TACK

Hearing my voice over the farm's speakers confuses the dogs. When they look upward and whine, Indigo begins to chuckle. The longer I speak, the more agitated the dogs become and the harder Indigo laughs. By the time we spot a dozen guys rolling up from the farm's front gates, Indigo has collapsed on the couch and can't catch his breath.

The sound of motorcycles rumbling outside finally snaps Indigo out of his laughter. He exhales deeply.

I pat his shoulder and smile. "Are you okay?"

"They just couldn't figure out what was happening?" he says and starts laughing again as he pets the agitated dogs' heads.

Deciding Indigo has cracked for the day, I walk outside to meet Noble and Zoot. I scan the men with them, hoping Pork Chop is in the mix.

Before I can speak up, red and black SUVs race down the road toward us.

"Where's Pork Chop?" I ask.

Noble is the one to answer. "Golden found him shopping for baby stuff. They're a minute out."

Zoot and a few guys act as shields for Aunt Fred and her sister Dot as they exit the SUVs.

"Everyone's safe in the basement," I tell Aunt Fred as she passes me.

"How close is Carys?"

"It might be happening this second."

Before Aunt Fred can respond, Pork Chop comes racing like a madman down the road toward the house. His motorcycle stops an inch from the white picket fence before he runs full-speed past us and into the house.

"I think he's excited," Elvis deadpans as he follows Aunt Fred and Dot inside.

I stand outside with the men who keep an eye on the woods.

"What's the plan now?" I ask when no one says anything.

Noble exhales deeply, clearly uncertain. Zoot paces back and forth past the fence. He's gunning to take our guys in the woods and hunt the mercenaries.

Before my president or VP can respond to my original question, I explain how I used the farm's speakers to spell things out to the mercenaries possibly hiding in the woods.

"They already might be in retreat," I add when I realize Zoot's close to grabbing a rifle and going hunting. "This isn't personal for them, and they're no longer getting paid."

Zoot growls under his breath. "We can't just go back to normal. We need to know."

"The dogs sensed trouble. Maybe we can bring them to the woods and see how they react."

"There might be too much noise now," Indigo insists as he joins us. "Carys just pushed out the baby."

Noble smiles at Zoot who refuses to mellow out. "You're a great uncle again. Come on, smile, motherfucker."

The two of them bang against each other while Indigo walks with the dogs past the group of men. I follow after him, knowing he wants the dogs to give the all-clear. Unbothered by anything, Sleepy and Grumpy sniff the ground and take turns pissing on a tree as we walk toward the woods.

Once we're at the tree line, the dogs sit at our feet and pant.

"Do you think it can be that easy?" Indigo asks when the dogs lack their earlier agitation over the woods.

"When we fight people with skin in the game, it always gets ugly. These men were looking to get paid. If it was me, I'd bail once I knew my meal ticket got picked up by the cops."

"The trial is going to be nasty," Indigo mutters as his golden-brown eyes study the woods. "Usually, these issues go away quickly, like with the attack on the Kovak family's convoy. The investigation dies down. The media gets bored and moves on. But this time, the main asshole is someone with a name."

"Isn't he just a nerd?"

"He's got money and a successful company. Nothing he does means shit to us, but the media ramp up the drama. He's nerdy and new money. She's gorgeous and old money. Throw in bikers and what happened to the Kovak family. It's just going to get ugly."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"Get used to hiding out for a few years. The good thing is you get to hide with Hunter."

I smile at the thought of Hunter and I hunkering down for a long time in the way we've done for the last week.

"She seems happy here," I state, even if my words come out sounding more like a question.

"If she misses dealing cards, we could have a poker night at the clubhouse or the farm."

Indigo's suggestion makes me realize how much Hunter will need to give up now. I haven't looked at the media attention, but I know Natasha and Bear have kept a low profile since the attack on the convoy.

Indigo and I return to the front yard where Pork Chop is showing off a picture of Carys holding Ripley.

"She looks like you," Golden says, winning a snarl from Pork Chop.

"Don't be a dick. She's beautiful like Carys."

Golden laughs at our brother's annoyance. "I meant she's bald like you."

"Well, yeah, she's got no hair," Pork Chop says and rubs his shaved head. "But neither did Hicks or Hudson when they were born."

"She's gorgeous, Pork Chop," Noble says, getting the man's head back on straight. "You did good. How is Carys?"

"Tired but relieved. Is it safe yet? The boys want to get outside."

"Let them play in their big basement," Zoot mutters. "No one should be out here until we're sure."

"How will we be sure?" Elvis asks, walking out and patting Pork Chop's back.

"The dogs don't seem bothered," I offer as I inch closer to the house. "They were whining and staring at the woods earlier. Now, they're cool."

"That means nothing," Zoot snarls, refusing to calm down. "They might have backed away from the houses, but they could still be in the woods."

"Okay," I reply and ditch them so I can go inside.

As soon as I enter the house, Hunter launches herself at me and holds on tight. "I saw you walking toward the woods behind the farmhouses and nearly came out of my skin."

"We were checking if the dogs got spooked like earlier. They were more interested in smelling each other's butts."

Hunter's panicked gaze brightens at the thought. She's gotten attached to the dogs over the last week. I can't believe I hid Sleepy from her for years. The Hunter I loved back then wasn't the Hunter I'm holding right now. I was seeing her wrong. I still do sometimes, mostly because I'm afraid to trust I can finally have what I want.

As the afternoon wears on and the farm remains locked down, Hunter and I entertain children and help in the kitchen.

At one point while I'm playing Go Fish with the kids, I see a flash of my future. All these people, the party atmosphere, the sense of belonging will be taking place in my big house. I'll be past my initial unhappiness over leaving the farm. Hunter will have adjusted to her new life under a microscope. We'll invite everyone over to make the mansion feel like a home.

That future feels within reach now. I'm not stupid, though. I know the next months or even years will be stressful. Hunter and I won't be allowed the easy life we had before.

We'll be starting over in many ways. Hunter will have to strip down her routine and rebuild it with privacy in mind. I'll need to give up the ease of the farm, something that's kept me sane for decades.

Together, we'll face the unknown and forge our new path.