Chapter 11 #2
That had been my discovery. My moment. After years of clawing my way back from Marcus's lies, which had ruined my reputation, and digging through dirt and dusty archives, I'd finally made a monumental discovery. However, this wasn't just about me.
Millions of years of history could have been erased by this violent flood.
My throat tightened. I swallowed, but the lump only grew bigger.
I'd spent hundreds of late nights researching, cross-referencing maps, and fighting for funding.
I'd poured every ounce of my energy into this project.
I'd needed to prove to the university that I could lead a field team, find real specimens worthy of displays, and publish an interesting paper that would actually get read.
And if this site didn't pan out, I'd have to face the humiliating possibility of crawling back to Brisbane and admitting that maybe I'd run out of options.
I had a hundred grand of student debt hanging over my head, courtesy of two university degrees, and I couldn't survive forever on passion alone.
I'd graduated top of my class, but it turned out that passion and qualifications didn't guarantee shit.
I couldn't even rent my own apartment. For six years, I'd been living under my best friend's house in a one-room, unapproved space with a makeshift bathroom that leaked all the damn time.
What had started as a temporary place to stay had turned into a long-term embarrassment.
Lately, her pain-in-the-ass husband, Tommy, had been dropping not-so-subtle hints that it was time I moved on.
Trouble was, I didn't have anywhere to move to. I had no official rental history to prove I was a great tenant, and no deposit to buy my own place. Saving was impossible when every spare cent I had after loan payments was funneled into digs similar to this.
I sucked in a wobbly breath. Even my camera was gone. The photos I'd taken had been my evidence that the discovery was mine. Now that digital evidence had been washed away, too.
I felt like I was drowning. In sorrow. In exhaustion. And frustration. Why was this happening to me? I’d worked so damn hard. I put everything into my career, and for what?
I wiped my eyes, furious at myself for breaking down. The last thing I needed was to show weakness in front of him. Or Doug.
"Hey, you all right?" Mitch's voice was a gentle rumble, at odds with the rugged lines of his face.
I tried to stem the tears, but they kept coming.
"Hey," Mitch said again, his tone softening further, "it's going to be okay."
His words melted my resolve. More tears escaped, and I struggled to breathe past the knot in my throat. I shook my head, feeling the weight of my failure. "No, it's not."
Mitch's warm hand closed around my shoulder. "Don't worry about the permit."
"It's not that." My voice cracked, and I turned to him, probably looking like a mess with mud all over me and my hair plastered to my head. "It's the prehistoric skeletons I found. They're gone."
Mitch's grip tightened as his eyes locked onto mine. "They'll be fine," he said with a small smile curling at his lips.
I let out a shaky breath. "No, they won't. Everything in that pit will have washed away."
Mitch's expression softened, and he shook his head. "Not everything. I saw the size of that skull. Trust me, it's not going anywhere."
I blinked at him, caught off-guard by his certainty. Did he know the significance of that skull?
Needing to know, I said, "I'd only just uncovered that skull when the rain started. I thought at first it might be another Banjo."
"Banjo?" Mitch frowned.
Relief washed through me. Banjo was the most well-known dinosaur find in this area. If he didn't know about that discovery, then I was confident he hadn't been at my pit to poach any ancient bones. Doug's paranoid accusations were ridiculous.
I nodded. "Banjo is the nickname for Australovenator Wintonensis.
It was a carnivorous dinosaur discovered near Winton in 2006.
" A spark ignited within me as I talked about my work.
"Banjo is the most complete theropod skeleton ever found in Australia.
" I met his eyes. "Millions of years ago, that dinosaur was the apex predator around here. "
Mitch tilted his head, and his expression shifted. He wasn't just being polite, he was actually listening. "But you think that skull you found was from something bigger?"
"Oh, I know it was bigger," I said, picturing the sheer size of that skull. It wasn't just larger than Banjo, it dwarfed it. And the jawline was too thick and too broad to be a theropod. "That skull belonged to an apex predator that could've hunted Banjo."
Doug let out a sharp scoff. "Listen to yourself, making wild assumptions, as usual."
My stomach dipped. "Excuse me?"
"You barely uncovered that skull." His tone was full of condescension. "You got a glimpse at best, and now you're rewriting paleontology?"
"Hell yes, I am," I snapped. "I spent more time with that skull than you, and you were still asleep in the bus when I found it."
Doug's lip curled. "And I suppose you think you're some kind of expert?"
"I've got two degrees and a hundred grand of student debt that says I am. And unlike you, I wasn't napping, I was digging and working damn hard." I clenched my fists. "That's why this discovery is mine."
Doug chuckled, a sound so smug it made my skin crawl. "That's not how this works, Charlie. You're my assistant." He flicked his gaze to Mitch, maybe expecting backup.
Assistant! I just about swallowed my tongue. "Doesn't matter. I found it. You slept through it."
He gave me a sideways glance and shook his head like he was scolding a child. "No, I wasn't." He puffed out a breath. "Your lies just get bigger and bigger."
I gasped. "That's bullshit." My voice cracked. "You're the same as every other guy who thinks a woman in the field is lucky to be allowed to hold a shovel."
Doug snorted from the other side of the cave. "Finally, something we agree on."
My jaw dropped. What an asshole.
Mitch crossed his arms, his posture deceptively casual. "You just said that Charlie had barely uncovered that skull," he said, his voice calm but edged with steel. "So, by your own admission, she discovered the skull."
Doug spun toward Mitch, his boots scraping against stone. "Back off, cowboy."
The cave fell quiet, except for the pounding rain outside. It was like the air was holding its breath.
Mitch didn't back off. He raised his gaze to Doug, unflinching. "Seems to me, Charlie did find that giant skull."
My heart swelled. He was defending me. No man had ever defended me. His actions hit somewhere I hadn't realized was still vulnerable.
Doug's nostrils flared, and his face flushed to an ugly red. "You've known her for five minutes. You don't know a thing about her."
Mitch stood, unfolding to his full, imposing height. "I know she nearly died trying to protect those bones, and I know she's the only archeologist in this cave acting like a professional."
Doug's hand slid to the rifle strap across his shoulder.
Ice flooded my veins.
I scrambled to my feet beside Mitch. As Doug's grip tightened around the strap, every cell in my body froze. The gesture was deliberate. Threatening. "Mitch…" I whispered, clutching his arm.
But Mitch eased his arm away from my grip. His eyes never left Doug. "You thinking of raising that weapon, mate?" His tone was so damn calm it was terrifying. "I'd think real carefully before you try."
Doug's fingers twitched on the rifle.
My pulse hammered in my ears so loudly I could barely hear the rain drumming against the cave entrance. The world narrowed to Doug's hand, the rifle, the space between the two men. "Doug… just stop it."
A muscle jumped in Doug's jaw. His breathing had gone shallow, rapid.
The tension in the cave was suffocating. Rain pounded. Neither man moved.
Doug lifted the rifle slightly, raising the barrel just enough to leave no question about his intent.
My heart slammed into my throat. "Doug! Don't."
Mitch still didn't move. Or even flinch. "If you aim that thing at me, you'd better be ready to pull the trigger," he said, his voice low and level, "because if you don't, I will take it off you… and I won't be gentle."
The promise in those words was absolute.
"Doug, please," I said, hearing the tremor in my own voice. "This is crazy."
A long beat of silence filled the cave. Doug's chest rose and fell. His jaw worked like he was chewing on words he wanted to spit out.
Finally, Doug lowered the gun a fraction. Not all the way, but just enough to pretend he'd never really meant it. But the hatred in his eyes stayed right on Mitch, burning with rage that felt personal.
This wasn't over. Not even close.
I'd thought that river was deadly.
Doug's erratic behavior was a whole lot worse.