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Chapter 1
“It was a dark and stormy night —”
“Oh, here we go.”
It was indeed a dark and stormy night. The little town of Blessed Inlet, nestled as it was in the curve of a wide bay, was being mercilessly battered by a one in a hundred-year storm. The entire town was blacked out, so Rafe and Mikayla, although not rostered on shift, had decided to bunk in at Ambulance HQ as backup if Len and Bluey needed it. To preserve the fuel for the generator, Mikayla had what must have been at least a hundred candles placed all over the break room, their soft light washing the room in pale gold.
“Ssh Len, you’re spoiling it. It was a dark and stormy night. Our heroine and her three trusty sidekicks were trapped in HQ. The power was out, and candles provided the only light.” The wind whistled across the roof of the building, beating against the windows as Mikayla spoke, adding a chilling ambience to her story. Wesley and Buttercup, the two blue heeler pups recently rescued by Rafe and Mikayla, whined pitifully from their beds in front of the wood heater.
“You’re literally just describing us sitting here, Mik.”
Mikayla rolled her eyes at Rafe. “Okay, it’s about to get good.”
“Finally.”
Mikayla reached across the table to slap Rafe’s forearm before continuing. “The vampire cats stalked closer, impervious to the howling wind, the beating rain. They had killed everyone, leaving the village bathed in blood. Len said, ‘Someone should secure the perimeter.’ Rafe, the fearless leader, volunteered but Bluey said, ‘No, I’ll go!’”
“What? Why would I go?”
“Because your wife’s expecting a baby, so you’ll be the first to die. Otherwise, it’s Len because he’s about to retire after forty years of dedicated service. Plus, I need him for my love interest.”
“Darlin’, I couldn’t handle you on my best day. Leave me to the tender mercies of the vampire cats, please.”
Laughter rippled around the table.
“I’m sorry, Bluey, it’s gotta be you.”
Bluey sighed. “Okay, that seems fair.”
“That leaves Rafe to provide the romance.” Len kicked at Rafe’s foot under the table, his blue eyes twinkling merrily in the candlelight.
“I can handle it.” Rafe took a swig of coke, grinning at Mikayla. He ignored the twinge in his heart at the words, imagining a narrator’s voice saying, “But Rafe was wrong. He couldn’t, in fact, handle it. Not by a long shot.”
“Pfft. As if. Anyway, where was I?”
“Village bathed in blood, vampire cats stalking, Bluey’s dead.”
“Right. They stalked closer, pawing at the windows, hissing loud enough to curdle the blood. Unfortunately, Len had failed to secure the perimeter —”
“Typical,” Bluey, nicknamed such because of his red hair, with typical Australian humor, shot Len a cheeky look, causing Mikayla to smile.
“—And the cats had got in. Blood dripped from their fangs as they crept down the hallway. A door SLAMMED in the distance.” She slapped her hand hard on the table, laughing as they all jumped.
“Jesus Christ,” Len whispered, clutching at his chest.
“Sorry.” Mikayla rubbed Len’s arm, unrepentant. “Rafe took Mikky in his arms, ready to declare his undying love. Or so she thought. Instead, he leaned in and whispered softly, ‘You can get the cats on your own. I’m going to your place to get your signed Swans premiership jumper. Come and see me if you make it out alive.’” She grinned broadly as Rafe gave a shout of laughter.
He leaned across the table and tapped his coke bottle to hers. “Accurate.” Her eyes twinkled in the candlelight, and Rafe felt a tightening in his chest that was occurring all too often lately. They’d been best friends since they were seven years old. Since the day she’d socked the school bully hard in the guts on his behalf. In all the years since, there had never been a whisper of romance between them. He had thought she was pretty, in an objective sort of way, with her friendly brown eyes, luxurious red hair, and athletic figure. But just recently, he was noticing her in ways that made him feel uncomfortable. Just every now and then, her scent would catch him, or her smile would pull at him, or he’d notice the way her work shirt stretched across her breasts.
Len pushed back from the table, “You guys right to take the blow-up mattress?”
“Yeah, sure, of course,” Mikayla answered before Rafe could find a reasonable objection. They’d shared a bed hundreds of times - camping, when they backpacked through Europe and even when Mikayla’s beach bungalow had become infested by bugs in Thailand. It had never bothered him before. He suppressed a sigh, admonishing himself to pull it together. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable.
Mikayla was already moving to the storage cupboard and pulling out the mattress while Len and Bluey put all the candles out and went off to the bunk room. Rafe moved to help her, taking the sheet and blanket and following her to the lounge area.
“You wanna take the dogs out while I set up the bed?”
“Sure.” Rafe whistled softly, smiling when both dogs jumped to their feet instantly.
