SIOBHAN

My hands shake as I race to Natasha’s house. So far, I’ve passed two police cruisers. One slows down as if to make a U-turn and follow me. I take the next right, zig-zagging my way back to Willow Brook and hoping to stay off their radar.

“How far out are you?” Natasha asks when I call her while waiting at a light.

“Ten minutes. Traffic is a beast. I might have a cop tailing me.”

“Security is ready to handle them.”

Though I’d love a pep talk from Natasha, I know the kids will hear me freaking out and react accordingly. Right now, they’re quiet and sitting normally in their seats. Kiera calmed down Deirdre while Glen soothed Nora. They currently stare out their windows, likely looking for police.

“Daddy!” Kiera calls out as we near our neighborhood.

I notice Sync speeding by in the opposite direction.

“He’s going to help Indigo,” I tell the girls who twist around to see him disappearing into traffic. “Everyone in the club is going to help him.”

My stomach aches when I think of those fucking assholes hitting Indigo. Tears burn the back of my eyes, but I don’t dare cry.

Another motorcycle flies past me on the opposite side of the road, heading toward the Play Hut. I only get a glimpse, but I suspect it’s Tack.

With the Backcountry Kings in play, my job is to get the kids to Natasha’s house.

Entering my neighborhood, I spot two patrol cars parked at separate street corners. I tell the kids to hide. I also scoot lower as I pass the cruisers.

My heart races. My stomach feels tight. The baby kicks wildly. I rub my belly and stay focused. We’re only blocks from Natasha’s place. The kids remain hidden. I hear the twins whispering to each other about Sync.

In my rearview, I see the cruisers’ lights start flashing. The two cops race to catch up to me. My inner speed demon takes charge, and I hit my gas pedal. I take a shortcut, looping around before reaching Natasha’s block. The cop might know where I’m going because he doesn’t follow me, instead taking the more obvious route to the house. My shortcut allows me to reach the open gates a few seconds before the cops turn the corner.

Security waves me into an empty spot in the garage. As the door lowers behind us, a black-clad security guy gestures for me to exit my SUV. I guide the children inside where Natasha meets me in the kitchen.

“This is madness,” she says and hugs me. “Bear got the call. He’s on his way to the Play Hut. Don’t worry.”

Jacinda and Hector welcome their friends and promise everything will be okay.

“Bear ride away,” Jacinda tells them. “He is very strong.”

I smile at Natasha, but the tears still fight to break free. “They were hurting him,” I whisper. “They tried to stop me and take the kids.”

One of the security men enters. His expression is dire as he speaks to Natasha in their native Czech tongue. She replies in a curt tone bordering on hostility. The man nods and returns outside.

“The police won’t get onto the property without a warrant,” Natasha explains. “My family is aware of what’s happening. Our lawyers will keep them at bay.”

Natasha sees me about to break down, so she turns to the kids and her nanny. “Today was scary. Bear and all the other bikers will take care of it. Aunt Fred is on her way from the farm.”

“Grandma,” Deirdre mumbles and tugs at my hand. “Can we go to the farm?”

“Not yet,” I mumble. “I want you to stay in the playroom with Jacinda and Hector. I need to make phone calls to find out where Indigo is.”

“Daddy?”

“I’ll find out where Daddy is, too. But I need you to play,” I say and stroke each of their heads. Glen exhales sadly, thinking of Indigo. “We have to be strong.”

The words sound right in my head, but I start crying as soon as the kids are out of the room. Natasha hugs me and promises the club will fix things.

“I panicked,” I whimper. “I didn’t know how to help Indigo.”

“You couldn’t do anything besides protect the kids. You got them here. Now let the club and the Syndicate handle things. ”

Though I nearly mention how they might kill Indigo, I don’t dare say the words aloud.

Natasha must sense where my head goes because she insists, “These cops know if they kill Indigo, there’ll be war.”

We both understand the dark undercurrent running through Banta City. I want to believe the cops aren’t dumb enough to do more than rough up Indigo.

With me huddled up with Natasha on the couch, we get Hunter on the phone and wait for my mom to arrive.

To quiet the chaos in my head, I picture waking up this morning to find Indigo watching me. He looked so vulnerable. I sense he was talking himself into believing negative thoughts. When I smiled at him, his expression flipped immediately. Indigo remembered our last eight months together. We went from friends to lovers to soul mates. I love everything about him, even the stuff that drives me crazy.

I choose to believe Indigo will return to me. He’ll also be at my side when our son is born. We’ll raise our five kids together. Nothing can stop that future from happening.