He held his breath and waited. Would they see the fern shelter across the road from them?
Then, a moment later came a roar as the bikers twisted their throttles and three big engines opened out accelerating around the bend and away.
Shaun let out a jagged breath and Claire gazed into his eyes.
“They’re heading to the lodge, aren’t they?”
She’d read his mind.
“Probably.”
“We going there too?”
Shaun smirked.
“You ever play hide and seek as a kid?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Did ya ever go back to where you’d looked before?”
“So we’re heading to the lodge too,” she said, carefully studying her swollen ankle.
“It’s not too bad, but I’m definitely gonna need a ride.”
???
“Straight up, Boss. They’re pakaru. Totally munted. Gonna need some new leads from town.”
“Bugger!”
Cobra King studied the motorcycles coolly. So simple. And everyone one of them so far as he could tell had been rendered useless. Never mind this Irish dude’s beef, Sion Edwards was starting to piss him off too.
“Ah, Boss? Come take a squizz at this.”
He followed the voice back into the front room. On the laptop, the camera they’d recently installed on the front of the property had picked up a shadow. The recording showed that it was definitely the girl. She was the one who’d sabotaged the bikes.
The younger biker chuckled as he watched her in action.
“She’s as mean as, that one.”
King raised an eyebrow too. He liked this girl. She sure had some balls to not shoot through. To come back and do that. The scar he’d seen on her neck was no accident. This one was a warrior. And with Maori blood, no question about that.
“She from town?”
Nik, his right-hand man pulled a face.
“Not whanau, that’s for sure.”
“She been hangin’ around Dargarei? Find out who she is, yeah? Make some calls.”
His thoughts were disrupted by a mobile phone ringing out.
He gave Nik a look, and taking the hint his young, trusted henchman took the phone out of the room to answer the call.
Five minutes later, he came back in. Like his boss, Nik wore a swirling tribal tattoo across his face and neck.
“Flight come in on time?” King asked.
“He’ll be in Dargarei this arvo.”
“Did ya stall him till tomorrow without it looking too suss?”
“Yeah. He’s psyched though, I can tell. Asked me about the meat plant again.”
“What did ya say?”
“Told him to rack off. That we’d let him put a bullet in their skulls and that was it.”
King nodded contemplatively.
“He’ll wait. And he’s not to touch the girl.”
They couldn’t have gone far, but the longer time went on the less chance they had of finding them.
“The boys check the compound again?”
“Ah yeah. They’re on it King, but they’re sure to be gone by now. They could be lost in the forest, but? Up one of them false tracks, eh?”
King agreed.
“They’ll be trying to head back to the lake for their gear and some wheels to get outta here.”
“Hey, boss?”
An older biker, bald with a long beard came rushing in, stumbling a little uncertainly as King stared at him meanly for intruding.
“Uhh, sorry to break in, King. The Harleys at the back. She missed ‘em.”
Chapter 20
---------?---------
Three more trucks and one ute have passed without stopping.
I can feel my ankle swelling up but I keep schtum about it. It’s not too bad, only a twist. Anyway, we’ve enough to think about without Shaun worrying about that.
“My turn.”
“No way.”
His voice is full of concern.
“What if the gang come back up the road? You can’t move fast enough on that ankle.”
“Watch me.”
I pull myself up from the hide and smoothing out my jeans and t-shirt, I stand waiting for a lift.
Time is ticking by. It’s well after midday and the early summer sun is scorching. A milk tanker gives me hope when it slows down, but it carries on around the bend in front of us.
Another one, this time a delivery van. I smile sweetly and stick out my thumb, but no joy either.
My stomach’s growling and my throat’s parched but the only thing we can do is wait. And hide if we hear the bikes.
“What’s that?”
Shaun lifts the binoculars to his eyes but I can see it clearly. It’s an old hatchback car.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this one,” I tell him, willing it to come true.
“How about we try together?”
“Alright.”
Shaun puts the rucksack onto his back and I smooth down my hair.
As the car approaches, we stick out our thumbs and I take the weight off my bad ankle. It’s throbbing but I’ve no time to feel sorry for myself.
Shaun shoots me a grin.
“It’s slowing down.”
I hold onto his shoulder and hobble with him towards the hatchback that has stopped in front of us.
“You two alright there?”
An elderly gentleman in a checked shirt and jeans that come halfway up his middle is at the wheel.
“Yeah, we’ve been for a hike but my girlfriend’s sprained her ankle. Don’t s’pose we could hitch a lift with ya?”
“Trampin’ eh? Yeah, no worries. Hop in.”
I try to hide the relief flooding through me and send up a silent prayer. Thank you.
“I’m Joe.”
We introduce ourselves quickly.
“Brits, eh? On ya
hols?”
“No, we’ve moved out here.”
“Ah yeah. Wanna ride into town?”
“We’re living out at the lake. Can ya drop us by the road off to it?”
“And have you limping back? No bloody way. I’ll take you.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Good as gold.”
From the back seat, I give Shaun an anxious nudge with my good foot into the back of his seat. I don’t want this nice old chap getting caught up in anything.
“We wouldn’t wanna be puttin’ you out, Joe.”
“Hey! It’s what we do around here. ‘Sides which, if you’re stayin’ at Jake’s Place, I reckon we’re neighbours. I’ve got the section of land next to yours.”
I lean back. There’s nothing more to be said about it.
“Uh, Claire?”
Shaun leans over at me hastily and ducks his head down passing me the rucksack onto the back well of the car.
“Check in my bag for my inhaler, will ya?”
I stretch down to it at the precise moment three Harley Davidson’s scream past us. We’re both bent over. It’s unlikely we’ve been seen.
Shit! That was close.
I pull out a few bits and pieces in the rucksack and look longingly at the muesli bar I’ve discovered.
“Sorry, Shaun, you must have left it at the lodge.”
“You alright, son?”
“Yeah,”
He turns back around and leans back into the front seat, faking it, focusing on his breaths.
“It’s the dust on the roads,” I bullshit, “Makes him wheezy sometimes.”
The old farmer looks at him, worried.
“I’ll turn down the air.”
“Thanks, Joe. He’ll be alright. He’s been doing this breathing technique. It helps him get through it most of the time.”
Shaun recovers miraculously after a couple of minutes and I can see the lake as we take the bend. We’re nearly at the lodge.
“We’ll be good from here. Save your car.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, my ankle’s fine now,” I lie.
“Well, alright.”
He pulls up at the main beach area alongside another van. The hot weather’s drawn a few families here today.
“Can I take your phone number?” I ask gratefully. “Get you over for something to eat one evening.”