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“Good.” He poured boiling water over the coffee and sugar.
“You talk to Tosh? He’s onboard?”
“He’d never thought about the job. But he’s keen to take it on.” Zep added milk and stirred each mug. He brought the coffees to the table.
“Thanks.” Connor nodded his appreciation. He was the only member the president would make coffee for. He was the only member who’d been around longer than Zep.
They drank in silence for a moment, watching the waves roll into shore.
“You set on sending Dodge and Mick to back Brodie up?” Connor asked.
Zep eyed the older man, wondering where this was headed.
“You don't think it’s worth heading up there yourself?”
Zep sighed and placed his mug on the table. “We’ve been through this.” His voice was low and firm.
“We have, and I don’t think you heard me the last time.”
“Don’t push your luck, Connor.” He might be his closest advisor, but that didn’t mean he could question his president’s authority. “Rachel and Abby have been, and still are, better off without me.”
“How long do you think it will take Ricochet to work out why The Devils’ Sergeant at Arms and two fully patched members are hanging around in Road Gypsies’ territory? Not to mention associates of the Isobel crime family.”
Zep scowled. “Becca Walton no longer exists, and Abby doesn’t even know who or what I am. They are safer without me showing up.”
“Are they?” Connor matched his glare. “It seems to me you’re playing Russian roulette with those women’s lives.”
Zep curled his hands into fists beneath the table. Connor had overstepped. “It’s not open for negotiation. Now, go and find Dodge and Mick so I can give them their instructions. Then you can round up the members so they can vote Tosh in as enforcer.”
Connor held his stare for another moment, before leaving to carry out his orders.
Zep stood and raised the remains of his coffee to his mouth. Instead of drinking it, he threw the mug across the room, shattering it against the wall.
“Davo,” he barked at a prospect who had the misfortune to be passing the window. “Get in here and clean this shit up.”
Chapter 6
Abby and Scott spent all of Monday together, sleeping, making love, eating. Under any other circumstance, Abby would have enjoyed hiding away from the world for a couple of days with her man, but the distance Demi had accused her of placing between her and Scott had become a living, breathing thing. She was happy with her life, and she’d thought Scott was too. Now she wondered if they were even on the same page.
Scott had tried to raise the issue of his transfer and their future again. She’d done her best to distract him, insisting he decompress from the case he’d been working. He just needed a break. Abby would have suggested they plan a holiday, but she had a niggling feeling he’d do something crazy, like propose or talk about having a baby. The truth was, Abby wasn’t sure she could give him any reassurance that she wanted those things.
They’d never discussed having children – she’d never really given the subject much thought. When Flynn was born, she’d been delighted for Demi and Jake, but it hadn’t awakened any maternal urges in her.
On Tuesday morning, Abby called her mum to check how she was feeling. Somehow, the phone call had turned into an invitation to lunch because Scott felt like barbequing and decided he wanted to catch up with Rachel. Abby suspected he was missing his own family, having not seen them since Christmas. Maybe they should plan a visit to Ulladulla? Perhaps over Easter. Would that help settle things back to normal?
As they stood side by side in the kitchen, preparing the food, Scott received a call.
“It’s work,” he said, looking at his phone.
“It’s your day off.” Abby gave him a pointed glance.
“I’ll remind them of that.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he answered the call.
She sighed, looking out at the breathtaking panorama of the ocean. The backyard technically ended several metres from the bluff, which was covered in lush green grass, gently swaying in the breeze. Although, ‘bluff’ was a bit of a misnomer. It looked like a bluff from her kitchen window however, once standing on it, you realised it gave way to gentle slopes that led to rock pools where the ocean met the land. From Abby’s vantage point, the ocean stretched to the horizon, its surface shimmering under the bright sunlight. The sky was a clear, deep blue, with a few wispy clouds drifting lazily.
She heard Scott end the call as he returned, placing his laptop on the dining table.
“Everything okay?” she called, turning to look at him.
