Nothing to Fear

by Claire Boston

She swallowed, fighting back the fear. All she had now were words. “Do you think Dad will visit you in jail if you kill me?”

  He hesitated.

  “Hannah!”

  They both turned as Ryan appeared at the top of the lookout, his hand going to his gun. Relief filled her. He was here.

  “Fuck.” Marko hauled her back towards him, one arm firmly around her waist and the other holding the knife pressed against her side. She struggled until the knife pricked her and pain speared through her. He could still kill her, she needed to be focused.

  “Stay back, or I’ll slit her open.” Marko backed them towards the cliff edge.

  Ryan’s eyes flicked to Hannah’s. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” Her voice was shaky and she swallowed. She was going to survive.

  Lincoln ran up the path behind Ryan and drew his gun.

  Ryan focused on Marko. “How are you going, Marko?” His voice was so relaxed, so friendly, as if Marko wasn’t holding a knife pressed against her side. Maybe Ryan hadn’t seen it.

  Marko grunted.

  “Looks like you’re upset about something,” Ryan continued. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

  The knife dug further into her side and she winced, squeezing her eyes closed for a second. Lincoln moved around Ryan as Ryan moved slowly forward.

  “Stay there!” Marko yelled. He swore. “This isn’t what was supposed to happen.”

  His breath was hot against Hannah’s ear and the smell made her want to gag. She had to get away from him.

  “Why do you want to hurt Hannah?” Ryan asked.

  “Because she ruins it all. She always has.”

  “How does she ruin it?”

  As Ryan continued to talk to Marko, Marko’s hold relaxed slightly. The knife wasn’t digging into her anymore. His focus wasn’t on her, it was on Ryan. Ryan was distracting him.

  “She keeps taking Dad away from me.” He sounded like a petulant child.

  “Taking your dad away, huh. That’s rough.”

  Marko nodded.

  Ryan glanced at her for a second and then back to Marko. He was trying to tell her something, but what? She let out a breath. She had to trust him. Had to figure it out.

  “What did you and your dad used to do together?” Ryan asked. He’d relaxed his stance as if he was talking to a friend, but Lincoln still had his gun drawn, pointing at Marko.

  “We’d play soccer and go fishing.”

  “I take my boy fishing when I can,” Ryan said. “It’s great fun. Though he always wants to bring his teddy bear Calypso along.”

  Calypso? Hannah’s eyes flew to Ryan’s. The move. His nod was infinitesimal.

  Hannah let her body get heavy, dropping down into a dead weight. Pain shot up her knee as she landed on a rock and she gritted her teeth. She had to keep moving.

  A shot rang out and Marko grunted.

  She scrambled forward, but Marko gripped her hair and yanked her to her feet. Pain radiated through Hannah’s scalp as they stumbled together, closer to the edge of the cliff.

  She had to get free, they were too close.

  “Marko, the edge!” she cried.

  She was too late. The unstable edge crumbled away under their weight. Marko fell, yanking her over with him.

  Chapter 21

  Hannah screamed as Marko let go of her hair and they both fell through the air. She windmilled her arms, her heart in her throat.

  She hit the water, the force jarring through her body, and pain seared up her leg.

  Broken.

  She opened her mouth to scream and water flooded in. Coughing, choking, she flailed, fighting the pull of the water, trying to surface. Her lungs burned and the salt stung her eyes. Something hit her. Marko was next to her, battling the waves as well.

  She had to get air.

  Struggling, she kicked with her good leg and used her arms to fight to the surface. She managed a short gasp of air before a wave hit her in the face, filling her mouth with water and slamming her against the rocks.

  Pain radiated through her back as she hit it hard and she screamed in agony as the swell twisted her broken leg. Her vision blurred and she fought the urge to close her eyes. If she passed out, she was dead.

  Suddenly Marko was in front of her, blood running down his face, his lips pinched in a grimace. She braced herself for the attack, but another wave hit, pushing them apart. She was a rag doll, unable to do anything but be a slave to the pull of the ocean. She hissed as her uninjured side slammed against the rocks.

  She had to get out of the water.

  The receding wave pulled her away from the rocks and she swam with it as best as she could to get away from the shore. If she got beyond the break, she had a chance.

  Where was Marko? On the other side of the pool, his hand was the only thing above the water in supplication.

  Another wave hit.

  “Hannah!”

  Was that Ryan? As she was dragged under, she lifted her hand, hoping he would see her. Her lungs burned as she fought for the surface, but the pull was so strong. Her head broke free and she gulped the air. Strong hands seized her and she opened her eyes, struggling.

  Ryan.

  The relief overwhelmed her and this time she couldn’t resist the drag of the darkness.

  Don’t let her be dead.

  Lungs burning, Ryan pulled Hannah close to him. Her eyes fluttered open briefly and then closed.

  She was alive.

  The relief was overpowering. “I’ve got you, Hannah.”

  At that moment a wave picked them both up and pushed them towards the jagged edge of the rocks. He held Hannah tightly against himself and angled his body so his feet hit the rock, pushing them away. He had to get them out of the water, but there was no way they were going to get out here. The rocks were too unforgiving and Hannah was unconscious. He felt for her pulse and found it, slow and faint.

  “There’s Marko!” Lincoln yelled. He was standing on the rocks back from where the waves were breaking and gesturing wildly.

  Ryan braced for an attack. Marko surfaced face down about ten metres away. A wave picked him up and smashed him against the rock. Marko didn’t move.

  “Ryan, swim across to the shore,” Lincoln yelled.

  Ryan grunted. Easier said than done.

  His clothes and Hannah’s body were weighing him down, and the waves were relentless. He swallowed a mouthful of water and coughed, battling to keep them both above the waves.

  He swam as best as he could with one arm around Hannah, trying to keep her head above water, but they both went under far too many times.

  “Hannah, come on,” he called, hoping to wake her.

  His arms and legs burned with the effort of swimming, and he was at the mercy of the push and pull of the waves.

  And still Hannah didn’t stir.

  She couldn’t be dead. He didn’t want to lose her. He wanted her in his life.

  He loved her.

  The realisation gave him a needed boost of strength, and finally the rocks gave way to sand and Lincoln waded out to them. Ryan’s feet found the bottom, but his legs were weak. He panted as Lincoln took Hannah from him, lifting her into his arms. She groaned in pain, but the noise was music to his ears.

  She was alive.

  She was far too pale, her arms had nasty scratches on them that were bleeding and her leg was at a funny angle. “She’s broken her leg.”

  Lincoln swore. “Can you brace it until we get her to shore?”

  Ryan’s arms were like rubber, but he placed his hands under her leg and held it as steady as he could. The ambulance sirens were getting louder.

  They carried Hannah up the beach, away from the waves, and laid her on the ground. She was still breathing. Some of his fear receded as Ryan checked for further injuries while Lincoln ran to meet the ambulance.

  Hannah had a nasty bruise on her forehead, a cut on her arm and the broken leg. “Hannah, wake up.” He gently stroked her wet hair out o
f her face. Her eyelids fluttered and then the paramedics were there, pushing him out of the way.

  He stepped back, relief coursing through him.

  Lincoln put a blanket around his shoulders and pulled him aside. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” His eyes didn’t leave Hannah. “We need to get Marko out of the water.”

  “Sea rescue are on their way,” Lincoln told him. “You go with Hannah. I’ll manage things now. Sue’s here and there’s backup from Albany on the way.”

  Ryan nodded.

  “I’ll let Mum know what’s happened,” Lincoln continued.

  Felix. He’d called Mrs Z to pick Felix up from Mai’s bakery and then forgotten all about him. What kind of father was he? “I should call Felix.”

  “You need to be checked over too. I’ll tell Mum you’ll call later.”

  Felix would want to see him and he couldn’t yet. There were going to be questions about what had happened.

  The paramedics put a neck brace on Hannah and lifted her onto the stretcher before carrying her up the beach. Ryan trailed along after them. “Is she going to be all right?”

  The woman glanced at him. “She’s stable, but we need to get her to hospital to check if there’s any internal bleeding.” She scanned him. “How are you?”

  He shivered. “I’m fine, but I’m coming with you.” There was no way he was letting Hannah out of his sight.

  She nodded. “I’ll check you over in the ambulance.”

  Within minutes they were on the way, sirens blaring.

  Chapter 22

  Hannah woke, her eyes stinging from the bright lights, her whole body sore.

  “You’re awake.”

  She focused on the nurse who had spoken.

  “Can you tell me your name?”

  Where was she? Hannah opened her mouth to speak and found it dry. She swallowed and answered, “Hannah Novak.” She took in her surroundings. Her leg was in plaster and she was in hospital – but why?

  She answered the nurse’s questions as her vital signs were checked.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “You’re in the recovery ward,” the nurse said. “The doctor will be in soon to tell you more.” And with that she left.

  Hannah frowned as her brain fought through the cobwebs.

  Marko had tried to kill her.

  Her heart raced. She remembered hitting the water, the agonising pain as her leg broke and struggling to keep afloat. Ryan had been in the water with her, she was almost certain of it. Was he all right?

  And what had happened to Marko? Was he dead? Or was he somewhere in the hospital with her?

  She shifted, wincing as she moved into a seated position, ready in case Marko walked through the curtains.

  She braced herself as the curtains moved and the doctor walked in.

  “Hannah, how are you feeling?”

  “Is Ryan all right?”

  The doctor frowned. “The officer who came in with you?”

  “Maybe.” She couldn’t remember. “Ryan Kilpatrick.”

  The doctor smiled. “He’s fine. We checked him over, but he only had a few cuts and bruises and was discharged.”

  The relief was comforting, but where was he?

  The doctor flicked through her chart. “Are you in much pain?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll prescribe some pain medication.” She smiled. “You’re very lucky to be alive. You’ve broken your left tibia, have a concussion and have a number of cuts and bruises, but no internal bleeding. We’ll move you to a room shortly and then you have some police officers wanting to talk to you if you’re feeling up to it.”

  Ryan. Her heart swelled. “Of course.” She needed to see he was all right.

  The doctor left and about ten minutes later she was moved to another room. A policewoman and man came in – she didn’t recognise either of them. “Where’s Ryan?”

  “Senior Constable Kilpatrick is helping us with inquiries,” the woman said. “I’m Sergeant Flinders and this is Senior Constable Travis. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  “But Ryan is OK?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Sergeant Flinders said. “Can you tell us what happened?”

  She blinked at the no-nonsense expression on the woman’s face. They didn’t care how she was. But she wasn’t saying anything until they gave her something first. “Is Marko dead?”

  Flinders nodded.

  Hannah let out a deep breath. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. He couldn’t hurt anyone she loved. “What do you want to know?”

  An hour or so later Hannah had had enough. Exhaustion hovered over her like a cloud, fogging her brain. She’d told her story several times and answered the same questions over and over again. She wasn’t sure Flinders would ever be satisfied.

  The nurse came into the room, took one look at Hannah and frowned at the officers. “Hannah needs rest.”

  The sergeant stood up. “We have what we need. We’ll type up a statement for you to sign.”

  Hannah nodded, relieved it was over. As the police left, the nurse said, “You’ve got a lot of visitors waiting. Are you feeling up to it?”

  She was desperately tired, but she needed to see for herself that Ryan was well. “Yes.”

  A few minutes later her grandparents entered the room, followed by Kit and Mai.

  Her nanna gasped and hurried over. “Are you all right? They wouldn’t tell us what happened.” She kissed Hannah’s forehead.

  Hannah frowned. “Lincoln didn’t tell you?”

  “He didn’t get a chance,” Kit said. “He told us there’d been an incident and you were in hospital.”

  She closed her eyes. Damn. They were going to want to hear the story and she didn’t have enough energy to tell it. Not today.

  “We took Joe to the vet,” Mai told her. “He was a little dehydrated, but he’s going to be OK.”

  Joe. Guilt swept through her. She had forgotten all about him. “Thank you.”

  “What happened?” her granddad demanded. “No one’s told us a damned thing.”

  Hannah sighed. There wasn’t going to be any rest until she’d explained everything again. “What do you know?”

  “The first we knew anything was wrong was when Lynette dropped Felix off at the bakery,” Mai said. “Then Mrs Z called to say she was on her way to pick him up. Ryan had told her they had a lead on your stalker.”

  “Lincoln called me,” Kit took up the story, “and said you’d been injured but were OK. He asked me to get Joe from your place.”

  “She took him to the vet and then we all came here,” Mai finished. “Fleur will be here as soon as her shift is over.”

  So they knew nothing about Marko. Hannah wasn’t sure where to start.

  She wanted to sleep for a couple of hours. A glance at the clock told her it was only mid-afternoon. Somehow, she was going to have to tell her grandparents the truth about their daughter’s death and she didn’t have the strength to deal with the fallout right now.

  What she really wanted was to have Ryan there, to have his arms around her, maybe even go to his place and curl up on his bed and sleep. But that wasn’t going to happen. Where was he?

  At that moment, her father walked into the room, his eyes red as if he’d been crying.

  Her granddad took an outraged breath as he stood. “Get the hell out of here!”

  Hannah groaned. She didn’t need this animosity now. She put a hand on his arm. “Granddad, he needs to hear what I have to say.” Her voice wasn’t as loud as she would have liked it to be.

  How much did her father know?

  “I won’t have him anywhere near me and mine.”

  Her patience snapped. “Fine!” she said. “Leave, then. The door’s over there.”

  Her granddad’s eyes widened and he stared at her in shock.

  Hannah refused to feel guilty. “I’ve been through hell today and I’m only going to tell my story one more time.”

  Ma
i and Kit immediately stood next to her, ready to support her. She squeezed both of their hands.

  “Stan,” her grandmother said. “Now’s not the time.”

  He scowled but gave a sharp nod.

  “I’ll get some more seats.” Mai left the room.

  Her father had aged ten years overnight.

  “You know about Marko?” Hannah asked as Mai came back in with a couple of chairs.

  He nodded, tears glistening in his eyes. “But, no one will tell me what happened.”

  “Sit down,” Hannah said. “Marko was my stalker.”

  Her grandparents gasped. “Like father like son,” her granddad growled.

  “No, Granddad.” She reached out a hand in entreaty. “Marko killed Mum.”

  Her father’s eyes widened.

  “He admitted it to me,” Hannah said.

  “What?” Her nanna’s voice was shaky. “He was a child.”

  “A child who hated Mum and I for taking Dad away from him.” Her mother had been killed because of a childish jealousy.

  Her father was silent. She waited for him to say something.

  “This is ridiculous. The police found his fingerprints on the knife,” her granddad said, pointing at Ivan.

  “I thought it was an accident,” Ivan finally said. “He said he’d slipped, he hadn’t meant to do it, he was so upset.” The words were soft.

  “You came home too early from the Christmas party,” Hannah said. “He was going to make it look like a break-in.”

  Ivan shook his head, as if not believing it.

  “He was jealous of both of us,” she told him.

  “He was a boy, my boy. I couldn’t let him go to jail.”

  “He thought you’d forgotten about me while you were in prison. He was so mad that you still wanted to see me even though I hadn’t visited you. He wanted me out of the picture as well.”

  Ivan shook his head in denial.

  “He killed Mum, poisoned Joe, and he died trying to kill me today.” Her voice was flat.

  Mai squeezed her hand and Kit growled.

  “What happened?” her grandmother asked.

  She closed her eyes and the fear rushed in. She opened them. “He came to my place,” she said. “He had a knife and told me he didn’t want me around, told me about killing Mum and how he was going to kill me.” Her throat tightened as she continued to explain what had happened. “Ryan saved me.” Her throat was dry and her eyes hurt. She wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep.