Page 107 of Stockman's Stowaway

Gavin struggled to swallow. ‘Mia?’ His voice was strained.

‘What makes you think this mongrel poisoned my dogs?’ The thought made Cap’s blood boil.

‘Gavin is a diesel fitter for the mines,’ said Mia, facing the man who’d plagued her nightmares. ‘Lead is everywhere. I know lead is used to line the tanks that hold corrosive liquids that are commonly found on mine sites. It’s also in the big batteries for their machinery, and there are stacks of them in Gavin’s workshop at the mine.’

‘Why would he do that, girlie? He doesn’t know us.’ Charlie squinted at Gavin like he was rotten meat. ‘I’ve never met the bloke until today.’

‘Because Gavin is working for Leo. It’s why he hasn’t left the Territory, because Leo was going to pay Gavin double what he was getting at his old job if he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty.’ Mia wagged her finger at him. ‘Leo is your boss. He’s paying you, isn’t he?’

‘It’s a job, that’s all.’ Gavin shrugged. ‘Easy money to buy that farm you always wanted.’

Mia shuddered, holding up her palm to make him stop talking. ‘You confronted me in the car park at the campdraft because you’dfollowedme backfromthe dog tent. It’s why Leo made such a fuss over Willow at our display tent about owning her. It was a distraction, so Cap would come running, leaving his dogs unattended, where you poured the poison into their water bowls. I watched Leo text you when it was all over after I’d won Willow. He was texting you to warn you that Cap might come back!’

She then pointed to the back cage of Gavin’s ute. ‘That dog cage on the back of your ute, I know it’s new. Which doesn’t make sense when you hate dogs!’

‘So? Some people don’t like cats.’

‘I bet it was you who let those wild dogs out on this property.’ She shook her head. ‘I was there when Cowboy Craig told me about the tyre treads on the vehicle used to dump those wild dogs on this property. He said they were special all-terrain tyres commonly bought by concrete cowboys.’ She pointed to his car’s tyres. ‘I remember the fuss you made in getting these and how it took ages for them to arrive. Bree would recognise the tread. She was there.’

‘Me, too,’ said Charlie. ‘And Craig took pictures on his phone.’

‘It was you who hurt the dogs. YOU.’ Mia stood right before him stabbing her finger at him. ‘Leo paid you, didn’t he? Go on, be a man and admit it.’

‘Yeah, alright. As soon as Leo told me he’d seen you here, shacking up with these mongrels, I did all of it—’

‘You arsehole.’ Cap saw red. His hands squeezed tight into fists, and he lashed out at Gavin.Bangbang. Two quick punches into Gavin’s right eye, in the same spot Mia wore her black eye. ‘That’s for Atlas.’

And he was just warming up, to let loose with another flurry of lightning-quick punches that smashed into Gavin’s nose, the gristle and bone no match for Cap’s fists. ‘And that’s for all those wild dogs we had to put down, too.’

But Cap wasn’t done; he still needed to dish out some justice. Yet, he waited a beat for Gavin to take a swing, just like they’d all been taught.

Gavin swung.

Cap ducked, deflected Gavin’s punch, to hit hard with his elbow, clipping Gavin’s lips in the same place Mia had her fat lip.

Gavin collapsed to the ground, and Cap booted him right in the ribs. ‘And that’s for Mia.’

Even though Gavin was a bloody mess kissing the dirt floor, Cap dragged the cretin up by the shirtfront. ‘If I ever see you again, I will play by the rules of murder club, and I will take you to that watering hole to meet those crocodiles myself, and I will watch them tear you limb from limb.’

‘Cap, please stop.’ Mia tugged on his arm, pulling him away as Gavin fell back to the ground.

Dex leaned down and checked over Gavin. ‘You’ll live.’

‘Good. Time to leave.’ Ryder roughly dragged Gavin like a rag doll, shoving him into the driver’s seat of the maroon ute. The big man then said something quietly to Gavin that made her ex’s eyes widen in terror, before he quickly drove away.

‘Well done, brother.’ Dex patted Cap on the shoulders. ‘We taught you well.’

‘I’ve never seen you fight, Cap.’ Ash arched his eyebrows at his brother. ‘You’re always stopping the fights as our peacemaker.’

‘Sometimes you have to make war to get peace,’ said Ryder, watching Gavin’s ute drive away.

‘I’m sorry, Mia. I know you told me to keep my temper, but after what you said about the dogs, I couldn’t let him get away with that. Not after what he did to Atlas, and especially to you. I want you to be free from him, to live without fear.’ With his sore, bloodied hands, he cupped her cheeks, only to pull back. ‘I’m getting your good clothes all dirty.’

‘Dirt never bothered me. I know I’m all about saving the environment and being a peace lover, but that was hot.The rushof the whole confrontation, and you, you’re so nasty.’ She giggled.

He chuckled, slinging his arm around her shoulders, using the crook of his elbow to bring her close. ‘I’d do it for you again in a heartbeat. But Bree?’ He showed the redhead his fists. ‘Have you got anything in your witchy kit for knuckles?’

‘Come on, you big bad hero, I’ve got a freezer full of ice and a jug of gin with your name all over it, we’ll fix up those cuts in no time. If your brother gives me back my shotgun?’ She narrowed her eyes at Ryder.

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