Chapter 24
Kayden
Sapphire let me hold her hand, and as I told myself that had to mean something, I led her around the machinery shed along the familiar path toward Comet’s yard.
Comet nickered when she heard us coming, raising her head and stomping a hoof, letting us know she didn’t want company.
As usual, she was against the far side of the paddock.
The Milky Way made it possible to see her well enough to know she was relaxed—much different from the stance she’d maintained in the first couple of weeks.
“Hey, girl,” I called to her across the darkness. “Sorry I’m late today. Things got complicated.”
Sapphire stepped onto the bottom railing and rested her arms on the top. “How long will you leave her alone like this?”
“Just until she lets me put a rope on her neck without me having to lasso her.”
I opened the feed tin, grabbed the flashlight I kept inside, and turned it on. Rose or Bella occasionally put unwanted food items in the tin.
“Hey look, Comet, you got a couple of apples today. Your favorite.” I tossed one toward her, making it land halfway between us.
Comet huffed and pawed at the ground. The brumby had filled out since I’d started working with her. She was still lean and wild-looking, but healthier, with fewer ribs showing.
“Come on, girl. I know you want it.” But she didn’t come forward. “Stubborn as usual.”
“Don’t they all start stubborn?” Sapphire asked.
“Not like this. She was nothing but trouble when I first captured her, fighting every step of the way, refusing to trust me. She was too wild to handle.”
“Hmmm, now who do I know who’s just like that?” Sapphire cocked her head at me.
I slapped my chest. “Me? You think I’m too wild to handle? I think you handle me just fine.”
Sapphire’s eyes met mine, and something passed between us.
Giving up on analyzing that, I swept my gaze back to my brumby. “Hey, Comet. You want another one? Just take one step toward me, and it’s all yours.”
Comet swished her tail, turned, and walked to the first apple.
“Holy shit,” I blurted.
Sapphire giggled. “I think she speaks Kayden.”
I laughed as I tossed the second apple forward. “I think you’re right.”
I checked Comet’s water and grain troughs, making sure everything was squared away.
“Okay, you ready to face my family again?” I held my hand toward Sapphire, and she slipped her hand into mine.
As we reached the main house, voices drifted out through the open windows, and I wondered if they’d heard us together in the loft. I bloody hoped not. “This could be hell,” I whispered to Sapphire. “You ready?”
“Just make sure we sit together.”
I squeezed her hand. “Absolutely.”
We crossed the verandah and went inside.
The dining room was warm and bright after the darkness outside. Everyone was still seated around the table, but the empty bowls confirmed they’d already eaten.
“‘Bout time you two showed up,” Mitch said.
Cassidy slapped his arm. “Leave them alone. They’ve been busy.” She wriggled her brows.
“Christ.” I rolled my eyes at Sapphire, and her cheeks went pink.
I pulled a chair out for her, and after she sat, I sat beside her.
The dining table seated ten. Four seats on each side, and one at each end. Nobody sat in the chair at the end. That was Frank’s domain. Maybe we should burn his chair and the one at the opposite end, where Mom used to sit.
Cassidy and Xavier sat opposite me, with Mitch and Charlie next to them. Bella was next to me with Declan beside her.
“Hi, everyone. How’re you all feeling?” Sapphire said. “It’s been one hell of a day.”
“Oh, we’re fine,” Cassidy said. “You know.” She pointed at me. “You still haven’t told us how you two met.”
“We’ve kinda been busy, in case you haven’t noticed,” I said.
Rose came into the room carrying a basket of bread. “Ah, you’re here. Hungry? Want some beef stew?”
“Yes, please, Rose.”
Rose placed bread in the middle of the table and left.
Declan reached for a bread roll. “Cassidy and Mitch told us what happened today.” He broke open the bread, and steam wafted out. “Thank you for not telling them about that cash we found. Do you have a plan for it, Officer Delaney?”
Fucking hell. Talk about going for the jugular. “Declan, really, can we just have a feed first?”
“What?” He slathered his bread roll with Bella’s homemade butter. “It’s an important question and an interesting one, don’t you think?”
Rose returned to the dining room with a tray, and as she placed steaming bowls in front of us, nobody spoke. The beef stew smelled incredible, with chunks of beef and vegetables in a thick gravy. My stomach cramped with hunger.
Rose left the room, and for a few minutes, as Sapphire and I ate, nobody spoke.
Even eating felt surreal, like we were all pretending everything was normal when nothing would ever be normal again.
Finally, Sapphire put down her spoon. “You’re correct, Declan.
The reason I didn’t mention the money is an interesting one.
On one hand, despite being a police officer, I have deliberately withheld information that is pertinent to a criminal investigation.
On the other hand, by not informing Aria that you removed and have hidden laundered cash, I have saved you all from being criminally charged.
” She stopped and glanced at the people around the room.
“Right,” Declan said. He put his bread roll down. “Well, that was awkward. I don’t know how I fucked that up. But what I meant to ask was, what do we do with that stupid money? Like, can you just call someone and get them to come get it?”
A stillness fell over the room. Then we all burst into laughter at once.
“Fucking hell, Dec, you sure have a way with words,” Cassidy said.
“Apparently.” He rolled his eyes.
After the laughter died down, all eyes turned back to Sapphire.
“We’re all very thankful that you didn’t arrest us,” Mitch said.
“Well, that’s still not out of the question,” Sapphire answered, all serious.
Mitch blinked at her. The room went silent.
Then she giggled. “I can’t anyway. I’ve lost my badge.”
“You what?” Declan said. “When?”
As I finished my stew, Sapphire explained what Aria had done, and how it was standard protocol. Fucking bullshit. Sapphire had done nothing wrong. Guilt by association was pure crap.
If that’s the case, will all of us be caught up in Frank’s bullshit?
“So,” Sapphire said, “at this stage, I’m on leave until further notice.”
“Just like me,” Mitch said.
“Huh. I forgot about that,” I said. “You don’t plan on returning to the SAS?”
He turned to Charlie. “Nope. I’ve got my hands full here.”
Charlie smiled. “Me, too.”
“And what about you, Sapphire? You going to hang around, too?” Cassidy asked, grinning like she’d had too many beers.
I scowled at her. “Bloody hell, Cassidy, will you just ...”
Sapphire squeezed my leg under the table. “The truth is, I have no idea what I’m going to do. I’ve never been unemployed before.”
“Well, maybe you could identify that skeleton in the cave,” Xavier said. “My mother had a hand in that pilot’s death. So, she needs to pay for her crimes, too.”
“Oh, okay.” Sapphire nodded. “I can definitely do that.”
“And there’s my mom,” Cassidy said. “All I know is her name was Sally. I’d like to know more about her.” Cassidy and Xavier shared a look. “And I’d like to find out where she’s buried.”
Sapphire nodded. “I can do that, too.”
“Right,” Declan said. “So back to my earlier question. How do we get that money off our land? ‘Cause I don’t know about you guys, but that kind of money makes me very nervous.”
“How do we even do that?” Cassidy asked. “Do we just call the police and hand over bags full of cash?”
I shook my head. “Not the cops. We don’t know who to trust.” I spun to Sapphire. “Except you, of course.”
“I’m not a cop anymore.”
“You will be.”
She offered a sad smile. “I’ll call Aria Morgan, tell her we found it, and want it off your land.” Sapphire’s voice was quiet but certain.
“You need to make it public.” Bella’s tone sounded like she was apologizing for speaking.
“What?” I frowned at her.
“Well, Bob will be looking for that money. If you make it public that the money was found and handed over to the authorities, he won’t come here looking for it.”
Declan wrapped his arm around Bella’s shoulders. “That’s brilliant.” He kissed her forehead.
“And on top of that, Bob’s going to be fucking pissed.” Mitch smiled.
“I like the sound of that,” I said.
“You trust this Aria woman?” Mitch asked Sapphire.
“I do. She’s taken down her share of corrupt law enforcement officers. She’ll know exactly what to do with that money.”
Heads nodded around the table. With that decision made, some of the tension in the room eased.
A phone rang down the hallway. “That’s strange,” Declan said, pushing back from his chair. “Nobody ever calls the homestead line.”
“Maybe it’s about Frank,” Mitch said as Declan left the room.
I plucked a bread roll from the basket while we waited. Everyone was quiet as we strained to hear Declan.
His muffled voice got louder as he returned to the dining room. “Hang on a minute, I have my family here. I’ll put you on speaker.” He pressed a button on the phone and centered it on the table. “Hello, Doctor Chen, can you repeat what you just said?”
“Yes, this is Dr. Sarah Chen from Townsville Hospital. I’m calling about your father, Frank Branson.”
My jaw clenched at the word “father.” “Is he alive?”
“Yes. He’s in a stable condition.”
The room went completely silent. Everyone was watching the phone.
“Your father sustained a severe spinal injury from a gunshot wound,” Dr. Chen continued, her tone professional. “The bullet damaged his spinal cord at the T6 level. I’m afraid your father has suffered permanent paralysis from the waist down.”
Our jaws dropped. We all looked at each other.
“I’m sorry to bring you such tragic news,” Dr. Chen said.
But this wasn’t tragic news. That was the worst possible outcome for Frank, but the best for us.