Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Declan
We raced into my cottage. Adrenaline was still tearing through me.
Bella grabbed the pretty blue dress she'd worn earlier and dragged it over her head with shaking hands while I yanked on jeans, a shirt, and my boots. My brain was ten steps ahead, cycling through the problems like it was a massive spreadsheet I couldn’t balance.
We had a body. And we had to make it disappear.
I ripped open the small wardrobe and reached for the top shelf, hauling down a heavy wool blanket. “We'll wrap him in this.”
“Okay.” Bella nodded, but her eyes were blown wide, shock still clinging to her like a second skin.
I tucked the blanket under my arm and raced back out the front door. The cool night air slammed into me. Stars burned overhead, sharp and endless, like the universe was watching to see what we'd do next.
Impossible questions swam through my mind.
Where do we bury him?
How deep do we dig?
“How did he get here?” Bella asked, scraping her fingers through her wild hair.
“What?” My head snapped toward her.
“How did Vincenzo get to Koolaroo?” she pressed. “He must've had a car.”
The words hit me like a punch. “Shit.”
I dropped the blanket and sprinted toward the side of the cottage, heart pounding, scanning the darkness beyond Apollo's paddock. The Milky Way stretched across the sky in a pale ribbon, giving just enough light to see the fence line and the homestead lights glowing faintly in the distance.
“You see it?” Bella called, breath coming fast.
“No.”
She squinted, then lifted her arm. “Hey, what's that?”
I followed her finger. A hulking shape crouched in the shadows beyond the far fence.
“That's it.” I broke into a sprint.
Apollo thundered alongside me on the other side of the timber rails, ears pinned forward like he thought this was some mad midnight race. My boots pounded the dirt as I tore down the fence line.
The vehicle came into full view as I closed the distance.
A black Mercedes G-Class, as big as a tank and just as unapologetic.
Just like the one Bob Ackerman drove on the rare occasions the senior sergeant made it all the way out here.
The matte paint swallowed the moonlight.
It had a heavy bull bar on the front and tinted windows dark enough to hide faces.
The kind of car that didn't get lost. It got noticed.
And a trunk big enough to contain a body whole.
My jaw tightened. He'd planned to put Bella in that trunk. Asshole.
I closed the distance to the open driver's side door and peered in.
The keys were still inside.
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Arrogant bastard.” I turned back to Bella. “Get in.”
I jumped into the driver's seat as Bella slipped into the passenger side. The engine rumbled to life, loud in the quiet night. With the lights off, I reversed, then swung around and drove straight back to my cottage, pulling up alongside the body on the grass.
Working together, we rolled the body onto the blanket and lifted him into the boot.
He was damn heavy, and we were both breathing hard by the time we hauled him in and slammed the lid shut.
We returned to our seats in the front, but as I went to start the engine again, another problem hit me like a tomahawk missile. “Shit!”
“What?” Bella’s eyes flew wide.
“We need to get rid of this car, too.”
Her jaw dropped. “Yes, you're right. But how?”
“Shit. Shit!” I punched the steering wheel.
Bella gasped, but then she draped her hand over my arm. “It's okay. We'll figure this out.”
Her calmness radiated through me.
This is just another problem, Declan. You're good at solving problems.
Figure this one out.
I dragged in a breath and forced my thoughts into order, cataloging Koolaroo's diverse landscape. We had over four thousand square miles to choose from.
“The south ridge,” I said.
“What?” Bella blinked her big eyes at me.
“There's swamp land at the south ridge.”
“Swamp?”
“Yeah. Well.” I shrugged. “I've never been there because Frank warned us all to stay away, saying the land was worthless and nothing grew out there but salt grass and bull ants.”
Bella's brows pulled together. “He warned you to stay away?”
I turned to her, and her gaze seemed to go right through me. “What?”
“Could that be where the olive trees are?”
My blood ran cold. “Son of a bitch. I bet it is.”
A tiny smile curved her lips. “Then that's exactly where Vincenzo belongs.”
I grinned right back at her. “Now, that's poetic justice.”
I started the engine, but as I went to put it into gear, another problem hit home. “Goddammit!”
“What now?”
“Once we dump the car, we need a way back.”
“Oh.”
As I stared out at the dark paddocks stretching forever in every direction, Apollo materialized alongside the fence.
“Can you drive?” I asked, surprised that I didn't already know the answer. Then again, there was so much I didn't know about Bella that I looked forward to learning absolutely everything.
“Yes, but—”
“I'll ride Apollo. You drive. Then once we dump the car, and that asshole, we'll ride back home together.”
She hesitated, fear and resolve tangling in her expression. Then she nodded. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”
That was Bella. No panic. No wasted words.
I cupped her cheeks, pulled her into me, and our mouths collided hard and desperately. No finesse. No restraint. Just need. Her hands fisted in my shirt, and mine framed her face like I needed proof she was still there.
“This could take a couple of days. Grab food, water, and something warm to cover us. I’ll get Apollo. Get plenty of water for him, too, and a bowl to drink from.”
As I sprinted to Apollo's paddock, he lifted his head, ears pricked and ready like he knew this wasn't a drill.
“Hey, boy,” I murmured as I hauled the saddle into place. “I'm gonna need everything you've got.”
I swung up and turned back just as Bella tossed a bag onto the passenger seat. She slammed the door shut, and as she raced around to the driver's side, she waved at me.
For a second, everything slowed.
Moonlight caught her coppery hair. Her blue dress swirled around her pale legs. She looked at me and waved, like we were sharing a dream rather than covering up a nightmare.
But we weren't just covering it up. We were ending it. Together. No matter how dark it got.
I kicked Apollo forward, galloped back to the car, and jumped down to her.
“I'll ride in front, and you’ll follow,” I breathed against her lips. “No headlights, though, until I tell you.”
She nodded, her forehead pressed to mine. “Don't do anything stupid.”
“Too late for that.” I gave her a grim smile. “Okay, jump into the driver’s seat. Let’s go.”
The night tore past in a blur of wind and pounding hooves. Apollo stretched out beneath me, eating the ground like he was born for this run. I'd never pushed him this hard, or even ridden him like this, but he never faltered. He flew.
Behind me, the low growl of the Mercedes engine stayed just close enough to know Bella was there. Just far enough behind us that Apollo never got spooked.
We cut south, angling away from the homestead, deeper into land that felt older and meaner. The air thickened.
When I was sure we were far enough, I hauled Apollo to a stop and swung down out of the saddle.
Bella pulled up alongside us, and the engine ticked as she wound down the window.
“You okay?” I reached inside and rested my hand on her bare shoulder, surprised by how cool her skin was. She must have had the air conditioning on full blast.
“Yeah.” She nodded, breath shaky but eyes clear.
“Good.” I pointed ahead. “We're far enough out now, so you can turn the lights on.”
She searched my face, fear flickering. Yet she trusted me. I saw it there. Felt the gentle weight like an anchor to my swirling thoughts.
She flicked the headlights on, lighting up Apollo and the red dirt ahead. “Need a drink?” she said, reaching over to the passenger side.
“Thanks.” I cracked open the canteen she handed me and drank the cool water.
“You didn't have many choices in your fridge.” She scrunched her nose as she handed me a slab of cheese and a slice of bread.
I huffed. “Why would I, when all the amazing meals are cooked at the homestead?”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “Does this mean I still have my job?”
I did a double-take. “What? Hell yes.” I wiggled my brows. “Though I was hoping to watch you make some of your special cupcakes in my own kitchen.”
She giggled. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Good.” I bit into the slab of cheese and followed it with a chunk of bread.
“Are we nearly there?” she asked.
“Nope. I think it'll take us all night to get there.”
“Well, giddy-up, cowboy, and get a move on.”
I burst out laughing. I bloody loved this sassy side of Bella. I took another bite of cheese and handed the rest back to her.
“Hey,” she said, reaching for my arm, “thank you.”
I rested my hand over the back of hers. “We saved each other tonight, Bella. That's what matters.”
Her gaze captured mine with so much emotion swirling in those blue pools that my chest tightened. “I do thank you. I will forever be grateful for everything you've done.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You know… you could thank me with cupcakes.”
She burst into laughter, head thrown back, chest rising and falling, capturing my attention like a blazing fire. Finally, she turned to me, nodding. “Cupcakes for life. My pleasure.”
For life. Hell yes to that. My heart swelled. “Okay, well, we have some business to attend to first. Pass me the bowl and a bottle, I’ll give Apollo a drink.”
Apollo lapped at the water. Then I returned both to the car and passed them to Bella. “Follow me.”
Hours passed, and the landscape changed from ranching land to rougher, barren terrain. Massive anthills rose from the red dirt like robed ghosts. Bella stayed behind me, her headlights and the moon providing ample light.