She needed to talk to him, needed to convince him she wasn’t his enemy. Creepy Guy had said his name when he was beating him up. She closed her eyes, trying to remember.
Her eyes flashed open.
Shane.
Was he Nicholas’s friend? Was this how he was repaying his debts?
Shifting slowly, she twisted her head to see the man. There was a metal grid safety screen between them, but he would see her if she sat up. He was about Nicholas’s age, could very well be his friend. Which meant this might not be about drugs, but his vendetta against Nicholas.
Anger flooded her. This bastard had burned down her bakery. She was certain of it. She wouldn’t let him get away with it, she wouldn’t try to reason with him.
She also wouldn’t lie here and let him take her wherever he was headed. The surfboard was too bulky to make an effective weapon and there wasn’t even a toolkit in the back of the van.
She wasn’t restrained though, so she could jump out if the van slowed down enough.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself.
The van jolted some more and her head cracked against the floor. Stars flooded her mind. She needed to be careful, had to stay conscious. The way the van shuddered indicated they were on an unsealed road – they could be anywhere. Depending on the direction Shane had taken, outside could be thick forest or low beach scrub.
She’d either have a chance to lose him, or be a sitting duck.
But she couldn’t just lie here and wait for the van to stop. She had to do something.
A particularly nasty bump in the road jolted her and she shut her eyes, using the momentum to fling herself closer to the door. She waited for Shane to say something or to slow down.
Nothing.
Opening her eyes a sliver, she looked at him. His grip was tight on the steering wheel and he stared straight ahead. From where she lay she saw the top of eucalyptus trees and blue sky. Bush. She might be able to escape. She watched him for a minute, waiting to see if he would check his rear-view mirror and then realised he wasn’t going to. The back of the van had no windows.
She rolled towards the door and reached up to pull the handle.
Locked.
But there had to be a way of unlocking it from the inside.
The bumps were less frequent and the noise of the tyres on gravel lessened. They were slowing down.
She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. Fight time. She had to use the element of surprise. At her size, she needed all the help she could get. The surfboard would have to do.
The van stopped and the engine switched off, the ensuing silence all-encompassing until a kookaburra laughed.
The front door slammed and footsteps crunched closer as Shane came around the back of the van. She crouched, picked up the surfboard and waited, straining to hear, to sense what he was doing.
Eyes and throat – the most vulnerable areas.
She would aim for them.
The door swung open and the second it was wide enough she yelled, thrusting the point of the surfboard directly in his face.
“Fuck!” He staggered back.
Mai leaped out of the van and ran, fighting through a wave of dizziness. The red gravel road was potholed, with slippery ball-bearing like pebbles. Eucalypts towered on either side of her, the undergrowth scrubby and not very thick. She wouldn’t be able to lose him in there. Far better if she kept to the road, she could go faster. Heart pounding, she glanced behind. Shane was right there, no more than a couple of metres away.
She couldn’t let him catch her.
Pushing herself harder, she pumped her arms, keeping an eye on the road and her surroundings. She was a jogger, there was no way he would outrun her.
She checked behind again. He was falling back, his face red and angry.
Suddenly her foot hit a pothole and her ankle twisted, pain shooting straight up her leg. Her arms flailed as she stumbled and her ankle gave way. She yelled, sprawling palms first into the gravel. The tiny pebbles tore into her skin and tears pricked her eyes.
She had to keep going.
She pushed herself up, clenching her teeth as her ankle screamed at her not to move.
Shane came to a stop in front of her, panting, hands on his hips. His pupils were so dilated they almost blocked out his irises. “You’re not getting away from me, bitch,” he spat out.
Mai tried again to stand, but it was no use. She couldn’t run any further. All she had left were words. “What do you want with me?”
“Get up.” He grasped her ponytail and yanked her to her feet.
Mai wanted to vomit at the pain. She swayed, trying not to put any weight on to her twisted ankle. “Shane, please. I’ve done nothing to you.”
“You’re a means to an end.” He clutched her arm and dragged her towards the van and the rickety corrugated iron shack behind it. There were gaping, rusted holes in its side, a rotten wooden verandah and part of the roof had fallen off. It looked like something that would fall down in a strong gust of wind.
She needed to keep him talking. Needed to get his keys and get into the van. She’d only have one chance. “What do you mean?”
“You saw too much, you’re a loose thread that needs to be tied off.” He grunted as she slipped and fell against him. “And if that means Nicholas suffers too, then it’s all the better.”
He was Nicholas’s friend.
Mai gritted her teeth and struggled to keep pace with Shane. Every step was pure torture. Her foot was swollen more than over-proved dough. “Why?”
The van was getting closer.
“He didn’t pay the damned insurance,” Shane yelled. “That was my ticket to freedom and he stole it from me. I was forced into rehab, my parents cut me off, and now I’ve got to do horrific shit for the Tiger to pay off my debts.”
“It was a mistake,” Mai said.
“Nicholas doesn’t make mistakes – he’s the goddamn golden child. He knew what I was doing. He wanted me caught.” Shane’s face screwed up in anger. “His parents didn’t even punish him. Instead they gave him a cushy job in his favourite town, while I’ve been living in this shit hole.” Shane pointed to the shack.
Only ten metres to the van now. Where were the keys? He was a city guy so they wouldn’t still be in the ignition.
As they drew next to van, she stumbled and fell to her knees to force Shane closer to her, the thick fire-fighting pants cushioning some of the pain. Her pulse beat loudly in her ears as he swore.
“Get to your feet.” He jerked her up and she fell against him. This was her chance.
She reached into his jeans.
They were too tight. Her fingers brushed metal and he slapped her hand, pushing her away. She sprawled on the ground.
“Sneaky bitch.” He slapped her hard and her head snapped back. The pain made her eyes water and her ears ring. Before she recovered, he hauled her over his shoulder, pinning her legs tight against his chest. “Lucky you’re a tiny thing.”
She wasn’t going down without a fight.
She elbowed the back of his head, forcing it forward. Shane swore, then squeezed her twisted ankle hard. The searing pain left her breathless and weak, as he clomped up the front steps of the shack and then dumped her onto the dusty, dirty floor. Around her were bags of rubbish from various fast food outlets and some meth pipes. The only chair in the room, a fold-up camp chair, was too far away.
There was nothing she could use as a weapon. He dug a packet out of his jacket pocket.
Cable ties.
Shit.
She wouldn’t get away if he used those on her. She sat up, ignoring the pain and punched him square in the balls. He bent over with a bellow and his fist connected with her face again.
She fought the darkness this time, but lost.
As Nicholas strode into the fire station he scanned the faces of those prepping the vehicles for Mai. She wasn’t there.
She’d refused to answer his calls since he’d told her about Shane, texti
ng him to say she needed a little more time.
He didn’t want to give it to her, wanted to show her how sorry he was, but he wouldn’t force it. He had to respect her wishes.
As much as he hated it.
Lincoln strode into the building and went straight to Lawrence, his face grim.
Something was wrong.
Was it just the bush fire?
He kept one eye on the two men as he performed the necessary checks.
When Lawrence called everyone around the table, Mai still wasn’t there.
Where was she?
“It’s a big mother,” Lawrence said. “Lincoln’s the incident coordinator for Blackbridge, but the Department of Fire and Emergency Services is in charge. They’re getting the water bombers in the air as soon as possible. We don’t want this to become like Esperance.”
A fire that had burned for more than ten days.
“At the moment no properties are threatened, but that will change if the wind alters direction in line with the forecast. We’re waiting for further instructions.” He looked up from the map. “I want half of you to go home and sleep. This is going to be a long one and we’ll need a fresh team to do the night shift.”
As they discussed who was going on the first shift, Nicholas rang Mai. It went straight to voice mail. He frowned, worry prickling his gut.
“Nicholas, do you know where Mai is?” Lawrence called.
“No. I just phoned her – no answer.”
Lincoln glanced up. “I’ll call Fleur.”
Nicholas strode over to him and caught the end of the conversation.
“No, she’s not here yet. I’ll call you when she turns up.” Lincoln hung up. “Fleur said she left ten minutes ago. She was on foot.”
Nicholas’s mouth was dry as he headed to the entrance and scanned up and down the road. A couple of kids kicked a football in the front yard of a house, but there was no one else on the street. “Which way is Fleur’s house?”
“That way.” Lincoln pointed up the hill. “Where is she?”
There was no ditch she could have fallen into, no bushes to hide behind. And she wouldn’t have stopped at anyone’s place on the way. “I’m going to take a look,” he said and walked up the road. It was a pointless exercise, but he couldn’t ignore his instinct. Something was wrong.
He met Fleur halfway to her house. They didn’t need to say anything. Fleur strode over to the kids playing on the lawn. “Jacob, did you see Mai walk past in the last few minutes? She was wearing fire-fighting clothes like Nicholas.”
Jacob shook his head.
“I did,” the little girl next to him piped up. “She fell down when the van almost hit her and the driver took her away.”
Nicholas’s heart stopped. “She was hit by a van?”
The girl shook her head. “No. She almost ran into the back of it. Then the driver got out and she fell down and he put her in the back.”
Fleur and Nicholas exchanged glances. “I’ll call the hospital,” Fleur said.
Nicholas squatted down so he was closer to the girl’s height. “What colour was the van?”
“Black.”
Every hair in his body stood on end. Hell. Had Creepy Guy taken her? Had he not been satisfied by burning her buildings? His throat tightened and he swallowed. “What did the driver look like?”
She shrugged. “Just a regular old man.”
“As old as me?” Nicholas asked. “Or as old as your granddad?”
“You.”
“What colour hair did he have?”
“Yellow, like mine.”
Blond man, Nicholas’s age. Could it have been Shane? He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, scrolling until he found a photo of his friend. “Did he look like this?”
The girl squinted at it and nodded. “That’s him.”
Why the hell had he taken Mai?
Fleur hung up. “No one’s been admitted to the emergency room.”
“We need to get Lincoln.” He thanked the kids and together they ran down the road to the station.
His phone beeped as he entered the building and he pulled it out of his pocket. The photo in the message stopped his heart and his feet. Mai sat in a camp chair, her arms tied behind her, her head down, eyes closed, face bruised. There was a map location and the words Come alone.
Fleur bumped into him. “Nicholas?” She peered over his shoulder and snatched the phone out of his hand. “Lincoln, Mai’s been kidnapped!”
No. The message said come alone.
He lunged for the phone, but Fleur evaded him, reaching Lincoln and Lawrence. Silence. The rest of the fire-fighters were all staring at them.
Shit.
Now what?
Lincoln glanced at the photo and swore. “Who has her?”
“Shane.”
Lincoln glared at him. “What does he want with her?”
“I don’t know.” He didn’t want to contemplate it. It was his fault Mai was in this mess. “I need to go.”
“That’s in the middle of the national park,” Lawrence said. “It’s north of the fire, but if you don’t get her out before the wind changes direction you’ll be right in its path.” He scanned the map on the table and pointed out the location.
Nicholas didn’t care. He had to save Mai.
“Call the number,” Lincoln told him.
He dialled and headed for the street away from eavesdroppers.
“You got my message.” The voice was painfully familiar.
He squeezed his eyes shut. “Shane, what are you doing? Why have you taken Mai?”
“Because you took away my options,” he growled. “I’ve got no choice, and now you don’t either. Let’s see how you like it.”
His pulse raced. Shane sounded a little crazy. He had to reason with him. “There’s a bush fire in the national park. You need to get out of there.”
He chuckled. “Who do you think lit it? Don’t worry, we’re nowhere near it, but the fire-fighters and police will have their hands full for a while. You’ve got fifteen minutes before I start poking holes in her.”
“Wait!”
Shane had already hung up.
Would he really hurt her? After the fires he wasn’t sure. He pushed past Lincoln, heading for his car.
“Nicholas!” It was Lawrence not Lincoln who called out. “Take the fast attack vehicle.” Lawrence tossed him the keys. “It’s more protected if you get caught.”
He’d be driving directly towards the fire. Something he was getting used to. “Thanks.”
“Nic, I need to call this in.” Lincoln strode next to him as he headed for the vehicle. “We need to put a plan in place.”
Nicholas climbed behind the wheel. “Here’s my plan. I’m going to go in, save Mai and get out before the fire arrives. You do what you need to do.” He hit the accelerator and the sirens.
He had fourteen minutes to go.
The distance to destination on his phone decreased far too slowly for Nicholas’s liking. Once he hit the gravel road, he was forced slow. The road could have won a record for the most potholes in a single stretch.
He checked the time. Eight minutes.
He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and pushed the car faster.
As he drove, Lawrence fed him fire updates via the radio. “The wind change came early, Nic. The fire’s heading your way.”
He swore. There was nothing he could do about it. He had to push on, had to get to Mai.
His phone rang and he hit the answer button.
“I’ve been in touch with Parks and Wildlife Service, there’s an old, disused shack in that location,” Lincoln said. “We think that’s where Shane is. There’s only one road in, so he can’t leave without passing you.”
That was only partially good news. There would be no other way to escape the fire but this rough road.
“Albany police are backing us up and Ryan and I are on the way.”
They’d be in the fire’s path as well. Mai w
ouldn’t forgive him if Lincoln got hurt because of this. “The wind has changed. It’s heading this way.”
“I know.”
Lincoln was crazy. He had to keep him safe. He could handle his best friend. “Shane said to come alone.”
“He didn’t say anything about us turning up after you.” Lincoln hung up.
Damn it. He reached for the radio as it crackled to life. “This is Blackbridge Station to Blackbridge Fast Attack One.”
“Go ahead,” Nicholas said.
“The wind is picking up speed. It looks bad. Be fast.”
He smiled. Lawrence knew he wasn’t turning back. “You need to stop Lincoln from heading in. He doesn’t have the gear.”
“I’ll try.”
Three minutes.
Nicholas wound down his window and sniffed the air. No smoke. The sky was clear and the forest looked like any other day. There was no clue a fire raged towards him.
Finally, up ahead was a black van, its back doors open, a white surfboard on the ground and behind it the shack.
At last.
He slowed, scanning for Mai, for Shane.
They must be inside.
He pulled in and parked so the vehicle pointed back towards the road. He might need a fast exit.
Pocketing the keys, he got out, holding in his desire to race straight in there. He didn’t know what his friend was capable of anymore.
The front door of the corrugated iron shack was open, and through one of the rusted gaps he saw movement.
“Shane, are you there?”
“Nicholas?” Mai’s voice was low, a little weak.
She was alive. Relief filled him and he moved closer, scanning the nearby bush. “Are you all right, Mai?”
“Nicholas, you’ve got to run. Shane’s got a—” A sharp crack cut off Mai’s words.
Fury rushed over him and he stormed into the shack, pulling up short.
Fuck.
He blinked, not believing what was in front of him.
Mai sat on the camp chair, her hands behind her back and her feet cable-tied together. Her face was bruised, her head lolling to one side.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
The worst by far was what Shane held in his hand.
Nothing to Gain Page 23
