Hopefully by the morning she’d be better defended.
Nhiari rubbed her hands over her face and then stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her muscles after two nights of sleeping on Lee’s thin mattress. He’d offered her the thicker mattress in his tent on the second night as well, but she wasn’t willing to sleep in his bed, even if he slept outside the tent. It was far too intimate.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t ruing her stubbornness now.
“We have to share this with Dot.” They’d spent two days combing through Lee’s father’s notes and comparing them with the information Lee had gathered, and what Nhiari knew. They had filled a notebook and notes were spread everywhere. Lee stood and plugged his laptop into the battery system in his car to charge it.
“If we tip Dot off on who is working for the police, they’ll know I’ve told you, and we’re working together.”
“She won’t tell anyone.”
He was quiet a long moment, a furrow on his brow, staring at the ground, an expression she now recognised as his thinking face. “We can tell her someone in her team is working for Stonefish.”
“Can I give a name?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. Martin will know I’m working with you. He wanted to know what I’d done with you when I called him the other day.”
“Did he seem worried?”
Lee scowled. “No, he was eager to find out if you were dead.”
Nhiari flinched. She’d never been close to her colleague, but they’d had a good working relationship. “What did you tell him?”
“I was manipulating you for information and keeping you as a bargaining chip.”
Wonderful. “He believed you?”
“Yes. I have a reputation after all.”
She didn’t know what to think. People had used her in the past, but he’d been open about the information he was sharing. Still, using her as leverage could always be an option down the line if things didn’t go his way. They hadn’t discussed what would happen when they caught Lucas. They were on opposite sides of the law.
She would need to arrest him when this all came to a head.
Uncertainty shimmered in her stomach. Despite her attempts to keep her defences up, he kept wearing them down. She’d lost count of the times their hands had brushed, or she’d bumped into him after losing her balance. It didn’t help that he’d not allowed her to prepare a meal, and it felt as if he was taking care of her. Each night she’d vowed to keep him out, and each day he charmed her with the little things he did.
Stupid.
“I need a break.” She pressed her chair back and stood. It had been a long couple of days, and she still wore her police uniform, having refused to wear the clothes Lee had offered her. It seemed too intimate, but now she wished she’d agreed, because she smelled. She climbed the path to the top, her ankle healed enough to put some weight on it now without much pain. At the entrance, she scanned the area out of habit. The search for her had been called off yesterday, but someone might still be around.
She inhaled deeply as she took in the view. Red dirt, grassy shrubs, a few small trees and the endless ocean below her.
No one.
The long ranges had been a constant companion for her whole childhood, always on the horizon somewhere, the turquoise water and reef her friend, even the tiny birds which flitted from bush to bush reminded her of a story from her past. This was home, her land, her place.
The sun headed towards the ocean, ready to end its day’s work.
This was why she was working with Lee. She had to make her country safe again. Had to stop Stonefish from hurting her town.
The crunch of rock behind her indicated Lee had joined her. She didn’t turn. Instead she watched the few clouds on the horizon change colour to pinks and purples as the sun sank closer to the horizon. The end of another day, and while the picture was coming into focus, there was no clear path how they could put Lucas away for good.
When the sun disappeared below the horizon, Lee spoke. “How about we go for a swim?”
She glanced at him, wishing the sound of his voice wasn’t like a caress on her skin. “Is that your way of telling me I smell?”
His lips twitched. “No. I thought we could both do with a break and I always feel better after swimming. I know of a remote spot on the coast.”
She nodded. It sounded like heaven, but there was somewhere better than the ocean. A place few people knew about. A place which brought her peace.
