Vanished by James Delargy (free novel 24 TXT) 📕

left Dylan behind to do this. It was as if he was shedding parts of his life, subconsciously reverting back to being a free spirit, with no family or ties to be responsible for.

He watched the argument unfold, Mike getting off the quad and raising the rifle. Informing them that Lorcan had killed Stevie. The truth-telling bastard.

The argument moved on to protection. And the gold. Mike waved the rifle. Then a shot rang out.

The bullet clanged into the tin beside him, ricocheting off in a random direction. Had Mike spotted him? He gripped the rifle tighter, ready to pounce. But Ian was on top of Mike, wrestling for the weapon. It was an unfair fight, two punches to the gut breaking Mike’s resistance.

Ian climbed to his feet, holding the rifle. Lorcan knew he would be vindicated. There was no way that they would believe Mike now.

He considered coming out of hiding. Hands up. Without the rifle. Show that he was not the threat Mike insisted he was. As he considered his next move he watched Ian make sure that Nee was okay, something in the tenderness with which he said it, raising his suspicions.

Then Ian shot Mike in the head. Lorcan found himself unable to breathe. Stevie’s death had been a tragic accident but this was an execution. Then Ian turned to Nee. Lorcan groped for his rifle as he watched on, hoping to fire at least a warning shot before Ian killed his wife.

But instead Ian wrapped his arm around Nee, holding her close, as if drowning out everything that had happened in the last few minutes. He delicately kissed the top of her head.

Blindly, he found the rifle. Still Ian and Naiyana held each other. Longer than just a reassuring hug. The truth dawned. They were together. Questions bounced around his skull. How long had they—? When did it start? Given that she was so resistant to living here at the beginning it must have developed here, when he was working on the house, or when she was out doing those pointless vlogs. When she was in town getting groceries and supposedly checking out that school. She’d had plenty of opportunities. He had been so blind. Betrayed. Taken for a fool. The rifle felt hot in his hand. He could kill both of them. He had already killed once. He could kill again, he tried to convince himself. Planned this time. Planned and executed. He could claim self-defence. His life threatened by Ian and his rifle. But would Nee back him up? Where did her loyalties stand now? With him or Ian?

As he contemplated his next move, he overheard the lovers – the thought made him snarl – discussing the bodies. About moving them. Ian was trying to get her to focus on getting rid of the evidence. But she wanted to check on her husband and her son. Now.

Lorcan knew that Nee would win the battle in the end. She always did. He also knew that he couldn’t be caught out here. They couldn’t be allowed to realize what he knew. He needed to get back to the house and plan his and Dylan’s escape. There was no manual for that on YouTube.

114

Lorcan

He couldn’t remember running that fast ever. He felt like Usain Bolt as he shot out from the rear of his hiding place and back to the house in two minutes flat. Charging in through the door, he didn’t pause to catch his breath. There were things to do. Like act calm. Not easy to achieve as his lungs scrabbled for air, his heart pounding and his head full of new, horrifying images.

A narrow miss from a stray bullet.

Mike shot in cold blood.

And a loving embrace between his wife and another man.

Plus, on top of all that: Stevie’s death by his hand.

None of it would be easily forgotten. It had all gone so wrong. He had only wanted the gold to start a new life for his family elsewhere. Ian, Mike and Stevie could always dig for more. He would have packed his family up – though now he suspected Nee might have stayed – and left for Adelaide. Or beyond. Not Kallayee. What had been simple robbery had become much more sinister. He had killed a man. But that had been a tragic accident. Ian had outright executed someone. Why stop there? Why not come after him and Dylan?

Despite his heart and brain working overtime his lungs began to recover. It was time to leave.

Lugging the pulley behind the door he made for the bedroom, yelling for Dylan to get ready to go on a trip. Entering the bedroom he looked behind the bed.

Dylan was not there.

Or in his own bedroom.

Or the kitchen. Or the living room. He wasn’t even outside tending to his mining operation. Dylan was gone.

Had Naiyana and Ian beaten him here and taken him? Surely not. He would have heard the vehicles. So where had he disappeared to?

His thoughts were disturbed by the insistent shove at the front door. Dylan had come back. Lorcan felt a flood of relief. He had gone to find his father but had given up. There was still time to escape.

But the voice was Naiyana’s, not Dylan’s.

Lorcan took a couple of breaths and considered his next move. If he stayed quiet, she would force her way in and immediately wonder where Dylan was. Talking to her might buy him some time. If he could keep it together.

Removing the heavy doorstop, he put his hands in his pockets to mask the persistent shaking. She asked about the pulley and then Dylan. He explained that their son was asleep, exhausted from running after the quad all morning, trying to sell the lie, trying to control himself.

She took a step inside as if going to check. If so, he would have to tell the truth. That Dylan was gone. But she stopped, staring at him, accepting the explanation. Then Ian spoke. Wanting to