Page 59 of Stockman's Showdown

‘Yeah, bro.’ Dex’s hushed voice was clear over the headset.

‘Where are you?’

‘Right in the middle of the field. Don’t lecture me, I had to see how big it was. You knew I’d do it, and it’s a top place to put in one of those 360 cameras.’

‘Good. You can come back. Now.’ It was an order. He did not want Dex getting clip-happy with the foliage to have the growers suspicious because of some buds missing.

‘On my way.’

Beside him Bree gnawed on her bottom lip.

‘You look worried.’

‘I am. It’s a big crop.’

‘I shouldn’t have brought you here.’ He hated that she was worried, grabbing her hand to try and console her as he led them back to the fence.

Then he heard a vehicle.

‘Get down.’ He pulled her to the ground behind a row of thick bushes and protectively covered her, as an ATV came over the small rise from the far end of the firebreak that was too far for his handheld detector to pick up. With a sweep of its spotlight, it shone over the boundary, missing his ute, hidden by the trees, but it clearly highlighted their dam’s wall.

Inside the open-air all-terrain vehicle, the passenger manned the handheld spotlight. The blend of heavy metal and hip-hop music blared over the speakers to bounce off the scrublands, loud enough to disguise the crunch of the ATV’s beefy tyres rolling over the dirt track

‘It sounds like Linkin Park.’

‘Shh.’ Ryder covered Bree’s soft lips with his hand.

The smell of coffee, petrol and cigarette smoke reached them as the ATV rolled right past Bree and Ryder.

‘Nothing but roos, again tonight. Not exactly the action I signed up for.’ The passenger bellowed out over the music.

‘Keep it that way. Leo will have our bloody heads if we miss anything, and no stirring up the old bloke next door, not unless Leo says so,’ called out the driver, flicking his cigarette butt out on the dirt.

They were the worst night sentries! But Ryder could feel Bree’s heated anger growing. She was very protective over her grandfather. ‘Don’t,’ he warned her under his breath.

‘Are you sure this spotlight’s not losing its juice? Feels like it’s barely reaching the trees next door.’ The passenger tapped the spotlight, its beam of light shuddering across the dusty fire track.

‘It’s fine. You’re just getting paranoid coz we’re this close to harvest…’ The ATV slowly cruised past with the men casually chatting as if on a Sunday drive, heading in Dex’s direction.

‘Dex, they have sentries.’ Ryder grit his teeth, his hands on the M16 peering down the scope. ‘They’re pathetic, just doing the rounds. They won’t hear much over the music, but don’t draw attention to yourself as they have a spotlight. Meet us at the ute when you can.’

‘Righto.’

‘We’re just a joke to those cowboys. Not only are they blatantly stealing your water, but how they treat Charlie… He’s never been a threat to them.’ Bree sneered in anger. ‘Those arseholes are—’

‘Whoa.’ Ryder pulled her back down, hooking his leg over her to use his entire body weight to pin her to the ground while covering her mouth. ‘Calm down.’

She muffled something under his hand.

‘Are you going to be a good girl for me?’

She scowled at him.

He liked this game.

With his hand over her mouth he sniffed at her slender throat, truly inhaling her scent of vanilla, pecans and something seductively spicy deep down into his lungs. His nose nuzzled into that soft spot below her ear, delighted to feel her squirm and the bare outline of goose pimples disappearing under her shirt. ‘If I let go, will you remain calm?’

She nodded, her breath ragged.

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