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“A note? Who for? Do you mean Dave?”
“Yeah, I left a note for Dave. Come on, babe, we need to go.” He took her by the hand and led her directly into the bush.
What was with thisbabething? Finn had never called herbabebefore. For some reason, she didn’t like it. And what was this story about Clive telling him something that made him suspicious? Not a lot of this was making sense, but for now, Indyhad no choice but to go along with it. She’d get to the bottom of it soon enough.
They battled their way for a long time through the bush. Indy thought they were heading in a northerly direction, toward Repeater Hill, but she couldn’t be sure. The moon had yet to rise tonight, leaving them only starlight to navigate by. She should’ve thought to bring a flashlight. Actually, why hadn’t Finn brought a flashlight?
“Where are we going?” she finally asked. This was becoming ridiculous. Escaping on foot from the stock camp wasn’t going to work. They were miles from anywhere. They’d end up getting lost. Wouldn’t it be better to go back and ask Dale or Steve to drive them out? Finn was the trained police detective here, but she was beginning to doubt his sanity.
“I’ve got a little hideout, just over this ridge,” he replied.
He what? Why hadn’t he mentioned anything about this before?
“The boss always told me I should have a bolthole, if I needed it.”
“Oh, okay.” She let him grab her hand and tug her along again. That all sounded… plausible. So why was her skin crawling? And why did his hand feel clammy in hers? Her feet began to drag, and she stumbled a few times over logs and rocks.
“Nearly there,” Finn encouraged.
They headed up a short, steep incline. This must be the ridge Finn was talking about. The trees opened as they crested the top, and Indy got a quick glance at the surrounding bushland before they headed back down the other side. Finn pulled her along eagerly until they were practically jogging down the other side.
“Slow down,” she cried. She was going to take a tumble in the dark if he kept up this pace. Why was he in such a hurry? And why was he not listening to her?
The ground leveled off beneath their feet, and she sighed in relief. Leaning back, she managed to pull her hand away from Finn’s grasp, just as he announced, “We’re here,” and suddenly stopped in front of her.
It was hard to tell whereherewas in the dark. They seemed to have come to a standstill on the edge of some sort of dirt track. She could see the pale line of cleared bush stretching away to either side of them.
“I think,” he added, staring into the dark is if trying to get his bearings. “Are we far enough north?” he muttered to himself.
Far enough north for what? But she didn’t voice the question. Instead, she delved into her memories, and decided this could possibly be the track that led to the secret bush camp where she, Finn, and Mack had discovered the body. They’d been heading in the same direction, but when she and Finn had done this on their horses, they crossed the ridge through a saddle higher up Repeater Hill, and so had missed the track completely. With all the traffic from the police investigation, the unused route had become more pronounced.
“Yep, this is right,” he confirmed. “Now, we just have to wait.”
“Wait for what?” Indy was becoming increasingly irritated by Finn’s lack of communication.
“Oh, come on, babe. Don’t be like that.” Without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her hard against his chest. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do,” she replied. “But—”
His mouth descended on hers, cutting off the rest of her words. Lips hungry and demanding pressed against hers, his tongue flicking in and out, delving so deep she felt she might gag. His erection pressed into her stomach, hard and pounding through his jeans. He definitely wanted her. It was weird and a little off-putting. This was neither the time nor the place to bethinking about sex. She wanted answers, not kisses. She shoved him in the chest.
“Finn, get off me. What are you doing?”
But he didn’t let her go. “Mm, you taste good. Better than I imagined.”
What was he talking about? “Finn, I mean it. Get off me.” She struggled in his arms, but they merely tightened around her.
“What’s wrong, babe? I thought you liked this. I thought you liked me.”
“I do you like you,” she spat. “Most of the time. I just want answers, that’s all. Let me go, Finn, you’re scaring me.”
“Perhaps you should be scared.” His voice was suddenly deep. And slightly menacing.
“What?” She froze in his arms.
“You really believe I’m Finn, don’t you?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I?” She’d stopped struggling, but his arms remained like tight bands around her middle.
