SHELTER

by Boston, Claire

  He prayed.

  Chapter 20

  The boat trip took an eternity, Zamira’s bandage getting bloodier despite Jeremy applying pressure. She shivered violently.

  Damn. She still wore her wet pants. He removed them and wrapped a blanket around her lower half. On the other side of the cabin, Annisa huddled with Bethari who clutched a sea sickness bag in front of her. Although they were going with the waves this time, it didn’t seem any faster. He glanced out of the cabin window. The hills that marked the entrance to the inlet were getting closer. Good. “Almost there.” His teeth chattered.

  Kim glanced at him and his eyes widened. “Shit, Jeremy, are you still wearing wet clothes under the blanket?”

  He nodded.

  “Lincoln, monitor Zamira while he gets out of the clothes.”

  Lincoln moved him out of the way and he was too cold to stop him. His fingers shook as he stripped off his clothes and boots. Lincoln handed him a blanket and he wrapped it around his shoulders.

  Not far now.

  Over at the boat ramp, two ambulances were parked, their lights flashing. Kim slowed and pulled up along the jetty where the paramedics waited with stretchers. Jeremy helped Zamira to her feet and she swayed, slumping against him. He dragged her out of the cabin.

  “Let me get her,” Lincoln said. “You’re too cold.” He picked up Zamira and passed her to the paramedics. Guy made her lie on the stretcher and pushed her towards the ambulance.

  “You next.” Lincoln helped him off and Jeremy stumbled after Guy. Cynthia intercepted him. “Let me examine you.”

  Jeremy shook his head. “See to Zamira first.”

  “Guy’s got her. Were you injured?”

  “No.”

  “You’re wet. Did you go for a swim?”

  “Zamira fell in, went under.” The words caught in his throat. He could still see her disappearing. Guy loaded her into the ambulance as the other paramedics ran down the jetty to Annisa and Bethari.

  “OK, we need to warm you up.”

  He ignored the woman and climbed into the ambulance. “I’m going with her.”

  Cynthia took one look at him and then nodded. “Strap in.”

  In moments the ambulance was on its way, racing towards the hospital. Guy put an IV into Zamira’s arm and then handed Jeremy another blanket. “Wrap yourself in this.”

  It was warm inside the ambulance and his skin hurt from the change in temperature. He huddled in his blanket as Guy monitored Zamira.

  The ride to the hospital was fast and then Zamira was wheeled away from him. He tried to follow but Fleur stopped him. “You need to stay here,” she said. “Let me check you over.”

  “No—”

  Fleur put a hand on his chest. “Yes. You’ll only get in the way. The doctors have her. They’ll stabilise her before taking her to Albany.” She took his arm and led him over to a bed. “How long were you in the water?”

  “A while.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him and he blinked, bringing himself back to where he was. She was right. He needed to warm up so he could see Zamira when she came out.

  “About five minutes.”

  He answered Fleur’s questions and submitted to her prodding, his gaze on the door Zamira had gone through.

  She had to live.

  ***

  Zamira was warm. She slowly opened her eyes. Bright lights assaulted her and she squinted.

  “How are you feeling?”

  She turned to the female voice and saw a woman dressed in scrubs. She frowned. “Am I in hospital?”

  The woman nodded. “In Albany. Can you tell me your name?”

  “Zamira Musa.” She closed her eyes, pushing past the fatigue, trying to remember. She’d been cold, so cold… and wet. She’d fallen into the ocean. Henk. Being kidnapped, then shot. Jeremy had rescued her.

  She tried to sit up and her side pulled. “Where’s Jeremy?”

  The doctor smiled. “He’s in the waiting room,” she said. “Tell me, do you feel any pain?”

  Zamira put her hand to her head. “No.”

  “Good. You were shot, but the bullet missed anything vital. You’re very lucky.”

  She remembered the gunshot, but not any pain. She’d been too focused on not falling off the boat. “Are Annisa and Bethari all right?”

  The doctor nodded. “Jeremy told me to let you know they’re fine. They were taken to Blackbridge hospital.”

  It was over. Annisa was safe. She lay back down. “What time is it?”

  “Almost seven in the morning. Are you up for visitors?” the doctor asked. “A number of people want to talk to you. Jeremy’s been driving the nurses in the ED crazy asking about you.”

  Zamira smiled. “Yes.” She needed to see him too.

  “I’ll let them know.”

  Zamira shifted to a seated position. She had to tell him how much joy he’d brought into her world. His smile brightened her day, filled her with such hope, such love. Her chest squeezed and she let out a breath. He twisted her up in so many knots.

  Could there be a future for them?

  Jeremy walked in wearing jeans and a dark grey hoodie. He had rings under his eyes and his hair stuck out at all angles but he was alive and well. His face split into a huge smile. “Miri.” He strode over and pulled her into his arms and she hugged him back, inhaling deeply. Jeremy was here, he was safe. He kissed her softly.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she whispered.

  He snorted. “Me? You’re the one who was kidnapped, shot and almost drowned.”

  She frowned. She didn’t remember the almost drowning bit. “What happened?”

  “Jeremy, what are you doing here? I told you we needed to talk to her first.”

  Zamira glanced up as Agent Franklin and another Border Force officer walked into her room. Neither looked like they had slept.

  Jeremy shrugged, unconcerned. “You were too slow.”

  Franklin smiled at Zamira. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “We need to interview you about what happened. Are you up for it?”

  Zamira shifted to a more seated position in the bed. “Yes. Can Jeremy stay?”

  Franklin shook her head. “Not this time.”

  Jeremy sighed. “I’ll be in the waiting room. Come and get me when you’re finished.” He kissed Zamira and walked out.

  Her heart ached. She wanted him with her, wanted to talk to him about their future. Now Annisa was safe, she had no excuse to stay. She was due at work in four days. She had at most three more nights with Jeremy, three nights in this lovely town where most of the people were so friendly.

  “Tell us what happened last night.”

  Franklin’s question brought her back into the room. Right. They wanted answers.

  She told them in as much detail as she could. When she spoke about the shack, Franklin said, “So aside from Henk, there was the dinghy skipper and a man who helped Henk kidnap you?”

  “Yes. He stayed behind.”

  “Can you describe him?”

  “Taller than me, about a hundred and eighty centimetres, and broad across the shoulders. His face was covered.”

  “We’ll hopefully get some fingerprints from the shack when we find it.”

  Zamira couldn’t help them with that. “They were taking us to another boat,” she said. “Henk said we were meeting someone who pays well for women of a certain age.”

  Franklin nodded. “We’ve been monitoring boats in the area,” she said. “But with Henk not making the rendezvous, they won’t wait around for long.”

  “Did you find any information on the trawler?”

  “Not a lot. The crew don’t know much about the smuggling. They get paid well to transport the girls back and forth.”

  Zamira scowled. “They’ll go to jail though, won’t they?”

  Franklin nodded.

  “Good.” They had to be stopped. “This isn’t the end of the investigation, is it? It’s
got to be far bigger than Henk and his crew.”

  “We believe so.” Franklin studied her.

  “Where’s Henk now?”

  “He’s under police guard at the hospital,” the officer said. “He was shot after he shot you. He’ll go to jail as soon as he’s discharged.”

  That was a relief. “Has he said why he’s been doing this?”

  Franklin shook her head. “He’s not talking yet.”

  “Let me know when you need me to testify against him.”

  Franklin tilted her head to the side. “You kept it together last night,” she said. “You saved those two women. Have you ever considered moving into operations? We need a new person in the region.”

  Zamira’s mouth dropped open. “I’ve tried, but never got an interview.”

  Franklin frowned. “You’re from Melbourne, aren’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll have a word to my colleagues over there.”

  Zamira grinned. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it.” She hesitated. “I’m open to moving to Western Australia if there’s a job available.” And then she could stay with Jeremy.

  Franklin smiled. “I’ll be in touch next week.” She glanced at her notepad. “We’ve contacted Annisa’s family. We haven’t got much information out of Annisa or Bethari as yet, but they’ll both need to go into detention.”

  Zamira gritted her teeth. It was the correct procedure for someone who was illegally in the country, but she didn’t have to like it. “Do you need me to translate?”

  Franklin shook her head. “It’s best we get a neutral party.” She stood. “We’ll let you rest.”

  “Thank you. Could you send Jeremy back in?”

  Franklin smiled. “Of course.”

  Moments after Franklin left, Jeremy walked in with Annisa by his side. “Look who arrived.”

  “Zamira!” Annisa flung her arms around Zamira.

  She hugged her back. “How are you?”

  “I’m safe. You rescued me.”

  Someone had given her a change of clothes and she looked rested. “How did you get here?”

  “A Border Force woman brought me.”

  That was nice. “Have you spoken with your mother?”

  Annisa nodded. “She’s happy.”

  “Good.”

  Jeremy sat on the other side of her bed and took her hand. She had so much she wanted to say to him, but not with Annisa there.

  Annisa continued to talk, telling her Bethari was well and about everything that had happened since she’d arrived in Australia. All the while, Jeremy stroked her hand, seemingly content to be by her side.

  A couple of hours later, Franklin returned. “The translator has arrived and we need to question Annisa.”

  Zamira translated for Annisa and she frowned, stepping away from the agent.

  “It’s all right,” Zamira said. “They’ll take care of you.”

  “You won’t leave without me?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  After Annisa left, Zamira closed her eyes. She was tired.

  “Do you want to sleep?” Jeremy asked.

  “No.” What she wanted was for Jeremy to hold her and tell her he loved her. She opened her eyes again. “I’m a little hungry though.”

  “Let me ask if you’re allowed to eat.” He jumped up and left the room, freezing right outside, the smile disappearing from his face

  “Jeremy, are you finally here to visit your sister?”

  The angry tone had Zamira sitting up. She couldn’t see the woman talking.

  “Mum.” His voice was flat.

  Zamira gasped and shifted, cautiously swinging her legs off the bed. She couldn’t let Jeremy face his family alone.

  “Miri, don’t get up.” Jeremy rushed to her side and footsteps clicked closer.

  “Who’s this?” The woman standing in the doorway was in her fifties, significant grey through her short hair and her face pinched.

  Jeremy glanced at Zamira, uncertainty in his eyes. With a deep breath he faced his mother. “Mum, this is my friend, Zamira.”

  “What happened to you?” the woman asked.

  Zamira narrowed her eyes. This woman had abandoned her son. “I was kidnapped, shot and nearly drowned. Your son saved my life.” She squeezed Jeremy’s hand.

  “Oh.” His mother blinked, her face hardened. “Fallen into a bad crowd, have you?”

  Jeremy flinched.

  Zamira clenched her teeth. “How dare you?” Before she could give her a piece of her mind, a guy in his twenties joined Jeremy’s mother. “What’s going on?” He spotted Jeremy and grinned. “Hey, Moira just asked me to call you.” His gaze drifted to Zamira. “Oh, sorry, I’m interrupting.”

  Jeremy’s mother huffed and walked away. Jeremy watched her go, the pain clear on his face.

  “I’m Zamira.” She held out a hand to the guy.

  “Ollie.” He shook it. “I’m Jeremy’s soon to be brother-in-law.”

  She’d forgotten all about Moira’s car accident yesterday. She touched Jeremy’s arm. “You should go visit Moira.” Jeremy needed to speak with his sister. They had unresolved issues. “I could do with a nap.” She looked at Ollie. “Can you take his mother for a coffee?”

  He smiled and nodded. “We were heading to the café anyway.”

  Jeremy glanced at her. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. She could wait to tell him she loved him. They had time now.

  He let out a sigh. “OK. I’ll ask the nurses about some food for you on the way.” With all the pain he must be feeling, he still remembered she was hungry. No wonder she loved him.

  He brushed a kiss on her cheek.

  “Take your time,” she whispered.

  ***

  Zamira snuggled down under the covers and smiled at him. With her support, he could do this. Jeremy left the room with Ollie. “Which way?”

  “Next door.”

  Ollie went in first and Jeremy stopped a nurse in the hall, asking her for some food for Zamira.

  When Ollie came out a moment later, he said, “Moira’s alone. I’ll keep Tracey away for a while.”

  “Thanks.” His chest tight, steps uncertain, he walked into the hospital room. Moira wore a cotton nightgown and had small cuts all over her face.

  She grinned. “Hey, Jeremy.”

  He swallowed hard and shifted closer to Moira’s bed. “How are you?”

  “Sore,” she said. “But alive. Thank you for getting me out of the car.”

  He shrugged. “It’s what I do.”

  Moira sighed. “I should know that.” She studied him, took a deep breath. “Sorry isn’t a big enough word. I can’t apologise to you enough for not speaking to you for thirteen years.”

  His throat closed over and he stepped back. He hadn’t been expecting an apology. “It is what it is.”

  She frowned. “What it is, is inexcusable. I’m surprised you agreed to meet me.”

  “You’re family.”

  “Family who has treated you like shit.”

  It was strange to hear his sweet little sister swear.

  She shook her head. “God, I’ve got no excuse. I believed everything Mum said, I blamed you for killing Dad for so long.”

  He clenched his teeth. “I did kill him.”

  “It was an accident,” she said. “It took me so long to realise it. It wasn’t until I almost got run over while texting that I understood how a moment of inattention could kill.”

  His heart lurched. “Were you hurt?”

  “No. I managed to stop in time.” She tapped her thigh. “I met Ollie right afterwards and he asked about my family and I thought about you, about what had happened.” She glanced up at him. “I looked you up, I had your number, but I was too scared to call. Then I saw you in the hardware store and I knew it was you. You look so much like Dad.”

  He gritted his teeth against the pain.

  “I am so sorry for how I treated you. I lost my father and brother tha
t day.”

  “You were just a kid. You didn’t know any better.”

  “So were you. How did you manage? Where did you go?”

  There was so much she didn’t know. “Pete took me in.”

  She opened her mouth. “He never said.”

  “I asked him not to. Didn’t want to cause any trouble between him and Mum.” They’d all been good friends. Whenever Pete had invited her and the girls over, Jeremy had made himself scarce and had moved out as soon as he could afford it.

  She was silent for a moment. “So how long have you lived in Blackbridge?”

  “About five years. I opened my business there.”

  “Mendelson Construction. You’ve got some great reviews on your website.”

  She really had been checking on him.

  She touched his hand. “I’d like to have you back in my life, Jeremy.” She screwed up her face. “If you can forgive me.”

  He couldn’t blame her. At only ten she would have believed whatever their mother told her. “I’d like that too.”

  Her eyes watered and her smile was shaky. “I’m so glad.” She used the sheets to dab her eyes.

  Jeremy hesitated. “What will you do if Mum doesn’t want you to see me?”

  She frowned. “Tell her I’m going to have a relationship with you whether she likes it or not.”

  Moira was no longer the little girl eager to please.

  His heart swelled and he gently hugged her. “It’s nice to have you back, Moi-Moi.”

  “Ditto.”

  ***

  Jeremy’s eyes felt like lead and frustration filled him by the time Zamira was discharged later that afternoon. He hadn’t had Zamira to himself at all. Nurses had come and gone, Moira had wanted to know everything about him and about what had happened to Zamira, and just as his mother had returned and Moira had declared she needed a nap, Annisa had returned from being questioned by Border Force.

  He was desperate for sleep, but he wasn’t leaving Zamira’s side again. Not for a long time.

  Finally, the doctor had come around to discharge her. Though he hadn’t wanted the company, he’d invited Annisa and Bethari to stay at his place and was relieved when Agent Franklin had insisted they stay with them because both women were illegally in Australia.

  He scanned the carpark for his ute. Kim had found the key in Zamira’s jacket, which had been left on the boat, and had dropped it off earlier so they could get home. Zamira yawned as she got into the car.