Page 63 of Rough Stock

‘What does that mean?’

‘They’re not branded yet. You see, it’s mandatory in the Northern Territory to brand cattle at eight months of age.’

‘How young are they?’ Now she felt bad for the poor babies.

‘Wraith’s sons are six months old.’

‘Are you going to sell them as Wraith’s sons?’

He nodded. ‘Along with my share of what’s in those cryogenic canisters.’

Which meant they’d used liquid nitrogen to give those canisters its frosty appearance, keeping the bioproducts frozen and protected. They were also small enough to hide in a box, making them perfect for transport.

She peered over at Wraith, inspecting his large body for any signs of harm. Yet, he looked completely unharmed. ‘Why? I get you had bills, but you’ve just sold your property.’ And Dane had been oddly calm chatting with her, but he’d also been sympathetic too. ‘Are you still working for Everlight?’

‘Pft. I’ve never worked for that mob—Renzo does. I worked with the stock agent to take that livestock. That was for me. For money. And a whole lot of payback.’ Dane scowled as he shifted his hat to shade his eyes as he peered over the penned livestock.

It made her slide back across the floor of her cage. She had to remember Dane was a bad guy. ‘You were a head stockman. And I was told the stockmen in this town were the good guys.’

Dane snorted as he sipped on his tin mug, wiping his mouth. ‘I liked to think so. Once upon a time I might’ve…’ He brushed down the dust ingrained into his jeans. ‘I have a problem with the gee-gees, you see.’

Searching for an answer, Izzy sat taller. On the table a newspaper lay open at the racing pages, next to a notepad, and a small radio that she’d bet was tuned in to the racing channel. ‘Racehorses?’ Dane was a gambler.

Cradling his mug in his lap, Dane’s sigh was so heavy, his whole body seemed to sag under the weight. ‘Lost my wife and my two sons to the sport. I was hoping that by going mustering in remote areas, I couldn’t lay down any bets.’

‘Did it work?’

‘For a while. Paid this place off in a hurry to plan a future for myself…’ He craned his neck at the tall shed, as a heavy sadness softened the sun-hardened crinkles around his eyes. ‘But then I was rodeoing a bit more, getting into town a bit more, and, well, let’s just say I borrowed money from the wrong people.’

‘I’m sorry.’ His addiction obviously got the better of him. ‘That’s how Everlight got this place so cheap, huh?’

He nodded.

‘And that’s why you took Wraith?’

‘Well, that’s coz the stock agent made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.’ Dane sneered behind his mug as he took a sip.

She shrugged at him. ‘What has that got to do with payback?’

‘It was Ginny who ruined everything for me.’

‘No. I don’t believe it. Ginny is so nice.’

‘Believe it.’ Dane’s brow ruffled into a scowl. ‘It was Ginny who dobbed me in, saying I drugged one of her bulls. Right before I was set to ride the beast, waiting for that chute to open, and there was Ginny holding that gate shut, effectively stopping my ride, and the rodeo.’

‘Did you hurt her bull?’ Izzy couldn’t help but nod at that corner of horrors telling the tale with its syringes and what not.

‘I’d bet a fortune to win my ride, I just needed to be sure.’

Arsehole.

But she had to remain calm, keep Dane talking, hopefully to win him over to let her out. ‘Why steal Wraith now, when he lives here?’

‘Because those two heifers were brought into town, making it all the sweeter.’ Dane pointed to the cows in the corner. ‘It also took a while for us to get near the place, what with them visitors coming to book Wraith for their rodeos, especially after what it’d done to Cowboy Craig. It made Wraith famous.’

‘Are you saying, because Wraith hurt Craig in that rodeo, it made him popular?’

‘It improved his value.’

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