Rhino Ash (Saturday Barbies Book 2)

by Lindsey Black

  ‘When’s your next shift?’

  ‘I’ve got two days off.’ Finn scowled and took a long sip of coffee. ‘Unless they call me in, which is likely.’

  ‘Busy?’ Despite the solid night’s sleep, there were still dark circles under Finn’s eyes and there were several fresh bruises, particularly down one arm.

  ‘Yeah …’ Finn pressed his lips together, as if trying to think of what he could say. It was a familiar look; the twins were always cautious about what was said, so Ashley waited. ‘This immigrants thing. It’s nuts. Someone’s bringing them into the country and then forcing them to run drugs for them and then when they try and get out, they’re killing them. In pretty spectacular fashion, probably as a warning so others won’t do the same.’

  That was a lot more than Ashley had expected to be told. There was a degree of intimate trust to what was being shared. Ashley knew Finn could get in trouble for it, but he was being included anyway. It made him ridiculously happy.

  ‘You’re sure it’s a drugs thing?’

  ‘No doubts on that,’ Finn agreed. ‘There’s two main cartels making significant gains into the country, and I’m sure it’s all linked somehow, but at the moment no one’s putting all the pieces together and we’re being sent in on raid after raid. It’s insane. I feel like I’ve run a marathon every day this week.’

  Ashley hadn’t realised how busy they were. He’d barely heard from Clay or Taylor, but thought they were avoiding family to spend time with their boyfriends. He’d messaged Finn on and off through the week, but messages in reply had been sporadic and Ashley had understood that meant he was busy. He was happy simply to get a response, and his own shifts had been busy enough that he didn’t notice.

  ‘Sorry.’ Not for anything he’d done, but because he wanted to make things better when Finn was having a hard time. Finn waved him off and grinned.

  ‘It’s better now.’

  ‘You want to go for a drive into the mountains today?’ He had no idea what made him ask, or even where the idea came from. Ashley loved the mountains. Liked disappearing onto the back trails in the misty clouds that often filled the valleys and feeling like the city was far away. But he had no idea what Finn liked, and the man had told him he was exhausted and the last thing he probably wanted was to go for a walk.

  ‘Yes.’ Still, Finn’s response was immediate. ‘Can we take Anubis?’

  ‘Yeah, of course.’

  ‘Awesome. There are these frogs he’s obsessed with near Wentworth falls. I can’t take him into the National Park, but there’s a creek walk right outside the boundary that’s really pretty.’

  ‘Frogs …’

  Finn looked over at Anubis where he was flopped on his back, legs in the air, bunny on his belly and bacon grease all over his nose.

  ‘Yeah, no, frogs. Of course.’ Made perfect sense.

  8

  Technically, it blew on me

  ‘Watch your head!’ Bell bellowed from somewhere above Ashley, but it was impossible to see him through the smoke haze. Ashley looked up in time to see a section of the ceiling caving in and stepped back to avoid it but the front caught the edge of his helmet, knocking him sideways and causing pain to blossom around the side of his head and ear. Shaking it off, he kept a closer eye on the ceiling and moved for the wall that wasn’t on fire. He kept calling out and trying to find the three missing people unaccounted for outside.

  They’d been lounging in the common area at the station and Ashley had been absorbed in a particularly nice daydream involving an extremely specific police officer when the sirens went off. The dispatch voice told them in the truck that a duplex had caught fire when one of the owners forgot they were roasting a pork shoulder, and the whole complex had gone up in flames.

  The pork roasters were out front on the lawn, husband and wife with their cat Jingles, but their neighbours hadn’t emerged by the time fire crews arrived. Apparently it was two elderly folk with their daughter, who was their carer but no one had seen any of them. Supposedly. The crew had their doubts, mostly because the car was in the garage along with what looked like quite a complicated meth lab. Either the old folk were a front or they had no idea what their daughter was up to. They’d have to find them to discover the truth. Which was what Ashley was trying to do, but the whole place was falling apart.

  Another piece of ceiling fell and struck him on the back and Ashley cursed at the pain that bloomed up his spine. That was going to bruise. But he pushed it aside and continued on, searching for any sign of life.

  ‘Jameson, you need to get out now. The garage is going to blow.’ They’d had a team looking for chemicals they might have been using to make the drugs and he supposed they had found them. Unfortunately, they found them a little late.

  No sooner had the order come through, the entire wall he was hiding against exploded, throwing him back and slamming him into a couch moments before the rest of the ceiling came down, bricks and mortar falling from every direction in a wave of heat and molten debris.

  ‘Fuck!’ He swore, shielding his head as best he could until it settled around him, and over him. Cursing, Ashley struggled to move, caged in by the couch and bricks and what felt like a dumpster truck of broken building parts.

  All of it was on fire. He could feel the heat rushing over him, and he suspected the debris was actually saving his life, shielding him from the worst of the flames.

  He couldn’t move, trapped under the burning rubble. Weirdly, all he could think to do was laugh, confident his comrades would put the fire out and save him, but for now unable to assist in any way. For some reason he found that hilarious. So he stayed as still as he could and waited, and laughed.

  ‘Hey, crazy kid? You wanna stop cackling at us and let us know where the hell you are?’ Bell sounded worried. He never sounded worried, which in turn worried Ashley. Bell was one of the most experienced firefighters he knew, with more years under his belt than Keller and some serious bushfires in Victoria on his resume. If he was worried, Ashley knew he should be as well.

  ‘I’m on the couch,’ he snickered. He couldn’t help it, the whole situation felt ridiculous.

  ‘Well, get off the damned couch and come help us!’

  ‘Well, I would, but the couch is under the house.’

  ‘Under the … Jameson are you trapped under the fucking house?’ Wow, Bell was really bellowing at him.

  ‘Well … yeah.’ He’d thought that was obvious. Apparently not. There was a lot of swearing, and then someone told him to sit tight, as if he could move, and they shut him out.

  It was a long time. So long he started to wonder if his radio was broken. The heat was getting worse, the suit so hot he was swimming in sweat and he wondered if maybe the radio circuit was fried.

  ‘Jameson?’

  ‘Yeah boss, still here.’ It wasn’t like he could go anywhere. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘It’s going to take a while. Anything you need?’

  Other than to get out from under a house?

  ‘None of my siblings are out there, right?’

  ‘No. I can call one, if you like?’

  ‘Oh, fuck no! I was just checking.’ Though he’d known, really, because if they had been he would have been speaking to them and not Bell. But a small part of him wished Taylor was there, because then Finn might be. He would have liked talking to Finn.

  ‘I’m going to go help, get you out sooner. Hold tight.’

  Water began dripping through the debris. Then it started filling up all the cracks, soaking everything and he started to worry he was going to drown before anyone found him.

  It was worse than he thought, the water getting around his face, starting to creep over his cheek. He had to hold his head up and take deep breaths and he started to wonder what the hell was taking so long.

  The water reached his nose and he shoved at the debris over his head, smashing his mask into it until it crumbled a little around him, giving him another few centimetres to work with.
>
  ‘Guys … I’m drowning down here. You gonna get this house off me sometime soon?’ The radio couldn’t be broken, surely.

  ‘We’ve turned the hoses off,’ someone confirmed. ‘Sit tight.’

  Did they actually think he was literally sitting on the couch? He should probably have mentioned it was on its side and he was half sprawled on it, and half on the bricks and mostly everything was uncomfortable and he was starting to worry that it was going to take longer than he had thought. It had already taken longer than he had assumed, and he was no longer uncomfortable, he was in pain.

  The radio crackled and he thought for a moment it would be good news.

  ‘Hey, gorgeous. I hear you’re a tad stuck. Wish I was down there with you.’

  Fucking Zhao? What moron had given him the radio? He couldn’t flee, couldn’t so much as reach up and turn his headset off, stuck under a house and forced to listen. It was a nightmare come to life.

  ‘Am I dreaming? Holy shit, did I die?’

  ‘Oh, gorgeous, no, you’re not in heaven!’

  ‘No, just hell,’ Ashley countered, praying for someone to take the radio off the man. He was in no mood to listen to Jake Zhao.

  ‘How’d you get the name Jake, anyway? That’s not Chinese.’ Maybe if he distracted him he’d forget to flirt.

  ‘I’m Australian-Chinese, fifth generation. We don’t even use chopsticks, and my parents aren’t stupid enough to give their kid a Chinese name and send them to school. Imagine it… Hoo Zhao. I’m Zhao. You Zhao? Yes, me, I’m Zhao…no thanks.’

  Ashley was snickering even though he still wanted to punch the man in the face. He had a point. Kids were cruel, especially to anything different or outside their world norm. Though he was concerned for his own sanity, if he was actually agreeing with Jacob Zhao. They really needed to get him free.

  ‘You okay down there?’

  ‘I’m fine. How long until they get me out?’

  ‘Hmm … I have no idea, but say … when you get out, would you like to come sailing with me?’

  ‘On your stupid yacht?’ Ashley spat. If he hadn’t already hated Jake Zhao he would have hated him for flaunting his money with something as ridiculous as a yacht, and for thinking he would be shallow enough to be impressed by it. Finn Hale did not need to impress Ashley with money. He really wished it was Finn on the radio.

  ‘Well, I wasn’t planning on taking you in a dinghy, that would be completely unattractive,’ Zhao grumbled, but then there was a lot of crackling and swearing, the radio changing hands.

  ‘Sorry, Ash. We’re working as fast as we can, but there’s a lot of debris and we need to move it without crushing you,’ Bell said sternly. ‘It’s going to be at least another hour.’

  Another what now? Bloody hell.

  ‘It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere,’ he joked and he knew it was lame but he didn’t care. The radio fell silent again and he almost wished Zhao would come back for the distraction. Which was how he knew he was going a tad loopy.

  He was cold. That was the real sign of how long it was taking. The water had reached his skin what felt like hours ago, and the fire was long extinguished. The bricks were now cold and he was starting to shiver.

  ‘Guys?’

  ‘We’re nearly to you, Jameson. Just a bit longer.’

  He was tired of waiting, but didn’t bother to say so. He was cold, uncomfortable and starting to feel claustrophobic. He needed out, before it really started getting to him. These things had a way of creeping up on him and building new fears in his head and he couldn’t afford to be afraid of enclosed spaces.

  Something moved near his hip and suddenly hands were wrenching rubble away from him and then Bell was there, looking completely frazzled, which wasn’t a good look on the man. He was old enough to be Ashley’s father and right then he looked it, hair grey at the temples, wrinkles deep and frown lines carved into smoke worn skin. He was filthy, clearly having helped dig his way in with the others, fuelled by fear and desperation. He hadn’t wanted to lose a man.

  ‘Hey,’ Ashley grinned at them, shoving his mask off his face and breathing in the cool air, not caring that it was still smoky and water-ridden. It was cool on his skin and the most precious thing he’d felt all day.

  ‘You scared the shit out of me.’ Bell exhaled all his demons and visibly relaxed, helping Ashley to his feet and making sure he was steady before looking down at the hole he’d been in. ‘Reckon that couch saved your life.’

  ‘Didn’t feel like it when the wall slammed me into it, but yeah … reckon you’re right.’ Ashley stared at the battered piece of furniture and then left it there, letting them help him out through the rubble to where an ambulance was pulling up.

  Then all he wanted was to crawl back in the hole, because Hayley came sprinting at him. For a second he wasn’t sure she was going to stop. He’d never seen her so scared, pale and shaking as she ran her hands over him, searching for injuries. Not even when Taylor had been shot and was bleeding all over the neighbour’s driveway, or when Clay was shot and lying in a hospital bed. But then Brayden had been there telling her it was okay, and this time it was the baby brother and she was alone, so he sort of knew where she was coming from.

  ‘Hay, I’m fine, really. I’m super tired, and I’m gonna be black and blue for a week, but I’m absolutely fine, I swear. Give me a blanket and a coffee, seriously.’

  Her partner draped a blanket over his shoulders, which did absolutely nothing because his clothes were soaked, and he was still freezing, but it was a nice gesture. He let them haul him to the ambulance, and he climbed in and let her stay with him and close the doors so he could strip off the wet clothes.

  ‘You scared me,’ she admitted softly while he peeled off his overalls and kicked them into the corner. She looked a lot smaller than he remembered suddenly, and partly that was because he’d grown and not noticed and partly it was that he’d never seen her afraid of anything. She’d never let her guard down that far. So he stood there in his jocks and hauled her into a hug and let her cry on his shoulder, and then he let her check everything she wanted so she could say he had a lot of bruises but was going to be fine.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘You’re lucky. A house blew up in your face, then fell on you. I’m pretty sure you’re only fine because you’re almost the size of a truck.’ She was grumbling. It was a good sign.

  He laughed at her and kissed her cheek, thanking her for being such a good sister, and then he shoved the doors open and hopped out in his jocks and the blanket to the cheers and jeers of his crew.

  Someone wolf whistled and they all fell silent, turning to stare. It was a ring-in from another crew, Garrett, and he looked confused.

  ‘She’s my sister,’ Ashley ground out, disgusted, and then everyone laughed and Garrett blushed and things returned to normal. As normal as they could be when you were cleaning up an exploded meth lab in the ‘burbs.

  Now that he was out and seeing it for himself, he had to admit they were right. He was very, very lucky. The house was gone, a pile of smouldering brick, smoke still drifting through the streets, the earth wet and black with soot.

  ‘Shit.’ He felt Hayley’s hand fall on his shoulder and squeeze.

  ‘Mum already knows,’ she confirmed. ‘It’s been hours.’

  ‘Fuck my life.’

  His phone started ringing exactly thirty seconds after his shift officially ended. He hadn’t even made it to his ute yet. He fished it out of his pocket and groaned, because he was in pain but also because his screen read, ‘Mum’.

  ‘I’m fine!’ He said as soon as he answered, but she was already ranting at him and he tuned her out, getting in the car and putting her on speaker while he got the heater going, still feeling cold to his bones.

  ‘Mum, I said I’m fine! Hayley checked me out at the scene and I’m bruised, that’s all.’

  ‘A house fell on you!’ Chloe screeched. She didn’t screech often, usually it was an academic lecture.
She was really scared.

  ‘Technically, it blew on me, but sure. I’m still fine.’

  ‘Do not give me that attitude, Ashley May Jameson!’ Oh God, she was scared. The middle name! She never pulled that out! He’d been born by C-section and his father had broken his mother’s golden rule of naming her children with names that used the ‘ay’ sound, for no reason other than she thought it was funny. There was Bray, Clay, Tay, Hay and Lei, and then Ash. But even Daniel Jameson had feared his wife’s wrath, and so he’d conceded to her rule with his middle name. Ashley May. He’d been teased mercilessly by every soul who learned it. Parents. They sucked.

  ‘Your brothers give me that attitude, but they’re complete wankers. You will not! You’re a good guy, and a house fell on you and you come right home and let me cook you dinner and see for myself that you’re fine!’

  ‘Mum, no…’ What the hell? ‘They’re not wankers! They actually really are fine when they tell you they’re fine.’ He felt the ridiculous need to defend them when they would never do the same for him. Maybe it was because of Taylor’s call, but they weren’t wankers. Not completely, anyway.

  ‘Come home, this instant!’

  ‘I’m going home, but I don’t live with you any more, remember? I’m going to my home, so I can sleep in my bed and they gave me a few days off so I’m gonna rest and be fine, okay?’

  She was thinking about it, and he knew she didn’t like it and that at some point she was going to turn up at his door but that was fine. He’d take a win where he could get one and the biggest win right now was going home, and not to his parents’ house.

  ‘Are you really okay, sweetheart?’

  ‘Yes, Mum, I’m fine. I swear. I got saved by a couch. It fell on me and shielded me from most of the house.’

  ‘Huh … that’s fortunate.’

  ‘Yes, it was.’ Seriously, she was going to be the death of him, not the house.

  ‘What sort of couch was it?’