Read Online Little Girl Lost by Janet Gover - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Janet Gover
Ads: Link
him.
‘You’re Tia Walsh, aren’t you? You work at the mine.’
Her strong eyes met his and held his gaze as she nodded slightly.
‘You need to present your licence to me at the Coorah Creek station within forty-eight hours.’
He paused, waiting for her to speak, but she didn’t.
‘If you don’t you may suffer a penalty fine which could be one hundred and fifty dollars. Do you understand?’
Still she didn’t speak. Max felt a childish urge to yell something, just to make her react. But he fought it down.
‘If you do produce your licence, I won’t take any action about the speeding … this time,’ he said in his sternest voice.
Still she said nothing.
‘You can go now. Don’t make me come looking for you.’
Her lips moved then, sliding into the merest hint of a grin. Max almost blushed. That grin seemed to say that she knew very well he’d been looking for her on more than one occasion already.
She reached for her helmet.
‘One more thing,’ Max said, before she could pull it over her head. ‘There are a lot of roos on the roads out here. At that sort of speed you’d have trouble avoiding one. Slow down for you own sake. All right?’
The cheeky smile got a little bit broader. She slipped the helmet over her head and touched the starter. The engine roared into life. With a great deal of skill, she steered the bike into a very tight turn with Max at the centre, and headed back the way she had come.
Max watched her go, his jaw tightly set.
She hadn’t said one word during the entire encounter. Nor had she spoken during their previous encounter at the pub. More than anything in the world, he wanted to hear her voice.
It didn’t take long for his headlights to appear in her rear-view mirrors. Keeping herself carefully just under the speed limit, Tia rode back towards town, her mind racing.
Tonight’s meeting hadn’t been an accident. The cop had planned it. He’d been checking up on her since that day he’d first laid eyes on her. A couple of her workmates had mentioned he’d been at the pub looking for her. Chris Powell’s secretary had also mentioned a visit and the day before yesterday, Tia had changed her mind about doing some shopping when she’d spotted a police uniform through the glass window of the general store.
Why was he stalking her?
She sort of expected it. He was a cop, after all. One of the pigs. He wasn’t the first one to follow her and she doubted he would be the last. But despite the badge, he didn’t feel as threatening as some of the other police who had crossed her path. There was a kindness to his face that she would have liked had it not been attached to the uniform.
She slowed even further as the lights of the town drew close. By the time she passed the town sign she was within the speed limit. She thought about stopping at the pub. What would the cop do, she wondered. Would he wait outside in the hope of busting her for drink driving? Would he follow her inside? Would he …
No. She gripped the handlebars more firmly and powered past the pub back towards the mine. She had already attracted far too much of his attention. And there was also the matter of producing her licence tomorrow. There was risk in that, if he looked too closely. If he checked her records or did a search on the Harley’s reggo. Just because he seemed nicer than most of the cops in her experience, she couldn’t afford to let down her guard. Not even out here, in a place so far removed from the rest of the world that it might as well be on another planet.
There were a few lights on in the dongas when she arrived back at the mine compound. And the mess was bright and noisy and crowded, as it always was. Tia rode past it, as she always did, and returned to her trailer.
Once the door was safely locked behind her, and the curtains pulled tight, Tia removed her leathers. From her fridge she took a can of beer. Pulling the ring top, she put it on the table, and dropped to her knees.
‘You’re Tia Walsh, aren’t you? You work at the mine.’
Her strong eyes met his and held his gaze as she nodded slightly.
‘You need to present your licence to me at the Coorah Creek station within forty-eight hours.’
He paused, waiting for her to speak, but she didn’t.
‘If you don’t you may suffer a penalty fine which could be one hundred and fifty dollars. Do you understand?’
Still she didn’t speak. Max felt a childish urge to yell something, just to make her react. But he fought it down.
‘If you do produce your licence, I won’t take any action about the speeding … this time,’ he said in his sternest voice.
Still she said nothing.
‘You can go now. Don’t make me come looking for you.’
Her lips moved then, sliding into the merest hint of a grin. Max almost blushed. That grin seemed to say that she knew very well he’d been looking for her on more than one occasion already.
She reached for her helmet.
‘One more thing,’ Max said, before she could pull it over her head. ‘There are a lot of roos on the roads out here. At that sort of speed you’d have trouble avoiding one. Slow down for you own sake. All right?’
The cheeky smile got a little bit broader. She slipped the helmet over her head and touched the starter. The engine roared into life. With a great deal of skill, she steered the bike into a very tight turn with Max at the centre, and headed back the way she had come.
Max watched her go, his jaw tightly set.
She hadn’t said one word during the entire encounter. Nor had she spoken during their previous encounter at the pub. More than anything in the world, he wanted to hear her voice.
It didn’t take long for his headlights to appear in her rear-view mirrors. Keeping herself carefully just under the speed limit, Tia rode back towards town, her mind racing.
Tonight’s meeting hadn’t been an accident. The cop had planned it. He’d been checking up on her since that day he’d first laid eyes on her. A couple of her workmates had mentioned he’d been at the pub looking for her. Chris Powell’s secretary had also mentioned a visit and the day before yesterday, Tia had changed her mind about doing some shopping when she’d spotted a police uniform through the glass window of the general store.
Why was he stalking her?
She sort of expected it. He was a cop, after all. One of the pigs. He wasn’t the first one to follow her and she doubted he would be the last. But despite the badge, he didn’t feel as threatening as some of the other police who had crossed her path. There was a kindness to his face that she would have liked had it not been attached to the uniform.
She slowed even further as the lights of the town drew close. By the time she passed the town sign she was within the speed limit. She thought about stopping at the pub. What would the cop do, she wondered. Would he wait outside in the hope of busting her for drink driving? Would he follow her inside? Would he …
No. She gripped the handlebars more firmly and powered past the pub back towards the mine. She had already attracted far too much of his attention. And there was also the matter of producing her licence tomorrow. There was risk in that, if he looked too closely. If he checked her records or did a search on the Harley’s reggo. Just because he seemed nicer than most of the cops in her experience, she couldn’t afford to let down her guard. Not even out here, in a place so far removed from the rest of the world that it might as well be on another planet.
There were a few lights on in the dongas when she arrived back at the mine compound. And the mess was bright and noisy and crowded, as it always was. Tia rode past it, as she always did, and returned to her trailer.
Once the door was safely locked behind her, and the curtains pulled tight, Tia removed her leathers. From her fridge she took a can of beer. Pulling the ring top, she put it on the table, and dropped to her knees.
Similar Books
