HUNTER

I feel boneless and too weak to move. There's no fight in me anymore. After the third round from the stun gun, I accept my fate.

My mind is a stunned mess. I hear yelling and gunshots. I think someone is crying. I assume the last one is me.

I'm lost in my head. Random memories flash before me. I see myself as a little girl, watching my big sister riding her beloved horses. I recall my father running to meet me as I exited my mother's private plane for a visit to his California home. That was long before he made a new family and lost interest in the kid he created with Suzanne Knutsen. Before I became the past, I was the apple of my father's eye.

I haven't felt sad over his rejection in years. Right now, stripped of the will to move, I'm struck by how something important was stolen from me. The loss hits me hard when I'm too vulnerable to rationalize his choice.

Tack's voice drags me away from those sad memories. I feel my body moving. I'm on my back now. Above me is the handsome face of the man who's tempted me for so long.

"You're okay now," he says in a voice as soft as the wind.

Tack looks so calm, unbothered really. He hides his anger well. That's why I figured he was safe back when we first met.

"I think I hit my head when I fell."

My words sound strange as if I'm stoned. Yet, speaking to Tack recharges my brain. The blurriness fades, leaving me more aware of the noise echoing in the garage. I hear blaring sirens and rumbling engines. I smell blood and car exhaust, yet the most pronounced scent is Tack's familiar cologne.

Tack reaches under the base of my neck and lifts me just enough to stroke my head with his other hand.

"No blood. Might get a lump, though."

Staring into his pale blue eyes, I'm lost in the longing I feel for only him. Why can't he live a quiet life? Or why can't I embrace the chaos of his world? If one of us was willing to be different, we could build something beautiful together.

"I hoped you'd come," I mumble and try to sit up.

"Just stay put until the paramedics check you out."

Tack's tone is tender yet resolute. He's a man in his element. Violence and death don't faze him. Racing here to save me, he embraced danger rather than run from it. Tack is wired in a wholly alien way compared to me. There's no changing him.

I've always believed I couldn't change, either. My sister twisted herself into knots to suppress her wild side, but the temptation of a sexy man unraveled all her hard work. My dad tried to be a doting parent but couldn't fight his fickle nature. My mom dominates everyone around her, even when she promises she'll back off. People can't change.

My instinct is to avoid danger. That's who I am. I hadn't wanted to be in the ranch barracks with those drunk men. Austen swore they were safe, but I figured there was no reason to test her hunch.

Right now, I'm absolutely sure I don't want to live a dangerous life.

But if I'm forced to endure this new chaotic existence, I can think of no one better to be at my side than the handsome biker watching me with his possessive gaze.