“We were a team,” Nhiari said. “She had parents who were indifferent to their children, and I had the town kids who were cruel. We supported each other.”
She stared up at the night sky, finding the familiar constellations. “The emu is dark tonight.”
“Don’t you mean bright?” Lee asked.
“No, it comprises the dark areas of the night sky, not the stars.” She pointed it out to him.
“Oh, that’s right. Ed mentioned something about it to me when he took me stargazing.”
A reminder the Stokes had welcomed him in as a friend before they had discovered his allegiance. How would they react to him now? Georgie was pro Lee, but how the others felt was an unknown. “Did he tell you the story that goes with it?”
“No.”
Nhiari closed her eyes, bringing back the words of her mother. “Many groups have a story about the emu in the sky. Ours tells us when the right time is for us to take different foods from the land.” She explained further.
“I imagine you can see a dozen things around us we can eat,” Lee said.
Nhiari frowned. “Not as much as I would like to.”
When all the mess with Stonefish was done, she would learn.
She scanned the sky and inhaled, breathing in the night air. Dark and peaceful. It would be easy to pretend there was nothing beyond this moment and the rest of the world didn’t exist. Especially if she ignored the fact Lee was a wanted criminal.
But there it was.
The truth surrounded her, and she couldn’t ignore it.
She stood. “We should get some sleep.” She didn’t wait for his comment and made her way slowly through the tunnel back to their camp site. Nhiari yawned and eyed the bedroll she’d been sleeping on. Her whole body protested at the thought of sleeping there again tonight.
She wandered over and pulled back the bedding, sitting down and taking off her shoes. She still wore Lee’s clothes and didn’t want to put her uniform back on until it was dry. It was a few more minutes before Lee joined her. She suspected he had other phone calls to make. At least he hadn’t asked for her phone back, though she checked to make sure she’d switched it off.
“Nhiari, why don’t you sleep in the tent tonight? The mattress in there is far more comfortable.”
She glanced through the open flap. It was tempting.
“I’ll sleep out here.”
Was it fair? There was plenty of room in the tent for them both and he had a double mattress. But either of them might snuggle into the other during the night and that would be very difficult to extricate herself from. It was too much of a risk, too much of a temptation which would have her forgetting what she needed to do. “I’ll be fine. Good night.”
She lay down and shut her eyes. Lee sighed and got himself ready for bed.
Nhiari’s heart ached. No, this was for her own good.
She stared into the darkness, hoping for sleep.
Chapter Eight
LeewatchedNhiarisleep,which would probably be considered kind of creepy under the circumstances, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want to wake her. The dark circles under her eyes and her constant yawning during the previous days told him she wasn’t sleeping very well. The bedroll was hellishly uncomfortable and only good for a night or two if there was no other option.
But she refused to use his bed so what could he do?
He checked the time. Dot should have left the information at the lighthouse by now, and he didn’t want to leave it too long in case someone else found it. He’d also arranged for Steven to leave food and clothes for them and he had to get to them before the fresh food went off. He made Nhiari a coffee and despite the noise he’d made, she still slept.
Carefully he approached her. She had the sheet flung back and lay there in just his T-shirt and gym shorts, her dark hair splayed out around her because she hadn’t tied it back after they’d gone swimming.
Stunning.
Her wearing his clothes felt like a commitment, though he knew it wasn’t.
