by Annie Seaton
‘No worries.’ She stood and put her hand on Heather’s shoulder as she swung her leg over the wooden seat. ‘Night, all. It’s good to be back. I’ll look forward to Sunday night.’ She stood behind Kane and leaned down; it was hard to hear over the noise. ‘Are you ready to come now or do you want to hang around and someone else can show you the way to your room?’ She could almost read Heather’s thoughts: Pick me, pick me.
Disappointment flashed across Heather’s face when Kane stood up. ‘I’ll just finish my drink and I’ll be right behind you.’
Crossing to the bar, Ellie leaned over the counter and opened the till. The key was in one of the large change compartments. She reached over and pulled it out, then turned to find Kane had followed her. His gaze didn’t leave her when she held out the key to him. An unwelcome tremble ran down her legs and she scowled, and then instantly regretted it. Just her hormones going crazy.
‘Come on, I’ll show you where your apartment is.’ She forced a smile onto her face. ‘I thought you’d been here a few days?’
Kane’s fingers brushed hers as he took the key and Ellie looked down and saw that his nails were neat and clipped, with no grease staining his fingers. Certainly not the hands of a mechanic. She hadn’t noticed when they’d been up in the air earlier.
‘Yeah, but I only decided to take one of the apartments today.’
She strode off in front of him along the path to the staff quarters. ‘Come on, I’m . . . I’ll show you where to go.’ Ellie had been about to say she was tired and wanted to get to bed, but that would have sounded rude so she closed her mouth.
‘Thank you. Appreciate it.’ Kane’s voice was close and she stopped at the end of the path, surprised again to find him right behind her. His movements were stealthy and a shiver ran down Ellie’s back.
She didn’t know the guy or his background. Just because he had a job at Makowa Lodge meant nothing. Most of the time, Jock was happy to take on anyone with the right certificates. If he was ex-military, Jock would have jumped at the chance to add him to the staff. Generally, the retired service guys were great to work with, even though they never stayed long. Curiosity filled her and she decided to ask Jock about him tomorrow. Kane’s insistence that he was only there to look after the helicopters was a concern for her, so sussing him out with Jock wouldn’t be snooping into his past. After all, she’d be working closely with him, and it appeared he wasn’t going to be forthcoming if the conversation at the table was any indication.
‘What’s the go with the roster?’ His deep voice broke into her thoughts.
‘We have to go down and retrieve a vehicle. One of the lodge guests got hurt.’
He ran a hand through his short hair. ‘Yeah, yeah, I got all that. But why you and me? We’re flight staff.’
‘No, we’re lodge staff. Our primary role is to take the tourists up on scenic flights, or at least mine is.’ Ellie couldn’t resist the dig. ‘But at the beginning of the season, the bookings are usually light, so we take on other duties.’
‘As directed?’
‘You got it. Read your contract, did you?’
‘Well, as long as I don’t have to do childcare duties, I suppose I can cope.’
Ellie couldn’t help the bubble of laughter escaping her lips. ‘I think that’s the first thing we’ve agreed on today.’
Kane looked across at the narrow alley that led to the steps up to the staff apartments. ‘Where should I park my Jeep?’
‘You can bring it round the back if you’ve got a lot of gear to unload, but then you’ll have to park it down behind the kitchens when you’re finished.’ Ellie pointed in the direction of the restaurant. ‘Or in the main car park up the front. I’ll show you where to put it after I show you where your apartment is.’
‘Thanks. I haven’t got much to unload.’ He stepped to the left and walked along beside her. ‘I travel light.’
Yup, a fly-by-nighter for sure. Well, Heather didn’t mind if they came and went. Ellie pushed away the thought.
‘Just as well, because the staff digs are nothing flash. Just the basics. Most staff choose to live off site. But I’ve lived at the lodge since I started work here.’
‘How come?’
‘It suits me.’ The gravel scrunching beneath their feet on the path was the only sound until they reached the staff quarters at the eastern edge of the complex.
‘The kitchen car park’s down that way.’ When Ellie lifted her arm and pointed, the sensor light came on with a sharp click, bathing them in sudden bright light, and her breath came out in a soft oomph when Kane shoved her behind him in one swift movement. He faced out to the path, peering intently into the darkness and shielding her with his body. Her face was pushed against his back and she couldn’t see a thing.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Ellie shoved him hard but it was like pushing into a brick wall.
Kane fell back. ‘I’m sorry. I thought that noise was . . . something else.’ The bright light illuminated his face and there was something in his expression that Ellie hadn’t seen there before. It was as though he was looking right through her.
‘What? Don’t worry, there are no crocs this far from the river, and the fence keeps the dingoes out.’
‘Forget it. I was wrong.’ He held her gaze, his eyes unsmiling. ‘It won’t happen again. I’ll go get my car.’
*
By the time Kane reached the top car park, he’d calmed down and his heart had stopped racing. Christ, one small sound and he’d grabbed her. A bloody security light had clicked on and he’d thought it was a sniper.
He got into his Jeep and drove down to the car park Ellie had pointed out, thinking about how to explain it to her.
The psychologist had warned him this might happen. He’d dismissed it, refusing to admit that he might succumb to post-traumatic stress disorder. Kane disagreed with all that psycho mumbo-jumbo bullshit. It was a weakness he didn’t accept; he was stronger than that.
It was mind over matter, that’s all it took.
Move on. Get over it. Life goes on.
Getting in the helicopter this afternoon had been bloody hard. But he’d done it, so he supposed that was one achievement he could tick off the list on the way to getting his life back to normal. All he needed now was a shower to wash away his stress.
He stopped behind the kitchen, hefted his kit bag to his shoulder and walked slowly up the steps to the verandah. Ellie’s eyes were narrowed as she looked over at his car.
‘That’s your Jeep? That was you this afternoon?’ she asked when he reached the top step.
Shit, what now?
‘Out at the old mango farm on the Arnhem Highway. It was you, wasn’t it?’
‘Why? Is there a problem?’
She turned her head back to stare at him and her expression was decidedly unfriendly. ‘You sprayed me – and my car – with gravel when you roared out of the gate like a boy racer.’ Her voice was icy, and it matched her eyes. They regarded him unblinkingly, as cold as flint. ‘What were you doing there anyway?’
‘None of your business. Wait a minute. That was you parked by the gate?’ Now her hands were on her hips and her chin had lifted. ‘What were you doing there?’ he said.
‘Looking.’
‘Looking at what?’
‘The house.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t see your car until I reached it or I wouldn’t have driven so fast. Jock asked me to get to the base quickly.’
‘Why were you there?’ she persisted. ‘At the house, I mean?’
‘I was visiting my mother.’
‘Your mother?’
‘She moved in there with her husband last month.’
‘Her husband?’
‘Yeah. They moved here while I was –’ He caught himself. No one needed to know where he’d come from. They generally turned him into some sort of a hero or something as soon as they heard Afghanistan. A hero was the one thing he wasn’t.
Her brows drew together. �
�Hold on, Panos Sordina is your father? I thought your surname was McLaren.’
‘He’s my stepfather. They’ve only been married a few years. And what’s with the twenty questions?’ Now she was getting under his skin. Not only bossy and sassy, but a sticky beak as well.
Ellie pushed past him and headed along the verandah, without answering. He grabbed her arm; no one was going to treat him like that.
‘Would you like to tell me what’s bugging you?’
She stared at him as she turned. ‘That was the farm where I grew up. Sordina bought it from my . . . my family.’ A dull light came into her eyes as he held her gaze and she moved out of his grip. His fingers tingled where he’d held her. ‘You’re in number eight, third on the left.’
Without another word, she strode along the verandah to her own apartment three doors away. She pushed the door open and went inside. The door closed with a loud click behind her.
Kane shrugged and called out before he thought better of it. ‘And it was a pleasure to meet you, too, babe.’
He made sure his voice was loud enough to be heard through the closed door.
Chapter 4
Thursday night
Parliament House, Darwin
David Johnson didn’t remember the elevator’s descent to the lobby, just the sensation of the frigid air-conditioning blowing on his neck when he stepped through the doors. He clicked the remote control key of his SUV, threw his briefcase on the back seat and climbed in, then sat there for a moment and let the heat warm him. The aftertaste of whisky lingered in his mouth. Never again would he drink it without reliving the feeling that crawled through him at Fairweather’s threat.
David opened the window after he started the car, letting the hot wind of the tropical night blow through his hair.
He didn’t care about Fairweather’s threat to go to the media. That was part of his everyday life. But the threat to his family . . .
David took his position very seriously, and his integrity had seen him through difficult scenarios and many hard decisions. He was all about what was best for the Territory. He would play along with Fairweather and then vote as his conscience – and what was best for the Territory – dictated.
Blackmail wouldn’t wash with him.
Not now. Not ever.
He turned the car out of the parliamentary car park, waved to the security guard and headed for home as the words ‘you have two weeks’ pounded through his head.
Two weeks. Two weeks. Nowhere near long enough to give considered thought to the two issues and liaise with the committees.
How dare the bastard put me into this position? But the faces of his children kept filling his vision. David had no doubt that Fairweather would follow through with his threat. He’d seen the power the man wielded over the past two years and knew he would do anything to get his own way.
Anything.
A cold feeling settled in his gut as he drove along the deserted road. He slowed as the light turned to red in front of him. As he waited for it to change, David closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For the first time since he had been Chief Minister, he was unsure of the direction he would take. But one thing he was sure of; until the discussion took place about the mining exploration, he was going to send Gina and the kids out of town. She’d argue but that’s the way it was going to be. When it was over, he’d join them and they could have a family holiday for a few days.
The house at Cullen Bay was only a ten-minute drive from Parliament House, but it could have been worlds away. Although the place had all the latest security gadgets installed, they rarely used the system. One time they’d come home from a holiday and hadn’t been able to find the control. They’d set it off and Gina had held her sides, laughing, and the tears had run down her cheeks as the alarm had filled the neighbourhood. After that, they decided it was too much of a bother to switch on and off with the kids coming in and out all day. Most nights they forgot to turn it on.
That would be changing from today.
He parked halfway up the drive, because the paved area in front of the triple garage was strewn with toys. Andrew’s bike was tipped on its side, where it had been left when something more interesting had caught his attention.
A small blow-up plastic pool was sitting on the grass at the edge of the driveway. The strong moonlight caught the small toys bobbing in the shallow water. Binny would spend her entire day splashing about in the four inches of water if she had her own way.
The house was in darkness and the night was quiet. He closed the car door quietly and grabbed his briefcase.
‘David?’ Gina’s soft voice reached him as he closed the front door behind him. He locked and keyed the deadlock, jiggling the key to remove it from the rarely used lock. David loosened his tie and shrugged out of his jacket, dropping it on the white leather sofa in the living room. Gina always left a night light on when he had late sessions and committees.
‘I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll just look in on the kids.’
The house was cool and he flicked off the air-conditioning switch as he walked through the living room. The low hum reminded him of his office and he didn’t want that. Tonight he wanted to focus on his family.
The smell of chocolate cookies pervaded the house and he took a sidetrack to the kitchen on his way through to the kids’ bedroom. The cookie jars were full and Gina had left the coffee pot on for him. He opened the jar and took two, shoving one in his mouth as he walked across to check the sliding door leading to the patio. It was unlocked and he flicked the lock over.
Gina had grown up in a small village in Tuscany where doors were open for neighbours to drop in at will. There, life was slow-paced . . . and safe. Fairweather and his threats aside, it wasn’t safe to leave the house unlocked at night in Darwin. He’d talk to her about locking up later, and try not to let it turn into a fight. He rubbed his hand across his eyes. All they seemed to do lately was have harsh words.
David knew he earned enough to provide a good life for them. The sticking point lately was that he was never there to share that life with Gina and the kids. Now that she was pregnant again, maybe it was time for a change.
Walking quietly down the hall, he looked at the long windows that reached from floor to ceiling in this wing of the house. It would be so easy for anyone to break in if they were determined. The house’s glass walls and open plan had once seemed perfect for their lifestyle up here in the tropics. Now in one night it had become a place where danger lurked in every shadow.
‘Fuck Fairweather,’ he muttered under his breath. Two weeks.
Binny was lying with one leg hanging over the side of her bed, her tiny foot just touching the tiled floor. David lifted her leg onto the bed, pulled back the light blanket and slid her up onto the pillow. She murmured as he reached down and kissed her warm cheek.
‘Daddy?’ Andrew lifted his head in the other bed and gazed at him, his eyes reflecting the soft night light.
‘Hey, tiger. What are you doing awake?’
‘Waiting for you to come home.’ As David reached down to kiss his son, two little arms fastened around his neck and held him tightly. ‘We went for a walk to the harbour today and looked for your car but we didn’t see you. But guess what we saw?’
David’s eyes burned even as the warmth of the little arms touched his skin. His family was living without him. Endless late-night meetings, interstate trips, and now this.
‘What did you see?’ He pulled back and looked into the trusting eyes of his firstborn. ‘A circus?’
‘No.’ Andrew sat back and spread his arms wide. ‘We saw the biggest ever crocodile.’
‘In town?’
‘Yup.’ Andrew was full of seriousness. ‘We walked around the rocks and saw it in the water.’
‘Wow.’ David shook his head but didn’t let his feelings show. Walking around the bloody rocks. Gina just didn’t understand the dangers of living here. He ran his hand lightly through Andrew’s hair and reached down to kiss h
is son. ‘Can you keep a secret?’
The little boy nodded and a grin crossed his face as David held out the chocolate cookie.
‘We’ll have a midnight feast.’ David smiled down at his son who was the image of his mother. Dark hair that curled onto his neck, olive skin and almond-shaped green eyes, long lanky limbs. All of the features that had hit him like a freight train when he had first seen Gina on the catwalk in Milan. ‘But brush your teeth as soon as you wake up in the morning or Mummy will know our secret.’
‘I will, Daddy.’ Andrew finished chewing and David pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his son’s face.
‘Just getting rid of the evidence. Now go to sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘Promise? Cross your heart?’
Determination filled David at the need in Andrew’s voice. It was time to make some hard decisions about his career. ‘I promise, and after I talk to Mummy, I might have a big surprise for you.’
He waited until his little son snuggled into the pillow and closed his eyes.
The sleep of the innocent.
It had been a long time since he’d slept like that.
Chapter 5
Friday
Makowa Lodge
Ellie opened her eyes and watched the sunlight play across the wall of her bedroom. She’d left the slatted wooden blinds open to let the air circulate, and to wake up with the early light.
But she hadn’t needed it. All night she’d tossed and turned through unsettling dreams. Images of her mother wandering between dead mango trees and past the crocodile-filled rivers in a khaki shirt and her old cardigan had woken her in the early hours. She’d still been awake when the sun rose but had drifted off into an uneasy doze.
Now she rolled over and groaned into her pillow. Her head was aching and her eyes were scratchy.
She’d been looking forward to coming back to Makowa Lodge and getting back to work, but that was before she’d seen that ugly slash in the ground at the back of the old farm. It would be a few days before she could get out there again, but Ellie intended looking at it from ground level to see what was really happening. It was too close to the national park for comfort. Her mother would hear the truth, if and when there was anything to tell, but first Ellie wanted to be one hundred per cent sure of her facts. Panos had been lying to her – she was pretty certain of that – and if there was exploration happening on his property she would fight tooth and nail to protect the park. No matter who owned the land, it must be subject to regulations.