Free Down Among the Dead Men (Entangled Ignite) by Claire Baxter

working, but the money might come in handy.”
    “Do you have money problems?”
    She snapped her head up to look at him. What kind of question was that for a stranger to ask? “No, I don’t,” she said sharply.
    “Sorry.” Steve grimaced. “That was rude. Being in banking, I see a lot of people who do, that’s all.”
    “Yes, I suppose so.” She finished her drink and put the glass on the table. “Anyway, it’s been very nice, Steve, but I’d better be off.”
    “Oh, okay. I’ll walk you to your car.”
    “Thanks, but I can manage.” She wanted to make it clear that the evening was over, and besides, she didn’t need his protection. She was determined not to be taken by surprise by Delvin or anyone else again.

Chapter Six
    On her way home, Caitlyn heard a sudden short burst from a siren, looked in the rear-view mirror, and saw a familiar police vehicle behind her, lights flashing. She steered the car to the side of the road and waited for Sergeant Peterson to walk to the window.
    “Is this your vehicle?”
    She frowned up at him. “No.”
    “Are you aware that it contravenes the noise regulations for a vehicle on a public road?”
    “No, but who is it going to bother around here? I’m the only person on the road.”
    “All the same, it’s too loud.” He took a notepad from his pocket and wrote on it.
    “Are you on duty? You’re not in uniform.”
    He peeled a page from the pad. “This is a defect notice.” He slapped it on to the windscreen, where it stuck. “You can’t drive this vehicle any farther.”
    “What?” She stared at him, incredulous. “Are you serious?”
    “Yes.” He stalked to his Land Rover.
    She pulled the keys from the ignition, grabbed her purse, and climbed out of the car, hoping to catch a lift with him. No chance. He did a U-turn and set off in the opposite direction. She waved her arms, but if he saw her in his mirror, he gave no sign of it. As the sound of his engine died away, silence stretched around her.
    She could see why Max didn’t like him. Would it have hurt him to bend the rules a little, at least let her get back to the servo?
    She glanced back at the car. How would he know if she drove it back to the servo? Even if he came this way and saw that it had gone, he wouldn’t be able to prove that she’d driven it and hadn’t towed it. But if she lied, she’d have to involve Max in the story and she didn’t want to do that. Max had enough to deal with.
    Besides, they could tow it back to the servo soon enough, and it was a great night for a walk.
    Several minutes later with the servo in sight, she tipped her head back, gazing at the never-ending sky filled with countless stars. No ordinary sky muted by city lights, but the mind-blowing sky she’d heard tourists rave about. The town’s few streetlights was barely visible at this distance, and there was the Southern Cross, right where it had been when her father first pointed it out on a family camping holiday, a very long time ago.
    A sob surprised her. She thought she’d done with crying for her father twenty years before. He hadn’t been worthy of her tears back then and he certainly wasn’t now. He deserved them even less now that she knew more about him, but to an eight-year-old, losing him had cut deep.
    “Oh, Dad,” she said aloud. “Why did you have to turn out to be such a shit?”
    She wiped the tears from her face and with the same decisiveness, shut down the memories. She covered the remaining distance quickly, and when she found that no lights were on inside the house, she left it that way. She knew her way around well enough to let herself in, lock up, and find her way to the bathroom.
    As she headed for the kitchen, a shadow moved ahead of her and it wasn’t Max. It crossed the kitchen, and she ducked back out of sight, scalp prickling in disbelief. A man, and a large one at that. She heard the back door click as it closed.
    Caitlyn waited a moment to be certain he’d gone, then