He barely recognised his best friend who stood behind Mai. His eyes had a crazy glint to them, his normally styled hair was dishevelled and his nose was swollen and bloody.
He held a syringe full of something against Mai’s neck.
Nicholas froze, then slowly raised his hands to show he was unarmed. “Let her go, Shane.”
“No can do.” His expression was grim. “This is what you’ve forced me into, Nicholas. If you’d paid the insurance, I’d be in Perth right now, not in this shit hole. Instead I’ve had to do things I never would have done, just to pay off my debts.” He shook his head as if he didn’t believe it. “And while I was trying not to get killed, you were going to New Year’s Eve parties as if you didn’t have a care in the world.”
He needed to keep Shane talking. “I cared. I wanted to help.”
“Bullshit. You got me thrown into rehab while you had a holiday down here.”
“Dad wanted to hide me away. He was furious with me.” Nicholas took a step forward and Shane gripped Mai’s hair, tilting her head so her neck was exposed.
“Wait!” His heart pounded in his chest. He couldn’t let Shane inject her.
Shane laughed, the sound frighteningly lacking in joy. “You really do like her, don’t you? I mean, I know you were sleeping with her, but you should see the panic in your eyes.” His smile was vicious. “The Golden Boy is in looove.”
The words hit him like a bullet.
Shane was right.
He loved Mai.
And there was no way in hell he would let anyone take her away from him.
Shane lifted the syringe. “This contains one hell of a high. The same concentrated dose Gordon received before he drove away.”
“Gordon.” Terror clutched his chest.
“Yeah, that sad sap you pulled from the wreckage. He was attracting too much attention.”
“You did that?” What had happened to his best friend?
Shane’s eyes were haunted. “The Tiger said it was him or me. I chose him.”
Shane was seriously unstable. Nicholas’s eyes locked on the syringe. He had to get it. “You’ve got a problem with me not her.”
“She put her nose where it didn’t belong, just like you.” He shrugged. “And like you, she has to pay.” He lowered the syringe towards Mai’s neck.
Nicholas lunged at him as Mai flung her body to the right. The force of her momentum caused the chair to tip and she crashed to the ground, out of Nicholas’s way. He grasped Shane’s hand and the needle flew out of it.
Shane swore, but recovered quickly. He roared and swung his fist at Nicholas’s face.
Nicholas dodged, but not fast enough. The blow hit his cheek hard enough to make his teeth rattle. He channelled the pain, using it to fuel his anger. He wasn’t as tall as his friend but he was stronger. He punched Shane back, throwing his whole weight forward and trapping Shane against one of the walls. The shack shuddered at the impact and the syringe rolled towards them.
Nicholas stamped on it, and there was a sharp crack as it broke.
Pressing his arm against Shane’s throat, he growled, “It’s over.” This was his friend. He was sick and he needed help, but Nicholas wasn’t giving him any more second chances. He needed to restrain him, tie him up.
He glanced around for more cable ties.
“Not until that bitch is dead,” Shane spat and his knee connected with Nicholas’s groin.
Pain shot through him, and Nicholas stumbled back, gasping for breath. He had no time to recover. Shane pounced on him, pushed him to the ground and pounded his fists into Nicholas’s face.
Nicholas blocked the punches as best as he could, but each blow was like a jack-hammer.
Shane was beating him to death.
A metallic taste filled his mouth and he could barely see through the red haze in his eyes. He bucked, but it was no use. Shane had him pinned. The drugs had given him super strength.
He couldn’t give up. Mai needed him.
He couldn’t see her near him, didn’t know where she’d gone, couldn’t lift his head to look.
They were both going to die.
Chapter 19
Mai fought to stay conscious as she hit the ground. Her shoulders screamed at her and her ankle pulsed but she gritted her teeth. She had to get free. Had to help Nicholas.
She wriggled, glad Shane had only tied her wrists together and hadn’t actually tied her to the chair. She glanced up. Nicholas had Shane against the wall of the shack, but Shane had crazy on his side.
Shuffling into a seated position, she tried to rise. Her ankle buckled, pain swamping her.
That wasn’t going to work.
Changing tactics, she rolled towards the door. She had to find something sharp to cut the plastic ties.
As she reached the opening, the scent of smoke hit her. The bush fire.
She’d forgotten all about it.
Black smoke filled the sky, rolling towards her like clouds.
It was close.
She crept like a worm out of the doorway as Nicholas yelled. Her heart raced. She had to be quick, had to cut her restraints, but maybe she could distract Shane. “Fire!” she screamed.
Nicholas had brought the fast attack. There were tools inside, but she couldn’t stand to get to them. The rusted holes in the corrugated walls weren’t in a position she could reach either.
Scanning the surrounding bush, her eyes fell on a rusty sheet of iron to the left of the shack. It must be from the roof. She squirmed towards the step as Shane filled the doorway.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Nausea churned in her at his bloodied hands. Had he killed Nicholas?
Her heart spasmed. No, he couldn’t have.
She wouldn’t believe it.
“The bush fire’s heading this way. We have to go.”
As if emphasising her point, five grey kangaroos bounded out of the bush, almost crashing into the vehicles before continuing on – their panic clear.
Shane hesitated.
“There’s only one road out of here. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be trapped.” There was a sharp bang in the bush. “That’s a tree exploding,” Mai told him. “It’s close.” Too close. If he didn’t help them, she and Nicholas were going to burn alive.
Shane was already moving towards his van.
“Wait! Nicholas is your best friend.”
He hesitated, glancing back at her.
“At least untie me!”
He shook his head as he got behind the steering wheel. “You both have to die.” With a spray of gravel, he was gone.
Mai coughed as the dust floated towards her. “Nicholas!”
The faint groan gave her hope.
Restraints first. If Nicholas wasn’t fully conscious she wouldn’t be able to help him as she was.
She bumped down the steps and rolled over to the rusted roof, relieved her fire-fighting gear offered some protection.
The light dimmed as the smoke clouded the sun. Soon she would be unable to see what she was doing. The bush started to spit and hiss as the fire crept closer.
Hands first. She shifted, twisting her neck to see what she was doing as she found a sharp edge. She sucked in a breath as it bit into her skin. Adjusting her position she tried again.
This time she found it.
In two swipes the plastic snapped and she yanked her hands in front of her, rubbing them quickly. “Nicholas, we need to get out of here. Are you all right?”
No response.
Using her freed hands, she swung her legs around and made short work of the ties on her ankles. She staggered to her feet, closing her eyes for a second against the wave of dizziness and then hopping the short distance to the shack. Around her spot fires were igniting.
They were running out of time.
She staggered up the steps. Nicholas lay in a heap on the floor, his face smeared with blood.
Oh, God.
She closed her eyes as the nausea
hit her. She clenched her fists. No. She was not going to faint.
She could handle the blood.
She had to.
Nicholas needed her.
Focusing on the wall in front of her, she limped over, then crouched down by him. His blood was warm and wet as she shook his shoulder. “Nicholas!”
She risked a glance.
His eyes were open.
Thank God. “You need to move.” She tugged at his arm. “There’s a bush fire on our doorstep and if we don’t move we’re both going to die.” She coughed as smoke flowed into the hut.
Suddenly it was dark. Very dark.
“Mai?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Stand up for me.”
He moved slowly, far too slowly, getting to his hands and knees. He groaned.
The shack was getting warmer.
There wasn’t much time.
Mai got to her feet, all her weight on her good foot, and gripped him under the arms. “On your feet.” He weighed a ton.
He lifted first one foot and then the other until he stood.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Every step was absolute agony as she put weight on her injured ankle in order to support Nicholas. The short distance between the shack and the fast attack seemed endless.
Smoke stung her eyes. The fire raged, engulfing one side of the road almost completely. The radiant heat burned. She threw open the passenger side door. “In you go.” She shoved Nicholas inside and slammed the door behind him.
Using the tray of the vehicle for balance, she hopped around to the driver’s side, snatching the two petrol-filled jerry cans off the back as she did so and leaving them on the ground. She didn’t need them exploding if they got caught.
Ash swirled all around her and she coughed as she climbed into the driver’s side.
No keys.
“Nic, where are the keys?”
His head was back against the head rest, his eyes closed.
Shit.
“Nic!” She reached over the centre console and shook him. He groaned. The keys had to be in his pocket. There was nowhere else they could be. She dug into his pocket and dragged them out.
Hallelujah.
She turned the engine and it spluttered, coughed and then roared to life. Gritting her teeth when her sprained ankle pressed the clutch, she stuck the vehicle into gear and drove.
It was dark as night now, the smoke completely blocking out the sun. She flicked on her headlights and reached for the radio. “This is Blackbridge Fast Attack One calling Blackbridge Station.”
“Mai, where the hell are you?” Lawrence demanded.
“I don’t know. I’ve just left a shack in the national park. The fire is to my left and it’s bad.”
“I can direct you out. Is Nicholas with you?”
“Roger that. He’s injured. We’re going to need medical assistance as soon as we get out of here.”
“I’ll have an ambulance on standby. When you get to a T-junction turn right.”
The heat radiating through the windows was unbelievable, hot enough to make her skin burn, but the potholed road made it impossible to go any faster. She fumbled with the velcro of the heat shield curtain on the side window, rolling it down and sticking it in place. It blocked her view of the fire, but also some of the heat.
Nicholas moaned.
“Nicholas, stay with me.” She glanced at him as the vehicle crawled forward as fast as the visibility and road would let her. Sparks of flame flew at the windscreen along with a whole heap of ash. She flicked on her windscreen wipers.
“Mai?” Nicholas’s voice was soft, weak.
Relief flooded her. “I’m taking you to hospital.” Mai put all the confidence she could in her voice.
How much further was it to the T-junction?
The engine warning light flashed on only seconds before the engine died and the vehicle slowed.
No, no, no.
Not now.
She turned the key off and on again. Silence.
The car was dead in the middle of a bush fire.
And they had no burnover sprinklers.
The fire had jumped the road and both sides of the bush were alight with flame, the heat burning her skin. She had to do something. “Emergency, emergency, emergency. Blackbridge Fast Attack One in burnover. Our engine has died.” She checked the time.
There was a short pause before the response. “Don’t leave the vehicle, Mai.” Lawrence’s voice was strained.
She wasn’t stupid. “Roger that. We’ll need someone to fetch us when it’s safe to do so.” Quickly she lowered the heat shield curtains on the windshield and behind her, then climbed over Nicholas to do the same on his side. She grabbed the burnover blankets and tucked one around Nicholas. His eyes flickered open.
“I need you to lie still for me,” she said. “I’m going to get you some oxygen.”
“It’s hot.”
“Yeah and it’s going to get hotter,” she said. The smoke seeped into the cab, eucalyptus and wood combined with melted plastic. She choked and lifted a breathing apparatus to her face, turning it on before doing the same for Nicholas.
Burnovers were counted in minutes. This wasn’t going to last long.
She spread the other burnover blanket over herself and hunched down in her seat.
All at once she felt like the bread she baked. They were in an oven and it was horrific. It was so dark and she didn’t dare lift the reflective curtains to peer outside. Seeing death coming towards her wouldn’t change the outcome.
The fire roared and snapped, trees exploded, branches fell. There was a war going on outside. And all she could do was pray.
The radio crackled but she couldn’t make out the words.
“What’s happening?” Nicholas’s voice was weak and he shifted. She placed a hand over his chest to stop him from displacing the blanket.
“Nothing much.” She flashed him a smile. “We’re stuck in a broken down car while a bush fire rages around us.”
“Huh?” He tried to lift his head and she stopped him.
“Lie still. It will be over in a minute and then we can get out.” Assuming they survived the baking heat, and assuming the doors didn’t melt.
The noise outside was like a jumbo jet and Mai took another gulp of oxygen. Her whole body was heavy, lethargic, her ankle pulsing a steady, painful beat. She needed water but she was worried about removing her mask, worried about the chemicals that might be in the air. And only a few minutes had passed.
How much heat did it take to bake a human?
She didn’t know, didn’t want to know.
But this could be it for them. They might not make it out of the vehicle.
Her heart squeezed and her lungs burned. After all of the trauma of the past few days, this was the worst. But the scariest thought wasn’t that she might die, but that Nicholas might.
He wasn’t to blame for Shane’s actions. Shane was crazy, irrational, blinded by the perceived wrongs against him.
Had he made it out?
She didn’t care. She only cared about Nicholas.
Tears pricked her eyes and she squeezed his arm. “We’ve got to hold on,” she said, more to herself than him. “When we get picked up, we’ll get you to the hospital and have a nice cold shower.”
He didn’t respond.
His eyes were closed. Frantically she felt for a pulse in his wrist.
And found it, faint and thready. She choked out a sob. “I love you, Nicholas. Don’t you dare die on me.”
Nicholas’s hand clutched hers. “I love you too, Mai.” His eyes opened, met hers.
Her pulse pounded.
“We’ll be all right,” he whispered, his voice slurred, as his eyes slid shut again.
She prayed he was right.
It felt like an hour, but was only five minutes more when the temperature shifted. Either that or Mai was getting used to the industrial oven style heat. She peeled back the curtain next to her, peeked outside.
There was less smoke in the air, the sky was lighter, and the flames in the bush weren’t as intense.
The fire front had passed over.
And they were alive.
She reached for the radio and encountered a melted mess on the dash. Shit. She needed to call for help. To let people know they were OK.
“Mai?” Nicholas croaked.
“The worst is over.” She opened the door, shoving her shoulder against it when it stuck, and then slid out of the car, taking off her BA. The bush still burned but there was none of the intensity. Smoke and ash danced around her and she sighed at the breeze. It was cooler out here. She needed to get Nicholas out of the car. She tossed her BA into the cab and grabbed a bottle of water from behind the seat and drank it in a couple of gulps. Then she slipped on her gloves, took another bottle and hopped around to Nicholas’s side.
She tugged at the handle. It took a couple of attempts to pry the door open. Nicholas was still.
Her heart thudded as she slid off his mask, ignoring the congealed blood, and held the bottle to his lips. “Drink for me.”
His eyes fluttered open.
“That’s it. You need to drink something.”
He lifted his head and she tipped the water onto his lips. He coughed and winced.
He needed to get to a hospital. She dug her mobile out of her pocket. It had one bar of signal. She dialled Lincoln’s number. He would be somewhere near control and could relay a message.
“Mai, tell me you’re all right.” His voice was frantic.
“We’re both alive, but need to be rescued. The vehicle is toast, the radio has melted and Nicholas needs urgent medical attention.”
He relayed the news to someone in the room.
“The fire’s burned over where we are. You might be able to get a four wheel drive down the road when it’s safe.”
“What about Shane?”
She’d forgotten about him. “He left about five minutes before we did. I don’t know where he is.”
“Roger that. I’ll call you back. I’m so glad you’re all right, Mayday.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
Nicholas had his eyes closed and as she turned to him, he slid towards her.
“Nicholas?” She caught his shoulders, but the motion made her put weight on her bad ankle and she fell, taking him with her. Her heart kicked back into double time. “Nic, wake up.” Reaching for his pulse, she found it.
Nothing to Gain Page 24
