No.
Nick was okay.
He had to be.
And we were going to get through this exactly like we got through every other bloody thing that had happened over the last year. When I had Nick back in my arms, I was going to roll that miserable bastard up in a fuckton of bubble wrap and stick him in the corner of my lounge where he was safe and I could look at him whenever I wanted to. I might feed him occasionally. Maybe let him out for sex and a beer if he was a good boy. Butother than that, Nick Fisher’s fancy-free walk-the-edge-and-be-damned attitude to life was over. It was toast. T-O-A-S-T.
Tears pricked my eyes. When I palmed them away, Wright shot me a sideways glance.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” I answered truthfully. “I’m not. I can’t lose him.”
Surprising me, Wright reached over the console and gently squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll find him, Mads. We’ll find them both.”
I couldn’t look at him. I was too close to the edge. “I know we will.” And I did. “But it’swhatwe’ll find that scares me.”
I felt his eyes on me again and turned in my seat. “If you knew what we’ve been through these last six months, you’d know that if Nick were a cat, he’d be all out of spare lives. He’s got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve met. When he loves, he loves with every fibre of his being, big and bold and beautiful to be a part of. But he’s also, hands down, the most stupid, reckless, brave, self-sacrificing motherfucker with a martyr complex to have ever walked the earth. It’s a wonder he’s survived as long as he has. I love the man more than life itself, but when I get my hands on him, he’s gonna wish he’d never been born.” I hesitated. “Just thought you should know... just in case.”
Wright shot me an amused look. “Noted. I’ll keep the handcuffs close... just in case.”
I swallowed a smile. “That’s probably prudent of you.” I turned my attention back to the road. “I think I like you, Detective Jonothon Wright. Maybe you could visit me in prison.”
He barked out a laugh, and this time, I grinned. But when the car slowed at a sign that saidNolan Reserve,the mood in the car plummeted.
Wright drove through the open gate. “I’ll pull over well short of the car park and we’ll walk from there.”
“Fine,” I said distractedly, scanning the bush either side of the road. Mist licked through the trees, eerie and almost wraithlike. Fear balled in my belly. Nick was here, somewhere. I had a sense of him now. A sense of whatever that bond was that held us together. The part of my soul that belonged to him.
I wiped my damp palms down my thighs and peered through the gloom that blanketed the reserve and the road ahead.
I’m coming, baby. I’m coming.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
NICK
The car slowedand made a hard turn to the right. Almost immediately, the feel of the road changed—rougher, with more twists and a slow steady climb. But also quieter, the thrum of cars passing in the opposite direction was gone in seconds. This had to be the reserve. The next stop would be the lake.
Time was running out.
In the front of the car, Austin dialled back the volume on Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” I pictured him scanning his surroundings, nerves kicking in. I doubted he’d done anything like this before and wondered if I could use that. Back at the hut, he’d shown no concern about the idea of killing us, but face to face with the act itself could be a very different story.
Taking someone’s life wasn’t an easy thing to do.
Austin was many things, but I wasn’t convinced he was a killer. He talked a big game, but I had my doubts. Belinda, on the other hand? Yeah. I doubted she’d even blink an eye. The woman had self-serving narcissist written all over her. Manipulative, ruthless, and with zero empathy.
In some ways, I pitied Austin. Belinda would likely bleed him dry and then move on to her next mark without a single glance back. She was a con woman and likely worse. This wasn’t her first rodeo, of that I was sure. She was way too comfortable in the role and too damn good.
I wouldn’t know if I could manipulate Austin until the moment came. If he showed any hesitation about killing us, I’d only have seconds to work with. Seconds to convince him to turn on Belinda, who I was damn sure had set Austin up to take the blame if everything went south. As sure as I was that he was completely oblivious to her machinations, it would be a final Hail Mary, but I didn’t rate my chances. I needed to take any opportunity that came my way beforehand, regardless of how slim.
When the rental finally pulled to a stop, I waited for the sound of movement up front, but Austin remained quiet, his door closed, the only sound being the spit-spit of light rain on the lid of the trunk.
How long we sat there, I had no idea. I spent most of the time with my ears tuned to the patchy rhythm of Chloe’s shallow and increasingly noisy breathing. My heart stopped in my throat every time the rattling stopped. I’d nudge her shoulder and whisper her name. The last time, she’d given a soft moan, and I thought her head turned just a little my way. My mood brightened for a moment, then her head dropped forward again and she fell silent.
It was more response than I’d had before, but it wouldn’t be enough to save her from the frigid waters of the lake. At seventy-three, with her body temperature already dangerously low and Valium dulling her responses, Chloe wouldn’t last a minute. As much as I hated to admit it, Belinda’s plan was a good one.
I kissed the side of my mother’s neck and whispered, “I’m gonna do my best to get us out of this, Mum, but it’s notlooking good. If we don’t make it, I want you to know that I love you. I always did. They’re going to try and make it look like you drowned, so I need you to fight as hard as you can to fuck that up. You won’t be bound, so scratch yourself, hurt yourself, scream, do anything to make it look like you were in a fight. Don’t let them win, Mum.” I kissed her shoulder. “If we get through this, I was thinking you might like to come live in Auckland so we can be closer. I’d like us to get to know each other again. I—” The sound of the driver’s door opening silenced my next words.
