plates against the walls. I hadn’t even realized what they were until now.

Plates to protect from bullets.

By the time the cars get to the end of the road and stop in the gravel driveway in front of us, there are only three cars. I don’t even know what happened to the other one.

“Tire strips,” Dakota mumbles, as if he can read my mind. “And another one of Wiley’s modified feeders.”

I blink in surprise. They’re apparently more resourceful than I’d expected. But that still leaves three cars full of goons plus those that manage to make their way up the driveway. I watch, my eyes riveted to the blacked-out suburbans. The back door of the middle one opens, and a man steps out.

My brows shoot up.

He’s wearing suit pants and a button-down shirt with suspenders, almost in a style like the old-time gangsters. All he’s missing is a hat. Tattoos cover his arms and are revealed by his button-down sleeves rolled up to his elbows. More tattoos peek above the neck of his shirt. He’s not very old, probably mid-thirties if I had to guess. He has an unlit cigar between his teeth as he gets out, as relaxed as I’ve ever seen a man, let along one with so many guns pointed at him.

“These games have been fun, Kate, but I’m growing tired of them,” he says into the air, his eyes searching through the windows, looking for me. He lights a match and holds it to the end of his cigar, lighting it. “Come willingly and we’ll spare your cowboys.”

His gaze finds me where I look out and he grins. He’s handsome. I’ll give him that, but the ego is a real dampener. The kidnapping attempts also don’t help.

“And if I don’t?” I call, watching him carefully.

His eyes crinkle. “Refuse and watch us kill each of them in front of you,” he warns. “Either way, you’re coming with me.” He puffs on his cigar. “I look forward to your decision.”

The other car doors open and a ton of suited up goons get out, each of them carrying a gun in their hand, some of them with rifles.

My heart plummets.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!