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CHAPTER TWO
KEE SINGH WATCHED the man out of the corner of her eye as she tipped her own bottle back and sucked down the sweet liquid without letting go of Benni’s hand. It was lukewarm, but that didn’t matter, it was wet and didn’t taste like rotten eggs.
The man took a step toward her, and she startled, almost dropping the precious water bottle. “Stay there,” she warned, holding out the plastic container as if to ward him off. It was a stupid command, because the man didn’t have any reason to obey her. An instinctive demand, more to protect Benni than herself. He was twice her size and could do whatever he wanted, and there probably wasn’t much she could do to stop him. Most men liked to throw their weight around, use it to dominate and intimidate those smaller than them. She flinched, her hand pushing Benni farther behind her legs.
Surprisingly, however, he did as she asked, and stopped walking, holding his hands up in placation again. “Okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” he reiterated. He removed his sunglasses, hooking them into the front of his shirt, revealing blue eyes. “But can you at least tell me your name?”
The guy was tall, much taller than her. Big and broad-shouldered, dressed in dark jeans, and a blue shirt, with a brown hat on his head. He looked like one of those cowboys on the front of the magazine she’d spied on the table at the roadside diner a few days ago.
Kee had studied him from her hiding spot behind the tree trunk as he got out of his car to investigate the trough and its surrounds. At first, she’d been determined not to reveal herself, praying that Benni would do as she was told and stay safely in her hidey-hole. It was too risky. She had to protect Benni. Her daughter was the only thing that mattered.
But she also knew they couldn’t stay out here forever. They’d been here for two days already, and he was the first person they’d seen. Which was admittedly her fault, she’d intentionally covered the camera, but that was back when she’d been naïve enough to believe she could fix her car.
It was his kind face that finally made the decision for her. Even though his features were often hidden by the shadow of his big, brown hat, she caught enough glimpses to see it was open and friendly, giving her a feeling of certainty that he wouldn’t hurt her. So, she’d drawn in a deep, fortifying breath, and stepped out from her hiding place.
Now she appraised him again. He had a nice face. A handsome face, if you liked them a little rugged. Which she didn’t. Then again, all the men she’d dated had been clean-shaven and smartly dressed, and look where that had got her.
What other choice did she have?
While she and Benni were standing in the shade of the sweeping eucalyptus tree, the man was out in the blazing sun. Large sweat stains marked his shirt under his arms and formed down the line of his buttons.
“Warwick, is that your name?” she asked with a heavy sigh.
“Yes, ma’am, Warwick Nobles. But you can call me Wazza.” His pale, blue eyes lit with contemplation.
She winced at the name. Such an Australian term of phrase, to shorten everything and put an A on the end. But the name suited him in a way, he looked like an Aussie bloke through and through.
“Why don’t you join us over here in the shade?” She beckoned him over, but backed around the tree trunk, keeping a good distance between them. He ambled over, booted feet kicking up small puffs of dust. This place was ridiculously dry. She’d never been anywhere this…barren before. It was like a wasteland straight out of that terrible movie Mad Max she’d watched once with Jakov. Why had she ever thought it was a good idea to head to North Queensland?
Because no one would find her up here, that’s why. And because nothing up here could be as bad as what was following her.
Warwick stopped at the edge of the shade, as if respecting her need to keep a distance between them. He was even taller up close, strong looking, with long legs slightly akimbo, and large hands, which he kept held out in front of him in a pacifying gesture.
“My name is Kee,” she offered. “And this is my daughter, Benni.”
Until now, Benni had remained quiet and withdrawn, hiding behind her legs, taking a sip from her water bottle now and then. “My real name is Benita,” her daughter said defiantly, poking her head around from behind Kee. “And I don’t like it out here. I want to go home.”
“That’s enough, Benni,” Kee said sharply. It would do them no good, if Benni revealed all their troubles to this man. Kind face or not, he was still a stranger. And going home wasn’t an option. Home was no longer a place of safety. But Benni was too young to understand, and it broke Kee’s heart to hear her say such things.
Warwick glanced at Benni, pursing his lips. She could see many questions hovering in the depths of his eyes, and she squared her shoulders. She wasn’t about to be bullied into revealing the truth; she’d had enough of that from Jakov. If need be, she would take Benni by the hand and march out of here. Find some other way to rescue herself.
But his face suddenly cleared, and he said, “Kee, that’s an interesting name. Is it short for something, as well?”
Yes, it was. Her family called her Keiyona. Kee was a nickname her workmates at the animal shelter had given her. But telling him her true name might give away too much, so she merely shook her head and looked him in the eye. “No. Just Kee.”
“Hmm,” was all he said in reply. But those light blue eyes were fixed on her face, as if he knew she was hiding something.
“Do you know anything about repairing cars?” she asked. Time to get this conversation onto the important stuff. If this man could help her, she might be back on the road and headed north again sooner than she thought.
“You have a car?” Surprise showed in the lift of his mouth, and his gaze searched the flat land around them. Which gave her a certain pleasure; it meant she’d chosen a good spot to hide it. “I can take a look, if you like. But where is it?” he asked.
“It’s a little farther down the road.” She lifted a hand and pointed toward the large stand of trees over half a kilometer away, where she’d stashed her car when it started to make noises like a dying gorilla, sputtering and coughing, then losing power, until she had no choice but to pull over. “It just sort of stopped. And I couldn’t get it started again.” She got the car to limp behind the cover of the trees before it died completely.
Kee knew she was lost even before she’d passed the water trough that morning, two days ago. Knew she must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere back down the road—more like a goat track, really. But her only real choice was to keep going forward, hoping that eventually, she’d come out on a better road again. Benni had wanted to stop and look at the strange watering contraption, and Kee didn’t blame her, there was nothing else of interest to look at in this strange, flat country. But she’d been determined to keep going, and so placated her daughter by saying they’d stop at the next one they saw. Little did she know that water trough was going to be her saving grace. And the bane of her life.
Wazza squinted down the track from beneath the brim of his hat. If you knew where to look, you could just make out the glint of the faded white rear bumper of her old four-wheel-drive. She saw the second Wazza spotted it, he stood a little straighter and clamped his lips together.
“Right. Come on, then. Let’s jump in my car. I’ll drive us down there.” Wazza strode across the clearing to his vehicle. She shrugged and followed hesitantly. It wasn’t until he was almost at the car that he noticed Kee and Benni were hanging back.
