Hope Echoes

by Shannon Curtis

  Jacinta scrambled to her feet and cried out in frustration when she dropped her rifle, but didn’t turn back to pick it up. This guy was twice her size, and she wouldn’t win in a tussle. She bolted along the track toward her car on the other side of the rise. She wrenched open the door as she heard the guy roar behind her. Her fingers trembled around the key in the ignition, and she heard Ray growling from where she’d secured him to the tray of the ute. She glanced up. Spider-faced dude was running toward her, his expression so fierce she almost peed her pants.

  Ray started barking, interspersed with a deep, guttural growl. She finally got the engine to start, and she slammed the car into reverse.

  The guy skidded to stop, then ran back to the white car. She saw another man emerge from the cave. He was taller, thinner, and carrying a big, nasty-looking gun. Jacinta yanked on the wheel, turning the car in a tight circle, then changed gears, bursting forward as the driver’s side mirror shattered, followed by a crack that reverberated along the valley floor.

  She pressed her foot down on the accelerator, crying out when she drove over a bump so fast she hit her head on the ceiling of the cab. She didn’t bother with the track, but drove across country. She swerved a couple of times, kicking up a big cloud of red dust. Another shot rang out, and she whimpered as she heard the thud the bullet made as it hit the ute. But she kept driving, kept up the dust cloud, kept dodging the bullets.

  Her heart thumping painfully in her chest, Jacinta checked her rearvision mirror. The white car had dropped back a little. She shook her head. She should have punctured all of the damn tyres. As it was, one deflating tyre would slow them down, but not stop them.

  By the time she crested the hill close to home, she was frantic. She needed to call for help, but her phone was on the ground out by the cave. Scott was in the other direction, at Duck’s Gully. The closest phone was the landline at the house. She glanced in the mirror again. The white car was still there, although the distance was slowly growing.

  She didn’t slow down for the gate, but rammed it. The chain snapped, and the gate sprang open as she bounced her way through it. She skidded to a stop at the back veranda, and could hear the gunning of the other car as it roared up the rise. Jacinta almost tripped as she burst out of the car, and reached around to release Ray’s lead.

  ‘Come,’ she called to the dog as she raced toward the house. She slowed down long enough to collect the cricket bat as she ran past it, and leaped over the third plank. Ray ran up behind her as the car sped into the yard. Spider-faced dude didn’t even wait for the car to stop. He launched himself out of the moving vehicle and ran toward the veranda.

  Jacinta opened the screen door and ushered the dog inside, her pulse thundering in her throat as she followed. She could hear the thump of the man’s footsteps as he ran up the steps and across the veranda. She heard the crack, and then the scream of pain. She whirled around. He’d fallen through the rotten wood. Partially. One leg was below the veranda, and the wood surrounding his thigh was red with blood. He tilted back his head and roared with enraged pain.

  He glared at her, and Jacinta saw the pain-crazed look in his eyes as he reached behind him and pulled something out of the waistband of his jeans. She saw the handgun, and reacted, swinging the cricket back for six and out. She caught his wrist, heard the crack of bone and his scream as the gun was smacked out of his hand. She then hit him across the cheek. His head whipped to the side, and she saw his eyes roll back in his head as he slumped, unconscious, onto the deck.

  Jacinta backed into the house, pulling the screen door shut and locking it, then doing the same with the back door. She couldn’t remember ever having locked it before. She started running through the kitchen, then screamed as glass shattered behind her, and she heard the crack of a rifle. She dived for the floor as Ray barked excitedly. It took her a couple of attempts, but she managed to whistle to the dog. He hunkered down, his eyes on Jacinta as she commando-crawled along the hallway.

  A high-pitched whiny scream got louder and louder, and she realised it was sirens. More bullets peppered the bank of glass windows, and she crawled toward the hall. Ray did the same, just like she’d trained him to herd sheep. As soon as she got beyond the kitchen she rose to her feet and scurried down the hall. Her father kept a gun locker under his bed.

  The sirens wailed louder, and she could hear the scud and squeal of rubber on dirt. She changed direction and headed for the front door. There was only one other guy, and the cars were headed around the back. She reached for the front door and yanked it open, running out into the arms of a man.

  She screamed, then sagged when she realised it was Scott. ‘Oh, thank god,’ she sobbed, leaning into him.

  He tsked lightly. ‘You should have stuck with me, Jac.’ She looked up at him, and that’s when she saw the gun in his hand.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mac used the car door as a shield as he trained his weapon on the man currently firing on Jac’s home. He wore his vest, as did the other officers, but the more protection, the better. ‘Freeze! Drop the gun, and turn slowly.’

  The man halted, then looked over his shoulder at the four police cars that had pulled up behind him. His expression clearly showed his anger and frustration. Mac didn’t turn, but he was pretty sure Hayden had followed them out there. He just hoped the guy had enough sense to take cover.

  ‘Drop the gun, now,’ Mac bellowed. He kept his eye on the weapon. It was a large calibre hunting rifle.

  The man’s shoulders sagged, and for a moment Mac thought they had him. Then he saw the man’s wrist shift position on the rifle. ‘Gun!’ Mac yelled out to the other officers as the intruder whirled and raised the rifle to his shoulder in one fluid motion.

  All of the officers reacted, and the noise was deafening as the bullets were fired. The man’s body jerked and jolted, as though electrocuted, before he dropped the rifle and slumped to the ground.

  Heart thudding, weapon trained on the man on the ground, Mac raced over and kicked the rifle away from him. His caution proved unnecessary, though, judging by the lifeless stare of the dead man.

  He looked up at the house, frowning. A shape was slumped on the deck, but it didn’t quite make sense. Mac raised his weapon and carefully approached the veranda. It took him a moment to realise it was another man who had fallen through the rotten patch of the deck. He didn’t know whether the man was unconscious or—

  A scream tore through the air, and Mac flinched, recognising the voice. Jacinta. He signalled one of the constables to take over his position. Mac ran along to the end of the veranda and peered around the corner of the house. Nielsen held a struggling Jacinta, his arm across her torso, a gun to her head.

  A dog barked from inside the house, and there was repeated scratching on the front door.

  Rage and fear were a galvanising combination. Mac jumped over the veranda railing, his weapon trained on the man.

  ‘Let me go,’ Jacinta yelled, writhing in Nielsen’s arms. Mac’s eyes narrowed when the man jerked her against his body, and twisted to face Mac.

  ‘Drop the weapon,’ Mac said, his voice calm and controlled. Inside, though, agonising dread gripped him at the sight of Jacinta in the arms of a violent criminal. Make her safe. The dread was swallowed by a cold, unflinching rage at the man who dared to put Jacinta in danger.

  ‘Stay where you are, Hudson, or I’ll shoot her,’ Nielsen called out.

  Mac shook his head. ‘If you shoot her, you’ll lose your bargaining chip.’ He took another step, but halted when Nielsen cocked the gun.

  ‘I swear to god, I’ll do it,’ Nielsen growled.

  Mac was conscious of the team of officers hustling through the yard and taking up positions. Hayden bounded around the ring of officers, but skidded to a stop when Scott shifted to keep an eye on him.

  ‘Stay back, Terrance, or I will kill your friend.’

  The muscles in Mac’s jaw flexed. Hayden’s presence was against all protocol, but he didn’t have t
ime to call a halt and clear the area. He had a feeling the guy wouldn’t budge, anyway.

  ‘You hurt her and you’re a dead man, Nielsen,’ Hayden growled, his fists clenched. Okay, so at least he and Terrance agreed on something.

  ‘Back down, Terrance,’ Mac called, and Nielsen glanced back toward him, just as Mac hoped he would.

  ‘Why, Scott?’ Jacinta cried. ‘What is going on?’

  ‘Everything would have been fine, Jac, if you’d just left things well enough alone,’ Nielsen grated. He ground the barrel of the gun into her temple.

  ‘He’s the one who’s been working with the drug runners,’ Mac told her.

  Jacinta shook her head. ‘Why, Scott?’ she panted. ‘Why did you help them?’

  Nielsen laughed. ‘I’m one of them, Jac. You have one of the biggest land holdings, and it was perfect for our operation. It didn’t take much to wrangle a job here. It’s been quite a profitable operation.’ He scanned the yard, eyeing the officers who were slowly advancing toward him. ‘Stand back,’ he hollered, and changed the position of the gun to beneath Jacinta’s chin.

  Mac held up a hand, and the police officers halted.

  ‘Let her go, Nielsen,’ he told the man in a low voice. ‘It’s not too late for you. You can cut a deal.’

  Nielsen laughed bitterly. ‘Do you think I’d last two minutes in prison if I did? Toohey has people everywhere.’ If Nielsen didn’t release Jacinta, he wouldn’t have to worry about Toohey. Mac’s shoulders tensed, although he kept his grip relaxed on his gun.

  ‘Let Jacinta go,’ he repeated. He edged a little closer.

  ‘No. I want a car, and then this little lady and I are going to take a drive.’

  Not on his watch. Mac kept his eyes on Nielsen. ‘Jacinta, I want you to stay calm,’ he called to her.

  ‘I’m calm,’ she muttered as she writhed again, trying to break free of Nielsen’s grip. Even as a hostage, she had to be contrary. Mac held up one hand, palm out in a placatory gesture.

  ‘It’s going to be okay, Jac,’ he said in as soothing a voice as he could muster. ‘Just think happy thoughts.’

  She frowned, looking around the yard. She opened her mouth, and he shook his head to prevent what he was sure would be a smartarse remark. ‘Think about Jamie, and the times we used to play together,’ he said, sliding his foot a little closer, and shifting his weight. ‘All those things we both taught you,’ he said meaningfully.

  He almost sagged with relief when he saw understanding flash through her eyes. His palm out, he raised a finger. ‘I want you to let her go, Nielsen.’

  ‘Screw you, Hudson,’ Nielsen snapped back. ‘Where’s my car?’

  He raised another finger, as though cautioning. ‘I need everyone to calm down,’ he said, as he slid his foot forward again.

  ‘I’ll calm down when you give me what I want,’ Nielsen shouted.

  Mac nodded. ‘I understand,’ he said, raising his third finger.

  Jacinta brought her boot down sharply on Nielsen’s foot. As he jerked forward, she jabbed him forcefully in the ribs, and then grabbed the wrist that held her and twisted it under.

  Mac launched himself at them in a low tackle, getting under Nielsen’s arms and body-slamming him into the dirt. Jacinta fell and rolled away. Nielsen roared with rage and tried to sit up, but Mac blocked the hand holding the weapon, and the gun fell to the dirt as Mac swung at the guy’s face. Mac’s anger turned into white-hot rage. There was a satisfying crunch of bone as his fist connected with jaw, and he reared back and let fly with another two fierce, brutal jabs, before Ben called out to him.

  ‘She’s clear, Mac. She’s clear.’

  A gun entered Mac’s peripheral vision, and he looked up at Brent Pocock. Brent nodded as he trained his gun on the bloodied and dazed man on the ground. ‘We’ve got him, mate.’

  Mac rose to his feet. He wanted to hit the guy again, the bastard. He turned to Jacinta, and caught her as she ran to him.

  ‘It’s okay,’ he whispered, hugging her close and stroking her trembling back. ‘You did good.’

  She clutched him to her tightly, and he felt like he’d come home. ‘You’re going to be fine.’

  Jacinta huddled in the blanket as Marion and Aunty Daph fussed over her. The house was a crime scene, so they weren’t allowed to sleep there that night—or the next few nights. Mac had called Aunty Daph, and she had been driven in a squad car to the Echo Springs Hotel.

  She scratched her nose, her hand still beneath the blanket. She and Hayden had had a long chat, too. He’d been horrified when he’d learned about the second lab and the weapons cache. He’d admitted his part in the lab at Dick; it had been partly so that he could make sure she was safe, and partly because his brother had threatened to use Brayden if Hayden didn’t do as his brother instructed. He told her how his brother had played him, telling him that if Hayden was in control then at least the real thugs from the city wouldn’t be moving in to his town. But as it turned out, Jayden had never really been in control, and once Toohey had seen the potential of the mines he’d expanded rapidly. After seeing those other men in action today, and the violence they used so easily, she could understand why Hayden felt he’d had to get involved, and how he’d tried to protect her. He’d made some mistakes, and lost his younger brother in the process, but after he’d come to help rescue her, she felt she could forgive him. Even in the midst of making his mistakes, he’d made them with the intention of protecting her from Jayden and his brutal associates. Poor execution, but best of intentions.

  She watched as Pip Hudson patted her father on the shoulder. Her dad and Marion had arrived home several hours after the excitement had concluded. The police had still been present, so the explanations had been long and comprehensive. They’d been shocked and dismayed when they saw the bullet-riddled house. Her father had been furious when he’d heard about Scott, and Mac and Ben Fields had had to prevent him from driving into town to the lock-up and ‘dealing with him’.

  Jacinta shuddered. She still couldn’t believe it. Scott. He’d taken the job at Bulls’ Run specifically to help set up the operation.

  ‘Here, drink this,’ her father said, handing her a mug. She obediently raised it to her lips, and almost choked on the fiery liquid.

  ‘Oh, my god, Dad,’ she rasped. ‘Whiskey?’

  ‘I reckon you deserve a double dose. What happened today was worse than any snake sighting.’ Her father sat down at the dining table next to her. ‘How are you doing, kiddo?’

  She gave him a weak smile. ‘I’m a little wobbly,’ she admitted. Every now and then she’d get the shakes. God, she’d been so damn scared.

  ‘I’m not surprised.’ Her father slid his one arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ he told her, his voice rough and husky.

  ‘Me, too,’ she replied, squeezing him back. He chuckled. ‘Wait until I tell Jamie you took out an underworld figure.’

  Jacinta grimaced. It turned out that Spider-faced dude was the head of the operation. Some guy called Toohey something. Or something Toohey. He was currently in hospital with a lacerated leg, a broken wrist, a broken jaw and severe concussion. Considering he was pretty much caught in the act of trespassing with a firearm, he was going to jail for a very long time, as was Scott. She’d told Mac and his detective buddy that she’d found them out at the caves, so they’d sent a team out to investigate. It turned out there was a weapons cache large enough to mount a third-world coup. The charges were piling up.

  She didn’t want to think about what could have happened if the men had decided to use more than the weapons they’d had on them. As it was, her dad had joked about letting the police use the shearer’s quarters as a temporary station. Homicide were currently out there to investigate the death of one of the intruders, and forensics were out there to work the scene. The Gang Squad, Drug Squad, the Counter-Terrorism Unit and some other divisions had all sent personnel to assist.

  The back door slammed, an
d she looked up to see Mac stroll into the kitchen. Everyone greeted him, and she smiled shakily. He’d removed the dark vest, but he still wore his white business shirt. There were a couple of streaks of red dirt from when he’d tackled Scott. His sleeves were rolled up to expose his muscular forearms, the colour stark against his tanned skin. She thought she’d never seen him look so fit and strong—unless it was when he was leaping over the railing of her veranda, a lethal-looking gun in his hand with the intense look of an avenging, pissed-off angel ready to do damage. She’d seen him at work—pretty much every minute she’d spent with him since Brayden’s death—but she’d never seen him look so dangerous as when he’d come for her.

  Now, though, his handsome face was tired but relaxed, his smile gentle when he saw her.

  He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She found the contact warm and supportive, and wanted to curl up in his arms. Her fingers tightened on the blanket around her shoulders. She was turning into a pathetic sook. She craved the touch of a man who wanted only to be friends. She couldn’t help it, though. She chewed her lip. Tomorrow, she’d grow a spine. Today, she wanted his touch. Mac looked at her father. ‘I need to talk with Jac,’ he said. ‘I just need to clarify a few things.’

  Ugh. So no cuddles, no touchy-feely realisations of a returned love. No, he wanted to discuss the case.

  Tom Buchanan gave him a shrewd look, then nodded. ‘Sure. You go … clarify.’

  Mac looked down at her. ‘Would you mind?’ he asked gently.

  She shook her head. ‘Sure.’ She figured there would be plenty of interviews over the coming days, and this was just the start. She rose to her feet, and smiled when Aunty Daphne bustled over.

  The older woman held out a key to Mac. ‘I’ve put her in room twelve,’ she said.

  Mac accepted the key, then put his arm around Jacinta as they walked to the door that led to the hotel’s front of house. Jacinta glanced over her shoulder. The room was silent as the others watched them leave. Marion’s hand was gripped in her father’s, and Pip had his arm around Daphne. She raised her eyebrows, and the couples turned to each other and started talking, while keeping their gazes on the departing couple, as though they were trying for a level of normalcy. Jac shook her head. It would take a while for any of this to return to normal.