HUNTER

Carys's home is a comfortable four-bedroom rambler with a fully furnished basement. I hate for her to traverse the stairs when she's in active labor. Carys pauses twice on her way down to catch her breath. Finally, we get her settled on the couch.

Carys grips my hand and whimpers, "Can you check my phone for everyone's location? I need Mom, Aunt Dot, and Pork Chop to get their asses here."

"Do you feel the need to push?" Siobhan asks from the toy area, where she organizes the four kids.

"Put on my birthing music," Carys snaps at her little sister. "I hate you right now for having a C-section."

Siobhan leaves the kids and sits next Carys on the couch. Using a wet cloth, she wipes her sister's forehead. Her other hand taps at her phone until a slow and soft George Strait song begins.

Exhaling deeply, Carys looks at me. "Don't be scared."

"I'm not."

"You look like you're about to cry," Carys says, and Siobhan nods.

When I just stare at her, Carys tugs me closer. "Focus on me. I need everyone to treat me like the most important person in the world. That way, I won't think about how my aunt isn't here to help me give birth."

"They'll all be here soon," I say and settle next to her. "Let's close our eyes and breathe. We both need to calm down."

Carys and I sit side by side, breathing at the same pace. When she has to pant through a contraction, I mimic her. Her hand remains wrapped around mine.

When the kids won't play, Siobhan gets them involved in babying Carys. The boys drag the ottoman over to elevate her feet. The girls run the cloths under the faucet to keep them cool for our foreheads.

"You don't have to take care of me," I tell Deirdre who dabs my cheeks.

"You look scared."

"I am," I admit and tear up. "I want everyone to be safe and happy."

"Me too," she says and kisses my cheek.

Time slows down in the basement. I can't picture what's happening outside. Kiera gasps when the farm's speakers go silent before Tack's voice begins to explain the situation to whoever might be in the woods.

"Matt Parker has been arrested by French police. His devices are in their possession. They're already tracking down your identities. If you leave now, you might beat the FBI to your homes. If you stay, you're about to face the entire force of the Backcountry Kings."

Kiera rests her head on my shoulder and listens to Tack speak. He reads a vaguely worded media report found online about Matt Parker's arrest. Tack encourages the men to use their own devices to see how their payday just got picked up by the authorities.

"You have no reason to be here unless you're suicidal," Tack explains over the speakers. "We have a woman in labor right now. Our priorities aren't hunting you down. You have the option to slip out of the woods and disappear back into the world."

Tack's voice relaxes me, even while my mind questions how long those men have been hiding in the woods. Did they have a plan or were they simply looking for an opportunity? Would I already be gone now if I hadn't been wearing a hat the last few days?

Carys grips my hand through another contraction. They're coming faster now. I don't need to be a midwife to know that's bad.

"I really like the name Ripley," I whisper to her as I snuggle closer. "She's going to be a tough, sassy little thing."

Carys's pained expression softens. "Pork Chop and I watched ‘Aliens' on our first real date. He came to the farmhouse while my parents were out. We made cheese quesadillas and shared a beer. I wanted him to kiss me so badly. I sat super close to him on the couch and acted scared, even though I'd seen the movie a dozen times before."

I smile as she closes her eyes and remembers a simpler time.

"Pork Chop was a chubby weirdo when he came to the farm. He talked like his mouth was always full. He would get squirrely if he wasn't eating. It was a coping thing he had from a crazy childhood."

Carys opens her eyes and smiles. "I didn't like him when he first got here. He was pushy and whiny and all-around awful. But then, over the next year, Dad worked with Pork Chop and his brother Gravy. The boys lost weight, but more importantly, they got rid of many of their goofy habits. They started acting like my dad."

Tearing up, Carys says, "Pork Chop was so silly, always making me laugh. Noble claimed Pork Chop had a crush on me. I wasn't impressed with that. I just wanted him to be my friend. But then, one day, I looked at Pork Chop goofing around, and I was hit with this new feeling. He became so handsome in my eyes. I couldn't see anyone else."

Though Carys grips my hand through the next contraction, her mood remains high as she recalls Pork Chop and her together.

"I flirted a lot afterward. Pork Chop completely missed that shit, too. Someone had to explain it to him. He's not dumb," she says and frowns like I said otherwise. "He's just in his own little world. Once he knew I liked him, he would follow me around all day. Finally, we had our date, but he wouldn't kiss me."

"Did you kiss him?"

"No. I wanted to be romanced. So, I asked him if he thought I could survive like Ripley did? Was I strong like her? Or would I get killed right away? Pork Chop turned to me, stared in my eyes, and said, ‘You're as strong and smart as Ripley, just way hotter.' Then, he looked at my lips and seemed confused. So, I puckered up and waited until he caught up with what was happening. Once he kissed me, I knew he would always be mine."

"Do you ever worry your feelings will change?"

"They already have," Carys says. "I don't love him like I did when we were young and dating. Or even when we were first married and had Hicks. As the years pass, I find myself loving him in new ways. We grew up. We've changed. He annoys me in different ways than he did when we were young. He charms me in different ways, too."

Carys studies me and sighs. "Your mom is a floozy who bounces from dick to dick."

"I'll let that comment slide since you're in pain."

Carys offers a strained smile. "Suzanne could have stuck things out and let her relationships change, but she's always chosen to walk away. With Tack, you can choose to stay and see what he's like when he's not the man he is today. I know he'll stick around to see who you are in twenty years. Love isn't magic, clouding us from our options. We still need to choose to take the ride to the end, no matter how many bumps are on the way."

"That's really profound," I say and kiss her forehead.

Carys smiles and starts to speak until a commotion upstairs startles us. A thunderous banging at the top of the stairs sends me into a panic. I cover Carys's body with mine in case the gunmen have rushed the house.

Nearby, Siobhan corrals the kids toward the back storage room, blocking them from view.

The commotion rushes down the stairs. Rather than mercenaries, an out of breath Pork Chop appears.

"Carys," he says as she reaches for him from under me. "Am I too late?"

"No, baby, you made it."

I climb off Carys as Pork Chop drops to his knees next to her. "I forgot my phone," he says, sweaty and ready to cry. "I thought you were going to do this alone."

Carys hugs him to her body and strokes his bald head. I hear him mumbling about how beautiful she is and how much he loves her.

Leaving them to cuddle, I join Siobhan and the kids. Kiera takes my hand and says it'll be okay. Only then do I realize I'm shaking.

"Where is everyone else?" Siobhan asks and stares up the stairwell.

Her face lights up at the sight of her mom. Elvis follows after Aunt Fred. I look up the stairs, hoping to see Tack.

"He's talking to Noble and Zoot," Aunt Fred says without me asking. Her gaze flashes to Carys. "How close are you?"

"I think I'll need to push soon."

"I'll get the catcher's mitt," Elvis says as he kisses her head. "Let's move you upstairs, where Aunt Dot is getting everything ready in your room."

"What about the people hiding in the woods?"

"The whole gang is outside. No one's coming in here."

Carys smiles at her dad and holds on to Pork Chop. They help her up from the couch and then the stairs. I follow them until I reach the family room. Siobhan has me watch the twins while she checks on her sister. The boys follow their parents.

Outside, the rumble of motorcycles fills the air. The farm's usual quiet shatters under the power of so many armed men arriving for battle.

Somewhere in the mix is the man I love. He's in the open, feeling fearless when surrounded by his tatted army.