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‘ I demand to see my daughter! She needs to be dealt with by ME!’ Malcolm Rowntree hammered his enormous fist on the front counter of the Elsie Creek Police Station. ‘Where is the little thief?’

‘Easy, Malcolm.’ Policeman Porter held up his hands on the other side of the reception area. ‘I can’t help you unless you calm down.’

‘He’s right, Mal.’ Celeste tried her best to calm the raging bull. ‘We aren’t helping Lenora by being mad at the police. They’re just doing their job.’

Jed nodded alongside his mother. ‘Come on, Dad, they recovered our stock, and that’s good news. Isn’t that right, Stone?’

Stone was coming down the corridor in search of another cup of coffee, as his excuse to escape the paperwork happening in the Stock Squad’s office. Filling out reports about what happened, collating all the evidence from the unfortunate series of events, was an endless task.

Made worse when he had to relive Bastion’s final moments as he wrote out his statement, to then front Finn for a proper police interview like he’d done the wrong thing.

Protocol Amara had told him, while telling him to keep his responses brief—and at no time be a smart-arse.

It had Craig worried enough to want to call in his wife Izzy, the lawyer, to help defend Stone.

But thanks to Romy’s drone footage that had captured the entire scene—even after she dropped the controller.

The drone had stayed airborne, recording everything from above.

He hadn’t heard it hit the ground, but he’d seen her running—not to save her gear, but to save him.

And that was a big move for someone who chose not to get involved while filming.

Yet what she’d captured on film… changed everything. Effectively clearing him of any wrongdoing of poor Bastion’s death—but it also showed the clear fear Romy had for Stone. She cared for him, deeply.

It still didn’t make him feel any better.

But there was one sliver of hope out of all this…

‘We’ve recovered all your missing stock. Even the ones that Bastion had with him when he drove off the bridge.’ Of course, Stone had to save the livestock, diving back into the water to hitch a cable to the back of Bastion’s van to get it back onto dry land.

Even though Romy was against it, and Finn was hesitant, it was Craig who gave him the winch cable, connected to the Stock Squad’s vehicle. To save those baby crocodiles, Stone had to do it. He needed something good to come out of this crappy day.

That’s when Finn dragged out his big bag of tricks, pulling out a handful of stun grenades, and wasn’t afraid to use them. It effectively cleared out all the crocodiles in that part of the river, allowing them to drag the van and its precious cargo free.

‘Where are those eggs and hatchlings now?’ Malcolm demanded. He was a big man whose scowl was a permanent fixture.

Stone had never been afraid of Malcolm. ‘At Cowboy Craig’s quarantine station.’

‘Did you set up the ponds?’

Stone nodded. ‘All temperature controlled. I even flew the babies back myself.’ He just didn’t expect the filthy look from Romy, who’d refused to get back into his helicopter.

In fact, she refused to talk to Stone at all.

So Stone took Craig and the livestock back to the quarantine station, while Romy got a lift back to the station with Amara and Finn, towing Bastion’s van, with Porter’s police van bringing up the rear of their convoy, carting their prisoners.

Sadly, there was nothing they could do for Bastion, his body would probably never be recovered, not with that bask of crocodiles who patrolled that part of the river, doing what nature intended.

‘Stone, let the Rowntree family in.’ Finn motioned to him from the hallway.

‘Come on through, guys.’ Stone pushed open the security door.

Inside the Stock Squad office, the Rowntree family sat opposite the team around the large round table—usually reserved for their morning meetings.

‘What is happening with our daughter, Lenora?’ Malcolm wasn’t happy, but then he always was a cranky prick.

‘I’ve charged Lenora Rowntree with the theft of livestock, in particular charges that relate to a protected species like the saltwater crocodile.’ Finn remained calm, with his back to the raging Malcolm Rowntree, as he gathered up his paperwork.

Seated on the other side of his mother, Jed leaned over the table to speak to Malcolm. ‘Can’t we drop the charges, Dad? This is Lenora here. She’d never hurt those creatures.’

‘What about Griffin? I’m not letting that mongrel get away with this.’ Malcolm gritted his teeth. ‘Or you could let Griff out and I’ll take him on a one-way boat ride down the river.’

‘Mal!’ Celeste’s voice was shrill, her hand to her throat. ‘This does not help Lenora. Drop the charges, Mal.’

‘Like hell I’ll let that girl out. Not when she betrayed me, and you’re all too soft—’

‘Malcolm.’ Finn’s low voice cut through the noise.

Yet Malcolm pushed on anyway, louder now, trying to dominate. ‘Lenora is not getting away with this.’

Finn didn’t flinch. ‘Talk over me again, and you’ll be explaining yourself from a cell.’

The glare was enough for Malcolm’s mouth to snap shut.

Finn dragged out a chair and dropped a thick file onto the table like a gavel, then sat opposite the Rowntree family. Heavy tattoos shifted across his muscular forearms that caught the light that hinted at scars hidden beneath. The muscle, the calm, the coiled restraint…

One look from Finn, and the whole family seemed to shrink. Celeste folded her hands in her lap. Jed looked down at the table. Even Malcolm leaned back, subdued.

‘It won’t matter if you do try to drop the charges. Not now,’ Finn said. ‘This case is going to the DPP. It’s not just about stolen stock—which I take seriously, no matter who’s involved. It also concerns potential wildlife trafficking and breaches of environmental law.’

‘They only stole the once from our cold stock,’ Mal muttered.

‘That you know of.’ Finn didn’t blink. ‘Lenora says Griffin and Bastion have been taking a lot more than any of you may realise.’

Malcolm swallowed hard, shoulders lowering like the air had left him. ‘Not true. Griffin wouldn’t do that to me.’

‘Lenora stated that Griffin has been stealing from the pens he’s been hired to look after. And we have him on tape double-crossing Lenora by taking the rest of their stolen stock, leaving Lenora behind.’

‘That can’t be right.’ Malcolm shook his head. ‘You’re making a mistake.’

‘Lenora has admitted to everything. We haven’t interviewed Griffin, yet, as we’ve been putting the evidence together.’

Stone knew Finn was letting Griffin sweat it out —a classic police interview tactic that was driving him up the wall as he paced his cell. While poor Lenora was huddled in the corner, hugging her knees in between wiping tears as heart-wrenching sobs echoed inside her cell.

‘Why would Lenora do this to us?’ Malcolm shook his head, pointing at his chest. ‘To me. That silly girl. She’s as silly as her mother…

’ He then stabbed his finger on the tabletop as he snarled at his wife, seated beside him.

‘This is your fault, woman. I told you she didn’t need to go to university and get her head filled with silly ideas. ’

‘You ignorant fool!’ Celeste glared at her husband. ‘Don’t you get it? This was your doing.’

‘Shut up, Celeste. You don’t know what you're talking about.’

‘NO! You listen to me for a change.’ Celeste jabbed at the air in front of Malcolm. ‘When you said the farm was going to be Jed’s when you retired, you forgot about your eldest child, Lenora.’

‘Jed is my son. My only son. The paperwork is done, woman. Now sit down and stop embarrassing us.’

‘And what about Lenora, huh? What did she get?’ Celeste became eerily calm, yet her voice was full of venom.

‘I know you were hoping you’d still have control over Jed to do what you wanted.

While you devastated your own daughter for your own selfish pride.

When it was Lenora who put our farm ahead of the competition. ’

Young Jed looked floored, his jaw opening and closing. ‘Mum, I was going to go partners with Lenora.’

Malcolm’s frown was ferocious towards his son. ‘Like hell you were.’

‘I had to wait until Dad moved out,’ mumbled Jed, hiding his hands under the table, not even looking at his scowling father. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to manage the place, not without Lenora. I know that.’

‘And her own father didn’t see it.’ Celeste shook her head at Malcolm.

‘I know you handed the farm to Jed because of your old-fashioned tradition of giving everything to the first son. But it was also because you thought he wouldn’t challenge your authority or overshadow your legacy—unlike Lenora, whose clever use of modern technology took the farm beyond your control.

You refused to learn how to use a laptop, and still struggle to answer a video call on your phone. ’

‘Ease off, woman, this doesn’t concern you.’ Malcolm pushed her away.

‘But it does concern me, because it was me who did this. Me .’ She stood, jabbing at her chest, with her voice echoing around the room as she shouted at her husband. ‘I knew what Griff and Bastion were doing, because I was the one who made the plans.’

‘You what?! ’ Malcolm spun in his seat, red-faced and rising. ‘No, not a chance in Hades you’d do that. You? You’re too busy doing bloody laundry—’

‘Sit. DOWN . ’ Finn’s voice was like raw iron, rough-edged and impossible to ignore.

Mal, who’d looked ready to launch at his wife, stopped cold.

Finn hadn’t moved from his chair. He didn’t have to.

His glare alone could’ve dropped cattle.

Especially when his inked muscles coiled under rolled sleeves, his inked knuckles resting near the file like they were waiting for a reason to get bloodied.

‘You want to go a round with me, Malcolm? Say the word. Otherwise, take a seat and let your wife finish.’

Malcolm’s jaw clenched as muscles twitched, and his face darkened with rage.