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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
JULIE HUDDLED, MISERABLE and afraid, beneath the cover of a large jumble of boulders. She’d made it to the foothills of the escarpment rising from the flat plains below, but could go no farther. The soles of her feet were a bloody mess, cut to pieces from the limestone rocks, sharp sticks, and thorns as she’d fled through the grassy scrubland. Her skin was torn and scratched in a million and one places by the shrubs as she pushed her way through. And her shoulders and back were painfully sunburnt. So exhausted from her bid to escape, she’d lay down beside the rocks, heedless of the spiky grass, and curled into a ball. She could hardly believe her situation. Naked and lost in the Queensland outback, with a crazy man on her tail, who wanted to string her up on a crucifix for her supposed sins.
She was so thirsty, she could cry. But she wouldn’t let the tears fall, as they’d be a waste of precious liquid, and she needed every drop. The sun was about to set, giving off a tremendous display of glowing pink clouds on the horizon. It’d be dark soon, then perhaps she’d be safe from Chase. Surely, he wouldn’t be able to find her in the dark? But then again, neither would anyone else. Was Aaron out there looking for her? She hoped so. Because the alternative was that he was lying dead back at the stock camp, and that was unbearable.
Was Chase still following her? Or had she lost him as she’d sprinted up the creek bed? Gunshots had ricocheted off the trees as she’d darted this way and that, but she’d kept running, away from the noise and the unimaginable fear, until she could physically run no farther.
If only Aaron were here, she could snuggle into his big, strong body and feel safe and protected. She did the next best thing, surrounding herself with thoughts of him lying next to her as she drifted off into oblivion.
What seemed like mere moments later, a noise woke her from her dreams. What was that? But when she opened her eyes, it was pitch black, only the blanket of stars above to light her world.
“Julie. Are you there? Where are you?” a voice called faintly from the dark.
She sat up with a start.
“Aaron? Is that you?” she shouted. Was it true? Or was she dreaming? “I’m here. Over here.” She tried to get to her feet, but they hurt too much, and she fell back onto the rough ground.
“Keep calling out, baby, so I can find you,” she heard him say. “Where are you?”
“Here. I’m here,” she called again, a sob of relief breaking from her throat. Was it true? Was she really going to be rescued?
The sound of breaking twigs and swishing grass broke through the night as boots crunched over the desert toward her. Then a brilliant beam of light pierced through the darkness, swinging around in a slow arc, and almost blinding her as the glare hit her face. She shielded her eyes and tried to stand again, filled with an overwhelming relief. He was here. She was saved.
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her off the ground. “I’m here, baby, I got you.”
“Thank you,” she sobbed into his chest. “I didn’t know if you were…” The word alive didn’t seem appropriate anymore. Because he was here in the flesh, solid and real.
“Sit down,” he said, gently lowering her to the ground. She sat on the dry earth, then his arms left her for a second and she nearly called out to him like a child, but they were back as he wrapped his shirt around her, covering her nakedness, doing up the buttons for her one by one. Then he held her again, and it was the sweetest feeling in the world, to be in his arms once more. Settling his back against the largest boulder, he pulled her into his lap, so she was off the dirty ground, and she curled up like a kitten, wrapping her arms around his neck, and resting her forehead on his collarbone. Even now, in this precarious situation, even though she was battered and bruised, her body still reacted to his closeness. A surge of heat at his touch pulsed through her, and she would’ve kissed him if her lips weren’t so parched. Instead, she let her fingers explore the warmth of his bare chest, to tangle in the soft curls and to run to the apex of his shoulder, feeling the heavy muscles there.
But even though all she wanted to do was sink into complete oblivion in his arms, reality kept crowding her brain. With a shudder, she lifted her head. There was so much to say. So much Aaron needed to know.
“Is anyone else with you?” She cast around in the dark, suddenly hoping her father or Dale would also miraculously appear out of the night.
“No, it’s just me, Julie. But don’t worry, I’ve—”
“But we’re not safe,” she wheezed between dry lips, interrupting him. “Chase is still out there. He was shooting at me,” she added. Why was Aaron out here on his own? Where was everyone else? Maybe they should keep moving. What if Chase was aiming his gun at them right at this moment?
“I know,” he said, stroking her hair, gently tugging at the leaves and other debris stuck in there. “But it’s okay, he’s not coming after us. I guarantee you’re safe.”
“Really?” Her mind was struggling to keep up, her thoughts sluggish, like she was in a dream. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he replied. “You’re not going to die, Julie. Not on my watch, I promise you.”
“Okay, if you say so,” she said, happy to let that quandary go because she had a more immediate need. “Do you have any water?” she asked hopefully.
“No, I’m sorry.” She heard the heaviness of self-reproach in his voice. “I should’ve grabbed a bottle, but I was so fixated on finding you… I’m sorry,” he finished lamely.
“Oh.” She licked her lips, but her tongue was so dry it was a fruitless effort. The euphoria of being rescued was fading fast as the reality of their situation finally hit her. They were lost and alone in the desert. “We could still die out here,” she said weakly. “The desert is a harsh mistress. Without any water, if no one finds us soon… If nobody knows where we are.” The last words came out as a soft wail. She knew she was being overdramatic, but she couldn’t seem to help it. Her emotions were boiling up inside, the trauma of the past few hours threatening to drown her in her own fear.
“You’re not going to die, Julie,” he reiterated gently. “Someone will be here soon. I found your GPS anklet on the ground. You remember the one I gave you back at the lodge?” His voice was soft and low, his touch kind and compassionate as his fingers stroked her face, which brought her back from the brink of hysteria.
“Yes, I remember,” she hiccuped through a sob. “But will it work out here?” She’d felt Chase pull the anklet off during one of her attempts to escape his clutches, but at the time, she hadn’t thought a lot of it.
“Of course, it works. GPS trackers use satellites to get the coordinates. So as long as one of those bright little dots high in the sky is a satellite,” he tipped his head back to stare at the stars above, “and I’m a hundred-percent-sure they are, then Jake will be able to find us. It might take them a few hours, but they’ll be here soon. I promise.”
Julie stared at Aaron, sketching his familiar profile against the starlight. “Okay,” she said simply. If he said it was true, then she believed him.
“We just need to hunker down here, get comfortable and wait.”
