She flicked it open, her eyes flaring at the news.
‘Not more bad news.’Finn groaned.
‘The second jet from Canberra, it landed in Darwin.Empty.Drew was never on that jet.’
Finn looked at her.Then they both turned to watch the jet circling the quarry’s runway.‘We’re on.’
Thirty-eight
If this went right—if they bagged Drew on this incoming jet—Finn was calling for deck chairs and a barbecue out back of the police station, just to watch Taryn scrub down Cecil.That water buffalo would love it.And something with a lot of bubbles.Tanisha would be all over that, whipping up cocktails loaded with edible glitter, and ordering Porter to play DJ for the day.Come on, they needed something good to come out of this.Something to laugh about, for once.
But first, they had to finish it.
The wind stirred up the dust across the clearing as the jet roared overhead—sleek, low, and moving faster than anything that should’ve been landing in the outback.
The stolen Warraga truck spilled shade across the edge of the pad.Red was slumped against the bull bar, while Bob paced like a caged dog, clutching that duffel bag like it held the keys to salvation.
Finn crouched behind the scrub, comms clipped tight to his mouth.‘Stone, where’s the pilot going to load?’
Stone’s voice crackled back, low, ‘The jet will taxi to them.That’s why Red’s out of the cab, best place for the handoff.’
‘Will the pilot kill the engine?’
‘Has to.For that type of jet, the strip’s too short for a hot load-out.The pilot will shut down to secure the cargo and save fuel, considering this is an outpost.’
‘Making them sitting ducks.’Finn nodded to himself.‘Copy that.We wait for the engine to cut and for the pilot to step out and help load.That’s our window… We box them in.Taryn and I will storm the jet.Porter, you’re the fastest, hit the stairs from the left.Amara and Craig take Red and Bob at the truck and watch for runners.You see movement, shut it down.’
He glanced skyward.‘Romy, you’re our eyes.Call out anything we miss.Use the drone to track escape paths, and don’t let anyone disappear into the scrub.’
‘Copy that,’ replied Romy as a low thud of rotor blades kicked off and rolled through the comms.
‘Stone, you come in behind the jet, but make sure you’re under the radar so he can’t spot you and take off.Your mission is to block their path.Make sure no one leaves on that airstrip.’Finn peered across the clearing.They were ready.
The jet hit the makeshift runway with a hard bounce and kept rolling, dust blooming in its wake.
Taryn crouched low beside him.‘We should move in closer now that the plane’s on the ground.That long grass will cover us.’
Finn nodded as he spoke over the comms.‘Team, use the scrub for cover.Stay low.And wait for the pilot to get out.Stone, that’ll be your call.’
And with that, the squad inched forward like ghosts, with hearts pounding under the sun.
The jet taxied, then came to a slow stop.A few moments later, the door hissed open.Steps unfolded and a heavy-set male, wearing sunglasses too big for his face, stepped out to wave Red and Bob forward.
‘Hey, Clancy, glad you could make it.’Bob called out.
That raised Finn’s eyebrows.So, the only other two who knew about the quarry, was the pilot on that jet—and Drew.
Finn remembered the day the squad first got their badges, waiting for Drew to climb off another similar jet, where heat waves washed over the tarmac.That day, Finn had been so damned proud of his team, because they’d earned it.
And Drew had stood there in his tailored suit, shaking hands, patting backs—while his assistant hauled those boxes full of stolen genetic material behind him.Heading for Singapore for some BS conference, Drew had said.Couldn’t stay long, he’d said.Even though Amara had done morning tea, bought Stone a new shirt, and polished the cutlery like she was meeting the king.
Singapore, my arse.
That bastard was already shipping product, using their squad send-off as bloody cover.
Even with the rage now coiling like a tight fist, back then Finn hadn’t thought twice—because he’d trusted the bastard, who’d been poisoning the whole system.
So no, that smug prick wasn’t out on the dirt.Drew would be sitting pretty inside that jet, with feet up, laptop open, and probably smiling at how well the plan was going while getting ready to tear strips off Red for causing this mess as soon as they climbed onboard that jet.
