Page 109 of Stockman's Stormcloud

‘They have to pay to fight?’ Ryder asked Dex.

‘It’s the rules.’

‘Well, explain them to me, brother.’

‘For guys to fight, they pay the house. That’s where the organiser gets their cut. The winning fighter gets his share, and the farmer holding the fight on his premises also gets a cut. Then you have the bookies, who give a percentage to the organisers for every fight. When they fight and win a bout, fighters earn points as a rating of their fighting skills. The higher their rating, the more wins they’ve had, the bigger the chance they have at fighting the champion.’

‘You.’

‘When I fight, they have to pay top dollar and must have the points to prove they can fight, because the more even the fight, the bigger the crowd, the more I get paid.’ And the organisers were very clever at coaxing decent crowds all across the northern half of this country’s outback regions.

‘Can I be blunt here?’ Ryder asked Finn. ‘We didn’t know you existed until last week, and now I’ve got my brother risking his health—’

‘I’m doing this, brother, and you can’t talk me out of it.’

‘Send me in.’ Ryder demanded.

‘No. I’m doing this.’ This was Dex’s chance to save the station. Didn’t Ryder believe he could do it?

‘Marcus said you were my backup,’ Finn said to Ryder. ‘He said you’ve helped him before in other police operations.’

Ryder crossed his arms. ‘I know Marcus, but I don’t know you. So I want to know what you get out of it? Because it’s more than doing this as a favour for your wife.’

Did Finn have an ulterior motive? Was Bree aware of this? Knowing Bree, if she did, she’d use it to her advantage.

Finn peered around the car park to ensure they were out of earshot. ‘If this bust goes well, based on the value of your stock, I can apply for a bigger team to help me cover a lot more country.’

‘And you and Bree?’

Finn stared at Ryder for a long time, as if trying to read the unreadable man. ‘Bree divorced my arse a while ago.’

‘When?’

‘After our son, Liam, got sick. I wasn’t there for my wife or my son, and I blamed my supervisor for that.’ Finn savagely rubbed at his creased forehead.

‘How could you not be there?’ Dex would’ve walked through fire if his family—especially if his child, was in trouble.

‘I was deep undercover, about to make a big sting that had been a year in the making.’

‘No one told you that your son was in the hospital?’ Ryder asked. ‘Like your handler?’

‘No one.’

‘Why not?’ Dex asked. Nearly his whole family had shown up when he woke up in the hospital. And poor little Liam would have asked for his father.

‘They were under strict orders not to. When we completed the bust, that’s when I finally got my hands on my phone and listened to all of Bree’s messages. It was heartbreaking hearing about my son…’ Head down, hands on hips, Finn inhaled and exhaled heavily. Finn then lifted his head to glare at Ryder. ‘I stuffed up not being there for myfamily when they needed me. I’m man enough to know that. Not only did I lose my son, but I also lost my wife. And in my anger, I punched my supervisor’s bloody head in, got charged with assault, and ended up in the big house, doing time.’

‘That’s what Charlie said.’

‘Charlie knows nothing of my job, because he’s hopeless at keeping secrets.’ Finn frowned.

‘We noticed,’ said Dex.

‘We also noticed Charlie doesn’t like you.’ It was clear Ryder didn’t like Finn either, with this kind of interrogation.

‘Charlie never forgave me for not being there when Liam got sick. But you bet when Bree called me, I showed up.’

‘You have a criminal record. How can you work for the cops?’ Ryder asked.

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