But they still had to load the treasure, and that would take time.
Sam swore. “Hold on.”
Nhiari had only a second to tighten her grip before Sam accelerated again.
Lucas’s driving impressed Lee. He would have thought his uncle had no idea how to manage a four-wheel drive on a sandy track, but Lucas drove as if he’d been doing it all his life. Perhaps his car collection hadn’t just been for show.
He didn’t speak and Lee was too confused to ask questions. Why was Lucas rescuing him? It didn’t fit with the uncle he knew. At no stage in Lee’s life had Lucas done anything that made Lee think he cared for him.
It made Lee nervous.
When they crossed Yardie Creek without issue, Lee pictured the area in his head. There were two stations between here and Coral Bay. Nhiari’s parents and the one just south of the ranges. Both had airstrips.
It would make much more sense to land at the northern airstrip, which meant Nhiari’s parents would be safe. “Is the plane on the way?”
“Of course. You know where we’re going?”
“Yeah, the airstrip on the northern station.”
“Very good. I always thought you would be a useful asset to Stonefish. You were far smarter than either of my sons, but your father was so stubborn. If only your mother had more influence over you.”
Lee glanced at Lucas as his unease grew. “Mother had her social causes.” It was the nicest way he could say she’d never given him a second glance.
“Yes. She was thrilled when you finally fulfilled your family obligations.”
Right. He had to be convincing. “If I’d realised how much more challenging it would be compared to the army, I would have joined sooner. Father was… vague about everything that was involved.”
“Your father was soft. He didn’t like doing what had to be done.”
Lee bit his tongue. Was Lucas testing his loyalties? “Why?”
“His heart was never in it. He fell in love with someone before he married my sister.”
Lee raised his eyebrows as his heart raced. “Who was she?”
“Someone he met in Australia,” Lucas said. “He never told me her name, but he asked me to help convince our parents not to arrange the marriage between him and my sister.”
So Lucas had known about Lindsay. That was a worry. “That wouldn’t have been the best for the business,” he replied.
“Exactly.” Lucas nodded as if pleased Lee understood. “The merger between our families was a long time coming. It was the only way to consolidate and bring the company into the twenty-first century.”
“Did you tell him?” Lee asked.
“Of course, and when it didn’t work, I told both our parents. They set him straight. Your grandparents were humiliated he wanted to back out of the arrangement.”
Both his grandparents had been more concerned about the business and appearances than anything else. He’d hated it when they came to visit because he’d always had to be perfect.
“So he married Mother. Did Father ever mention the Australian woman again?”
“No. He was told if he did, they would make sure she was no longer an option.”
Lee’s blood chilled. They would have killed Lindsay if his father had run away with her. He closed his eyes briefly. His family was horrific.
“We will need to arrange you a marriage when we get back to Singapore,” Lucas said.
Lee looked at him, every muscle in his body tensing. He swallowed before he said, “Of course. Did you have anyone in mind?”
“Your mother has a list of appropriate women.”
