Page 66 of Rough Stock

Then she spotted more movement outside the shed. It was Finn.

For a big guy, Finn moved quickly, disappearing under the dash of one of the ATVs, then swiftly moving to the other ATV. He must be disarming them or unplugging them or something, but it meant the rest of the Stock Squad were here.

And she had her part to play.

Renzo pranced towards her, his tone taunting. ‘What are you doing in there, Is-o-bel?’

‘I’m making a voodoo doll.’ She held up the straw doll that she’d been busily weaving to stop her panic. ‘Can you guess who it’s for?’

You’d think Renzo would get mad. Instead, he laughed. One of those evil, sickening kind of laughs that made her skin crawl.

‘Sit tight, my pet. I’ll deal with you in a minute. I have some packing to finish, because I get to go home today.’ Renzo casually whistled some tune as he hung his wet towel over the back of the chair, then dragged a duffel bag onto a camp bed and began packing.

That meant her time was running out!

Even Dane looked back at her, slowly shaking his head. ‘I suppose I should clean out the fridge if we’re leaving camp tonight.’

‘Wait, I’ll take that beer before you do.’ Both men stood at the fridge.

‘Oi, that’s my tucker for the road.’ Dane snatched back a plate.

‘Don’t care. Buy something at a roadhouse.’ Renzo grabbed some roasted meat and a beer. ‘You can drop me off in Darwin.’

‘I’m going the other way, mate.’

‘You’ll be going the way I say.’

A low guttural grunt came from the far side of the shed. It was an unusual noise that Izzy assumed came from the heifers. Except they’d lifted their heads with their ears moving like sonars.

Again, there was that weird grunt.

This time the calves, who’d been napping, skittishly got to their feet. Their large brown eyes filled with curiosity.

There was another grunt. But it was coming from another direction. Izzy couldn’t tell which cow or calf was making that noise.

But it made Wraith spin his big butt around from his water trough, with his hoofs clapping on the concrete, to peer at something on the other side of the shed.

Wraith was a beast. And when that strange noise called out again, his wide dangerous horns dropped and he headbutted the gate.

It made Izzy jump, the straw from the doll falling from her fingers.

Again, that strange noise rose in the air. It wasn’t a grunt or a growl, it was like a pig or another bull.

No, it was Stone! Mimicking a wild animal, successfully capturing the attention of the two-thousand-pound bull.

Wraith gave a loud snort as he backed up to the wall of his pen. One of his heavy hoofs stomped hard, then scraped across the ground, creating a gritty, deliberate drag that sent dust particles to rise with short clippings of hay.

Izzy winced as the bull’s hoofs rumbled like thunder as he charged for the gate.

BANG.

‘Dane, the bull’s trying to get out.’ Renzo closed the fridge, putting his food on the table, and cracked open his beer.

‘Here now, you settle down, Wraith.’Dane pushed back the brim of his hat and sauntered towards the pens.

From her heightened position in the truck, Izzy spotted Amara. Crouched low, the policewoman opened the pen the calves were in, allowing them to bolt free. Bleating and kicking, their skinny legs had them scampering across the shed floor, with their clattering hooves and cries creating a loud, chaotic echo from the other side of the shed.

‘Quick.Stop those calves from escaping.’Dane shouted at Renzo, who was drinking his beer.

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