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He continued to stare at her for another ten, long seconds, but in the end, he was a man of action. Words scared him. It was better not to have to bare his soul, and here she was, giving him an out, a way to avoid all this conflict and emotional pain.
“You’re right. We have bigger problems on our list of priorities to solve at the moment.” He wasn’t being a true coward; he did mean to re-visit this conversation at a later date. Just at a more appropriate time.
“Right, you do what you do best. I trust you to keep this situation under control.” She waved an arm in his direction. “And I’ll do what I do best, which is getting the next meal ready.” Without waiting for him to agree, Julie pushed past him and was down the caravan steps before he could stop her. The mere brush of her shoulder past his was enough to make him catch his breath. He turned to follow her across the grassy clearing. She strode, shoulders back, legs encased in those jeans that hugged her backside just right, striding out, taking her to the mess tent. Her short hair, wet from the shower, had dried in the time they’d been in the van, and she ran a hand distractedly through it, leaving a few tufts standing upright, which he wanted to smooth down with gentle fingers, much the same as he’d done last night. But she was getting on with it, and so should he.
Julie began to clatter around in the tent, so he found a spot just beneath the shade of the large canvas where he could stand and see her, as well as the surrounding stock camp, with one sweep of his gaze. He mulled over Nicolay’s unsettling news. Nothing here at camp had changed, yet everything had changed. He was more on edge than ever, leery and unsettled. But the camp was as quiet as it always was without the rest of the crew here. The unruffled surface of the billabong reflecting the serene sunlight, the scattered trees silent in the growing heat of the day. The soft snort from Chester, and the swish of a tail to drive away the flies as the two horses rested in the shade. Nothing was out of place. But all of a sudden, it felt sinister.
Aaron was sure—as was Nicolay—that the four other cases were connected to Julie, but as yet, they had no proof. Nothing to give them any hint of where to start. It was all so maddening and frustrating. Nicolay had been staking out the family clinic during over the past week, but there’d been no more protest groups hanging around outside. He’d gone back and questioned the pastor again about the man they called Travis, but had come up with no more information. The pastor had told Nicolay that after his group had heard about the stalking episode, they’d decided to stop their protesting. They never wanted to harm anyone, merely help them change their mind, if they had indeed been wavering, unsure of whether to go through with the abortion. The pastor also added that with the new legislation due to be passed shortly, their protests were bound to come to an end sooner or later, anyway. They may as well stop now.
Would Julie be safer back at the lodge? It was a question Aaron had weighed up time and time again since they’d arrived out here. At least if she was there, he could keep her locked up and out of sight. The stalker would find it hard to penetrate the building. It depended on just how determined this depraved individual was. If he was responsible for the murder of that woman back in Brisbane, then it meant he was capable of almost anything. Aaron’s gaze flicked endlessly around the camp, afraid he was going to miss something. They were exposed out here, anyone could be hiding in the bush, just out of sight, and he’d never know. But wasn’t that the whole point? This camp was isolated and out of the way, no one knew they were here apart from close family and staff, it’d be almost impossible for someone to find Julie in this remote corner of the bush.
This was a completely unique situation. He’d never had to guard a client in the wilderness before. He was used to having solid walls and sturdy buildings around him in which to shelter. Along with fast cars and high-powered weapons, if they needed to make a speedy getaway. Out here, Aaron was reduced to the small SIG on his ankle. It was less than ideal. Perhaps he should start wearing the large handgun in his shoulder holster, and be damned if the rest of the crew noticed. Julie’s safety was more important than keeping his identity a secret. Jake had agreed with him, however, that this was the best place for her to be, unless of course he could convince her to move to one of the various safe houses Shield had scattered around the state, and hide her out there until this had been resolved. He glanced over at Julie, who was slicing cold cuts of meat and making a stack of sandwiches for lunch. It made sense, because she didn’t have time for anything fancier, like her delicious sausage rolls or potato salad today. Would she listen to him this time if he asked her to go with him to a safe house? She’d been so determined that she wasn’t going to disrupt her life, or that of her family, to bow down before this crazy stalker. But maybe now she knew what he was capable of… Would she change her mind?
The sat phone buzzed from his back pocket. It was Nash, calling from the police station in Dimbulah. Nicolay had called him earlier and filled him in on the newest details, and now he wanted clarification from Aaron, as well as to let him know he wasn’t happy with this new turn of events. And that perhaps it was time the police took over. Aaron didn’t like the way Nash insinuated he was somehow not up to the job; as if he were inferior. Even though he was probably as highly trained as most police officers and had more freedom when it came to bending the rules. Aaron was used to it by now, the subtle, and not so subtle, put downs. There was a lack of faith within the police force when it came to protection agent skills. Nash was worried about Julie, and he had every right to be, she was going to be his sister-in-law if he and Skylar got married. So, Aaron let Nash ramble on, because the senior constable had a vested interest in making sure that Julie was kept safe. Aaron also wanted to keep the cop on side. If he got in a tight spot—though God forbid that happened—Nash and his junior constable were the closest form of professional help to be had out here.
“I’m going to do a perimeter check,” Aaron said. It was more imperative than ever he keep up his stringent protocol, make sure nothing had changed around the camp. “Make sure you stay on the UHF,” he added, when she flicked him an uneasy glance. And he’d make sure he kept her in his line of sight at all times.
* * *
The mood in the Land Cruiser was decidedly tense. Julie drove, keeping her eyes on the ground in front, but her mouth was twisted into a scowl of displeasure. They were on their way back to the stock camp after dropping lunch off to the crew. Steve’s words after he’d told him the news from Nicolay replayed in Aaron’s head.
“That’s it, Julie. This changes everything. You’re leaving tonight. I want you out of here, and somewhere safe.” Steve had turned to glance at Aaron. “I’m assuming you have a house, or something where you could take her?”
“Yes, sir,” Aaron had replied, hiding his grimace at the way Julie’s eyes had turned to shards of ice at her father’s words. “We have a couple of safe houses in Brisbane and one in Cairns.”
Julie took off her Akubra and slapped it against her leg. “I’m not—”
“Yes, you are,” Steve had bellowed, and Julie had taken a step backward in sheer surprise at her father’s outburst. “No more arguing. I’ve played along with your wishes this far, but no longer. Not now we know this man is a murderer.” Steve held up a hand to forestall any more of Julie’s arguments.
Aaron didn’t disagree with Steve, but he’d never tell Julie that.
The rest of lunch had been spent in strained silence, Julie serving the crew with a sour look plastered on her face. No one was dumb enough to ask what was going on, but Aaron could see the questions in everyone’s furtive glances.
As he and Julie packed up the lunch things and stowed them back in the vehicle, Steve had come up and put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey,” he said, low enough not to be overheard by the rest of the group. “I don’t like to get heavy-handed, but I don’t feel like I’ve got any choice. I need to see you safe, otherwise…” Steve didn’t finish his sentence, and Aaron looked up to see a gleam of tears in the other man’s eyes. He’d walked away to give the father and daughter some privacy.
“Dad said he’s going to drive us back to the lodge himself tonight. Like he doesn’t trust us on our own, or something,” Julie said, breaking the awkward silence in the vehicle cabin. “The muster will go on without him tomorrow, then he’ll drive back out tomorrow night.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” Aaron replied carefully. Julie turned to glower at him for a second before returning her focus to the open plains ahead. Steve had had a quiet word with Aaron before they’d left after lunch, confirming that Aaron would take Julie away from the lodge as soon as was humanly possible and stash her somewhere safe. Aaron told him there was a safe house in Cairns, and he’d call in a helicopter charter to take Julie straight there tonight after they got back to the lodge.
“Of course, you’d agree with him,” she said with a curl of her lip.
“Now, that’s not fair, Julie. All we want is to keep you safe.”
“Yeah, cooped up like a bird in a cage, more like it,” she huffed.
He decided there was no talking sense into her, and so kept quiet. The stock camp was just over the next low rise, if Aaron wasn’t mistaken. He was beginning to learn the lie of the land after a few days out here. The hill with the repeater tower was off to the right, and he thought he caught a glimpse of sunlight sparkling off water at the far end of the billabong. Everything looked as calm and serene as when they’d left it an hour and a half ago when they rolled to a stop next to the caravan a few minutes later.
“I’ve got to get the beef on for the stew for dinner. And I’d better prep stuff for breakfast for Sasha. Then I need to get my things packed and ready to go.” Julie hopped out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind her, and stalking off into the heat of the afternoon.
“Julie, wait,” Aaron called after her. His normal routine was to clear the area before she was allowed to get back to work, but she didn’t stop or turn around. Feisty and stubborn, as always.
He ran after her, tugging her back with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Look, I know you’re pissed off at the whole world right now, but I still need to do my job.”
“Fine,” she spat, and then stood, arms crossed, glaring at him as he walked in front. In her current mood, it’d be too much to hope that she’d stay safely in the vehicle until he’d finished. But at least if she stayed out in the open, he could keep an eye on her.
Two minutes later, she was still standing in the same spot, tapping her foot as he emerged from the mess tent.
“All clear,” he said.
