He really would have to say thank you to Michael later. Or at least send him a dodgy gift basket full of shitty food, which Michael would probably prefer, anyway.
Ducking into the stand of trees, he hesitated for a moment, before, forcing himself to be decisive, he forwarded the documents to Robb.
Could he trust Robb?
… He wanted to. Hethoughthe did. Robb had never given him reason in the past not to trust him, and he wanted to think that the distance he’d kept lately was solely due to following proper procedures during the investigation and suspension.
Either way, he had no choice. These other Agency guys were apparently going to stop at nothing to get Maisie, unless orders came down from above telling them otherwise.
Well, he hoped. Right now, he wasn’t sure if there was anyone hecouldtrust. The news about Aaron Merrett was still fresh in his mind, and if even someone who seemed as solid as Aaron could be a mole, thenanyonecould be suspect.
“Michael came through for us with information about what’s been going on,” he said to the other two, who looked grave. “I’ve forwarded what he gave me to Robb. Here’s hoping he tells these idiots to knock it off.”
“He’ll do whatever’s right,” Euan said seriously. “Robb is the best of us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Rhys said, trying to keep any doubt out of his voice.
Trent squinted as he followed the flight of the enormous bird. “You shift and go after them now,” he said. “We’ll stay back and hold the others off as much as we can – they’ll catch up to us pretty soon, I reckon.”
Rhys nodded. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Damn right you do,” Trent said cheerfully. “I accept payment in parmi and beer. Steak is also acceptable.”
“Ignore this idiot,” said Euan. “Go.”
Rhys shifted without another word, running from the trees and launching himself into the air. The area seemed quiet – probably everyone was off gawking at the crocodile – but he didn’t really care, anyway.
His griffin zeroed in on Maisie and her abductor within a split second, its eagle eyes locating them with ease. Well, itwasa giant bird, he supposed – it wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.
Haast’s eagle,the griffin hissed.Extinct bird from New Zealand. It could pick up an entire moa bird in its talons. It is a very dangerous foe.
Rhys supposed that if nothing else, his griffin’s half-eagle nature and its encyclopedic knowledge of birds came in handy sometimes.
I don’t care what it is or what it can pick up,he told the griffin.All I care about is getting our mate back.
That, at least, the griffin could agree with.
Letting out a furious screech, Rhys powered himself forward with mighty beats of his wings. The eagle might have been big and fast, but he was bigger and faster still. And he was fighting for his mate – there was nothing he couldn’t do when Maisie’s safety was on the line.
It might have been just his imagination, but hethoughthe saw the eagle –The Haast’s eagle!his griffin insisted – glance backward over its shoulder at the sound of Rhys’s infuriated screech, and then speed up a little in its flight.
That’s right, you better be nervous, you feathered piece of shit,Rhys thought, his rage only lending him more speed.
The eagle changed course, heading slightly further west, and Rhys followed.
It’s heading for Castle Hill.
He had no ideawhyit thought taking Maisie there was a good idea. He also had no idea who might be waiting for them up there.
I don’t give a shit,Rhys thought, putting on another burst of speed.
He hoped if the eagle did, for some reason, wish Maisie harm, then it would have shown some sign of that before now. But all it was doing was carrying her.
But Rhys couldn’t stop thinking about Robb’s voice as he’d told him that all the men – except for Brent – who’d attacked him were now dead.
At the time, it had struck him as strange, but it wasn’t as if it was the first time something like that had happened. Now, with everything he knew, Rhys was doubtful he’d gotten the whole truth.
Maybe those men didn’t kill themselves rather than reveal the truth after all. Maybe they were murdered to shut them up.
