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‘Yes, I think the jet lag is catching up with me,’ Gina agreed. ‘Not to mention catching up with you all again today and talking non-stop. It has been so very good.’

Kane's phone buzzed with a message, and he looked at it in surprise as they watched.

‘It’s Connor,’ he said.

‘Oh, maybe Dru’s had her baby,’ Ellie said. ‘I hope everything is okay.’

‘You worry too much, babe,’ Kane said.

Gina sat up straight. ‘Come on, Ellie we’ll go and make a coffee while Kane makes the call.’

‘Call me if I need to talk to them,’ Ellie said.

Kane nodded and headed out to the balcony.

Ellie listened for Kane’s call as they made coffee. Gina picked up a glass bowl and tipped in the chocolates they’d bought at the airport. ‘I don’t think I could eat another thing, Gina,’ Ellie said.

‘Chocolate, my dear, we can always eat chocolate.’ They carried the tray back into the lounge just as Kane stepped in from the balcony. His face was set.

Ellie walked over to him, her heart pounding. ‘I knew it. What’s wrong?’

‘It’s okay, darling. Family is fine, but there is a bit of news. Russell Fairweather died this afternoon.’

Ellie sat down on the lounge as confusion filled her. ‘Russell Fairweather is dead?’ She put a hand to her chest.

‘Yes, a heart attack in prison,’ Kane said. He was dead before the paramedics got there.’

Gina reached out and took Ellie’s hand. ‘It is a relief, Ellie. It's over. I know you’ve always worried about what would happen when he got out of jail.’

‘I did. Oh my God, Kane, I can’t believe it. He’s gone.’

‘Yes, Connor thought he should tell us before we saw it online.’ Kane hesitated and Ellie tensed.

‘What? What else?’ she asked quickly.

‘There’s been a bit of trouble at the farm. Tarni is in hospital.’

Chapter 37

Darwin Royal Hospital - Wednesday afternoon

Cy

Cy paced the floor of the waiting room in the hospital. Tarni had finally been moved from intensive care, and he was allowed to see her for the first time since the helicopter had brought her in on Monday morning. He hadn’t shaved and had only been back to the farm twice to feed the dogs, shower quickly, and change his clothes.

The last three days had been horrendous. Tarni’s condition had been touch and go for a while until the tests had detected the poison in her system and the appropriate treatment had started.

Emma Langford, Ellie McLaren’s sister, and Emma’s husband, Jeremy, had stayed with him on and off so that he hadn’t been alone. Being doctors at the hospital, they were privy to more information than he was. Because as it was, he was only seen as her work colleague and the person who had called triple zero when he’d found her unresponsive on Monday morning. If Tarni had died, he would never have forgiven himself for not checking on her sooner.

He wasn’t allowed to know what was happening for the first day, and he hadn’t been allowed to see her in intensive care. He couldn’t very well say, ‘Well, we kissed each other on Sunday night, so I’m her partner.’

Emma knew how worried he was, and when Dee and Ryan came into the hospital this morning, leaving the twins with a friend, Cy broke down.

‘She’s a wonderful person, Ryan,’ he said.

‘I could tell by the way you looked at her over the weekend that you were falling hard, mate,’ Ryan said.

‘I can’t believe that bastard was the one doing it all the time, and I fucking employed him. I hope he rots in hell.’