Chapter 17  

Katy Matthews suddenly wondered if her Aunt Tara had brought her to live in a land where giants ruled.

She peered with wide, luminous eyes up at Joe Petrowski, and she had to admit that he was perhaps the biggest man she had ever seen in her short life. Even Frank Brodie, the man who shared his life with her aunt, wasn't as big as Joe. Joe was just big all over she thought, his girth ample and hands meaty, but she wasn't frightened of him. Oh no, she knew right way that Joe Petrowski wouldn't hurt her, because he had beautiful blue eyes and soft, brown-blond curly hair and a crinkly face. His voice was like Baloo's, from Disney's 'Jungle Book', she decided. And he was shaped almost exactly the same. For a moment she wondered if he would sing 'Bear Necessities' to her if she asked him.

"Well, well, little lady, it's nice to meet ya. The Boss says you need feedin', and you've come to the right place, 'cause there's one thing ol' Joe likes to do, an' that's feed folks. So, just park your butt and fire away - fries, I guess?"

She didn't answer, but Joe's eyes creased in amusement at the small child as Katy managed to shuffle onto one of the chow wagon chairs without removing the thumb from her mouth.

Poor kid … looks half frightened to death. Bet she thinks her world's gone to hell in a handbasket.

Joe hunkered down as Katy watched him.

"Don't worry Katy - the Boss'll look after you, an' you got all of us here to keep you safe, I promise - you understand?" He watched as the thumb was pulled from the rosebud lips with a loud pop and Katy nodded shyly. The ice broken, Joe continued. "I bet you just love burgers, huh?" He got another nod. "Burgers an' fries comin' up. You like sodas? What kind? Cream soda, coke, what?"

"Cream soda." Katy's voice was a painfully shy whisper.

"Hokey dokey!" Joe grinned. " What about dessert? What would you like?" Joe took a deep breath and reeled off his choices. "Chocolate chip ice cream, maple and walnut, strawberry, toffee caramel, raspberry, vanilla, I got Mississippi Mud Pie, I got pecan, pumpkin, I got chocolate eclairs, I got apple flapjacks, I got apple pie, cherry pie, Key Lime Pie, cheesecake - all flavours - an' I got Devil's Food cake, carrot cake, pancakes, I got crepes, and I got fresh fruit. Or cheese. Whatever you like."

Katy was just plain astonished. Joe Petrowski said she could choose! She wasn't used to getting choices, and for a second panic set in - what if she made the wrong choice? She would dearly love to have both chocolate chip and vanilla ice cream, but she obviously couldn't have both. That would never be allowed … would it?

"Ice … ice cream …please …"

Joe thought for a moment.

"Uh huh. Okay. What flavour, Katy? It's all right to choose, you know." He saw the indecision on her face and guessed her dilemma. "It's okay if you want different kinds in one bowl. I even got hot caramel sauce or double chocolate sprinkles to put on the top." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Y'see that feller over there?" He nodded slyly at Pieter van Guelder who was strolling over to say hello to the new arrivals. He saw Katy's eyes study the big man - another giant, she thought. "Well," Joe said, "he likes to have strawberry ice cream on Key Lime Pie. Crazy, huh?"

Katy allowed herself a hesitant smile, and then she wrinkled up her elfin face in disgust at Pieter's choice. She decided to chance it. She didn't think Joe would be angry if she asked for two different kinds of ice cream on one plate.

"Chocolate chip and vanilla."

Joe could barely hear her, but was pleased she had taken the plunge.

"Good choice. Would you like some hot chocolate sauce on it?"

She nodded, blinking in delight. It was all right! They hadn't yelled at her for being greedy, not like her foster mom.

"Yes please."

"Hey! You gotta do that more often, little lady! Smiles make your face all sunny, you know that? Right - one burger and fries comin' up, with chocolate chip and vanilla ice cream, hot chocolate sauce and a cream soda." He reached out and chucked the tip of her nose with a huge finger, making Katy give a soft giggle. She decided she liked Joe Petrowski. He was big and bear-like, but soft and cuddly she guessed.
She looked over at Frank Brodie as Joe took everyone's orders. He seemed fierce, but there was a gentleness in him that drew Katy to him, and she felt safe with him, liking the soft rumble of his deep voice. Her Aunt Tara had told her on the 'plane that Frank had had a hard life, and sometimes he seemed really tough and distant. But she also said he had a good heart, and he would protect her with his life if need be.

Katy knew that one day her father would come looking for her, and Frank Brodie might have to protect her, because her father was a Bad Man, or so her Mommy had told her. He hurt other people, and he might hurt her … and Katy knew that when her Mommy had gone to heaven, her Daddy had something to do with it, despite the fact that Aunt Tara had tried to keep the details from her. But that didn't matter. Her Aunt Tara was a nice lady, better than her foster mom who shouted a lot and had six children of her own to look after. Katy thought that she would be safe, at least for a little while, amongst all of these big, strong-looking men.

She was even more sure of it when Joe brought her a heaped plate of fries and a home-made burger, a glass filled to the brim with delicious soda, and he served her with a huge, happy smile. Looking over at Frank Brodie, this fierce, gentle man with the bad leg and those impossibly blue eyes, she took a sharp intake of breath. He nodded imperceptibly to her, and Katy knew instinctively what he meant.

It's all right, Katy. You're safe here. We won't let anyone hurt you. Ever.

Heaving a tiny sigh of relief, Katy tucked into her fries with great relish.

********************
"His name is Sonny Esposito, he's in Columbia, or so the police believe. He has a finger in lots of pies - drugs and guns, mostly - and they think he had something to do with Laura's death."

Tara sat on the bed next to Brodie, her voice low so as not to wake Katy, who lay sprawled in her makeshift bed in the living room. She had fallen asleep almost as soon as she had sat down, a small, limp rag-doll of a child, slumbering deeply and bonelessly on the sofa. Brodie had watched as Tara slipped the sleeping child into her PJs, marvelling at the depth of Katy's torpor. She didn't even wake when Tara lifted her and tucked her into the camp-bed with her favourite soft toy, a battered duck called DD. Katy had solemnly informed them earlier that DD stood for 'Die-Duck', as the stuffing had worked its way out of DD's neck, and he looked, Katy thought, as though he had died, with his head permanently flopped to one side. Brodie's chest ached for a moment at the thought of a small child being exposed to death and destruction at such a tender age.

So they retreated to the bedroom to talk, leaving Moron lying beside Katy's bed, the huge dog deciding that perhaps this small, vulnerable human being could do with someone to watch over her in the night. Moron was a dog who took his duties very seriously indeed.

"Sonny Esposito … name sounds familiar. Wasn't he implicated in a couple of murders of police officers a while back, and he headed for Columbia when life got too hot?"

Brodie frowned. This was something he hadn't expected … Katy's father was nothing more than a murderous thug, and a drug-dealing one at that.

"Yeah, that's him." Tara shook her head. "I'm sorry Frank, for landing this on you without asking you first. But I didn't know what else to do."

Brodie leaned over and kissed her.

"You did the right thing, gal. But why would Esposito want Laura dead? She's Katy's mom, for God's sake!"

Tara smiled grimly.

"Laura was a loose cannon, Frank. She knew a great deal about Esposito's 'business deals', and for a long while he paid her to keep quiet. That's why Katy has nearly half a million stashed in trust funds."

Brodie whistled softly.

"Shit, that's a lot of dough. But why kill her?"

Tara took a deep breath. This was hard for her; Laura had been almost a sister to her at one point, and for her to die under such circumstances had been a profound shock.

"He discovered she was on the point of going to the Feds. She was tired of running … tired of worrying about what Sonny would do next - he's not exactly stable, you know. Rumour has it he tortured and murdered one of his own men because the guy accidentally ran over one of his dogs." She sighed. "Laura didn't do drugs, Frank. She was clean. When they did the post-mortem they discovered bruising on her neck and wrists, as though she had been held down. Esposito had her killed, they're sure of it."

Brodie thought about it for long moments. He knew this was tough on Tara, but it must have been terrible for Katy.

"But why didn't he take Katy?"

"Pure bad - or should I say good - luck. Katy was away with a friend and her family to Marine World for the day. But Esposito wanted her, Frank - Katy's room had been methodically searched, and the police discovered someone had been watching her school for a couple of weeks."

"Shit," Brodie said, shaking his head. "Shit, shit, shit! What a goddamn mess, Tara. Poor kid. No wonder she's kinda nervous. I reckon if I said 'Boo!' to her she'd have a hissy-fit!"

Tara had to agree.

"That's why she doesn't speak much, doesn't make any demands. She reckons if she doesn't make waves everyone will leave her alone and not shout at her. She was in foster care until I got there, and I'll tell you Frank, it was a nightmare. Nice family, but 'way too many of 'em to give Katy any leeway. She was supposed to fit in ... trouble was, she didn't know how. They're one of these big, happy-go-lucky, noisy families that are at each other's throats one minute and hugging each other the next. Katy couldn't cope. That's why she sucks her thumb still. Comfort."

Brodie looked at the grief on Tara's face. She had lost a family member under terrible circumstances once more, and now was responsible for a small, damaged soul called Katy Matthews. He was at a loss as to what to do. He hesitated for a moment, then did the only thing he could think of - he put long arms around her and held her tight, and Tara buried her face in his broad chest and finally wept, the grief washing out of her in great, wrenching sobs.

"It's okay, Tara ... it'll be fine, I promise ... Katy'll do real good here. Don't worry ..."

He held her close, rocking her gently as she wept, and when the tears slowly subsided and she relaxed against her Brodie tipped her face up to him and kissed away the pain. And then he took her to bed.

For the first time, Frank Brodie made love to Tara with compassion as well as deep, abiding love. He had never been taught to be gentle, and tenderness had been unknown to him until Tara came along and showed him what love really meant, but now his love and passion for her led him.

He undressed her slowly, sweetly, and used his mouth and hands to soothe her into shuddering need for him. His tongue tortured her with caresses and when he parted her thighs and bent his curly head to suckle the sensitive nub of nerves there she arched upwards, clutching at his soft hair and moaning his name in heady gasps. Her orgasm convulsed her, her body trembling and tense as the waves of pleasure ripped through her, Brodie soothing her as she began to relax back onto the bed.

But his own need began to take over, and she sighed with pleasure as his mouth left her and was replaced by his engorged penis, thrusting into her in one movement, Brodie grunting softly at the sensation as he lay on top of her supine body. Tara was aroused once more and her hands tightened on his buttocks, feeling the muscles tighten rhythmically as he began to move, and she sensed the desperate need in him and the desire to show her how much he had missed her. He was silent this time, his striving body moving hers, the breath coming from him in short pants and his arms holding her beneath him as he pierced her willing body again and again. His hips flexed and rolled, and Tara could feel his hipbones pressing against her thighs as he thrust deeper and longer, and she knew his orgasm would soon sweep through him. But his hand insinuated itself between their moving bodies and she had to bite back a cry of joy as his fingers slid between her nether lips and teased her with ecstasy. She almost went over the edge when he slid a long finger into her slick channel and touched the place inside that sent her sobbing into his shoulder. The feel of his finger alongside his rigid manhood, both thrusting and probing her inner channel was too much - he was stretching her and he felt huge inside her as he moved, and a soft growl came from him as Tara's hand joined his, urging him to move faster.

He could not resist her now. His pelvis drove into her as she lay beneath him, and his back arched, hips flexing hard and fast now, uncontrolled and driven by equal measures of lust and love. Her second climax undid him. Tara clutched and moaned as she reached completion and Brodie was only seconds behind, his last thrusts powerful and driving, and he buried his face in the hollow of her neck, his semen pumping into her in liquid pulses, his love filling her as he bucked and strained against her welcoming loins.

And as he filled her with his seed he also filled her with love, and she held him tight as the last drops spilled in her depths, knowing he would not be able to move after such an earth-shattering climax.

Afterwards they lay quietly, Brodie still deep inside her, his big body sprawled on her small frame. She held him close and listened to his breathing even out. He was asleep. Smiling, Tara Matthews kissed his cheekbone, heard him murmur quietly that he loved her, and then she joined him in slumber.

***********************

 

Brodie awoke to soft sobbing coming from their tiny living room.

Disorientated for a moment he lifted his head and realised he was still lying in Tara's arms, his softened member deep within her body, and he withdrew carefully, trying not to wake her. She muttered softly in her sleep but didn't waken, and Brodie had to smile as her arms tightened around him. She was loath to let him go even in slumber, and he kissed her gently, reassuring her. Tara sighed and mumbled something, then turned over and curled into the warmth of the bedsheets.

Easing himself from the bed he slipped into shorts and cutoffs and wriggled into one of his old, baggy shirts. He heard the clatter of something dropping on the floor and the sobs intensified. What the hell was going on, and why was Katy crying? If it was one thing Brodie couldn't stand it was crying, especially women and, he discovered to his chagrin, small children.

Opening the door to the living room he padded through and switched on the small lamp beside Katy's bed and was startled to discover her sitting huddled in the corner, knees drawn up to her chest, sobbing to herself.

Brodie was mystified. Her bed was in complete disarray, as though she had tried to strip the comforter and sheets off the mattress, but he had obviously disturbed her efforts when he came into the room. For a moment he wanted to hunker down and gather her into his arms and hold her tight, but he could see by the look in her terrified eyes that if he did that she would become hysterical.

He decided to play it cool and try not to frighten her, as she was obviously distraught. Sitting down on the sofa a few feet away, he stretched out his bad leg and peered at her as she sat in the shadows.

"Hey Katy ... wanna tell ol' Frank what's wrong?" His voice dropped to a soft, velvet-rough rumble.

Katy gazed at him through tear-stained, huge brown eyes, and Brodie felt his heart flip-flop in his chest as he fell in love all over again. He couldn't bear the idea of her being so upset. He tentatively reached out a big, long-fingered hand, hoping she saw it for the peace-offering it was and not a threat. Katy studied the hand as it lay outstretched, palm uppermost, and that voice pierced the pain in her heart, like warm syrup wrapping itself around Katy's frail form and making the fear fade and die. She caught a glimpse of azure blue in the reflected light and saw nothing but kindness and concern. Moron was sitting beside the bed, the big dog's ears flat against his skull, mortified that she was weeping. He didn't like folks who cried either - it made him feel like a failure. Katy uncurled her tiny body a little.

"I ... I'm sorry." Katy's voice was so quiet Brodie could hardly make out the words, but he figured it out.

"Sorry? For what? C'mere, short-stop. No use sittin' in a corner feelin' sorry for yourself. Believe me, I know. Then you can tell me what the hell's goin' on, okay?"

He kept his hand outstretched and waited.

For long moments he sat like that, quite still, and was on the point of thinking he had made one big idiot of himself when Katy suddenly unfolded and hesitantly got to her feet, the thumb once more stuck firmly in her mouth. Her other small hand crept out and grasped Brodie's long fingers, and he had to swallow the emotion that threatened to erupt from him as her tiny fingers slid into his palm. Carefully, trying not to scare her, he pulled gently until she stood in front of him, the sobs now reduced to little hiccups of weeping.

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"So ... you gonna tell me why all the weepin' and wailin'? Because I gotta tell you, I can't stand cryin' women. All that hollerin' and tears, makes me all jumpy, y'know? Makes me go all mushy inside, and in my job a man can't get mushy - it ain't good for his reputation." He reached out and wiped a tear from Katy's cheek with a big thumb. "See? Look at you. All red in the face an' funny-lookin'. So, what's the big deal here?"

Katy thought about it for a moment, then pulled her thumb from her mouth as she decided that perhaps it would be all right to tell Brodie about her problem. He didn't seem to be angry, so she thought she would chance it. But perhaps ...

Brodie saw the hesitation on her face and grinned.

"It's okay - you can whisper it if you like. I ain't gonna tell anyone."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Katy leaned forward and spoke to him softly.

"I ... I peed my bed."

Brodie's face cleared.

"Ahh. Right. You, ah, you peed your bed ..." He took a deep breath. She peed her bed. Okay, he was a big, rough, tough ex-marine who'd fought his way out of more fire-fights than John Wayne. He could deal with a little girl and a wet bed. Tara. He needed Tara. He touched Katy on her shoulder. "You wait here, kiddo - this is a Katy-Tara thing, huh?"

Katy thought about it for a moment, and nodded in agreement.

Brodie let loose a huge sigh of relief and levered himself painfully upright and went to wake Tara.

******************

Fifteen minutes later, Katy was splashing about in the bathtub and Brodie had stripped the bed, dumping the urine-soaked sheets and comforter in the machine to wash overnight along with Katy's soiled pyjamas. The mattress was wrecked, he reckoned, so he hauled the whole thing outside and propped it upright against the side of the unit. Then he folded up the bedframe and removed that outside too. They would decide what to do with it in the morning.

When he got back inside he was greeted by a pinkly-scrubbed and now sweet-smelling Katy, a tired and concerned Tara and a slightly-damp Moron. It transpired that the dog had tried to climb in the tub with Katy, and only Tara's forceful removal of the huge animal had prevented disaster. There was not enough room in the tub for Moron, Katy and the water, and the bathroom would have been awash.

Brodie put on coffee and limped to the sofa; moving the bed had strained his leg, and pain was shooting from back to ankle in throbbing pulses. He was hurting, and when he was hurting he got grumpy - but now he couldn't afford to show it. Katy didn't need any more problems, especially from adults. But he couldn't control a moan of pain as he shifted, and Katy, now ensconced in pink and blue hippo pyjamas, looked at him in alarm. He lifted a hand and tousled her honey-coloured hair.

"S'okay, short-stop. Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya, but I got a bad leg, and sometimes it hurts. It hurts a lot, okay?"

Katy studied his leg, noticing the deep, puckered scar down the thigh. She had never seen anything like it, and she guessed it must have hurt a lot when he received the injury. She felt bad for him, because she liked Frank Brodie. She sat down beside him on the sofa, and they were quiet for a while as Tara sorted out clean sheets and an old quilt. Katy gave Brodie a sidelong glance, and saw the pain and tiredness on his face.

"Does it hurt a lot now?" Her voice was still soft, but it had lost that hunted tone it had carried earlier.

Brodie looked down at her solemnly.

"Yep. A lot. But it goes away after a while, when I've had my meds and I get a good night's sleep. It'll be all right, you'll see." He nudged her with his elbow. "What about you? Are you okay?" Katy nodded, thumb stuck in her mouth as always. Brodie grinned. "Good. Do you want to sleep on the sofa with Moron?" This time her nod was eager. "That's m'girl. Anyway, if you need us through the night you just holler, all right? I guess it was a bad dream, huh? That's what made you ..." He let his voice trail away to save her the embarrassment.

"Yeah." There it was again, the hunted, frightened whisper. "Real awful."

Brodie wanted to gather her in his arms and rock her until the pain went away, but he knew she couldn't cope just yet with too much care and overt affection, so he held out his hand once more, and this time Katy took it without hesitation. He could feel her trembling.

"Katy, listen to me." Brodie hesitated a moment. He wasn't comfortable with this sort of thing, but he knew deep down that she needed to know she was safe and that nothing - or no-one - could harm her. "Don't you ever worry that somethin' bad's gonna happen to you, because I swear, cross my heart and hope to die, that I won't ever, ever let anything hurt you. You understand me?"

Katy's dark eyes, so like Tara's, grew round as she realised what Frank Brodie was saying. She was safe … she was wanted … and she was loved. The thumb came out of the mouth, and she allowed herself the luxury of leaning on his big, comforting frame, her head tucked into his arm.

"Mm-hmm."

Within moments she was sound asleep.

By the time Tara returned to the living room, two mugs of coffee in her hands, Katy was stretched out on the sofa, DD clutched tightly in one hand and her thumb in her mouth. Brodie had popped a pillow beneath her head and covered her small, fragile frame with a warm quilt. Moron was draped over the rest of the sofa, his big hairy body reassuring the small child with his warmth and size, and Brodie brushed back a soft tendril of honey-blond hair from Katy's forehead.

Tara stood and watched this big, taciturn man take care of the tiny, scared child, and for long seconds couldn't speak because her throat was constricted by love for them both. Brodie sensed her presence, and the look on his face, a soft wonderment coupled with a lop-sided smile, almost made Tara Matthews cry.

"She's asleep," he said, his voice a whisper in the shadows.

"I know." Tara handed him a mug of coffee and two pain pills. "Come on … take these and get some rest. You'll need it, now you have a little girl's expectations to live up to." She leaned forward and kissed him.

His eyebrows raised in puzzlement. "What was that for?"

Tara kissed him again. "For being you, Frank Brodie … just for being you."

Brodie grinned.

"Kids. Ain't so tough when you know how."

Tara shook her head.

"Jeez, Frank. One wet bed and you think you're Doctor Spock." She yawned and stretched. "I'm off to bed. You coming, or do I have to drag you there?"

He cocked his head sideways and studied her closely.

"That sounds like a lady who needs a man. Especially one who can cater to her every physical whim, and I'm just the man to do the job." Brodie wrapped an arm around her and nuzzled her neck, Tara feeling his burgeoning arousal pressed against her belly, his voice becoming husky with desire. "Take me to bed, woman, and ravish me!"

So she did.

*******************

The next morning saw Brodie feeling a tad worn out and young Katy Matthews feeling almost bright and breezy. She was already up and dressed when Brodie came out of the shower, and she was busy playing 'tug' with Moron, the big dog having hauled in an old piece of rope from the compound, and he was busy hauling Katy around the living room backwards as she determinedly hung onto the rope, shrieking with laughter.

Brodie winced as the high notes hit his inner ear. He wondered how something so small and fragile as Katy Matthews could make such a racket. He thought about making breakfast, and then decided it was too much effort and yelled at Katy over the noise.

"Hey! You want somethin' to eat?"

Katy suddenly let go of the rope and the impetus sent her bouncing backwards onto the sofa where she lay on her back and kicked her feet in the air for no reason other than sheer pleasure, more gales of laughter coming from her as Moron dropped the rope and proceeded to wash Katy's feet with a long, wet tongue.

"Moron, you putz! Stop that!" Brodie threw a cushion at the dog, who stopped slurping over Katy's feet and huffed in delight at his master's attention. "You two banshees hungry, because I'm goin' over to the chow wagon for breakfast. You comin'?"

Katy bounced up and slipped on her sneakers.

"Will Big Joe be there?" she asked, her eyes sparking with eagerness.

"Who the hell do you think does the cooking?" Brodie frowned. God, he was tired. Making love to Tara was wonderful but it sure wore a man to a frazzle. Hell, maybe he was gettin' too old for all this romantic stuff … then smiled as he remembered Tara's loving of him with her gentle touch that drove him crazy with need. He blinked. Maybe he ought to put a lock on the door now Katy was living with them …

"Please, may I have pamcakes?? I love pamcakes! Does Big Joe make pamcakes? With maple syrup? Or blackcurrant jelly? Pamcakes are real good, y'know, and you should try 'em! Does Moron like pamcakes? Where's Aunt Tara? Is she gonna come with us for breakfast? Maybe Big Joe could make pamcakes for all of us, that would be real cool, dontcha think? I got new sneakers, see? Aunt Tara bought them for me in San Francisco, you know. Have you ever been there, it's sooooo cool, there's a real prison you can go look around and - "

At that point, Frank Brodie was convinced that he was in hell. There was no sign of the terrified little girl from the previous night, and she had obviously slept well and suffered no more bad dreams, for which he was grateful. But he had no idea children could make so much noise. He looked over at her as she chattered on.

"I think I liked you more when you didn't speak." He scowled.

Katy just ignored him and carried on talking.

She didn't stop talking until she sat down at the chow wagon ten minutes later and stuffed a huge slice of pancake drenched in maple syrup into her mouth.

At long last there was blessed, complete silence.

They ate breakfast slowly, enjoying the warm morning, and Brodie thought of Tara, still asleep and trying to catch up after a hard, emotional week. He would go back at lunch time and see if she was all right, and he would also attempt to keep Katy occupied until then.

But then all of his plans went out of the window as Pieter van Guelder drove up and screeched to a halt beside the wagon, Joe cursing at the dust he kicked up over his food preparation area.

The big man hit the ground running, and he only had time to throw Katy an apologetic grin.

"Hey, pip-squeak." He turned to Brodie. "We got a problem, Chief. That bloody rhino's out of the crate and battering the boma to bloody hell. Nasir doesn't seem to be able to do anything with him, and the damned beast's going crazy!"

Brodie grimaced. Shit! Of all the days for something to go wrong, it had to be today. He thought quickly.

"Pieter, go get Zelle. Oh, and get her to bring the dart gun with her will ya? We may have to tranquillise the sonofabitch." He turned to Joe Petrowski. "Joe, can you look after Katy - "

"NO!" Katy lurched from her chair and clutched Brodie's leg. "No, please! I won't be any trouble, I promise, just let me come with you! Please?"

Brodie looked at Joe, and realised that Katy thought she was being abandoned yet again. Damn!
"Okay, okay, you can come - but listen to me, Katy!" He saw her eyes widen. "You have to do as you're told, you hear me? You stay in the jeep with Moron - and I mean stay, no wanderin' off, or jumpin' about - you have to stay where I know you're safe, do you understand?" Katy nodded. "All right. But if you don't do as your told I'll get your Aunt Tara to paddle your butt and you won't get any pancakes for a month, get it?"

Lifting the child into his arms he limped to the jeep and strapped her into the rear seat, Moron jumping in beside her, then Brodie hauled himself into the passenger seat. Van Guelder shifted gears and sent the jeep off in a cloud of dust, leaving a swearing Joe Petrowski in their wake.

The damn rhino was busy wrecking the boma, and they had to stop him before he escaped - because if he did, Brodie knew, the only way they could stop him was to shoot him.

To Chapter 18

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