TACK

My gut insists last week's mugging and tonight's attempted abduction are linked. Something bigger is at play here. That's why everyone around me feels like a threat.

I don't know how the Knutsen security team learns of the attack, but they arrive soon after I do. Right now, the head guy—a British asshole named Atticus—barks orders at cops and paramedics. He intimidates everyone around us, but I don't budge.

"She needs to go to the hospital," Atticus insists, nearly shoving me aside.

"No," I growl and stand up to face him. "Your employer has the money to bring the doctor and equipment to the estate. That's where you should take Hunter. A hospital has hundreds of people moving around. It'll be easier to grab her there."

Atticus hates me. I've known that for a long time. He views himself as Hunter's protective uncle. I suspect his paranoia over her safety is why he remained in Banta City rather than following his globetrotting employer.

Right now, Atticus thinks I need to go the fuck away. That's why he doesn't immediately admit my idea is smarter than his.

"If she needs surgery, what then?" he snarls.

"She was tasered. Maybe more than once," I say and gesture at the taser on the ground nearby. "I doubt she hit her head hard enough to need surgery. It's risky, but when the Kovak family was attacked, they got their daughters out of the hospital as quickly as possible. Hospitals allow too many people access to Hunter."

Atticus knows I'm right. I see in his eyes how he hates himself for not thinking of the idea first. He no doubt promised Suzanne to keep Hunter safe.

I want to poke at this man's battered ego and point out how I saved the day, not him. Except that's exactly how my club president acts with people. Zoot has no interest in making friends. He cares more about power than anyone's favorable opinion.

My goal is to win Hunter, not defeat Atticus. I think about how Noble would handle this situation. My VP finesses people to convince them to obey. That's why people would rather talk to him than Zoot.

I'm not the most charming fucker, but I see the wisdom behind how Noble operates. That's why I turn off my ego and consider how to make Atticus my ally rather than a roadblock.

"I suggest you have the ambulance take Hunter to Suzanne's house and lock down the estate. You can keep her safe there."

Atticus likes the idea of Hunter wrapped in his protective bubble. She currently holds onto the leg of my jeans, needing reassurance as the paramedics talk to her. Eventually, when her mind is clear, she'll want to run the show. For now, Atticus and I need to relocate her somewhere safe.

"It's what her mother would want," Atticus says when he backs down and obeys me.

"If you and I put our heads together, maybe Suzanne won't need to ditch her long vacation and return home."

I don't wait for Atticus to react to the idea of playing hero to his long-time employer. Instead, I kneel and tell Hunter how we're moving her to Suzanne's place to heal up.

"You can play with Puddin," I explain, mentioning the family cat.

Hunter's gaze reveals everything to me. She's too scared and hurt to hide her feelings. I'm not chasing a lie. Hunter wants to be my woman. I need to remember this fact when she hides her feelings again tomorrow.

As Hunter is moved to the ambulance, I notice Noble, Elvis, and Bear have arrived. My VP signals for me to fill them in on what went down. I start to move in their direction until I notice the ambulance pulling out of the underground garage.

Panic seizes my chest. Hunter was nearly stolen away tonight. How the fuck am I supposed to stick around and talk to my club family when the woman I love might be in danger?

Rather than walk to Noble, I jump on my motorcycle and follow the ambulance to the estate. Hunter's condo is located along the Jefferson River where the Kovak family's convoy was ambushed. I feel on edge, glancing up at rooftops and suspicious of every car.

Only when we reach Banta City's northside do I settle down. We pass many gated estates before reaching Suzanne's. Her enormous Craftsman-style mansion is hidden behind security gates and dense trees and bushes.

Every light in the house appears to be on. The estate staff waits on the front porch. As soon as the ambulance comes to a halt, they move as a herd to ensure Hunter is brought in safely. A medical van is parked near the porch, and the family's concierge doctor greets Atticus.

Standing back, I feel out of place, yet I refuse to leave. When Hunter and the staff disappear inside the house, I follow after them. Suzanne's assistant shuffles in my direction.

"Will you be staying the night?" she asks warily.

"I'm not leaving until I know Hunter is safe," I explain before adding when she looks confused, "So, yeah, I'm staying the night."

The woman brings me to a sitting room, where I'm offered a drink and snacks. Once I tell her how all I want is updates on Hunter, she leaves me alone.

I drop my ass in one of the fancy chairs and pull out my phone. I've got texts from all the club players.

"We need details," Noble texts.

Aunt Fred's message asks about Hunter before ending with, "Don't face this alone."

Bear texts, "Once Hunter is safe, you need to tell people what's happening."

"Fucking respond, dickhead!" Zoot texts.

I smile at my president's rage. Not that I don't fear his temper. He can get rough when he thinks someone is out of line. Yet, this thing right here with him sending texts filled with nothing except cussing is more about him feeling powerless.

Zoot believed the club had a solid handle on Banta City. Then, the cops came to us with an offer to take down the Kovak Syndicate. The club rejected their plan in a very public way by agreeing for Bear to marry Natasha. Less than a week before the wedding, the Kovak family's convoy was attacked. Natasha along with her older sister Petra and brother Roman were nearly killed. Several of our guys also got fucked up.

The club kicked ass that night. The Syndicate's security also swung their dicks around with heavy firepower, helicopters, and the city's big brother-like surveillance.

Two narratives emerged after that night. For some, Viktor Kovak cemented his reputation as unkillable. He walked away from the massive attack without a scratch. His oldest son survived multiple shots to the fucking chest. His daughters were in an SUV shoved into the Jefferson River. The driver died, yet Natasha and Petra miraculously survived. To many people—allies and enemies alike—the Kovak family's status has never been more impressive.

However, for others, the attack showed how vulnerable the Syndicate could be if a strike was timed just right. Those already hungry to take down the city's crime boss were emboldened to test how unkillable Viktor truly was.

Since Zoot is a negative man, he only cares about our emboldened enemies.

Does he think this thing tonight with Hunter has to do with our perceived weakness? Suzanne Knutsen is tight with Aunt Fred and Katja Kovak. Anyone going after Hunter is asking for hell to rain down on them.

As time passes, I pace around the fancy sitting room. The décor in the twenty-thousand-square-foot mansion is oppressively opulent. I'm used to a simpler style. The farm is filled with comfortable houses designed for casual living.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I see an incoming call from Suzanne.

"What happened?" she demands of me rather than say hello.

"Someone's trying to grab Hunter."

"Who?"

"I don't know. The guys from tonight are dead. So is the guy who mugged her last week."

Suzanne makes a weird, squeaky noise as if her rage has shorted out her ability to form words. "I wasn't aware of that."

"Hunter kicked the mugger's ass."

"Did she kill him?"

"Well," I mutter, feeling stupid like a teenager embarrassed in front of his date's mom, "He was alive when she was done with him, but he's dead now."

"That's unfortunate since he might have shared information with you," Suzanne replies, sounding irritated before adding, "But I would have done the same thing had I known."

"Your security and my club will run down the details on the guys from tonight. That might answer why this is happening."

"Could this be a kidnap and ransom plot?"

"Anything's possible. The guys tonight had guns, but they only used a taser on Hunter."

"Only?" Suzanne asks, sounding somewhere between enraged and heartbroken. "The doctor said she needs rest. At most, she has a mild concussion. Should I believe him?"

Smiling in response to her question, I like how Suzanne views me as a straight shooter.

"Hunter seemed banged up but not seriously hurt. The assholes tonight planned to take her alive and in one piece."

"So, do you think the plan was to get me to pay a ransom?"

"Makes sense. But Hunter has a few weirdoes with crushes on her. Until we know for sure, I don't want to leave her."

Suzanne doesn't speak for a minute. I feel her talking to someone in her location before she finds her voice with me again.

"I'm going to ask Hunter to join me in Hong Kong. Do you believe these thugs will follow her?"

Rather than panic over Hunter leaving, I reply, "Depends on what they're trying to do. If it's a stalker situation, he'll just wait until she gets back. We won't know until we can dig up info on the dead guys from tonight."

"Tack, I appreciate how you saved Hunter. I've been told about the man you had following her. I'll pay his medical bills. I'm appreciative of what you've done, but my main responsibility is to protect Hunter."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm aware of your feelings for Hunter," Suzanne adds in a pissy tone before softening her voice and adding, "And her feelings for you. I can understand why you'd want to keep watch over her. I also appreciate how you insisted on bringing her to the estate rather than the hospital. You were very smart and brave tonight, but Hunter will be safer out of the country for the time being."

As much as I want to argue with her logic, I can't come up with a damn thing to say. Hunter no doubt would be safer away from Banta City. While she's gone, we can hunt down leads.

Suzanne's plan makes sense, but my heart is dying at the thought of Hunter fleeing this town and our future.