Captive in Retribution Bay

Chapter Seven

Nhiari’s tone was mild, but her eyes sparked fury. Inwardly Lee winced. He should have known his confession wouldn’t go down well. Now wasn’t a good time to tell her about the other ways he kept track of what was going on in Retribution Bay.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to stop Stonefish.” He tried to keep the defensiveness out of his tone.

“Including seducing a police officer?” The blunt statement didn’t hide the thread of hurt in her voice.

Shit. He stepped forward and she stepped back.

Damn it.

He never had the right words when he really cared. His mother had discouraged him from sharing his feelings. But for Nhiari he’d try. He sat to give her space and stirred his noodles. “I’ve already admitted I asked you out hoping to get information, but I promise you, that’s not how it ended. That night meant a lot to me.”

She glared at him and limped to the other side of the cave.

“You told your father you trusted me.” He would hold on to that admission.

“I trust you not to kill me,” she retorted and glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m useful to you.”

“You’re more than that, Nhiari.” He hesitated. Telling her the truth would give her the upper hand over him. Was that wise? When this was over, he would be behind bars. Perhaps it was better for her if she still saw him as a villain.

“What was that night for you, Lee?” It was a quiet request which demanded the truth.

His heart ached, and he answered the plea before he could think better of it. “A revelation.” It sounded trite and Nhiari’s snort made it clear she thought so too. “I’ve not had a lot of practice putting my feelings into words.”

She shifted to face him. “I’m listening.”

Those two words resonated with him and all his caution slipped away. He didn’t want to be the villain. Not with her. This might be the only chance she gave him. “We met at the brewery and I remember walking in, telling myself I was only there for the information you could provide.” He shook his head, amused at how stupid he’d been. “It was a gorgeous night, the perfect temperature and a clear sky with so many stars above. Some low, chill music was playing, and I spotted you sitting at a table, the fairy lights above you and you were stunning. The brown top that made your eyes deepen like pools of chocolate and those jeans…” Like they’d been painted on.

Nhiari lowered herself onto a rock on the other side of the cave.

“You wore a manta ray necklace that drew my eye right to your chest.”

“So you found me attractive.” Her statement was unimpressed.

Lee shook his head as panic threatened to take control. “No, I found you beautiful, stunning…” He couldn’t find the right word. “Perfection.”

She flinched and shoved a mouthful of the noodles in her mouth, chewing quickly as if she wanted to end this conversation. He hurried on. “Then we started chatting, and it was as if we were two old friends getting together after not seeing each other for a while. We just clicked. I know you felt it too. There were no awkward silences, and we had a lot in common.”

She stared at him. “You still brought up my work.”

He nodded. “It was a struggle. I felt awful doing it, but I still needed to stop Stonefish.” It had been the first time he’d questioned whether what he was doing was the right thing.

“So you slept with me.”

Irritation bubbled through him. Why wasn’t she hearing what he said? “I didn’t sleep with you for information,” he snapped. “I slept with you because I never wanted anything more in my whole life. You might not have realised it, but you captured me that night. From that moment, there was no way I could hurt you or anyone you cared about.” Idiot. He was saying too much. He was giving her control over him. Did she understand?

He couldn’t read the emotion on her face. She exhaled, but her mask didn’t shift. “I didn’t realise I was that good at sex.” She finished the last mouthful of her noodles. “You promised me a swim. Let’s go.” She placed her bowl on the rock next to her and hobbled out of the cave.

Lee rubbed the ache in his chest. He’d hurt her just like so many other men in her life. She’d whispered her past pains to him in the dark after they’d made love.

The boy who’d dumped her after she’d given him her virginity. The taunts and teasing about her body when she’d matured faster than others. The man at the academy who had made her life hell after she’d turned down his advances.

Hindsight was a bitch. Lee shouldn’t have spoken about how beautiful she was. He should have talked about the connection between them, the way he’d felt no one had ever listened to him before, the feeling he’d found his missing piece. He should have told her about his desire to hunt down those who had hurt her and make them sorry.

With a sigh, he grabbed a towel and a change of clothes for them both and followed her out of the cave and into the night.

Nhiari’s ankle was nothing compared to the ache in her heart as she made her way down the slope to the motorbike. She would have preferred to take the four-wheel drive, but she had a desperate need to go to her waterhole and settle the emotions swirling around her. The motorbike would get them there.

She got on, glancing behind her as Lee said, “I’ll steer.”

She shook her head. “I know a better place for swimming.”

He hesitated and she felt his doubt. Would he trust her?

Almost before she’d finished the thought, he said, “All right.” He slid on behind her and placed his arms around her waist.

She closed her eyes as his warmth seeped into her. This was far closer than she wanted to get to him right now. She swallowed hard even though he kept his hands still.

She turned the key and the roar of the engine helped to clear her mind. On auto-pilot, she headed south.

He spoke about caring for her, but he’d started with her body. As if realising his mistake, he’d tried to regroup and mention the connection he’d felt, but they were just words he spoke hoping to seduce her.

He wouldn’t sway her with his declarations of being caught, no matter how much her heart had yearned when he spoke those words.

Talk was next to impossible over the noise of the engine. It was a short trip, covering the couple of kilometres to the creek which flowed through the canyon.

The only person she’d brought here was Dot. Few people knew about it as there was no four-wheel track in and no hiking trails. The waterhole only contained water at certain times of the year, but the massive storm they’d had a few weeks ago would have filled it.

The silence seeped into her and so did her first wave of doubt. This was a bad idea. She’d always run here when she’d needed peace, but now Lee would be one of her memories.

Foolish.

Perhaps she should turn around and head to the beach. Before she could suggest it, Lee was dismounting.

Though she knew she would regret this, she set down the stand and got off the bike.

It was easy to see in the moonlight, and she picked out the rocky path that led to the water. She didn’t speak, knowing Lee would follow her. Carefully she picked her way across the rocks and around a bend where her waterhole stretched between the canyon in all its glory.

Lee’s sharp intake of breath was satisfying. He hadn’t found her place in his exploration of the ranges.

The water was a still hole in the darkness, with the moonlight glistening off one edge. She inhaled deeply and allowed the air to soothe her aching heart.

Here she would find the strength to harden her heart against Lee and put Stonefish away for good.

She sat and pulled off her boots and socks, then hesitated. She hadn’t considered what she would swim in. Her clothes needed a wash, and while the fresh water would remove the smell, there was nothing like the feel of the water on her skin.

She loved skinny-dipping. She glanced at him. Though it was night, there was enough light to make out facial expressions and bodies.

Though perhaps this was her opportunity to play him like he was trying to play her. Show him his words meant nothing to her.

“I brought you a shirt to swim in.” He held it out to her.

What was worse—wearing a shirt which smelled like him, or being naked in front of him?

He’d already seen her naked. But wearing his shirt seemed so much more intimate. The brush of the fabric against her skin, being surrounded by his scent, every breath reminding her of their night together.

No. She couldn’t do it.

“I’ll manage.” She turned her back to him and unbuttoned her shirt, leaving it on the rocks before taking off her pants as well. Dressed in her underwear, she slid into the water.

She closed her eyes as the cool water washed over her.

Bliss.

It had been days since so much water had touched her skin. Nhiari swam a few strokes underwater before surfacing and brushing the strands of hair which had escaped her braid out of her face. She kept her shoulders underwater, watching as Lee stripped out of his pants and shoes and changed into a pair of swimming shorts.

She was too far away to see the definition, but she knew from experience that his body was hard and lean. Nhiari had asked him about it. The bashful photographer didn’t seem to be the type to work out at the gym, but he’d said he had to be fit to hike the locations to get the photos he wanted.

It made enough sense, and she hadn’t complained. Now she knew it was from his time in the military.

Her fingers untied her hair and then untangled the braid, letting the water run through it and wash it. Then she rubbed her skin, removing the dirt and dust as Lee slipped into the water.

Perfection.

Her thighs tightened. It was only attraction. A physical reaction beyond her control. What she could control was whether she would act on it, and in this case it was a resounding no.

“Feeling better?” Lee asked.

“Yes.” She wouldn’t lie, but neither would she gush about how amazing the cool water felt against her skin. The less she shared with him, the less he could manipulate her.

He ducked under the surface and then brushed the water back from his hair, the rest of it cascading down his skin.

Nhiari looked away and scanned the area. The water level was high. Much of the runoff from the storm collected here and had had time to settle to form the large waterhole. It would shrink through summer sometimes to almost nothing, before the rains would fill it again.

This was what she was fighting to protect.

“This place is beautiful.” Behind her Lee splashed, probably washing himself as well.

“It’s not always this full.” Did he realise it was her special place she’d told him about during their night together?

Before she’d discovered Lee was working for Stonefish, she’d imagined bringing him here, swimming with him. In her daydreams, they’d camped nearby and she’d shown him places he could photograph and they’d spend their nights making love.

She had fallen just as hard as he claimed to have, but her trust regarding men was non-existent. She wished she could talk to Dot about it.

How was Dot coping with having her ex back in town? Dot had completely fallen apart when Oliver had chosen a job overseas instead of staying with her. Nhiari had been desperately worried, but she hadn’t understood the depth of Dot’s feelings until Lee had betrayed her.

Instead of collapsing, Nhiari had vowed vengeance. But only a couple of days with him and her conviction was fading.

“Have you started taking lessons from your mum?” Lee asked.

She squeezed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth. She’d hoped he’d forgotten everything she’d told him that night.

“You wanted to learn basket weaving, right?”

He knew he was. Nhiari had felt so comfortable with him she’d told him her regrets. She’d never embraced her indigenous heritage because she’d been teased mercilessly at school. She’d refused to listen to the lessons from her mother about gathering food and basket weaving, not wanting to acknowledge that aspect of who she was. Her mother had been disappointed but hadn’t pushed.

Now she was older, she wished she knew more of her heritage. The Bayungu had a joint agreement with Parks and Wildlife to manage the land here and while Nhiari protected the people, she wanted to know more about protecting the land as well.

She couldn’t ignore him. “Mum’s been teaching me, but I haven’t had a lot of free time lately.” She swam back to where she’d left her clothes and dragged them into the water to wash.

“Are you enjoying it?”

The information couldn’t be useful to Stonefish. “Yes.”

“I’m glad. You sounded so sad when you told me about it.”

Her heart squeezed. “Don’t,” she beseeched.

“Don’t what?” His question was calm.

“Don’t pretend you care.”

“It’s not a pretence, Nhiari.”

“When this is done, I have to arrest you, Lee.” Which would leave her in the same position as when she’d learnt of his deception. Heart-broken.

“Both of the people I killed were in the defence of another person.”

“And what about the rest of it?” Nhiari demanded. “The drugs, the enlisting people for Stonefish, killing the Stokes’ sheep.”

“It’s all part of stopping them. Will the case I’ve built against Stonefish work in my favour?”

She didn’t know, but he had a good point. She shoved away the hope. This could all be part of his manipulations again. And she wasn’t ready to forgive him.

Lee shifted close enough to touch her but kept his hands by his side. “When I started this, I saw nothing past avenging my father. I didn’t care what happened to me. But my focus shifted after that night with you. I realised there was something I wanted more—you. I’ve done everything since then to protect you and those you care about.”

His words were seductive, a temptation she desperately wanted to accept. She longed to reach out and touch him, to hold him in her arms again.

He didn’t move any closer, waiting for her response to his words. His patience made her want him even more.

“Lee…” She didn’t have the words, didn’t know what she wanted to do. Her heart screamed to forgive him, and her head reminded her of all the ways Stonefish had manipulated people in the past. “I can’t. Not yet.”

Lee nodded. “I’m here when you’re ready.”

Those words. They shouldn’t mean so much. Having someone there to wait for her, who wanted her enough to wait until she was ready. She couldn’t trust them yet. Not with how she’d been let down by him and others in the past.

“We should get back. I need to call Dot.” She waded to the shore, enjoying the cool night air on her wet skin.

Lee hurried ahead over the rocks and handed her a towel, which she used to dry herself, unable to resist inhaling his scent. After she’d spent some time drying her long hair, she wrapped the towel around herself. Lee held out the T-shirt and shorts he’d offered her before the swim.

She hesitated. It made no sense to put on her wet police uniform, especially not with how refreshed she felt. With a sigh, she took the dry clothes and dressed, using the towel to shield her as she removed her wet underwear. Folding everything and wrapping her wet clothes in the towel, she placed them in the backpack Lee held out to her.

They didn’t speak on the short ride back to the cave and once inside, Lee handed Nhiari her phone. “You’ll get better reception up the top.”

She hesitated. He was giving her the freedom of speaking to Dot without him listening. “Do you want to come too? She might have questions I can’t answer.”

He gave that small smile of his and gestured for her to lead the way.

What did she need to tell Dot? Some of the information she couldn’t share yet, but the biggest thing was to make sure she understood Nhiari was fine. The last thing they needed was for Matt to turn up looking for her as well.

The number rang briefly before Dot answered. “Nhiari.” Dot’s concern came out in a whoosh of her name.

Nhiari switched on the speaker so Lee could hear. “I’m fine. I’m working on something with Lee, but no one can know.”

“It’s a dark night.”

Nhiari smiled at the code. “But the stars are shining.”

Dot’s exhalation was loud in Nhiari’s ear. “You went willingly with him?”

Nhiari laughed and exchanged a smile with Lee. “I wouldn’t say that, but it’s fine.” They had little time, in case someone from Stonefish was tracing her call. “I think someone on our team is working with Stonefish.”

“Yeah. I spoke with the Stokes last night and they filled in some blanks. I’m collating the information now.”

That could be useful. “Can you send it to me? I can’t keep my phone on for long in case it gets tracked, but we should share information.” Or at least as much as she could share.

“Yeah. Is there somewhere I can drop a hard copy?”

“Hang on.” She placed her hand over the speaker. “Can we head closer to town tomorrow?”

“I’ve arranged a supply drop near the lighthouse.”

Perfect. “How about at the lighthouse?”

“I’ll watch the sunrise tomorrow.”

Which meant it would be there nice and early. “All right. We’re close, Dot. It won’t take long.”

“Take care—oh, and call your parents. Matt says they’re frantic.”

Nhiari smiled. “Will do.” Dot didn’t need to know her father had already found them. She hung up.

“Shouldn’t you have asked her where she would leave it?” Lee asked.

“No need. We used to leave each other notes when we were kids. It was our special message place.”

“You and Dot are close.”

It wasn’t so much a question as a statement which asked for her to provide more information. Nhiari’s warning system buzzed. Did it matter if he knew the details of their relationship? He knew enough to know she would protect Dot with her life, so anything else she shared was a sign she was opening up. If this was manipulation, perhaps she could play too.

“She’s been my best friend since pre-primary. We’d hang out at school together and as much as we could after school, but it was difficult with me living so far out of town.” Neither of their parents liked them spending too much time chatting on the phone, and they didn’t have mobile reception at Nhiari’s house. That’s why they used to leave each other letters at the lighthouse. “When I got older, I’d take the motorbike and meet her at the lighthouse. There was a track which ran all the way along the ranges. Or sometimes her brother would pick me up and take us both to the beach to swim.”

“You mentioned Dot stuck up for you,” Lee said.

There were a couple of kids who would make fun of her because of her indigenous heritage. Her clothes were always well-worn, and it was when her parents were involved with getting recognition that the land they lived on was Bayungu land.

Some people felt threatened by it, as if the Bayungu were going to steal their houses, not recognising the irony of that was exactly what the British had done to all the native people of Australia. Those people’s children parroted their parents’ ugly words to Nhiari. Matt had been younger and by the time he was old enough to understand, things had settled.

But Nhiari remembered the slurs and vitriol that had spewed from the older children. It was why she’d refused to learn about her culture, not wanting to be any more different than she already was.

“We were a team,” Nhiari said. “She had parents who were indifferent to their children, and I had the town kids who were cruel. We supported each other.”

She stared up at the night sky, finding the familiar constellations. “The emu is dark tonight.”

“Don’t you mean bright?” Lee asked.

“No, it comprises the dark areas of the night sky, not the stars.” She pointed it out to him.

“Oh, that’s right. Ed mentioned something about it to me when he took me stargazing.”

A reminder the Stokes had welcomed him in as a friend before they had discovered his allegiance. How would they react to him now? Georgie was pro Lee, but how the others felt was an unknown. “Did he tell you the story that goes with it?”

“No.”

Nhiari closed her eyes, bringing back the words of her mother. “Many groups have a story about the emu in the sky. Ours tells us when the right time is for us to take different foods from the land.” She explained further.

“I imagine you can see a dozen things around us we can eat,” Lee said.

Nhiari frowned. “Not as much as I would like to.”

When all the mess with Stonefish was done, she would learn.

She scanned the sky and inhaled, breathing in the night air. Dark and peaceful. It would be easy to pretend there was nothing beyond this moment and the rest of the world didn’t exist. Especially if she ignored the fact Lee was a wanted criminal.

But there it was.

The truth surrounded her, and she couldn’t ignore it.

She stood. “We should get some sleep.” She didn’t wait for his comment and made her way slowly through the tunnel back to their camp site. Nhiari yawned and eyed the bedroll she’d been sleeping on. Her whole body protested at the thought of sleeping there again tonight.

She wandered over and pulled back the bedding, sitting down and taking off her shoes. She still wore Lee’s clothes and didn’t want to put her uniform back on until it was dry. It was a few more minutes before Lee joined her. She suspected he had other phone calls to make. At least he hadn’t asked for her phone back, though she checked to make sure she’d switched it off.

“Nhiari, why don’t you sleep in the tent tonight? The mattress in there is far more comfortable.”

She glanced through the open flap. It was tempting.

“I’ll sleep out here.”

Was it fair? There was plenty of room in the tent for them both and he had a double mattress. But either of them might snuggle into the other during the night and that would be very difficult to extricate herself from. It was too much of a risk, too much of a temptation which would have her forgetting what she needed to do. “I’ll be fine. Good night.”

She lay down and shut her eyes. Lee sighed and got himself ready for bed.

Nhiari’s heart ached. No, this was for her own good.

She stared into the darkness, hoping for sleep.