Page 2 of The Bait

“Hm,” Jake replied. “Rental. Let me see what I can find out...”

August sat there a moment, that sinking feeling in his gut getting a whole lot heavier.

“Rented to a Marko Andric, Croatian national driver’s licence.” More clicking on the keyboard. “Arrived yesterday?—”

August started the engine. “Give Michael and Joshua Hill a call and tell them we’re on our way.”

There was a pause. “We are? Wh-what for?”

He noted the hesitation, and he didn’t blame him. “I’ll explain on the way. Pick you up in two...”

Jake climbed into the passenger seat of the patrol evenbefore August had come to a complete stop. He was on duty, so his police uniform was par for the course, but August wasn’t sure if this visit called for formalities.

“What happened?” Jake asked as August turned back out onto the street. “I take it nothing good.”

“Just ran into a man at the hardware. Something wasn’t right.” August gripped the steering wheel a little too tight, which Jake noticed, of course. He unpeeled his fingers, trying to convince himself to play it cool. “It’s just a feeling.”

Jake eyed him. “And when have your gut feelings ever been wrong?”

Exactly.

“You got through to them? Let them know we’re coming?”

He nodded. “Spoke to Joshua. He sounded happy about it. Said he’d put the kettle on.”

August gave Jake a side-eye. He’d said all he could ever say about Joshua Hill. Jake seemed to like him, maybe because they were the only other gay couple in Tallowwood, but August knew better. They were a couple, yes. Of that, he had no doubt. Michael Hill was a giant of a man. Intimidating and hard, but it was sweet little Joshua who scared August the most. Fun and flirty on the outside, cold-blooded killer on the inside.

August was sure of it.

Not to mention that he’d seen Joshua use a McMillan TAC-50 rifle like it was an extension of his own hands, and when he’d made some enquiries, ASIO had shut him down.

Fucking ASIO.

Which had to mean Michael and Joshua were military or black ops or... something.

Either way, August wasn’t too keen to give unannounced house calls, hence the phone call to warn them. He filled Jake in on what very little detail he had on the drive out to their place.

Their house was secluded, off the road down a drive a few kilometres long. Surrounded by woodlands, forests, and a few hundred acres that backed directly onto the national park.

When August pulled the patrol to a stop, Joshua opened the front door. He wore jeans, a grey sweater, and a welcoming smile. “Let me do the talking,” August murmured to Jake before getting out.

They walked over and Joshua held the door for them in invitation. “Please come in. We haven’t seen you since just before Christmas. Can I get you a cup of tea?”

The house was warm and cosy, the wooden floors freshly polished by the looks of it. August almost felt bad for not taking his shoes off. “No thanks,” he said.

“Not a social visit, I take it,” Michael said, nodding to Jake’s uniform. He stood in the living room, his stance rigid, ready. It was probably hard for a man of his size to ever look relaxed, August realised, but his eyes... his eyes were assessing every single thing.

“More of a courtesy call,” August said, as pleasant as he could. “Had some visitors in town this morning.”

Michael stood, unmoving. Joshua walked over and, taking Michael’s hand, motioned for everyone to sit. “And what does that have to do with us?” Joshua asked, still smiling.

“Three men. One of them at least is a Croatian national. Arrived in the country last night, rented a four-wheel drive, said they were going fishing in the national park. Had no fishing gear, didn’t know what fish were local, andhis boots were wrong. They weren’t hiking boots, or any kind of outdoor boots, for that matter. They were military boots.”

Jacob held up his phone screen to show them the photo. “Croatian military boots. They looked like this.”

And for the first time ever, there was a reaction.

Michael’s eyes hardened, his nostrils flared, and Joshua took his hand from Michael’s and sat far too calmly, his hands now in his lap. “Oh?”

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