Crash and Burn (6 page)

“Yes, I suppose so. How long will we be here?” she asked.

“Probably until tomorrow morning. I have to make some calls first. We should know more after I finish, but for the moment, we rest.”

Beth watched Daniel as he poured the coffee. He had this amazing effect on her and she had no idea how she was going to get through this situation if she didn’t cool down. Maybe if she tried to think of something else. Something safe and boring. Diversionary tactics, that’s what her mother had told her to do when she had to do something she didn’t like.
Think of something completely different to take my mind off it.
Beth smiled to herself. She could always think of the dentist every time he came near her. She hated the dentist. Maybe that would do it.

Nah, that won’t work.
It was going to be a long day.

* * * *

Daniel watched Beth, studying her face as she looked into the distance. She was so beautiful sitting there on that log, her magnificent red hair blowing in wisps across her face in time to the breeze. She must have had a lot of questions, but so far she’d shown considerable restraint in pursuing any answers. He wondered what she was thinking and was a little bit in awe of her trust in him. She had to be frightened to death and confused in the bargain, but she displayed more courage than any woman he’d ever met. She deserved to be told the truth, but he couldn’t bring himself to get into that just yet. He’d rather enjoy the moment here in these peaceful surroundings with a beautiful woman for company. It wouldn’t be long before he had to get them on the road again.

He retrieved the satellite phone from the car. Now was probably a good time to make a few calls, because he couldn’t make any decisions until he had more information. They were safe here for the moment since no one else knew about this place except perhaps his father, and he knew his father wouldn’t be contacted. He hadn’t spoken to him in five years and the people he worked for knew that.

Beth was the only loose end, as far as the bad guys were concerned. Damn, he wished they’d just placed her under protection in the first place, but his boss had thought it better to watch her from a distance, given her memory loss. They didn’t even know if what she remembered would be useful. What they needed was an ID on the assassin. But it didn’t seem to matter anymore if she remembered or not. The bastards were trying to kill her anyway. He couldn’t let that happen.

Although he hadn’t seen the face of the gunman, Daniel had recognized the man who’d been shot. He’d never met him but had seen him before at government functions. Peter Wilson had been a senior public servant in the Foreign Affairs department. He’d been responsible for the schedule of events for the British Prime Minister at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference to be held in Brisbane next week.

After his death they’d found that large sums of money had been deposited into a bank account in his name. The indications were that Wilson had sold confidential details to some unknown party—possibly a terrorist organization or an unfriendly foreign government.

If this scenario was true, then Beth wasn’t the only target. If someone had leaked their location, they probably knew Daniel had been on the train and was with her now. But other than himself, only three people knew he’d been there and that Beth had seen the face of the gunman. Beth, his boss and Will, the helicopter pilot who’d flown them to the cabin. He’d stake his life that none of them would betray him. It had to be someone else, but he couldn’t risk calling just anyone in the department. There was only a couple of people he could trust.

Once again glancing at Beth, Daniel realized he couldn’t put it off any longer. If he wanted her to help herself and cooperate fully with him, he had to tell her the whole story. Striding toward her more confidently than he felt, he saw Beth turn her head sharply toward him, an expectant expression greeting him as he reached the tree stump and sat.

“You’re ready to tell me what you neglected to say before?”

Of course she’d figured out he’d been holding back. Her patience with him today had been remarkable. Anyone else would have been screaming at him to explain hours before this, but Beth somehow seemed to understand that he would tell her in his own time.

Daniel took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “You’re sure you’re ready for this?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I want to know, but I’m positive I need to.”

“Okay then, this is the information I have.”

He left nothing out, including how they’d met and how she’d seen the shooting on the train. He saw a myriad of emotions flicker over her face as he spoke. Surprise gave way to horror and fear, only to be replaced by a seething anger as she realized the full impact of what he had just told her.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you this all before. We thought it would protect you if you didn’t know. I know you must be angry.”

“Angry doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling right now,” said Beth, her voice quiet, but formal and controlled. She clutched her walking stick for dear life as she struggled to stand.

“My leg is really stiff,” she said, as she hobbled off in the direction of the creek. “I think I need a walk to stretch it out.”

Knowing better than to offer help, Daniel watched her in admiration as she staggered before straightening up and walking off into the distance, all the while trying valiantly to mask her limp. He was constantly amazed at her strength. Obviously she needed to be by herself to mull over what she had just learned. He’d leave her alone, but not for too long. They needed to talk about what their next step would be. He owed it to her to keep her informed.

Daniel strolled over to the four-wheel drive and removed a large black suitcase. He carried it over to the campsite where he opened it carefully and expertly assembled the equipment. It didn’t take him long to have the satellite dish and the laptop set up. Soon he was online and scanning through the NCA site, searching for clues as to who might be behind this breach of security. He also attached a small black box to his phone and turned it on, punching the numbers from memory. The tension built behind his eyes as he stared at the screen, waiting for one of the few people he trusted to answer.

“Addison,” the deep voice on the other end of the phone announced.

“John…”

“Wyatt. Where the fuck are you, mate? We checked out the cabin and you’d vanished. What happened?”

“Change of plan—we had visitors.”

“Shit. How the fuck did anyone find you? Only Will and I knew you were there.”

“Well, someone found out and I’d like to know how.”

“So would I. Where are you now?”

“I think it’s better if you don’t know until we know who the leak is. We’ll be safer this way. Any news on the threat?”

“No, nothing concrete. Does she remember anything? It would be useful to show her some mugshots to help identify the assassin.”

“
Now
you want to question her? We should have done it before. She could have been protected all this time. I never agreed with this sit-back-and-wait policy of yours, John.”

“I had my reasons, Daniel, but they don’t apply now that there seems to be a leak. I agree you need to keep your location under wraps for now. Let me do some checking and I’ll get back to you tonight.”

“No, I’ll call you. I’ve got scramblers in place. I’ll get back to you in twenty-four hours.”

The phone clicked off and Daniel set it down on the makeshift table, continuing to sift through pages on the computer screen. The phone call had told him nothing he didn’t already know. Hopefully John would be able to give him something to go on when he made contact later on. In the meantime there wasn’t much he could do but stay put.

As long as no one knew where they were, they were safe. He hoped they stayed that way, but if someone got to them at the safe house, then it was possible they’d be found here, too.

* * * *

Beth’s need to know had burned inside her all day. She’d tried not to show Daniel how much it got to her, and it’d just about killed her to sit and wait for him to tell her. She figured if she appeared too emotional, he wouldn’t divulge everything. She’d tried hard to make him believe she was strong, even though the opposite was closer to the truth. Now she almost wished he hadn’t said anything.

Her breathing was fast and ragged as she once again turned away from Daniel and hobbled into the bushland. She’d figured out over the last day that someone wanted her dead, but the complexity of the situation was much more than she could ever have imagined.

Why hadn’t the police told her all this from the start? Why let her think she was going crazy? And she
had
thought she was going mad. She’d really wondered at the state of her mind and hated feeling that loss of control. It was suddenly too much to take in at once. What the hell was she going to do now? She couldn’t think—didn’t
want
to think, so she did the thing she always did when things got to be overwhelming. She took a deep breath and centered herself, concentrating on her surroundings and letting her muscles relax. After a session of meditation, she’d always felt better able to cope with anything. She hoped it worked this time.

The late morning sun was hot as it rested on Beth’s head. She sat at the side of the creek, feet dangling in the cool water. A pair of rainbow lorikeets rummaged through the undergrowth on the other side of the creek, foraging for food. Beth smiled wistfully as she watched them take turns bringing small tidbits up to their nest in the tall branches of the ghost gum tree. She remembered learning at school that lorikeets mate for life, just like her parents had. She blinked back tears as she thought of them. She missed them so much. She needed them now like never before.

Wiping her eyes, she continued watching the birds. As a child she’d dreamed of having that kind of simplicity in her own life. She wanted to be a part of a loving couple, both sharing the task of bringing up a family. But since her parents had died, she didn’t trust relationships. People don’t always stick around.

After learning of the danger she was in, she doubted if a relationship was ever going to be possible for her now, even if she’d wanted it. Her head throbbed and she placed her fingers to her temples, gently rubbing to stave off the headache that was lingering below the surface.

The Heads of Government Conference was starting in a few days. Daniel had told her that the security had been tightened and they were aware of the danger, so perhaps after the Conference was over they would be safe? It was a faint hope she was holding on to—wishing with all her heart that there was an end in sight. She had to wait it out and rely on Daniel, even though she hated being dependent on others.

The distant sound of an airplane startled Beth and brought her attention back to her surroundings. She watched the familiar shape of the aircraft float by as she tied her shoelaces, wincing at the dull ache in her leg. She waited for the pain to subside before scrambling to her feet and making her way back to the campsite. She badly needed a nap. She was so tired that she couldn’t think straight. Maybe after a rest, she’d be strong enough to deal with the next phase of her life. There wasn’t much else to do anyway. Sitting around fantasizing about Daniel would accomplish nothing except build frustration and make things more difficult in the long run.

* * * *

Dinner was uncomfortably silent as both of them went through the motions of eating the tinned meat from the rations. Daniel searched Beth’s face, trying but failing to gauge what she was thinking. Her face was tight and expressionless, as she seemed to be keeping a tight grip on her emotions. That was probably good, he thought. She needed to be in control until they got out of this mess.

Despite the nap she’d taken that afternoon, they both needed to get a good night’s sleep. Last night had certainly been a write-off in that department. God only knew when they might get another chance for a rest. Tomorrow was shaping up to be another long day.

Beth finished eating quickly and made them both some coffee. Daniel watched as she maneuvered her injured leg about the campsite and over to the stove. Her independence amused him, but he also admired her for it. Most people would have fallen in a heap with only half of what had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours, but she’d managed to keep it all together and keep going. She was going to need all of that strength and more before this was over.

Dusk settled in and the temperature dropped dramatically. As the birds settled in their nests for the night, the daytime sounds of the bush diminished and were replaced by the creaking of cicadas and the whisper of a breeze through the trees.

“We should get some sleep. We need to get moving again in the morning, and I’d like to get an early start,” Daniel said as he finished packing away the plates.

Beth placed a mug of coffee on the log beside Daniel and reached out to touch his arm. “Where will we go?”

He laid his hand gently on top of hers, wanting to prolong the current of electricity trailing across his skin. “I’m not sure yet. I have another call to make in the morning then I’ll let you know. In the meantime, get some rest.” He wasn’t ready to move his hand just yet, leaving it to linger on the softness of her warm skin.

He felt rather than heard Beth’s soft intake of breath before she cleared her throat and coughed. “There’s only one tent,” she rasped.

He shook his head. “You take it.”

Shrugging in annoyance, she pulled her arm away and moved back to sit on the log nearer the tent. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’d better share it. You’ll freeze out here with no fire.”

“I’ll live. I’ve done it before.” He stifled a smile as he saw her flustered face.

“And you call me stubborn.” She stood and threw the almost full mug of coffee onto the dirt behind her. “Okay—but if you get cold later, don’t blame me.”

Beth grabbed her backpack from beside her and walked off, making her way to the tent. It was sheltered under a tree at the edge of the clearing. She tugged at the zipper but it wouldn’t budge.