As she entered the cave, she spotted a day pack tucked behind a rock. That had to be Lee’s.
In the distance, Gretchen called for her son. They weren’t far away. Sam and Arthur had guns, but she didn’t want this to become a shoot-out.
Lee went over to the backpack and rummaged around in it one-handed.
Perhaps she could tackle him while he was distracted. She stepped closer.
Lee pointed the gun at her. “Don’t do it.” His gaze held no emotion. He was a completely different man from the one she’d had dinner with. The photographer had been slightly awkward, sweet and open in his interest in her.
An act.
Just like with so many other men in her life.
And she’d fallen for it, again. Too dumb to realise they didn’t want what she wanted; a companion, a partner, a lover. No, the men she dated only wanted sex or information. Perhaps it was time to give up on finding someone who loved her.
She never learnt.
Nhiari raised her hands in surrender and he extracted a notepad and pen from the pack.
Lee switched the gun to his other hand and wrote in the notebook.
She shifted her stance, judging how much he was paying attention. The gun straightened. Probably adept with both hands. The man was well trained. Her handcuffs dangled from one wrist. Had she locked them properly? She couldn’t remember using the key. Idiot.
Lee ripped the note from the book, folded it in half and placed it under a rock in a prominent position in the cave. Then he jimmied the other handcuff with a slip of metal he retrieved from his back pocket until it clicked open and tucked them into his back pocket.
Her police radio crackled with static and Lee held out a hand. “Radio and phone.”
She stared at him a long moment before removing the radio and handing it to him. He switched it off. “Phone.”
She scowled and retrieved it from her vest. He pressed the power button until the screen went black and tucked both into his backpack. “Let’s go.” He lifted the pack onto his back.
“Go where?”
“Camp.”
She laughed. “You expect me to go with you?”
He nodded. “You don’t really have a choice, do you? I’m close, Nhiari. I have to finish this.” For the first time he let emotion into his voice and it sounded like desperation.
“Close to what?”
“Ending Stonefish.”
She pressed her lips together. Georgie thought Lee was working against the organisation, but there was no proof. “You work for them,” she pointed out. “You took Cody and Jordan.”
“Only as part of my cover. I wouldn’t have let them hurt the boys.”
Easy to say now the boys were gone. “What would you have done if Stonefish had arrived before we did?”
He glanced towards the entrance of the cave. “They escaped on their own anyway.”
“And if they hadn’t?”
Lee seemed unperturbed. “I knew you would come.” He sighed. “There’s no way the Stokes would have let Kurt get away with the treasure. Not with Brandon, Sam and Sherlock there. The men are skilled.”
He knew too much. Was Georgie feeding him information? “What treasure?”
Lee looked at her with a bemused expression.
