Page 101 of The Storm Boys Series Collection

“You get what you were after?”

I thought about my gear, how the recording unit was probably fried, how this whole trip was probably for naught, and I considered launching into an explanation my father wouldn’t care about... but then Tully began a very loud rendition of ‘Sex on Fire’ and I smiled. “Yeah. I think so, Dad. I’m heading into the Darwin office this morning.”

“Okay. You back tomorrow, right?”

I withheld a sigh, because going back to my shitty life in Melbourne was the last thing I wanted to do. “Yeah. I’ll call you when I get in.”

“Right then. I better get back to work. You’re in a different time zone to me, ya know.”

“Yeah, Dad. I know.”

The line went quiet in my ear, just as Tully came skipping down the stairs. He was grinning until he saw me. “Oh, what’s up?”

“Nothing. Just spoke to my dad.”

“Everything okay?”

Not really. “Yep. Same as always.”

Tully watched me for a second and thankfully dropped it. “You ready to go?”

“Yep. My equipment crate is in the garage. I’m ready to see if it’s all completely fried and all my work is gone.”

He slung his arm over my shoulder and led me toward the garage. “It’ll be fine, just you wait and see.”

I envied his optimism.

In the garage, I lifted the crate and carried it to the back of the Jeep, but Tully opened the back of the Range Rover instead. “Today we go in style.”

I frowned. “Uh, the Jeep is more my style.”

He laughed and helped me slide the crate into his new car and I already had to wipe my brow. “I have two words for you,” he said. “Air. Conditioning.” Then he walked to the passenger door and opened it for me. “Your chariot, sire.”

I rolled my eyes but got in, and yes, the newer car was amazing and very fancy, and I’d have been perfectly happy in the Jeep, but yes, the air conditioning was very much appreciated.

He drove me along the shoreline, pointing out things of interest. “This whole marina is new,” he said. “There’s cafés and restaurants. We can have dinner there tonight if you want. All the trees have lights and it’s really pretty.”

I nodded, trying not to think that it’d be our last night together. “Sounds good.”

He pointed out more landmarks as he drove us out of the city centre, through some back streets, until we eventually got to our destination. The Darwin meteorology station was a small blond brick building sitting in the middle of a large dirt block, fenced off and not inviting at all. Built in the 1970s, by the looks of it, and not updated since.

But the gate was open and a motorbike with a sidecar was parked under the shelter at the side of the building.

I’d had very limited dealings with this Darwin office—this was the station, not the admin office—and I really had no idea of who or what to expect.

“Have you met Doreen before?” Tully asked.

“Uh, no. Have you?”

“I had to pick up some gear a time or two and take it out to the Jabiru Airport. Someone told her I was headed out there.” He grinned at me. “She’s a bit different.”

“I have no issue with different.” Before I could ask if the motorbike was hers, a figure came through the front door with a baseball bat. Big and tall, shaved head, black jeans and a black singlet top with ‘Vagitarian: I eat pussy’ written in pink across the front. She was late sixties, maybe seventies. Big boobs, menacing snarl.

“You got no business here,” she said, pointing the baseball bat at us.

“Oh my god,” I hissed, clutching at my seatbelt. “Tully, turn the car around!”

Tully laughed and got out. “Calm down, woman. Jesus Christ,” he said with his disarming grin. “Love your shirt.”

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