Georgie squeezed his hands. “They’ll be fine.” Her voice wasn’t steady.
Matt swore. “I didn’t warn Dot about Mark.” She should be prepared.
“Her brother Mark?” Darcy asked.
Matt nodded. “That was the other guy.”
Georgie looked horrified as Darcy reached for the radio. Matt grabbed his arm. “Don’t. You’ll give away their position.” Make them an easy target. “I should go.” He moved to get out of the car.
Georgie grabbed him. “You can’t. Do you want them to shoot you accidentally?”
“We’re sitting ducks here.”
“I don’t think so,” Georgie said, her voice dull. “How many gunshots did you hear?”
“Four. The first one only just missed us.”
“And how many people were there?”
Matt felt sick as realisation dawned. “Four.”
Had the guy in the dinghy killed everyone before leaving?
He definitely needed to warn Dot. As he reached for the door handle Nhiari strode over to the car and yanked open the door. She dragged Matt out, hugging him.
Matt gaped at her as she trembled in his arms. Nhiari didn’t do emotion. “Gunyjan, are you all right?”
She stepped back and cleared her throat. “Fine. I need to know exactly what happened.”
“Where’s Dot?” Georgie asked as she climbed out.
“She needs a minute.”
Shit. “Are they dead?”
Nhiari nodded once and spoke into her radio. “We need to get forensics up here and get someone in the air. I want that dinghy tracked.”
Matt pulled Georgie to his side and angled his body so she was between him and the car. “What happened?”
“I asked you first,” Nhiari said.
He opened his mouth to protest and she cut him off.
“From when you heard the car.”
Her voice trembled and she blinked rapidly. Clearing her throat she said to Darcy, “You might as well get out too.”
“Georgie heard the engine first,” Matt said.
Georgie took up the story. When she got to the point where the dinghy guy arrived, Dot walked into the clearing, Brandon by her side. Her face was pale, eyes red.
Brandon crushed Georgie in a hug. “You’re OK?”
She nodded.
Brandon let her go and hauled Matt forward, hugging him. “Thanks for protecting her.”
“Always,” Matt said.
