Page 86 of In Step

The chickens startled as we crept past their run, fussing and clucking in disapproval, and panic fired through my chest.Shit.I’d forgotten about the coop.

Abe’s wide-eyed gaze darted to mine and I mouthed a silent apology. “Thank God we never got a rooster,” I muttered as we turned the corner for the barn and left the small commotion behind.

The barn was well hidden from the house, and the stacks of round bales and deep shadows blocking the stripes of moonlight made it almost impossible to see. Thequork-quorkof a morepork sounded somewhere in the rafters as Abe wrapped the bottom of his T-shirt over the end of his flashlight and switched it on, providing enough of a soft glow to light our way.

I made my way to the far corner of the barn and a narrow gap between a couple of ragged and dusty round bales that had been there for years. It was Possum’s favourite place to hide, and she often slept there as well. It had been where I’d first seen her litter of kittens.

I opened the cage and set it down. “Stay out of sight.” I waved Abe away. “She won’t come anywhere near if she sees you.”

Abe disappeared into the gloomy shadows on the opposite side of the shed, the tiny circle of light at his feet the only sign he was there. With him gone, my eyes adjusted to the murk, and I went to check the bag of food I’d left for Possum last time. The bag had been taken, which meant my father had found it.Shit.I prayed it didn’t mean more than that. I prayed Possum was okay. But since I needed her hungry for this catnapping to work, it was maybe a blessing in disguise.

I called her name, my breath fogging in front of my face. Shit, it was cold.

I repeated Possum’s name over and over as I emptied her favourite minced salmon into a small dish and gently tapped the can. She’d smell that stuff at a hundred paces. Then I squeezed myself between the stacked hay bales, carrying the dish, until I found a T junction between four and managed to get myself to the ground. Safe in the middle of the bales, I put the plate on the ground and risked using my flashlight to check around.

Nothing.

I called her several times again and waited. It took a few minutes of patience before a thin answering cry bled between the bales opposite, and a pair of green eyes shone in the soft glow of the flashlight.

Possum stopped a metre away, sniffed the air, and I saw at a glance she’d lost a lot more weight. The line of her ribs was visible even in the dim light and her hips jutted to the side. I cursed my father again.

“Hey, girl,” I cooed. “Look what I’ve brought for you.” I pushed the plastic dish closer.

She sniffed the air again and cried, but she didn’t move.

Dammit. I inched forward. “Look. Mmm. Yummy. Come here, sweetheart. Let me take you away from this place. I’ve got a warm bed waiting and your babies have missed you.”

Possum yowled loudly, and for a second, I thought she was gonna come out, but she sat instead.

“Kane, what’s happening?” Abe whisper-shouted from the front of the bales and Possum startled and took a step back. “We can’t hang around.”

“Be quiet,” I shot back. “I can see her, but she won’t come, especially with you making noise.”

“Sorry,” he muttered. “But you need to speed things up.”

“And just how am I supposed to do that?” I grumbled as my phone vibrated in my jeans. I left Abe to answer and focused my efforts on tempting Possum with the food.

“Your dad’s awake and in the kitchen,” Abe hissed again, his shadow falling through the gap between the bales.

Shit.“Okay. I’m trying here.”Come on, Possum. Don’t do this to me.I grabbed the plastic dish and stretched as far as my hand could reach toward Possum until she started to draw away. “Look, salmon. Your favourite. Yum. Come on, girl. Just this one time.Please.”

She stretched her neck until her nose was almost in the food.

“That’s it,” I crooned softly. “Take a bite.”

“He’s left the house and is heading for the carport,” Abe warned.

“Comeon,Possum. Please, girl.”

She leaned forward and licked the salmon and then came back for a tentative nibble.

Yes!“Good girl. See, yummy, right?” I fought the urge to try and grab her, knowing she’d dart back between the bales. Patience. Patience.

“Kane, hurry!” Abe hissed and Possum’s gaze darted to the side once again.

But she didn’t run, just watched and waited and then finally looked away.

I ignored Abe and focused on the small paws taking tentative steps out into the wider space in the T junction until finally Possum stood over the plate and began to eat.

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