Captive in Retribution Bay

Chapter Six

Lee’s muscles relaxed at Nhiari’s acceptance. They were finally on the same page. He’d expected her to be gone when he’d left to make the phone call to Martin, but seeing her sitting there, waiting, had given him such a rush of relief. She’d stayed. Her reasons didn’t matter right now, only that she was there, and he’d have time to convince her he wasn’t the absolute villain she thought he was.

“Before we start, I want to check the searchers have moved on,” Lee said. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Where are we going?”

“To the top of the ranges.” He put two bottles of water into his daypack, checked he had his phone and a gun, and slung the pack onto his back.

She cocked her head in question but followed him to the back of the cave. He paused. “It’s a tight squeeze. Will you be all right with that?”

She studied the gap. “How far is it?”

“About a hundred metres, but you can use the walls to help you climb.”

She nodded. “I’ll manage.”

He moved slower than he normally would, conscious that climbing around in hot, musty caves took a different level of fitness and Nhiari would be doubly disadvantaged with her ankle.

It took ten minutes to reach the opening. He paused, listening for any further calls from the searchers.

Some birds singing and insects chirping, and in the distance the wash of the waves against the shore. He peered out and scanned the surroundings slowly, looking for movement, shapes or colours which were out of place.

Clear.

He moved further out, scanned again, and then helped Nhiari to sit on a large boulder before retrieving the telescope he had hidden in a nook.

Nhiari gave a low whistle. “That’s a pretty techie device.”

“Allows me to see what’s going on below.” He set it up, pointing to the east, and scanned the ranges, taking particular notice of the canyon his camp was in. Some orange-clothed SES workers at the far end, moving their way out of the canyon.

Good.

He adjusted the focus and scanned further, looking towards the bottom of the gulf where the shipwrecks were. He smiled as he spotted Sam’s boat anchored off Retribution Island. That meant Andrew was in town.

The telescope picked up people on the island. It was too far away to identify who they were, but he recognised the police boat pulled up to shore. They were picking up rubbish on the island. A blue barrel.

“Good,” he murmured.

“What?” Nhiari asked.

“Dot’s found the drugs.”

“What drugs?”

Lee stepped away and gestured for her to look for herself. “It was another of Clark’s side-projects.”

“Doesn’t Stonefish already have a drug operation set up?”

“They do, but Clark thought it would be another way of getting them in, where he’d get a bigger cut. His boat brought the drugs in with the guns, left the drugs in blue barrels which were submerged in the gulf, and then one of Clark’s men would retrieve the drugs and distribute them throughout the north of Australia.”

“Was it effective?”

“They had a few drops I knew of. Clark never told me what he’d set up with his men, so I didn’t know when to check them to see if the drugs were there.”

“Did you randomly check them?”

Lee shook his head. She wouldn’t like this next bit. “Martin got Colin involved. Wanted the entire police station working for Stonefish so he could show you and Dot were incompetent. Colin checked them weekly for me and reported back if they were full.”

Nhiari closed her eyes. “Colin too?” She sounded weary.

“The kid didn’t know what to do. He worshipped Martin, so maybe Martin fed him some kind of line about being undercover. He was always very nervous when he reported back to me.”

“And what did you do if they were full?”

“I stored it. I didn’t have Clark’s contacts, and no one knew what he’d arranged. It’s another irritation for Lucas. I’ve made enquiries and found the chain Clark set up, but Lucas thinks I’m still working on it.” He didn’t want those drugs to end up on the market.

Nhiari ran a hand through her hair. “Organised Crime will be called up. They’ll give Dot help. Is there something we can do from here?”

We. He glanced at her. “Nothing yet. The drugs aren’t going anywhere and neither are Colin nor Martin. We have to focus on Lucas.” He scanned the rest of the area to make sure no one was near.

“You going to tell me more about him than his name?” Nhiari asked.

Lee packed up the telescope and hid it again. “Yeah. I’ll show you everything I have on the company, but there’s nothing I can tie directly to Lucas. All of his men are terrified and will take the fall for him. Their families will be killed if they do anything else.”

“Aren’t you worried about your mother?”

“He won’t kill his own sister.” Of that Lee was certain.

Nhiari stared at him a moment and then nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”

Nhiari’s stomach grumbled and she checked the time. Already past six and they’d barely made a dent in the information they were collating. She was impressed by the quality of data Lee’s father had put together, but a lot of it was stuff that would need to be analysed by financial experts.

“I’ll make dinner.” Lee stretched and went to the back of his car. “I’m low on fresh food, so it’ll have to be another MRE.” He set his kettle to heat. “How’s your ankle? Do you need more pain meds?”

Nhiari rotated her ankle and winced at the dull ache. “It’s fine. I’ll manage.”

He retrieved a bottle of pills and brought them over. “You don’t have to be in pain.”

She stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before taking the bottle. “Thanks.” She shoved down the appreciation and warmth.

“You’re welcome.” His gentle smile spoke directly to her heart and she cut off the connection, reaching for her water.

“Food won’t be long.”

He returned to his car and she exhaled. They’d sat side by side all afternoon and his presence was a constant pressure on her mind and body.

He’d been nothing but business-like but it was like his essence had encircled her, caressing her and reminding her of all the hopes she’d had after their first date.

Nhiari limped over to the cave entrance and turned her face to the sea breeze. Cool and constant, bringing a damp, saltiness inland. A welcome reprieve from the musty heat of the cave. Maybe in a couple of days when her foot was better she could convince Lee to go swimming so she could wash off the dirt and grime.

“Dinner’s ready.” Lee had already cleared space on the table and he placed the two bowls down.

“Thanks.” She debated moving her chair so it was on the opposite side of the table, but then he’d know she was bothered by his closeness.

Instead she sat and took a mouthful of the satay chicken. Not the best she’d had, but it was surprisingly good. She’d eat quickly and then get back to work so they didn’t have to talk.

“I read that book you recommended,” Lee said. “The one with the assassin princess.”

Shock and then sadness filled her at the reminder of their date. They’d shared so much and finally she’d found someone who loved reading as much as she did. She raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t you say it was too young adult for your tastes?”

“I thought it would be, but it was pretty good.”

“That’s why I recommended it.”

He grinned at her and she shoved another spoonful of the satay into her mouth to stop herself from smiling back.

“I particularly liked the ending with the big reveal on who the Great Khan was.”

Excitement bubbled inside her. Hell. How was she supposed to keep her distance when he was talking about one of her favourite books? “You didn’t pick it?”

“No.” He sipped his water. “Of course then I had to read the prequel and the other two books in the series.”

She bit her lip, but couldn’t help herself. “Favourite character?”

“Kew, of course.”

She waved his choice away. “Doesn’t count. Kew’s a dragon, she’s everyone’s favourite.”

“Then I would say Shan.”

Interesting. “Why?”

“Because despite the lack of control she has over what happens to her, she manages to succeed.” He smiled. “Who was yours?”

Shan was her favourite as well, but admitting it felt a little too much like they were bonding. “Checheg.”

“The fate of her people resting in her hands. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

Nhiari nodded.

“What should I read next?”

“There’s hardly time to read novels right now.” Oh, but she had a list she could give him. She pressed her lips together to stop herself from blurting out recommendations.

“You’re right.” He collected her empty bowl and cleaned the dishes with some wet wipes.

She ignored the disappointment. It wasn’t often she found someone who was well-read. She loved discussing stories with others and getting their opinions.

Nhiari muffled a yawn.

“I tend to schedule my day with the sun,” Lee said. “I go to bed when she does.”

It made sense to save power, not having to run lights. “Sounds good.”

“You can take the tent.” He handed her a cup of white tea.

She sipped and discovered he’d added a half teaspoon of sugar to it, just the way she liked. They’d only had tea together once, the morning after their date.

She closed her eyes against the barrage of emotion. It only made her vulnerable. She hardened herself. “No,” she snapped. “It’s your bed. I’m fine on the ground.”

He studied her for a moment and then nodded. “Whatever you want.”

What she wanted was for this to be over, to not have to fight the attraction and the memories of their perfect night together. She didn’t want hope to rise again only to be shattered when she had to arrest him.

Leaving the tea on the table, she hobbled over and unrolled the thin mattress and removed the one shoe she still wore.

Then she lay down and closed her eyes. She needed distance and time to rebuild her walls.

Hopefully by the morning she’d be better defended.

Nhiari rubbed her hands over her face and then stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her muscles after two nights of sleeping on Lee’s thin mattress. He’d offered her the thicker mattress in his tent on the second night as well, but she wasn’t willing to sleep in his bed, even if he slept outside the tent. It was far too intimate.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t ruing her stubbornness now.

“We have to share this with Dot.” They’d spent two days combing through Lee’s father’s notes and comparing them with the information Lee had gathered, and what Nhiari knew. They had filled a notebook and notes were spread everywhere. Lee stood and plugged his laptop into the battery system in his car to charge it.

“If we tip Dot off on who is working for the police, they’ll know I’ve told you, and we’re working together.”

“She won’t tell anyone.”

He was quiet a long moment, a furrow on his brow, staring at the ground, an expression she now recognised as his thinking face. “We can tell her someone in her team is working for Stonefish.”

“Can I give a name?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. Martin will know I’m working with you. He wanted to know what I’d done with you when I called him the other day.”

“Did he seem worried?”

Lee scowled. “No, he was eager to find out if you were dead.”

Nhiari flinched. She’d never been close to her colleague, but they’d had a good working relationship. “What did you tell him?”

“I was manipulating you for information and keeping you as a bargaining chip.”

Wonderful. “He believed you?”

“Yes. I have a reputation after all.”

She didn’t know what to think. People had used her in the past, but he’d been open about the information he was sharing. Still, using her as leverage could always be an option down the line if things didn’t go his way. They hadn’t discussed what would happen when they caught Lucas. They were on opposite sides of the law.

She would need to arrest him when this all came to a head.

Uncertainty shimmered in her stomach. Despite her attempts to keep her defences up, he kept wearing them down. She’d lost count of the times their hands had brushed, or she’d bumped into him after losing her balance. It didn’t help that he’d not allowed her to prepare a meal, and it felt as if he was taking care of her. Each night she’d vowed to keep him out, and each day he charmed her with the little things he did.

Stupid.

“I need a break.” She pressed her chair back and stood. It had been a long couple of days, and she still wore her police uniform, having refused to wear the clothes Lee had offered her. It seemed too intimate, but now she wished she’d agreed, because she smelled. She climbed the path to the top, her ankle healed enough to put some weight on it now without much pain. At the entrance, she scanned the area out of habit. The search for her had been called off yesterday, but someone might still be around.

She inhaled deeply as she took in the view. Red dirt, grassy shrubs, a few small trees and the endless ocean below her.

No one.

The long ranges had been a constant companion for her whole childhood, always on the horizon somewhere, the turquoise water and reef her friend, even the tiny birds which flitted from bush to bush reminded her of a story from her past. This was home, her land, her place.

The sun headed towards the ocean, ready to end its day’s work.

This was why she was working with Lee. She had to make her country safe again. Had to stop Stonefish from hurting her town.

The crunch of rock behind her indicated Lee had joined her. She didn’t turn. Instead she watched the few clouds on the horizon change colour to pinks and purples as the sun sank closer to the horizon. The end of another day, and while the picture was coming into focus, there was no clear path how they could put Lucas away for good.

When the sun disappeared below the horizon, Lee spoke. “How about we go for a swim?”

She glanced at him, wishing the sound of his voice wasn’t like a caress on her skin. “Is that your way of telling me I smell?”

His lips twitched. “No. I thought we could both do with a break and I always feel better after swimming. I know of a remote spot on the coast.”

She nodded. It sounded like heaven, but there was somewhere better than the ocean. A place few people knew about. A place which brought her peace.

Would taking Lee there ruin the place for her?

“Maybe we can get Lindsay to provide some clothes for you at the next drop off,” Lee added.

Nhiari glanced at him. “She could get them from my house.”

“No. Someone may be watching it. No one knows about my connection with Lindsay and I won’t put her in danger.”

His loyalty struck a chord with her. “All right.”

She followed him back down the tunnel to the cave but lagged behind. Lee could do it in the dark, but she was still learning the path and her ankle slowed her. Nhiari was about ten metres behind when he yelled.

Fear spiked as voices rose over the unmistakable sounds of fighting. Shit. Who had found them?

She hurried forward, peering into the entrance to take stock of the situation. There was still a faint glow from last light, and she spotted Lee grappling with an older man with dark skin. Her mouth dropped open, and she moved forward as her father yelled, “Where is my daughter?”

He had Lee in a head lock and at his words, Lee stopped fighting back.

Nhiari ran forward. “Dad! What are you doing here?” Her heart lodged in her throat, but whether it was fear for Lee or her father, she wasn’t certain.

Lee’s face was changing colour.

“Nhiari?” Her father glanced at her but didn’t loosen his hold, as if confused she was standing there in front of him.

“Let him go, Dad. You’re choking him.”

“He kidnapped you.” But he loosened his grip and Lee sucked in deep breaths.

Lee could get out of the hold and hurt her father, but he didn’t. He merely watched her and waited. “Dad, we’re working together. Let him go and I’ll explain.”

Her father studied her a long moment before letting go of Lee and stepping back. Lee rubbed his throat and turned to face his attacker.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr Roe.”

Her father grunted. “Explain, Nhiari.”

“How did you find me?” Nhiari asked, still not quite believing her father stood in front of her in glorious outrage.

He snorted. “I can follow a track, though he made it difficult, which is why it’s taken me so long. What’s going on here? If you’re all right, why haven’t you called your mother? She’s frantic.”

Nhiari smiled. It was so like him to say it was her mother worrying.

Lee brought over a camp chair and handed him a bottle of water. “Would you like to sit?”

Her father squinted at him with suspicion but took the water and sat.

“Lee did kidnap me, but we’ve come to an agreement.” She hesitated. He knew nothing about Stonefish. “We’re working together to stop a group who are doing bad things in Retribution Bay.”

“Are you safe with him?”

“Yes,” Lee answered. “I won’t hurt your daughter, Mr Roe. You have my word.”

Her father stared at him for a long moment. “I don’t know you. I don’t know what your word is worth.”

Nhiari appreciated her father’s candour. “Lee saved Matt’s life a couple of months ago.”

Her father raised his eyebrows, but to stop him asking more questions she continued, “I’m sorry I didn’t call.” She should have, or at least asked Dot to phone them.

“Your mother has been worried out of her mind, and Matt has been too.”

Matt knew more of what was going on, so she wasn’t as concerned about him. “Truly, Dad. I’m fine. Dot knows I’m safe, which is why she called off the search.”

“Why didn’t she call us?”

“She’s been busy dealing with some issues this group has thrown up,” Lee said.

“And who are you in all of this?” Her father demanded. “Why did you take my daughter?”

“Because Nhiari is tenacious and she would have continued searching for me until she found me.” He smiled. “Not unlike her father.”

He grunted, but his lips curved upwards.

“I’ve been working for this group, but only to stop them,” Lee continued.

Nhiari was surprised he admitted that much.

“You working undercover? You a cop or something?”

“I was military, but this is personal.”

“How?”

Nhiari limped over to lean against a rock, enjoying her father giving Lee the third degree. If she was honest, what impressed her the most was that Lee treated his concerns seriously and didn’t just brush him off.

“The man in charge murdered my father.”

Her father pursed his lips and then nodded. “All right.” He glanced at her. “Why are you limping?”

“Twisted it on a rock,” she replied. “It’s almost healed.”

He moved over to her and lowered his voice, shifting so Lee couldn’t see his lips. “Are you really OK? Do you have a safe word you need to tell me so that I know you’re not being coerced?”

She chuckled. “I’m really fine, Dad. Lee’s my best chance to stop these people.”

“Do you trust him?”

The question made her blink, but the answer was more surprising. She looked at Lee. “Yes, I do trust him.”

Lee’s lips quirked up, and he inclined his head a minute amount.

“What do you need me to do?” her father asked, turning back to involve Lee in the conversation.

“Nothing,” Lee answered before she could. “If you get involved, you’ll put yourself and your family in danger.”

“More than Matt and Nhiari are?” he countered.

“They’re not interested in Matt anymore,” Nhiari said. “And they think Lee is manipulating me. If they find out you’re helping us, you put yourself and Mum in danger.”

“So I’m meant to leave you here with him and do nothing?” He bristled.

Nhiari put a hand on his shoulder. “You trust me to do my job, just like you always have.”

“I don’t like it.”

“I know.” She thought about it. “You could keep an eye out for anyone on our land who shouldn’t be. Message me and tell me where and we’ll check it out.”

“You think they’re using our land again like they did with the animal smuggling?”

“They might be.”

“But don’t approach,” Lee said. “If they see you, they may hurt you.”

Her father scoffed. “You didn’t see me coming.”

“No, sir,” Lee agreed.

“Do you need any food or water?” Her father turned to Nhiari.

“We’re good,” Lee answered for her.

When he continued to look at Nhiari, she nodded. “We are, Dad. Do you want a lift home?”

“I won’t risk you breaking your cover for me. It’s a nice evening for a walk. I’ll call your mother and let her know you’re safe and she can pick me up away from here.”

Nhiari helped him to stand and then hugged him. “Thanks for coming after me, Dad.”

“Always.” He squeezed her. Then he eyed Lee. “If any harm comes to my daughter, I’m coming after you.”

Lee held out his hand. “I would expect you to.”

Some kind of man speak went on between the two of them as her father clasped Lee’s hand and they both nodded. Nhiari rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a child.

Still the little girl of her past would have been thrilled to have two men protecting her. Not that her father hadn’t when she was at school. He hadn’t known about her troubles.

“How long will this take?” her father asked.

“I’m not sure, Dad. A few more days at least, maybe a couple of weeks.”

He scowled but kissed her cheek. “Take care, child.”

She walked him to the entrance of the cave and watched him walk away. She smiled, her heart full at the way he moved through the bush without a sound. When the darkness swallowed him, she turned back to the cave. Lee was rubbing his throat. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’ll live,” Lee answered. “He took me by surprise as I walked out.”

“Thank you for not hurting him.”

“When I realised he was your father, I couldn’t.”

She wasn’t digging further into that comment. Instead she switched on a light and went over to the table where all their information was spread.

Lee placed the gas cooker on his tailgate and started preparing dinner. From the looks of the food he retrieved, it was something with ramen. “Do you need a hand?”

“No, I’ve got this. We might need to move tomorrow, though.”

“Dad won’t tell anyone where we are.”

“I need to pick up more food and check in with a couple of people, anyway.”

Which reminded Nhiari. “You said I could call Dot.”

“Tonight, after she’s had time to get home.” He didn’t look at her as he said it.

“How do you know she’s not at home?”

He continued to prepare dinner.

“Lee, what are you hiding from me?” She moved over to him.

He sighed. “There’s a tracker on her phone.”

“How?” Dot always kept her phone with her.

“Martin sent something to her that allowed it to be installed.” He still wasn’t looking at her.

Unease crept onto her skin. “And my phone?”

He faced her. “Remember that funny video I messaged you?”

“The cute bulldog puppy one?” It had made her smile and brightened what had been a really shitty day.

“Yeah. Watching it installed the same tracking software on your phone.”

“So you’ve known where I was at all times over the past few months?” Her skin crawled at the idea someone was following her.

“Your location only, not who you were with or what you were doing. It made it easier to arrange for Kristy and Steven Hamilton to distract you.”

“Who had access to the data?” she demanded.

“Only me. Martin wanted it, but I refused to give it to him.”

Small mercies. The idea of Martin tracking her was unsettling. But why didn’t she feel the same way about Lee? She refused to follow that line of questioning. Instead she asked, “So you knew I was coming for the children?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you move?”

“Because I wanted Jordan and Cody to go back to their families.”

It still made no sense. “Why didn’t you leave them before we arrived? You could have left them in the cave, waited from a distance until we found them, and then disappeared.”

He dished up the noodles and handed her a bowl. “Because I didn’t know if Martin would be with you. It could have been another test by Stonefish. Then Georgie turned up and distracted me before I could leave.”

Nhiari stared at the food. He’d been tracking her. For months he’d known exactly where she was if he cared to look.

It felt like such a violation of her privacy.

“So tell me again, why should I trust you?”