Ed pulled the curtains shut on the remaining windows and then shuffled into his sleeping bag. “Night, Tess.”
She smiled, as the quilt wrapped her in its arms. “Night, Ed.”
She closed her eyes and sleep claimed her.
***
Tess woke with a start. Someone was moving next to her. Her heart pounded. Where was she? Had Tan broken into her room?
“It’s just me—Ed.”
Her heartbeat slowed at his gentle voice. They were in the van, somewhere in the middle of Western Australia, and it was still dark outside.
“I drank far too much caffeine today,” he said as he slid open the door, the sound loud in the quiet.
There was no bathroom… oh. She prayed she didn’t need to go before they reached a roadhouse. “What time is it?”
“Just after one,” he said. “Won’t be long. Sorry for waking you.” He closed the door.
Better he wake her now than when he returned. That would have really freaked her out. With her pulse returning to normal, she lay staring at the roof of the car. Lying here in the dark, it was easy to forget the world around her, and imagine she was in a bubble of her own. She peered outside the curtains. Above, the stars glittered like a carpet. They felt so close and yet so endless.
When they arrived in Retribution Bay, she’d go straight to the police station and report what she’d seen. She couldn’t delay any longer. Then maybe the police could help her figure out what to do next.
A soft rumble grew louder as a car approached. Another road train? She’d hate to be a truck driver, out on the roads at this time of night, particularly with all the kangaroos around. The car came closer and slowed, then she heard the crunch of tyres on the gravel. It was stopping here.
Her heart jumped. Silly. Of course, there would be other people on the road who would use the rest stop. The lights behind the curtains disappeared, and the car crept closer. She froze. Why would a car turn off their lights before coming to a stop?
She lay still, her skin hot as the engine switched off, and the door opened.
Where was Ed?
Steps circled the van, and Tess sat up, clutching the quilt to her chest as she quietly shifted to the back. The steps stopped outside the sliding door. The urge to peer out from behind the curtains was strong, but any movement might alert whoever was out there that she was awake.
Could it be Tan? Had he found her?
No, it couldn’t be. There was no way he could track her to the middle of nowhere.
There was a soft clunk as the door released, and then ever so slowly opened. She could only see the legs of a man, the privacy curtain hiding his face, but the legs were too thick to be Ed’s. Her mind raced as she debated staying where she was and attacking him. He reached for something, and his hand lowered, holding a gun.
She froze, terror coursing through her.
“Tess, you’ve been a very bad girl.”
Tess stifled a whimper. Salvatore had found her.
Chapter 5
Ed heard the car slow as he stood behind the only tree in the rest stop. He sighed. That would figure. The only time he needed to pee, and a car was stopping at the exact rest stop he was at. He tried to hurry, but it never worked. He closed his eyes to retain his night vision as the headlights illuminated the tree he stood behind. Hopefully, the tree blocked him from sight. Then the lights switched off, and the car pulled to a stop in front of the van.
Odd.
He finished his business and tucked himself away as the car door opened.
Ed shifted away from the tree and spotted a man walking towards the van. He frowned. Was he planning on apologising for arriving so late? Ed almost called out to him, but something in the way the man moved slowly, cautiously, made him hold his tongue.
The man reached for the van handle and Ed picked up the branch he’d tripped over earlier. It was heavy and might be enough to dissuade the man from doing whatever he planned. He moved forward as the man spoke.
“Tess, you’ve been a very bad girl.”
