Unnaturals (2 page)

Ruth's scent reached him first. Her wet body pressed against his back. `Hey. You okay?'

`Like you would not believe,' he said, enjoying having her against him. `You okay? It was…intense.'

`Make-up sex is the best.' Ruth hugged him tight. `I'm not delicate anymore, Mason. I wanted you.' She slipped a hand down and cupped him, nails pinching slightly. `And if I wasn't so hungry now, we could christen the new balcony.'

`Careful, Mrs Douglas,' Mason said, smiling as he turned around. `Your actions say otherwise.'

He brushed wet strands of dark hair away from her blue eyes, wanting to love her again.

Ruth's grip tightened and hard nipples pressed against him.

`I want you so much,' she said, letting him go and stepping back. `But I'm starving and Wil won't wait any longer to see you.'

`Have you two got clothes on yet?' Wil shouted from downstairs.

`See?' Ruth said, waving her hand at him. Mason smiled and walked inside after her. `Here.'

Mason caught the shorts tossed at him and Ruth tied a sarong around her waist.

`Brekkie on the balcony, Wilson!' Ruth hollered, and Mason found himself grinning. This was just like it had been before. Ruth pushed him and Mason wandered on to the big balcony.

`Hey Dad.'

Mason turned, his smile fading a fraction. A tall, tanned young man stood before him. The scars on his chest and shoulder said he was Wilson.

`Hey Wil.' Mason blinked, surprised at how tall his son had grown. His boy had become a young man. `Holy crap, come here.' Mason took Wilson in his arms. A tremor went through Wilson and Mason hugged him tighter.

`Easy,' Wilson said, slowly breaking off the hug. `Don't want a cracked rib, do we now?'

`No.' Mason tried to not sniffle; everything felt so intense.

`How's Mum? I mean,' Wilson said, looking past him with worry on his face. `She's been different since…you came back, and last night…' His face went red.

`She's fine,' Mason said with a small nod. `But I know what you mean. She's a lot stronger but still her.'

`Oh.'

Mason stood watching Wilson shuffle, uncomfortable with the subject. Damn, the boy had grown.

`Sit down, you two.' Ruth appeared beside them with a platter of sliced fruit.

`Jeez, Mum,' Wilson moaned as Mason sat at the table with him. `I gotta be more specific about the clothes thing again, do I? The sarong is supposed to cover all of you, not just the bottom half.' He waved at her bare top. `I thought we'd worked it out about you not wearing clothes around the house?'

`You're the only one who complains,' Ruth said with a smile, glancing at Mason. `It never worried you before.'

`Yeah, well.' Wilson's ears coloured.

`It doesn't worry Sally when she stays here.' Ruth smiled.

`Sally?' Mason nearly choked on his slice of rockmelon. `The girl you met last time we were on the island?'

`Yeah.'

Mason understood then as he watched Wilson. `Sally stays here? You mean you're—'

`Dating for over a year now,' Ruth said. She nibbled on her watermelon. `She's been a big part of our life here. She came to see Wilson after we got back, even stayed in the hospital here when Wilson had surgery. I like her and she's part of the family. That's why Wilson is staying with her on the island for the next few weeks.'

`Family. Island?' Mason's head ached for a moment. Everything was moving so fast. He'd missed so much. `She knows about—?'

`No.' Wilson looked him in the eye. `And it's going to stay that way until the time is right, Dad. So you need to remember that when we go over today. If you're ready?'

`Ready?' Mason felt his mouth move. They had accepted him back without hesitation. Butcher didn't exist here.

`Mason.' Ruth took his hands. `We want to be a family again. We want you back, here with us.'

`We do.' Wilson's hand joined his mother's. `No matter what's happened, you're still my dad.'

`I… I'm not good at this.'

`We know. That's why you need us and…we need you. So, you up for two weeks on Wreck Island then? After all, it
is
your birthday.' Ruth stood up and Mason felt his heartbeat increase as he looked at her. He loved the island. It was their special place. He'd met her there.

`We leave today?'

`Yep. We've got our own villa and Wil is staying with Sally and her mum.'

Wilson stood up. `The morning ferry leaves in two hours and I need to let Sal know if we're coming over.' Mason could not miss the excitement in his voice.

`Sounds like a plan. A good one.' Mason sat back in his chair, relieved.

`Right, I'll call Sal and let her know. Good to have you back, Dad.' Wilson disappeared down the stairs.

`I've missed so much,' Mason muttered as Ruth hugged him.

`Yes, but now you're here.' Her sarong fell away and she sat on the table in front of him. A leg flicked over his head and she pulled him towards her. `I've already sent clothes over to the island and we've got two hours to kill. Take your pants off.'

 

Wilson pressed redial on his mobile. Sally was the only one he called. Sounds he didn't need to hear wafted down from the balcony.

`Christ,' he muttered, walking outside onto the lawn, away from the house.

`Hey. You've reached Sally, please leave a message.' Her voice always made him smile.

`It's me, Sal. We're coming over this morning. Dad's coming with us and it's all cool.' Wilson paused, thinking about her. `Sal, it means a lot that that you're doing this, being here now. See you soon.' He stared at the touch screen for a moment, and then looked up. Alert. The trees had fallen silent.

`You're shitting me!' he cursed, dropping the phone onto a garden seat. `You really aren't all that smart, are you? Coming here.' Wilson grabbed the small crowbar he'd left outside after training.

He could sense the intruder.

An Unnatural.

`Not smart at all,' he said, stopping at the edge of the lawn, well aware of the complex security system buried in the garden beds surrounding the house. `We're not afraid anymore.'

The silence thickened around him and Wilson smacked the crowbar in his hand, making sure the sound of iron on flesh echoed in the silence. `Yeah, that's right. I'm not easy prey any more.' He spoke louder, letting his lip curl up. The iron crowbar felt light in his hand, balanced. He'd had it made for a particular use. Throwing.

There. He saw it. The irregularity in the foliage beside a gum tree. Iron whistled through the air. The bar sliced through the trunk of the tree, burying itself in the ground on the other side. Wilson smiled at the smothered wail of pain. `Yeah, bet that hurt. Iron doesn't like you,' he said, following the sounds of flight fading into the trees. `And don't come back. Next time I won't give a warning. Whatever you are.'

Wilson waited until he couldn't sense the Unnatural anymore, picking up his phone on his way back to the house. He listened and, unable to hear his parents, went in to pack a bag.

`Damn it,' he muttered, looking at the packed throwing knives. `Better take this as well.' He slipped in his 9mm pistol and two ammo clips. From upstairs, sounds filtered down.

`Bloody hell.' He shook his head and grabbed his surfboard on his way out to the workshop. He picked up the remote as he entered and music drowned out other sounds. `Oversexed parents. Unnaturals in the bushes. So much for being a normal family.' He laid his surfboard on its stand and ran a hand over it. `Lucky I got Sal and you, eh, baby?'

Wilson began to wax, trying to work off the anger shifting inside him. They had come to his home. If they came near Sally… Wilson worked the wax bar hard on his surfboard.

 

Her breath came in rapid silent bursts, though she ran faster than any animal could. Trees flashed by and her trail would be invisible. Not that it mattered anymore. The boy had sensed her. He had cut her with iron. No one had ever done that, ever.

Mason sat on the top deck of the ferry, holding Ruth's hand.

`Whales on the portside,' a deckhand said. The ferry slowed and the crowd moved to one side of the deck.

Mason didn't move, enjoying the sun and Ruth beside him. He glanced at her, fiddling with a strand of long dark hair, her eyes elsewhere.

`Stop perving,' he whispered in her ear and was rewarded with a blush.

`Mason,' she started to say, but he slipped his hand onto her thigh.

`It's okay,' he whispered, sliding his hand a fraction higher under her short sarong, brushing her sex with a fingertip. `We're still the same people as before everything happened. You're still Ruth.'

`Mason,' Ruth whispered back, putting her hat over his hand. `I didn't…have anyone while you were gone. It was hard but…it would have been wrong.'

`If you had I wouldn't have blamed you for it.' He slid his hand down to her knee as the crowd moved back to their seats. `I've never seen it as you hurting me. But you have to give me time. And besides,
she's
far too young even for you.'

`Mason.' Ruth's blushed deepened as a tall, dark-haired girl walked past. Mason glanced at the girl's tiny black bikini, and saw why she might catch Ruth's eye. She was the type.

`You're so funny when you blush like that.' He kissed her on the cheek. `If I leave you up here while I go to the canteen, you promise to behave?'

`Stop it.' Ruth looked slightly mollified. `She might hear you. Wait. You're going to have a drink with Mullet?'

He smiled as he stood. `Yes. Just one, I promise. You want to come or stay up here and enjoy the scenery?'

Ruth punched him in the leg as her blush returned. `I'm fine, thanks. Just make sure you only have one drink otherwise I might get bored.' Her eyes flicked across the deck to the girl. Mason shook his head at her and turned to leave.

`Beat you to it, Boxhead,' Mullet rasped at him, standing with two drinks in his hand. `Heard you was back. Morning, Ruthie.'

Mason grinned at the tanned, weathered old man wearing only shorts and a blue singlet. Years of fishing and being a deckhand showed in every crease on Mullet's face as he nodded politely to Ruth.

`Still alive, I see,' Mason said, taking the can from him.

`And you're still ugly as ever, Mason. Rum and cola still your poison?'

`Pot calling the kettle black there, you old bastard,' Mason grinned as they shook hands. He cracked the can open in sync with Mullet.

`Huh,' Mullet grunted, sipping his drink and ignoring the stares around them. `So you're really back then? Had enough of Pommyland and warm beer?'

`Okay. We'll go with that,' Mason said, enjoying the harsh flavour of the rum. `So now you're shouting me drinks, or is it a bribe to get you out of trouble again?'

`Very funny,' Mullet grinned back as he leaned against the railing. `You're going over to the island for a break. Like before?'

`Uh-huh,' Mason grunted, knowing Mullet was itching for gossip. `Wilson is with us as well. For a family holiday.'

`I've seen him about, down below just now. He's a big lad. Better looking than his old man. Lucky he's got his mother's looks.' Mullet winked at Ruth as he took a swig from the can. `We goin' fishing now you're back? Got some new spots out wide we can hit, if the famous Mason Douglas still mixes with us ordinary folk?'

`Smartarse. We'll go once I get a chance, after the holiday,' Mason said, falling into their usual banter. It was like he'd not been gone for more than a year.

Another familiar face appeared at the top of the steps, eyeing Mullet off — his skipper. `You supposed to be doing something?' Mason asked, looking past Mullet.

`Yeah, yeah,' he muttered, glancing back as the skipper vanished back down the steps. Mullet finished his drink in a single gulp. `No rest for the wicked, apparently. More like he's nervous you're on board.'

`Nervous?' Mason frowned.

`Yeah.' Mullet wetted cracked lips and looked straight at Mason. `What happened, you know, over there. We all saw it on the telly. Serious shit, Mason. Trouble seems to find you.'

`Not today.' Mason finished his drink, irritated at the thought of people feeling uncomfortable around him. `Besides, you're a bigger shit magnet than me, remember.'

`Yeah, yeah,' Mullet muttered with a half-smile. `You're never going to let me forget that, are you?'

`No, and you still smile about it. You nearly got yourself killed that night.' Mason crushed the can in his hand, remembering the fight. He hadn't held back.

`Yeah, well.' Mullet looked at his feet. `I didn't know she was married to a bloody psycho druggie with his own gang, did I? Lucky you was there. I'd do the same for you, mate.'

`I know you would. But those days are gone, old mate.' Mason winked, remembering that wild night. `You still seeing her?'

`Christ, no!' Mullet took Mason's empty can. `She wanted to have kids and settle down. Crazy.'

`Yeah, can't have the Mullet saddled now, can we?'

`Still think you're funny, I see,' Mullet said with a wink. `Have a good one, Ruth. Make sure he stays out of trouble.'

`Will do,' she said from beside Mason. He could hear the humour in her tone.

`Catch you on the trip back, Boxhead.' Mullet disappeared down the steps to the lower deck without a backward glance.

Behind Mason a mobile phone rang. His.

Ruth passed it to him, face tight. `It's Max.'

Mason found a clear spot on the deck as Ruth sat back down, eyes on him. `Max?'

`It's important.'

Mason heard the anger in Max's voice. Something was very wrong. `Go on.' He turned to Ruth and smiled, trying to smooth her frown away.

`There's been movement in the US. That jet we lost track of here popped up on our satellites an hour ago.'

`And you rang me here to tell me this?'

`Sir, it's heading for Australia.'

Mason turned away from Ruth, anger clouding his mind. Not now.

`Sir, it will be there later tonight. Sir Robert has sanctioned the Fund to mobilise and I'm already airborne and have resources on the ground in the area. Mason, you needed to know but the Fund can handle this. Sir Robert's orders.'

Mason paused, agreeing with Sir Robert. The Fund was there to protect them and he needed time with his family. Butcher was not welcome here. `Agreed, Max, do whatever it takes. I don't want to be disturbed, you understand?'