“What happened next?” Dot asked.
“We took a loan on the farm,” Jay said. “But Stonefish only took half of what they were owed. Said Nathan needed to work off the rest of his debt.”
Brandon’s eyes narrowed. “Doing what?”
Jay shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Nathan won’t tell me, but it can’t be anything good.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Dot asked.
“Because they threatened our lives,” Jay said. “Cheryl and I were as involved as Nathan by then. We knew enough to be a danger to them, so they showed us what they could do. They set fire to our haystack in the middle of summer, and if I hadn’t caught it in time, it would have burned the whole farm down.”
Nhiari shifted from where she still stood by the door. “Are you responsible for the haystack fire here?”
Jay glanced at Darcy and then down at the table. “Yes.”
Darcy stiffened. He’d trusted the man. They’d worked together side by side. “Bastard.”
“I ran to warn you as soon as I lit it, but Stonefish made me do it. If I didn’t keep causing trouble for you, they would cause trouble for Nathan.”
“They sent you here to the Ridge?” Dot asked.
He nodded. “We decided to retire early. Hoped if we only had the car and caravan, they wouldn’t threaten us anymore. But the day before we left, we got a phone call to say Retribution Ridge was opening to camping and we should go there. Said for every day we stayed they would take a hundred dollars off Nathan’s debt.”
“Weren’t you suspicious?” Matt asked.
“Of course, but when we arrived, we loved the place, and they rarely contacted us. Then your parents died, and we got a message to say that’s what happened to people who crossed them.”
Faith jolted. “Your parents were murdered?”
Darcy squeezed her hand. “We’re not certain. Our ex-stockhand, Taylor cut the brake lines on the four-wheel drive. He only wanted to cause a nuisance, but Dad didn’t notice until they hit the corner and by then they had no brakes.” He cleared his throat. “But there were signs they were forced off the road as well.”
Next to him, Lara started shaking. Faith slid her arm around the girl and shuffled closer. Lara leaned into her and Darcy fell in love all over again.
“When they contacted you, what did they want you to do?” Dot asked.
Jay focused on the mug in his hand. “Tell them about the station. It didn’t seem like much. They wanted me to recommend a cattle company to Darcy.”
Darcy straightened. “You told me about Livestock and Gear!” He swore. “I knew someone had. That bogus company has almost cost us the station.” It made sense now.
“I’m sorry, Darcy.” He met his eye. “Then we started getting requests to damage more of the property. At first, I refused, but then Nathan video called us, beaten black and blue and begged us to do what they said.” Jay looked at Darcy. “He might be in his thirties, but he’s still our baby boy.”
Shit. He pressed a kiss against Lara’s head. He gave a curt nod and some tension left his shoulders.
“What exactly did you do?” Dot asked.
Jay shrank lower in his seat. “Broke a couple of water trough valves, started the fire, left a few gates open in the hope the sheep would stray. I took those parts you ordered and hid them. I planned to leave them in the shed before I left.” He hesitated. “I also told them where you moved the sheep to.”
“Were you involved with the slaughter?” Darcy asked.
“No! Honestly. If I’d known they were going to do that…” He sighed. “I told them when they were moved, and they were getting ready to lamb.”
Darcy stiffened again and Faith stroked his back.
“Did they tell you to kidnap me?” Lara’s voice was quiet, but it commanded attention.
“I’m so sorry, La La. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Don’t call me that. You’re not my friend.”
