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‘Djarradjin is almost three kilometres long. It’s one of the biggest billabongs in Kakadu.’

Ellie stopped beside a wire fence that ran through the grass about three metres back from the edge of the water and Kane looked at it curiously. It was falling down, and in some places had been pushed flat to the ground. He could have stepped over it if he’d wanted to. ‘That wouldn’t stop a water buffalo in full flight, surely?’

Ellie grinned at him with a flash of white teeth. It was the biggest smile he’d had from her yet. A lazy swirl of desire ran through him and he kept his eyes on her face. Her lips parted softly as she held his gaze for a second before she looked away and across to the water. A faint hint of colour touched her cheeks.

‘That’s to keep the tourists away from the water. There are crocodiles here.’

‘Are they really so dangerous?’ It was hard to believe there was danger in such a beautiful place.

‘Close your eyes.’ Ellie’s voice was soft. ‘What do you hear?’

Kane glanced down at her before doing as she said. ‘Nothing.’

‘Listen.’

He tilted his head to the side and really listened. ‘I can hear the wind.’

The soft cadence of her voice held him as she continued. ‘Imagine being here at night. The moon is full and shining on the water, and everything is quiet, apart from that soft wind.’

‘Very pleasant,’ Kane said.

‘Ten years ago a young German girl and her friends were camping here. They fell in love with the natural beauty of this place, and one hot night they went for a midnight swim. Right here. Right where we’re standing. She was found the next morning in the jaws of a crocodile, one hundred metres along the shore.’ Ellie’s voice hardened and Kane opened his eyes as her warm fingers touched his forearm. She lifted her other hand and pointed to a sign at the water’s edge.

DANGER.

The word was printed in huge red letters above three graphics: a crocodile, a person swimming with a red line through the figure, and a crocodile snatching a person from the water’s edge.

She shivered and pointed past the sign to the grass on the other side of the flimsy wire. ‘See that flattened grass?’

Kane stood close behind her and followed the direction of her finger.

A huge reptile was lying in the shallow water at the edge of the billabong about fifty metres away. Its nose and eyes were above the waterline, but the rest was a deep shadow beneath the surface. ‘Holy shit. Look at the size of it. It must be at least four metres long.’

Ellie squealed and grabbed at his arm as if to pull him back. ‘You’ve got a good eye. I didn’t even see that one.’ Kane steadied her against him, and was pleased when she didn’t move away from his hands resting on her shoulders.

He watched the crocodile for a few moments, intrigued to see such a massive creature in its natural habitat. He went to step forward but Ellie lifted her hand to stop him and shook her head.

‘Please don’t go any closer. Do you know how fast they can move?’

The fragrance of her skin wafted around him as she stood close. The same fragrance he’d noticed up in the air yesterday.

‘How fast? They’re such ungainly looking creatures.’

‘Faster than you’d imagine. Remember what I told you. No matter how beautiful and enticing Kakadu appears, remember the danger lurking behind the beauty.’

Her eyes were wide, and Kane thought of another sort of danger, another sort of beauty, and her cheeks flared with colour again as he looked down at her.

The confident, sassy demeanour she’d put up yesterday had gone. Hell, if he didn’t know better, he’d have said she was terrified. A protective instinct surged through him, the intensity hitting him unexpectedly. Kane dropped his hands from Ellie’s shoulders and took a step back, unsettled by his response. ‘I’ll be careful.’

‘Please.’ The blush that had stained her cheeks a moment ago had faded into pallor.

‘You really don’t like those suckers, do you?’ He tried for the casual response.

‘No, I don’t. I’ve seen what they can do first hand and it wasn’t pleasant.’ She turned on her heel and he watched as she strode back to the car. Her shoulders were rigid and she didn’t even slow down as she threw a final comment at him. ‘You need to develop a healthy respect for them. There’s been too many deaths over the years when simple common sense could have saved a life.’

There was a splash and Kane switched his gaze from the curvy bottom in the snug-fitting cargo shorts back to the water. The crocodile had taken off towards the shore, slithering rapidly along the ground like a lizard. In one swift movement its massive jaws closed on a large bird that only seconds before had been pecking its way along the grass. The bird disappeared and Kane shivered as the sound of crunching bones broke the peaceful silence of the idyllic scene.

He stiffened as the crunching was replaced by the unexpected sound of an out-of-control helicopter above. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed, clenching his jaw so hard it ached, waiting for the crash and the explosion, but it didn’t come. For one fleeting second, he almost looked up, but a sudden weight dragged on his arms. Kane gagged as his throat filled with gritty sand and a hot, dry wind whistled around his head. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down. Goosebumps rose on his arms, and the unwelcome familiar looseness weakened his legs. Hawk was in his arms, her eyes holding his, her jaw working, trying to speak through the blood.