Chapter Nine
Nhiari linked Dot’s material with the other information, not daring to look in Lee’s direction. The plea in his voice pulled at her heartstrings but they’d plucked the wrong note before. He could easily play both her and Lucas. He lied so convincingly.
Finally Lee moved over to the car to unpack the groceries and she let out a small sigh of relief.
She needed space from him.
The best thing would be not to let her guard down and to focus on the case.
“I got you these.” Lee held out a reusable shopping bag.
Nhiari glanced at the bag and then at him but didn’t take it.
He placed it on the table in front of her. “I thought you might like something else to wear.” He walked away.
Nhiari peered into the bag. Inside were a couple of T-shirts and shorts, and a six-pack of cheap cotton underwear. She stared after him. There was no reason for him to get her clothes. How was she supposed to stay impartial when he did things like this? “Wouldn’t Steven think it odd you were buying women’s clothing from the supermarket?”
He turned. “I asked Lindsay to pack them amongst the food so it wasn’t obvious.”
“Thank you.”
His smile was sweet. “You’re welcome. Do you want to freshen up? Now that I’ve refilled the water, we have enough for a quick shower. It won’t be hot, but you’ll be able to wash the dust off.”
It sounded like bliss and she wasn’t stubborn enough to say no. “Yes, please.”
He erected the simple shower set up, which included a modesty screen and a hand-held shower head, while Nhiari tried to concentrate on the notes in front of her.
He was doing an excellent job trying to get her to relax her guard. But he was also well-trained.
“It’s ready when you are.”
Nhiari took the new clothes with her and had a quick, cold, but refreshing wash. By the time she had dressed, Lee had made them both another coffee and was sitting at the table, going through Dot’s notes.
Suspicion hit her. Had he wanted her out of the way so he could go through Dot’s notes by himself and hide anything relevant?
She should have considered that.
As she sipped the coffee, she surreptitiously went through the notes to see if there was anything missing.
“I haven’t removed anything,” Lee said.
So much for being subtle.
She ignored his comment and got to work.
Night was falling by the time Nhiari was satisfied she’d collated all the information and had a decent timeline. Dot had sent her a couple of text messages during the day; one to tell her she’d found a hideout on one of the islands, and the other to say she’d arrested Colin for drug-smuggling. The police would have possession of all the drugs by now, which was one less thing to worry about.
Dot was also gathering evidence on Kristy and Steven Hamilton, and would soon have enough to arrest them as well.
Nhiari stood and stretched, groaning as the kinks in her muscles made themselves known. “Are we missing anything?”
“Just Martin,” Lee answered. “He’s the last of Stonefish’s influence in Retribution Bay.”
“Can I tell Dot about him?”
“I want to find out when Lucas is coming to town first. I don’t want him to think it’s too risky to come.”
She wished she wasn’t supposed to be missing. Normally she’d ring all the accommodation in town and ask if he’d checked in, but she couldn’t do that without gossip spreading. “Would he stay with the Hamiltons?”
“No. He doesn’t like to get too close to those who are working for him. They don’t know who he is.”
“So what do we do?”
“I’ll call Andrew and see what he knows.”
“They’re staying out on the boat. He might not have reception.”
“He’s got a satellite phone.” Lee retrieved his phone and made the call, again putting it on speaker.
Lee had done that with Lucas as well.
“How much longer do I have to be on this stupid boat?” The whine was unmistakably petulant.
Lee rolled his eyes. “Not too much longer. We almost have what we need. Has there been any further mention of treasure?”
“No. Oliver and that cop are stuck on the boat until the tide rises. They were fetching the drug barrels but have been trapped by a coral atoll because of the low tide.”
Nhiari winced. Dot wouldn’t like being stuck alone with Oliver.
“Have they got all the barrels?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been diving all afternoon.”
“All right. I’ll send someone out to collect them. You’re sure Dot is stuck there?”
“That’s what she radioed to the boat.”
“Good work. Let me know if anything changes.” Lee paused. “Have you heard from your dad?”
“Yeah, I saw him yesterday before they decided we had to stay on the boat overnight.”
Nhiari perked up and Lee asked, “He’s in town?”
“Staying at a motel.”
“Do you know which one?”
“The one as you drive into town.”
Lee glanced at Nhiari, and she nodded. She knew which one he meant.
“That’s great. You all right there? Does anyone suspect you?” Lee’s genuine concern came through.
Was he worried about Andrew’s safety?
“No. They’re all too interested in the shipwreck. Can’t I go home?”
“Not yet. Just a few more days. Call me if you run into any trouble.”
After he hung up, Nhiari said, “He’ll be safe on the tour boat. Sam and Sherlock will make sure no one is hurt.”
Lee sighed. “Andrew has no experience in this kind of thing. He’s likely to say the wrong thing and get himself in trouble. He doesn’t understand the seriousness of what he’s involved in.”
“Surely as Lucas’s son, it affords him some protection.”
Lee laughed. “I killed Lucas’s oldest son and barely got a rap over the knuckles. Lucas is only concerned about the business and making money. Clark threatened that through his actions, so he was fair game. Lucas has always seen Andrew as a disappointment, so he wouldn’t be overly concerned if he was killed either, though his wife would be devastated.”
What a horrible way to live. Nhiari couldn’t imagine having no one she cared about, or being used like that. “Do you want to track Lucas down?”
Lee shook his head. “If Lucas wanted me to know he was in town, he would have said so. He’s up to something. Probably wants to get to the treasure before me. His trust doesn’t last long.”
Nhiari itched to arrest Lucas, but they had no definitive proof he was involved in all of this. They needed concrete evidence.
“I’m calling Steven,” Lee said. “I need to act as if I’m still working for Stonefish and, based on what Andrew told me, we don’t know whether Dot has got all the drugs. I’ll send him to check the remaining barrels.”
“There’s still Sam and Sherlock. They’ll try to stop him.”
He shrugged. “Steven should be stealthy. If he gets caught, it means one more person is out of the picture and Stonefish has less hold on Retribution Bay.”
Nhiari liked the sound of that.
It didn’t take long for Lee to make the phone call. “It’s late,” Steven complained. “Can’t it wait until the morning?”
“No,” Lee replied.
“But I won’t be able to pull them up by myself.”
Lee’s eyes widened. “I’ll get someone to meet you at the southern boat ramp in thirty minutes.” He hung up and dialled another number.
Who was he calling? He was supposed to have shared all his information with her already.
“Joseph, I need you to make a pickup.” Lee gave him the details before hanging up.
“Who was that?”
“Joseph was the guy I told you about who used to work with Clark.”
“So the two of them are going to check whether Dot has retrieved all the barrels?”
He nodded. “I suspect she has, so this will give her another avenue to follow. The barrels are close enough together that Dot should be able to see the boat, even if she can’t stop them.”
It wasn’t a terrible plan, and her brain was too tired to think of how to make it better. “All right.”
She walked to the front of the cave and stared at the night. The sea breeze funnelled through the canyon, shaking all the leaves, but it also kept the temperature down. It had been a long few days, and she wanted a decent night’s sleep so she could think clearly.
Could she trust Lee?
He seemed so sincere, and yet he’d also seemed convincing speaking to Lucas and the others as well.
Perhaps he was only in it for himself and everyone was fodder to be used.
“Are you all right, Nhi?” Lee’s voice was right behind her, but she hadn’t heard him approach.
She closed her eyes and stopped herself from stepping back so she was closer to him. “I’m tired.”
“Sleep in the tent tonight. With Lucas in town, this will end soon, and you’ll need all your wits about you.”
He was right. Professionally she had to ignore how she felt about sleeping in his bed and get some decent rest. “OK.”
He shifted closer and she felt the heat from him. She braced herself, but he didn’t touch her.
“I know you’re finding this difficult. I wish there was another way we could do this.”
So did she.
All she wanted was to step back into his arms, to forget about Stonefish and the lies, and pretend for a night they were just two people who found each other attractive. He’d been an amazing lover.
But perhaps she didn’t have to trust him to experience that again. She turned to face him. He stayed where he was, gazing at her.
If she could trust him, he would be a rock for her. She knew that without a doubt. She ached for that. “Can we forget about everything for tonight?” She gave into her urge and stepped closer, sliding her arms around his waist. “Can we pretend nothing exists outside this cave?”
His eyes widened, but he pulled her close. “We can do whatever you want.”
Good. She tilted her head and pressed her lips to his.
Warm and tasting of the coffee they’d consumed all day. She nipped little kisses over his lips and he groaned but let her lead.
Finally she deepened the kiss, teasing his mouth open and his restraint broke. He hauled her closer still and took control, drawing a moan from her.
She broke this kiss. “How strong is your air mattress?”
“Very strong.” He pulled her over to the tent and paused outside. “Are you sure, Nhi?”
No, she wasn’t, but right now she didn’t care. She didn’t want to think of the future, she just wanted to be in the now. “Yes.”
The first time they’d had sex had been slow with Lee worshipping her body. She didn’t want that now, wanted nothing that would make her feel anything emotionally. It had to be just physical.
Nhiari stripped off her T-shirt and shorts, but Lee stopped her as she reached for her bra. “Let me.”
In one snap, her bra loosened, and she shrugged it off. Then his hands were finally touching her. He kissed her deeply as his thumb teased her nipple. “You’re so beautiful.”
She squeezed her eyes closed, not letting his words get to her. “Shush,” she said. “I don’t want your words.”
She kissed him hard.