Chapter Three
Nhiari chewed on the surprisingly tasty ration bar. She wasn’t a patient person, but she dug up some patience from deep within her and settled in for the long game. Lee wanted to pretend they were friends, that there was something between them, but he’d shattered that opportunity months ago. She was here to discover what he knew and then to arrest his arse and everyone involved in Stonefish.
She hunched over, peering out the cave mouth. This was smaller than the cave the boys had been in and she had no distractions. Above her was hundreds of tonnes of earth. Her muscles tensed. The urge to flee was strong—not only because of the enclosed space, but also because she was being held against her will by a man who triggered so many mixed emotions in her.
She wouldn’t get far while he was awake. Focusing on her breathing she tried to calm her anxiety.
Lee had been living in these caves for months and nothing had happened.
She could wait this out.
Lee’s phone beeped and he checked the message. “The boys have been found.”
She raised her eyebrows, glad for the distraction. “Who told you?”
He shoved his phone in his back pocket. “Someone who knows.”
She rolled her eyes. Still not willing to share his sources. He was tempting her to stay by promises of information he wasn’t delivering.
Darkness fell and Lee handed her an MRE—meal ready to eat—or army ration, which was some kind of curry. Edible and considering her circumstances, better than nothing. She didn’t like the idea of hunting for her dinner. Besides, Matt had learned more about hunting when her parents had taught them about the land and their heritage, and she’d been expected to learn about the women’s work—gathering things to eat. Not that she would show Lee what around them he could eat. He seemed to be doing fine on his own.
“We’ll sleep here tonight.” Lee dug through his larger hiking pack and pulled out a thin mattress and a cover. “You can sleep on this.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“I’ll manage.”
No. This fake gentleman shit would not work on her. He was trying to lull her, make her believe in him, but even her claustrophobia hadn’t swayed him. He didn’t care for her wellbeing. “I’ll be fine on the ground.”
“Nhiari, don’t be stubborn. You’ll be more comfortable on my mattress.”
“I’d be more comfortable in my own bed, but since you denied me that option, I’ll make do with what I’ve got.”
He didn’t wince, didn’t show any kind of emotion in response to her words. Where had the expressive, open, sweet photographer she’d dated gone?
This man was military through and through. How had she missed it?
“Suit yourself.”
She moved over to the entrance of the cave, needing a glimpse of the sky, and Lee snorted. “You can sleep at the back.”
Nhiari inhaled deeply, but without complaint she changed direction and found a spot nearer the back. Her skin tightened and she focused on her breathing. Lee was biding his time with her, probably still deciding what to do, otherwise he would have taken her straight to his main camp. There was no trust lost on either side.
She didn’t blame him. The second he fell asleep, she was out of here. She couldn’t stay here in this cave, couldn’t continue being his hostage.
“Take this.” Lee handed her his day pack and she used it as a slightly lumpy pillow.
Lee laid out his mattress between her and the entrance and there wasn’t a lot of room on either side for her to pass by.
But she’d manage it somehow. She turned her back to him and pretended to go to sleep.
They’d travelled about ten kilometres from the cave where Jordan and Cody had been held. Still too far away to hike into town overnight. Her parents lived south of the ranges, but she didn’t want to risk them coming into contact with Lee. He might view them as collateral damage.
So her other option was heading for the coast, which was only a couple of kilometres away. Camp sites dotted the shoreline, and though they were quieter at this time of year than during peak season, they always had campers. She could borrow a car and be in Retribution Bay within the hour. She could return with backup, arrest Lee and force him to give them his information.
Lee switched off the torch and the cave plunged into darkness.
Nhiari stared into the dark and slowly the pitch black faded to grey and shapes were discernible.
Her escape would have to be timed perfectly.
Lee would disappear the moment he noticed she had gone and it would take more manpower to search the ranges for him.
She hesitated. Would she lose a vital opportunity to learn things about Stonefish by leaving?
Lee’s steady breathing seemed loud in the cave, but it lacked the heaviness of someone who was asleep. The sound reminded her of their night together, of lying wrapped in his arms, sated from their lovemaking, feeling as if she had finally found someone who understood her.
Her stomach cramped.
Wrong again.
Too desperate or idiotic to realise no one wanted to be with her. Not the boys at high school who only noticed her early-onset boobs. Not the men at the academy who were threatened by her competency. Not this man lying only a few metres away who had just wanted her information.
Nhiari itched to get up and run. To get as far away as possible from this man and the emotions he made her feel.
He was holding her against her will.
Though he’d tucked the gun away after they’d arrived here and promised her information.
If she could sneak out, she might return with backup before he woke. She needed to end this. Stonefish had harassed her town for far too long.
She smothered her groan at her indecision and turned so she faced the exit. Lee was just a lump on the ground, but outside was far lighter. The moon had another week before it was full, but it still lit the night, giving trees and shrubs shape.
Nhiari watched Lee, looking for a sign he’d fallen asleep. He was well-trained—she suspected military, but her queries to both the Australian and Singaporean governments had revealed no Lee Slater had ever enlisted. Which meant he had either lied about his name, or his training had been less legitimate.
He would be foolish to fall asleep immediately—if at all—and he wasn’t foolish. She would have to be quick. Her hand closed around a fist-sized rock. Her heart quailed, but she ignored it. She wasn’t planning to kill him, just knock him unconscious for long enough to restrain him.
“I won’t attack you in your sleep, Nhiari.” His warm voice slid over her skin like a blanket. Another reminder of the night they’d spent together. Talking late into the night, sharing their hopes and dreams.
Lies, all of it.
At least on his side.
She’d opened up to him and told him things she hadn’t even told her best friend, Dot. He’d been so open, so sweet in his desire to learn all about her.
She flinched, the urge to flee these feelings almost overpowered her.
“You can put the rock down.”
She didn’t reply but gripped the rock tighter.
“I still have your gun loaded and pointing at you. You wouldn’t be able to so much as twitch before I could shoot you.” He sounded sad along with bemused.
Nhiari closed her eyes and ignored him. He would fall asleep eventually, and when he did, she would be ready.
Lee sighed. “Sweet dreams.”
The words pierced her heart, wounding her. Nhiari exhaled through the pain. She would lull him the way he had lulled her.
She counted in her head, trying to keep track of how much time had passed. After two hours she loosened the grip on the rock, allowing her hand to come open as if she’d fallen asleep. She couldn’t discern any difference in his breathing.
At the next hour mark Lee snorted as if asleep and she held her breath, waiting for more. He shifted, but soon his breath was low and even.
Too easy.
He had to be faking.
She gave it another hour and clenched the rock again. No change in his breathing.
What were her chances? She opened her eyes a slit and glanced around without moving. Lee lay across the entrance, but there was space to get around him.
The rock felt heavy in her hand. As much as she disliked the man, she didn’t want to hurt him, and hitting him over the head might do more damage than she wanted.
So maybe escape was the better option than restraining him.
The dirt would be a problem. It was more rocky than sandy and each step would make a noise. Stealth would work if he was asleep, but speed would give her the element of surprise if he was awake.
Maybe she should wrestle the gun from him.
She didn’t really believe he would shoot her. Not unless he reacted in his sleep.
Stealth was her best option. If he was awake, she could use the stone and then run for it.
Bit by bit she shifted to a better position, waited for a response, and then shifted again. When she couldn’t wait any longer, she crouched and then crept towards the entrance.
“Where are you going, Nhiari?”
She gasped. Damn him. He had probably been watching her with amusement, waiting for her to make her move. “To the bathroom.”
He grunted and sat up.
“I can go by myself.” She moved to the front of the cave, slipping past him.
“I’m sure you can, but I’d hate for you to get lost coming back.”
The caring in his voice lured her. Stuff it. It was now or never. She hurled the rock at him and heard his satisfying yelp as she ran down the rocky slope, praying she didn’t twist her ankle or trip on something in the dark.
Rocks clattered above her and she pushed herself harder as she hit the flat ground and put some bushes between her and Lee. Her heart raced as she darted left and then right, moving west, past where Lee had dumped the bike.
No time to disable it. She’d have to keep to thick shrub so he couldn’t use the bike to catch her.
“Nhiari, you’re not getting away.” Lee was close behind her, not sounding at all puffed.
She kept running, tripping over a low shrub, and stumbling before picking herself up again and continuing to lengthen her stride.
Fingers brushed her top. No. She couldn’t let him stop her. She jerked away and the movement shifted her off balance. She stumbled again and her ankle twisted, pain spearing through her. Nhiari yelled and fell hard, her wrists jarring as they stopped her from face-planting in the dirt. She gasped as the pain throbbed in her ankle.
Lee stopped next to her as she clutched her ankle and groaned. He kept his distance. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“Twisted my ankle.”
“No offence, Nhiari, but I don’t believe you right now.”
She couldn’t blame him. Not addressing the comment, she elevated her foot, placing it on top of her other ankle to give it a bit of height. She squeezed her eyes closed as her ankle throbbed. “I’m not going anywhere fast.” She huffed out a breath.
“What were you hoping to achieve?”
“Escape, borrow a car to get to town, return with backup, and arrest your arse.”
He chuckled. “Even if you had slipped away, I would have left the moment I noticed you were missing.”
She knew that, but despite what he’d done to her, she hadn’t been able to really attack him. Her thoughts were too emotional. That’s what he did to her. It still hurt to know she’d been so easily manipulated by him. She couldn’t reconcile the photographer with this killer in front of her. The one who’d done awful things to her friends, and who had killed people in the name of Stonefish.
“If you can’t work with me, I’ll have to tie you up until this is over.” He sounded resigned, as if she’d disappointed him.
Arsehole.
But what were her choices? Continuing to try to escape wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to move from the hurt of the past and think like a police officer. What facts did she have?
He hadn’t pulled a gun on her this time.
He’d asked for her help.
He seemed genuine in his need to stop Stonefish.
Why was that?
The question made her pause. She hadn’t considered it before, hadn’t wanted to believe he was telling the truth. But if he was, what had Stonefish done to him?
They were master manipulators, blackmailing people to do their bidding.
Had they done something to Lee or his family?
She breathed through the throbbing pain in her ankle, her thoughts clearing for the first time since she’d been captured. She glanced up at him. “Truce.”
Though it was still dark, she could see the outline of his face. He stared at her for a long moment. “No more games? No more trying to escape?”
Nice of him to think she could escape with her twisted ankle. “No, but you have to share everything you’ve got with me.”
It took a long minute before he said, “All right.” He crouched down and touched her ankle.
She hissed, trying to pull it away, but he held firm.
“I’m checking how bad it is.” He prodded it, and she forced herself not to kick him with her good foot.
“Are you a doctor now?” she snarked.
“I learnt some first aid when I was in the army.”
She stilled. This was the first bit of information he’d volunteered. “Which army?”
“Singapore.”
She shook her head. “There’s no record of you in the Singapore army.”
He let go of her foot and held out a hand to help her up. “Checking up on me?”
“Of course.” She shifted to use her good foot and then clasped his hand and let him haul her to her feet. He was remarkably strong.
“My real surname is Kwong.”
“How much of what you told me was the truth?”
“As much as I could.” He moved his shoulder under her arm so she could use him as a crutch. The closeness was unexpected. How could he possibly still smell so good when he’d been living out here for months? He should stink, but there was a hint of eucalyptus and salt. She inhaled again. Trees and ocean.
“I’ve got an instant icepack back at camp,” he said. “We’ll patch you up, get some sleep, and in the morning, I’ll take you to my main camp. It’s where I’ve got the information you’ll want.”
This time she would use him the way he’d used her and perhaps she could bring Stonefish down. “All right. Let’s go.”