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‘This way.’ With four goons surrounding them, Leo led Charlie and Bree down a cracked cement path. The spotlight that sat on the corner of the simple demountable attracted a swirl of night bugs, as chirping crickets competed with the rhythmic sounds of commercial irrigation sprinklers that hissed as they pivoted, with their rhythmic chug chug chug water rotations echoing through the still night air.

‘Cor blimey, what is that smell?’ Charlie winced, with his hand over his nose and mouth at the sharp, almost oily scent, with a sweet undertone. ‘It’s enough to give a man a headache.’

‘I agree,’ said Leo, opening the door to the accommodations that reminded Bree of run-down rooms found at older mining camps.

‘You can just let us go, Leo.’ While pretending not to notice the whopping big field of dope, her mind raced through a set of escape scenarios, each one hitting a dead end. With Charlie as fragile as he was, he couldn’t run or fight, so their chances of getting out were shrinking by the second.

She glanced at her grandfather—his deeply wrinkled face grew pale under the harsh spotlight, his eyes darting with worry. The sight was enough to trigger a crushing weight of desperation in her. But she had to be smart about this, as there was no way in hell she was going to leave her grandfather behind.

Leo’s smile was sickly as he bowed at the door, sweeping his hand towards the inside. ‘But I have something to show you. I promise it will answer all your questions.’

‘We don’t need to see it.’ Her big mouth did this. Idiot!

‘Boss said, inside. So inside you go.’ The creep they called Gator gripped her arm.

‘Listen here, liver lips, don’t touch what you can’t afford.’ She ripped her arm free. Gritting her teeth, she spun around to stare down the imbecile, her temper bristling just under her skin. ‘Touch me again and I’ll save the planet from any chances of you breeding in the future.’

‘Yeah, right.’

‘I bend steel for a living, you concrete cowboy. Don’t think I won’t do it!’ Gator was the creepiest. ‘Which one did I shoot in the arse, Leo? No, not you, chicken legs.’ She nodded at the one they called Bones. ‘And I’ve never seen you two before. Brothers, right?’

The goofy one nodded. ‘I’m Hammer and that’s Wrench.’

‘Tools!’ She peered over her shoulder at Leo, even giggling. ‘Which one is the sharpest tool in your shed?’

Leo laughed. He always understood her smart-arse cracks when very few people ever did. ‘Bree, you do amuse me. Gentlemen, please play nice with our guests.’

Gator just sneered at her.

Bree refused to move. Even if the assorted night bugs landed in her hair, and a mosquito buzzed near her ear, she wasn’t moving. Hoping that if she stood here long enough, under this spotlight, Ryder’s cameras would pick them up for Cap to notice. After all, they were right next door—with only a few thousand acres between them.

‘Bree, you did ask the question, and I’m only being neighbourly in answering them for you.’

‘With guns and backup, like this one who smells like a split personality to me.’ She narrowed her eyes at Gator. She was so close to waving her arms in the air, hoping that Cap was watching that wall of monitors in the boys’ boardroom.

‘Come on, kid. Leo’s gotta show us something. If we behave, he’ll let us go home.’ Charlie tugged on her arm, leaving her with no choice but to follow her grandfather inside.

The door slammed shut behind her, closing her inside with five men and Charlie. She was unarmed, trapped, and outnumbered, right next to Leo’s dope crop worth a few million dollars.

There was no way Leo was letting them go home now.