Luke returns a minute later, tugging the headset gently off my head.I’m still staring at the river.
He leans in beside me, unclicking my seatbelt with complete calm.
‘You’re safe,’ he says, as if he’s promising me the weather will stay nice.‘The croc’s on the other side of that fence.’
I finally drag my eyes away from the water and look into his.‘You don’t know that.There could be more.Watching us.Plotting.’
‘I don’t,’ he agrees, lips quirking.‘But do you trust me?’
I snort.‘You said you don’t know if there are more crocodiles, and now you want me to trust you?’
His hand finds my knee, squeezes gently.‘You’ll be fine.Probably.’
‘That’s not the reassurance I was hoping for.’
Ella returns to the chopper, pops open a compartment and grabs a concerning collection of suspicious items: duct tape, two ropes and … a rag?
She gives me a gentler smile this time.‘You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.But …’ And here it comes.‘Imagine the bragging rights you’ll have over Abbey if you do.’
There it is.Low blow.Effective low blow.
I sigh and loosen my death grip on the seat.‘Fine.But if I get eaten, I’m haunting all three of you.Aggressively.Relentlessly.’
Luke steps back to let me out, smirking.‘I’m okay with that.’
I flip him my middle finger and follow Ella, regretting every life choice that led me to this literal life-or-death situation.
Darcy’s already got a stick in his hand and is fiddling with a length of rope that has a loop on the end.He sees me and grins.‘Big one, this guy.’
‘Awesome,’ I deadpan.‘Thank you for that information I did not ask for.’
Luke appears beside me, tying a knot like he’s done it a thousand times.He leans in, his breath warm against my ear.‘You’ll be okay.It’s just a croc.’
I scoff.‘Yeah, and hell is just a sauna.’
He laughs, the sound low and delighted, then walks over to the cage.
‘C’mon,’ he calls back.‘You don’t wanna miss this.’
I do, actually.Very much.
But I also kind of … don’t.
So, I follow him towards the edge of the water.Because nothing says ‘romantic comedy’ like aggressively flirty eye contact beside a predator and possible death.
The crocodile thrashes inside the fence, slamming its body against the metal with a bone-shakingclang.Water explodes over the edge, soaking the ground – and my shoes.Its jaws snap open, flashing prehistoric death, reptilian eyes locked on Darcy.
Darcy crouches on top of the fence, lowering a loop of rope towards the animal’s mouth.The second it catches he yanks tight and jumps down into the shallow water as the croc launches into a death roll.
‘Ella!Grab the rope!’Darcy barks, fighting to hold on.
Ella doesn’t hesitate – she bolts forward and grabs on, the two of them digging in their heels as the croc thrashes wildly.And then Luke’s there – of course he is – darting in to tie a second rope around the croc’s snout, forcing its jaws shut with terrifying efficiency.
With both ropes taut and the croc pulled tight against the fence, Darcy grabs the duct tape and starts wrapping it, fast and rough, around the animal’s snout.It’s chaos – but it seems they’ve done this a hundred times before.Like this is just … another day in paradise.
‘Okay.’Darcy pants.‘Now let’s get him out.Nice and easy.’
Together, the three of them begin dragging the croc out of its enclosure, its body sliding up the sandy bank inch by horrifying inch.
