Linc knew he was playing with fire the moment he made the decision to go outside. He should have said no, but then, who was he kidding? As if anyone ever said no to Lavinia Callahan. He walked across the timber floorboards, leaning back casually to rest his back against the verandah post.
For a long moment they stood there in silence, listening to the sounds of the night all around them as the clinking of crockery and the low murmur of conversation went on inside the house. He figured his mother wanted some serious talk time with Mon and Griff. After their exchange earlier, he’d seen her frowning and knew that look would be followed by please explain at some stage later. Cash leaned forward, resting against the verandah rail with her arms draped across the top as she stared out into the darkness, drawing Linc’s gaze to the inscription on her inner arm.
‘“And when they seek to oppress you, and when they try to destroy you, rise and rise again and again, like the Phoenix from the ashes, until the lambs have become lions and the rule of Darkness is no more”,’ he quoted softly.
Cash looked over at him in surprise, then a slow smile spread across her full lips.
‘It’s by Maitreya, from the Holy Book of Destiny, if I’m not mistaken.’
‘Or Russell Crowe from Robin Hood,’ she added with a grin. ‘Do you know the entire quote?’
‘Not really, I vaguely remember it says something about casting stones and building churches. I thought I’d impress you with the bit I did know.’
‘Yeah, that was pretty impressive,’ she grinned.
‘What drew you to that particular quote? You said it meant something to you, earlier.’
For a moment he didn’t think she was going to answer him. He saw the smile slowly melt from her lips, replaced by a reflective sadness. ‘I came across it one day. I’d just lost my brother, and my mother the year before, and then my father … left,’ she said, and he got the feeling she’d amended what she was going to say. ‘I’d just decided I was going to make some pretty big changes in my life, and I think this felt like a mantra of sorts, you know?’ She looked up at him quickly, before dropping her gaze to stare at the writing. ‘I wasn’t going to give up and I wasn’t going to be a meek, frightened lamb anymore. I was going to be a lion.’
‘Well, it seems to have worked.’
‘I don’t know how much of a lion I became, but it helped me stay focused. Griff said you were in the military?’
‘Used to be. Now I’m in business with two mates and we run a crisis management company.’
‘I’m guessing you handle a particular kind of crisis … not like wedding plans going awry because of a double-booked venue or something?’
Linc chuckled and shifted his weight a little. ‘We handle things for companies that have employees in foreign countries who get themselves in trouble—car accidents, trouble with the law, illness … that kind of thing.’
‘And what do you do to help?’
‘We either contact people we have in that particular country or we go over there ourselves and try and untangle whatever mess the client’s got themselves into,’ he said, liking the way her head tilted slightly as she listened to him. ‘We also handle things like risk management and travel briefings. We inform clients about how to keep their staff safe in hostile environments. We provide security and medical assistance if needed. All kinds of stuff.’
‘It certainly doesn’t sound boring,’ Cash said. ‘Was it hard getting out of the army and becoming your own boss?’
He looked at her curiously, surprised by the question.
‘I assumed after so many years being told what to do, it would be strange to suddenly be making all the decisions yourself.’
He’d never been asked that before and it threw him off kilter a little. It had been a weird thing to get used to. ‘It was, but we’ve pretty much got the hang of it now,’ he said with a ghost of a smile.
‘That must be very rewarding.’
‘It’s a relief that I can put the skills I’ve learned to practical use outside the army.’ That had always been his biggest concern whenever he’d contemplated life out of the military. What would he do? He couldn’t imagine doing anything else. He’d been sick of spending so much time away from home and being at someone else’s beck and call, day and night, and the pay was lousy compared to what some guys were getting working civvy jobs, but he’d never complained about risking his life for his country—defending Australia was one of the values he held sacred. Maybe it was cliched to some people nowadays, but to him it had always struck a deep chord.
Then the decision about leaving had been pretty much made for him. A flash of memory forced its way into his mind and he heard the roar of the explosion followed by a barrage of rubble that rained down around him, biting into his skin, the dust billowing and filling his mouth and lungs with the chalky debris. He hadn’t been able to stay in any longer. So he’d got out.
‘Do you miss it out here?’ she asked, dragging him back from the past.
‘Yeah, I do. Which is funny, considering I couldn’t wait to get out of this place when I was a kid.’
‘I know what you mean,’ she agreed as she looked out into the darkness. ‘I was the same, I couldn’t wait to leave either.’
‘Where did you grow up?’
‘Mount Druitt. A lot of people get stuck there in a kind of vicious circle. I wasn’t going to let that happen to me.’
‘Do you still have family there?’
‘Not anymore,’ she said, and he could tell she was done talking about it by the steely edge to her tone.
‘Everyone’s different, I guess. Just look at me and Griff. He’s the complete opposite—he couldn’t wait to get back here after uni and he’s been here ever since.’
‘Could you ever see yourself moving back here?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know. Not really. I mean it’s always going to be my home—I guess as you get older you see things differently than when you were a kid. I can’t see myself farming for a living. That’s Griff’s thing, and in case you haven’t noticed, unless you’re a farmer there’s not a whole lot else to do out here.’
‘Unless you’re a beautician,’ she pointed out.
Linc chuckled. ‘Somehow I can’t see myself becoming a beautician either.’ She smiled at that and he felt a strange warm sensation spreading through his chest.
‘Has he bored you to death with all his war stories yet?’ Griff asked as he came out to join them, and Linc was surprised by the momentary flash of annoyance his brother’s appearance caused.
‘Nope, not yet,’ he heard Cash say as she eased back from where she’d been leaning, to face Griff. ‘We were just discussing career options out here.’
‘Must have been a long discussion,’ Griff said dryly.
‘I don’t know, I think your mum and Savannah are onto something with the B&B idea.’
‘Just think, Griff, you can deliver the breakfast trays to the rooms before you head out for the day.’
‘Oh yeah, like that’s gonna happen.’
‘Mum sounds pretty keen,’ Linc said, eyeing his brother.
‘She’s still gotta sell Dad on the idea yet.’
‘Yeah, it’s not like Mum usually gets her own way about anything …’ He smirked at his brother’s forlorn expression. Their mother always managed to talk their father around. It was just a matter of time.
‘I think I better be getting home. I’ll just go in and say goodbye to everyone,’ Cash said, and he tried to ignore the disappointment her leaving sparked in him.
After Griff and Cash walked away, he let out a long, frustrated sigh. What the hell was happening to him? Whatever it was, he needed to get it in check fast. For everyone’s sake.