“What’s happening?” Brandon asked.
“Rodney is coming here,” Nhiari said. “He’s going to pick up the treasure and Lee. Organised Crime wants the treasure kept at the police station overnight.”
Brandon frowned. “How many people are guarding it?”
Nhiari shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Do you need me to call Lucas?” Lee asked.
Nhiari shook her head. “He won’t believe the Stokes would let you make a phone call now. Rodney will have told him what’s going on.”
“I’m not letting the treasure out of my sight,” Brandon said.
“We’ll arrange for you to go too.”
“What are you going to do?” Lee asked.
“I have to stay here,” she said. “Rodney doesn’t want me in town. I’ll liaise with Dot, and she’ll tell me where she wants me tomorrow when this all goes down.”
Lee studied her, and she did her best to keep her expression neutral.
“I need to talk to the others.” Brandon left the kitchen to round up his family, who were distributed around the house.
Lee stepped closer. “The only reason to take the treasure into town now is to give Lucas a better chance to get to it.”
“I know.”
“Where are Sam and Sherlock?”
She shook her head. “Dot hasn’t told me what she’s got planned.”
“Because she thinks you’ll tell me,” Lee said.
Nhiari shrugged. “Maybe. You haven’t heard anything more from Lucas, have you?”
“No.” He glanced towards the hallway and then took hold of her hand. “No matter what happens, Nhi, know that what I feel for you is real. I—.”
Brandon strode back in. He glanced at their hands and Lee let hers go.
Nhiari ignored the jumble of emotions inside her and focused on what Brandon was saying.
“Darcy and Matt are on their way back. Ed’s putting his drone in the air to make sure there’s no one else out there.”
Nhiari nodded. “Lucas would be foolish to take the treasure from here.” Though it was an option they hadn’t considered. The Stokes had an airstrip on their property as well.
It would be a short drive to get the treasure there.
Her skin itched with the stress of all the options. At least the plane was still in Carnarvon. Unless he’d hired another one. “I’ll check how Ed’s doing.”
She went outside and spotted him nearby. “See anything?”
He shook his head. “Nothing is moving in the area except Darcy and Matt coming back.”
“How far is the range on that thing?”
“A couple of kilometres.”
That could be her answer. “I need you to track Rodney when he leaves.”
