Georgie stepped away and averted her eyes. “Ew, Ed, I don’t need to see you in your underwear.”
Ed chuckled. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me in them before.” He pulled on shorts and a T-shirt. “Where’s Tess?”
“Helping to make dinner.”
He jolted. “What time is it?”
“Almost five. Everything is ready for tomorrow except we need the rings.”
Disappointment filled him. He’d wanted to help but hadn’t set an alarm because he’d figured Tess would have only been with Dot for an hour. Stupid. He dumped his backpack on the bed and unzipped the pouch he’d put the ring boxes in.
“Are you all right?” Georgie asked. “Bran and Darcy wouldn’t give me details about what happened because Lara was around.”
He nodded. “All that shooting practice paid off.”
Her eyes widened. “You shot someone!”
He hushed her. His room was next to Lara’s. “No, I shot out some tyres and threatened to shoot a guy.” The gun was still in the glove box, unless Tess had given it to Dot.
“Ed, what the hell happened?”
“I’ll explain later. I’d better go talk to Dot.”
Georgie stood in front of the door, arms crossed. “No. You’ll give me the short version now.”
She had that stubborn tilt to her jaw. He sighed and filled her in. When he was done, she threw her arms around him and squeezed him.
“You must have been shit scared. I’m so glad you got the gun.”
He smiled, drawing comfort from his younger sister. “I managed all right.”
“Are you sure Tess is innocent?”
The question made him pause, but he nodded. “She was terrified. I trust her, Georgie.”
“What if she’s working with Tan and making it all up?”
Not something he’d considered. Unease crept its way onto his shoulders, and he frowned as he reviewed the events. Stonefish had no way of knowing he would offer Tess a lift, even if they had known about the baggage handler strike, and about his flight that morning. It was a long shot. “I don’t think she is.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Georgie told him. “Keep her close.”
Ed bit his tongue to stop from protesting. Georgie would do what she wanted, regardless of what he said. “Fine.” He followed her into the kitchen, where everyone gathered. There were two guys he didn’t recognise chatting with Sam, and Ed assumed they were Brandon’s army buddies. Which one was Amy’s brother? Neither looked like her. Tess chopped carrots at the table, not taking part in the conversation, her eyes heavy with fatigue. Had the others not ensured she got some sleep? “Amy, I’ve got the rings.” He handed them to her, and she opened both boxes, grinning.
“Thanks, Ed.” She hugged him. “I really appreciate it.”
It was nothing. They’d ordered the rings a month ago, and they’d only arrived on Monday. It was a small thing for him to drive over to the jewellers and pick them up. “No problem.”
He caught Dot’s eye, and she nodded towards the door outside. As he crossed the room, Lara called, “Did you have a good sleep, Ed?”
He smiled. “Yeah, thanks La La.”
“Do you want something to eat?”
How could he get outside without her noticing? “Not right now. I need to get something out of the van.” Dot had already left the kitchen, and he followed her out. Behind him, Lara asked, “Where’s Dot?” He winced as her voice rose. “What’s going on? Did something happen? Is Ed talking to Dot about something?”
Ed kept walking. Darcy could sort it out. Though Lara was only ten, she’d been involved with Stonefish, and she deserved to know the truth. Like Georgie, she was stubborn enough to get it too. He entered the shearer’s room and closed the door behind him.
Dot sighed. “Lara’s been through a lot. I wish she didn’t have to hear about this.”
