‘Yep.I’ve organised the paperwork for the wild stock seizures, and the reports are ready for you to sign off when you have a moment.’
She paused, breath catching.‘And I’m sorry, sir, that I let the team down.I didn’t follow procedure, and none of this was Porter’s fault.I’m the one who took off, chasing after that Ram, running blind into the dark.I went with my emotions over my stolen horse and wasn’t thinking clearly, like the officer I want to be.Porter warned me.He told me of the risks, many times, and I completely ignored them all.And he—Senior Constable Porter—only followed to protect me.’
Finn said nothing.
Neither did Tanisha, who’d turned her radio right down in order to listen.
Amara looked down at her hands, then back up at her boss, who’d filled the room with his silent authority.‘If it weren’t for Porter, I wouldn’t have made it.Sir, the man carried me on his back, in the dark—for hours, and never once complained.’And very few men she knew would do that.
It even had Tanisha raising her impeccably sculpted eyebrows.
‘Constable—’
‘No.I need to say it, sir.’She wobbled slightly, using the edge of the table for balance.‘I’ve been trying so hard to prove I belong here that I forgot what being part of a team actually means.Porter didn’t.He never forgot that.And working alongside Tanisha, I now get it.Without Porter, I’d be dead.If he hadn’t—’
‘Enough.’Finn’s voice cut in.
She held her breath.Here it comes, the dressing-down she deserved.
Finn stepped forward, his heavily inked hands at his sides.She didn’t dare look down to see if they were fists as a sign of his anger, because his face was pure granite, in a look that made most criminals plead for mercy before he’d even said a word.The man oozed lethal menace through his pores—but thankfully no booze today.
Good.At least he was back, now.Even if he was about to boot her out the door and back to the South Australian Police Department.
‘You made a mistake, but you didn’t fall apart.You adapted and backed up your team, doing your job.’He tipped his chin towards the whiteboard.‘You turned a community cop shop’s muster area into a command centre, with a stuffed ankle, a severe case of sunburn, and no doubt fighting dehydration and a touch of heat stroke.’
‘You spoke to the doctor?’
He barely nodded.Then he side-glanced at Tanisha, sitting on her high stool hanging off every word.‘When Porter gets back, be sure he goes to the hospital for a check-up, too.’
Tanisha nodded, her eyes flitting between the two Stock Squad members.‘Absolutely.Even if I have to handcuff him to do it.’
Finn exhaled slowly.Again, he glanced over the paperwork, before grabbing a cup of coffee and gave a curt nod.‘You did good work here, Montrose.’
She blinked a few times as if it’d adjust her hearing.‘What?I mean, sir…’ Not only did he compliment her, but he’d also said her name.
‘You heard me.No moreConstable.You’re part of the team.I should’ve said it sooner.’
Amara swallowed the lump in her throat.She didn’t trust herself to speak.
‘Also,’ he added, jerking his chin at her spot, ‘you’re in Porter’s seat.He might sulk for days if you muck up his pile of folders on his chair.’
Amara smiled.Just a little.
She didn’t move—not yet.The ache in her ankle still pulsed, the sunburn was torture against her bra straps… but inside, something had settled.
True to Finn’s form, the man of few words, gave her a nod and got on with the job.He’d said all he needed to say…
And for the first time in a long time—she knew she belonged.
Thirty-nine
The Hellhound tore across the land like a beast let off its leash, sending dust plumes to roll like a storm front.The engine snarled as they raced through the saltbush, while the sun bled low on the horizon.
Porter gripped the steering wheel, eyes narrowed behind his sunnies, ignoring the rub of the racing straps over his sunburnt shoulders, his police overalls soaked with sweat and dust, as he sped across the outback.
Tracking the trail from the passenger seat, Craig rode shotgun—literally, with his shotgun resting in the holder—while Porter’s assorted arsenal was securely strapped to the gun rack.He was never going naked again.
Even though they were two hours behind Sawyer, they’d been making up the distance, and fast.Yet, there’d been no sign of the quad’s movement, no dust kicking up behind it, nothing.All they had to follow were those quad tracks.Thin twin lines carved into the soil that they’d been following for hours.
