The Girl in the Hard Hat (18 page)

‘Tell him to get that boat to shore immediately and then meet me at Carl’s office.’

Gavin nodded.

‘And, Gavin, I want you there too.’

He nodded again.

Turning around, she was horrified to see Dan Hullog striding across the deck – just when she couldn’t imagine things getting any worse. Deciding to face the music head on, she went forwards to meet him.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ he demanded as soon as she was within earshot. ‘Is there a fishing boat down there?’

Her insides squirmed in humiliation. She glanced back at Gavin, who was still on his phone talking rapidly into the receiver. To her disgust, it looked like Fish needed some persuading to abandon his project.

‘Answer me.’ Dan’s voice was brusque and stern like the tone of her boarding school’s headmistress only much, much worse. ‘Did that meeting we had last week mean
nothing
to you? I thought you were going to aid me in keeping Barnes Inc on track. Not watch idly as they break every rule in the book!’

She lifted her chin. ‘I haven’t been watching
idly
. I just got here.’

‘And I guess that was only by lucky chance,’ he retorted.

She clenched her jaw against the unfairness of it all, but couldn’t resist just a hint of sarcasm. ‘Yes, it was remiss of me not to put out the memo on “No fishing next to piles that are being driven”.’

‘This is not a joke!’ He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple between thumb and forefinger. ‘I think Barnes Inc has issued enough warnings to its people. You need to start taking some disciplinary action. I want to see these buffoons made an example of.’

‘I will do my best, sir.’

‘Make sure your best gets me results,’ he fired at her, making her straight shoulders almost waver.

Almost.

‘Tell Carl I’ll be ringing him this afternoon to find out what’s been done about this. Do you understand me?’

‘Perfectly.’ Gavin and Fish had as good as lost their jobs. What an absolute waste and all for a free lunch. What were they thinking?

Dan nodded roughly and then walked off.

‘Wendy.’

She turned around to find Gavin watching Dan’s retreating back, his brows drawn together over his dark eyes. ‘Was he laying into you?’

She snorted. ‘With good reason.’

‘This isn’t your fault.’

‘Well you’re right about that.’ Her voice cracked. ‘I’m not the one who’s going to take the fall for it, am I?’

As much as she believed in her job and the fact that this was probably a fate that Gavin deserved . . . she did not want to see the man get fired. All the same she couldn’t protect him. The question was, did she really want to? She had protected a man in the past and look where that had got her. Her best bet was to let Carl and Dan take control of the situation. She gripped her fingers together as though applying restraint.

I can’t save him.

She looked up at his handsome face, still trained on Bulldog’s back. A breeze made the collar of his shirt flick, though his broad shoulders remained stiff and unwavering.

He did a bad thing. He deserves what’s coming to him.

His gaze returned to hers. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Let’s go inform Carl and get this over with.’

She didn’t know why he was reassuring her when he was the one about to stand in front of the firing squad. Without waiting for her, he led the way back to the bus.

‘What’s going on?’ Sharon was still sitting in the driver’s seat, nervously munching on a muesli bar.

‘The fishing boat was discovered, not just by me but by Bulldog too,’ Wendy sighed. ‘But you’d guessed that already, hadn’t you?’

Sharon choked on her bar. ‘Look, Wendy –’

Wendy held up her hands. ‘Don’t say anything, Sharon. I wouldn’t want you to incriminate yourself.’

Sharon’s face lost colour. ‘I didn’t mean –’

‘Sharon,’ Gavin said warningly and then added, ‘We need you to take the bus back now. We’ve got to see Carl ASAP.’

‘Is anyone hurt?’ Sharon asked in a small voice.

Wendy shook her head.

Luckily, the bus driver said nothing more and started the bus. There was no one on board but the three of them. They travelled in silence; the tension in the air was almost loud enough to create static.

When they arrived back at the Barnes Inc office dongas, Carl was not in his office and had to be summoned immediately. Fish had not arrived either. So Wendy and Gavin spent another excruciating twenty-five minutes waiting. At first they did not talk.

Gavin sat down in one of Carl’s visitor’s chairs, laced his fingers together, legs stretched out in front of him crossed at the ankles. She, on the other hand, paced the room like a jungle cat at the zoo.

How could he be so relaxed? Carl was going to be furious! Would he get notice when he was let go?

She had no idea.

How was Chub going to find two new engineers to replace them? It would take ages. Time they didn’t have. They were going to fall further behind. Her name was going to be mud. Another two sackings to blame on the TCN spy. Gavin and Fish were well liked.

She was like stinky blue cheese on a perfume counter. Who would believe the decision had been out of her hands?

‘Wendy,
sit down
.’ The low timbre of his masculine voice plucked her last nerve.

She turned on him like a rattlesnake. ‘What’s wrong with you? Don’t you care about your job? Why would you take a risk like that? It’s ludicrous, senseless, just . . . completely dumb. And don’t give me that look because I know you’re smarter than you make out.’

‘Your confidence in me is very reassuring,’ he murmured.

‘Urgh!’ She put her hands on her hips as she paced. ‘Take some bloody responsibility. Don’t you care about your staff? The safety of your men?’

His mouth twisted as though he were mocking himself. ‘My men, of course, come first. After all, I’d be no one without them. As for my job . . .’ He paused. ‘It means a lot to me . . . Keeps me sane.’

She stopped pacing, looking down on his deckchair-posed body with all the frustration of an artist studying a difficult subject. ‘Then what are you going to do when you lose it?’

His face had that expression Wendy was beginning to recognise as the mask he used to cover up his real feelings. That ‘chill out, sweetheart’ eyebrow tilt and cocky ‘what happens will happen’ smile.

‘There’s a mining boom on and a shortage of engineers.’ His tone was confident. ‘It’s not like people haven’t already been trying to poach me, Sarge.’

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, Gavin. It’s a lot to risk for a dare or a bit of fun.’

He looked away, ignoring the statement. ‘Don’t worry if we don’t have time for that dinner. I’ll give you Yabber’s address before I leave.’

She gaped at him. ‘Why on earth would you think that’s what I’m worried about?’

‘Isn’t it?’ His head angled curiously at her as though he were momentarily distracted. ‘It seemed like a pretty big deal last time we spoke about it. Like this guy has some kind of hold on you. You’re not in trouble, are you? You can tell me.’

‘
For crying out loud!
’ She threw up her hands. Of all the bloody things to be asking when
he
was sitting in the manager’s office about to be given the axe. ‘This is not about me!’ she flung at him. ‘This is about you.’

Just then, the door burst open and Carl came storming in from the fray, his red face spoiling for a fight. He whipped off his hard hat and hung it roughly on the hook by the door. Gavin uncrossed his feet and sat up.

‘What the fuck were you
thinking
, Gav?’ Carl’s eyes bulged from their sockets as he scanned the room. ‘And where the fuck is Fish?’

‘Here.’ The sulky-looking ocean hunter had arrived seconds after him and was standing in the doorway. His chin came up defiantly when all eyes turned in his direction.

Carl jabbed his pointer finger at him. ‘I’ve put up with you fuckin’ off to your nets at lunchtime and buying bait during fuckin’ smoko. I’ve even put up with you stinking up my fuckin’ utes with your nightly fishing expeditions. But this time, you’ve gone too far!’

‘Carl –’ Fish began.

‘Shut the fuck up! Just because we’re mates, doesn’t give you the right to fuckin’ take advantage of me.’

‘That wasn’t what I was doing.’

‘Then what the fuck do you call it?’

‘It was harmless, Carl.’ Fish reddened, closing the door behind him and advancing further into the room. Clearly realising that if he stood in the doorway he was making the entire office privy to this conversation, which was going much worse for him than he had expected it would.

‘Harmless!’ Carl barked. ‘What if your boat had rammed into the pile because of the vibration in the water? What then?’

‘I had complete control of the boat.’ Fish straightened his shoulders. ‘I ain’t an idiot. Besides, no one was hurt.’

‘That ain’t the fuckin’ point!’ Carl slammed a fist into his palm. ‘You can’t just say, well fuck, I got away with it, so it’s okay.’

‘That’s not what I –’

‘We’re trying to pass a fuckin’ audit here! And you!’ Carl turned on Gavin like a panther that had discovered a second chicken in his cage. ‘You, I don’t understand at all! How could you agree to this? Were you out of your fuckin’ mind?’

Wendy could see Gavin’s face close as though blinds were being pulled down before he opened his mouth to speak. ‘Yes.’

That’s it!

It was the only syllable he uttered by way of explanation and even Carl found it grossly inadequate.

‘What the fuck?’

‘Gavin,’ Fish began desperately, addressing the piling engineer rather than Carl, ‘you know that –’

‘I knew what I was doing.’ Gavin pinned Fish to the wall with his glare, cutting off in the process the other man’s ability to speak. ‘As I know what I’m doing now.’

‘All we can fuckin’ hope for is that Bulldog doesn’t find out about this.’ Carl marched to his desk, defeat written all over his face as he sat down. ‘Fuckin’ fat chance of that happening.’

‘Er . . . Carl.’ Wendy finally decided to speak up. ‘He . . . er . . . he was there.’

Carl’s face swung to hers as though he had just realised for the first time that she was present. And then, with absolute dejection, he dropped his head. It hit the desk with a bang. ‘Oh, fuck!’

She swallowed. ‘He wants this matter dealt with firmly.’

Carl swivelled his head to look at her, opening one eye just a crack. ‘Of course he does. He wants their jobs, doesn’t he? Very well. Fish, you’re fired. Gavin, you’re off with a warning. Wendy, inform the bastard and let’s have done with this shit.’

Fish gasped in shock. ‘You can’t fire me. I’m your best friend.’

‘Not today you ain’t,’ Carl grunted. ‘And you’ll have to move out of the camp too. You can’t stay there if you ain’t working on this fucked-up job. So you better make yourself some fuckin’ plans.’

‘But –’

‘This far, none of your excuses have given me any cause to spare you.’ Carl waved his hand. ‘So don’t fuckin’ try to persuade me to give you another chance. It ain’t happenin’.’

‘I wasn’t going to,’ Fish replied sullenly. ‘I was just going to ask . . . ’ He paused, embarrassment clearly stunting his words.

Carl’s eyes rounded madly. ‘
What?
’

‘Could I stay with you for a few days – just till I’m back on my feet . . .?’

‘Of all the fuckin’ –’ Then Carl closed his eyes and gave up. ‘Fine. Now fuck off the lot of you!’

What about Gavin?
Wendy thought indignantly. He hadn’t even tried to excuse his behaviour and just gets let off, scot free. It seemed incredibly unfair.

Fish opened his mouth to say something further and shut it again before yanking open the door to Carl’s office and stalking out. Gavin rose slowly to his feet, shoving both hands deep into the pockets of his Hard Yakka pants.

‘Listen, Carl, I was fully prepared to –’

Carl eyed him with contempt. ‘Do you think I’m fuckin’ stupid?’

‘No, I –’

‘Then fuck off!’

‘But –’

‘Next time you want to play hero, do it in your own fuckin’ time.’ Carl pointed at the door. ‘Out!’

‘Yes, sir.’ Gavin turned and winked at Wendy. ‘Guess dinner’s back on, sweetheart.’

Her eyes widened as he turned and walked out, head held high, unscathed and untouched by what was supposed to have been the execution yard.

‘What the fuck are you still doing here?’ Carl demanded, and she pulled her gaze from Gavin and returned them to her manager.

‘I, er, mean no disrespect, Carl. But do you think that was fair? Firing Fish but not Gavin when they were equally to blame.’

Carl snorted. ‘Believe me, they weren’t equally to blame. I wasn’t about to screw up Gavin’s life just because he decides to go all noble on my arse.’

‘Noble?’ Wendy repeated.

‘You didn’t fuckin’ see that?’ Carl waved his pointer finger to and fro in obvious surprise.

‘See what?’

Carl shrugged. ‘He was fuckin’ protecting someone. I know Gavin: he’s an arrogant bastard sometimes but he’s loyal and he ain’t gunna rat anyone out, particularly if he feels they don’t deserve it.’

‘So you’re not even going to bother asking him?’ Wendy demanded.

‘His men love him. If they need to tell me who it was responsible, they will. It sure wasn’t Gavin. Now is not the time to –’ He shook his head. ‘Look, never mind. Just tell fuckin’ Bulldog that the ring leader has been dealt with and nothing like this will ever happen again.’

‘What if he asks about Gavin?’

‘Then tell him to fuck off, I don’t care. It’s time to move on. Now if you don’t mind . . .’

She knew she’d reached the end of Carl’s very limited patience, and nodded before hastily letting herself out. The outcome of the event didn’t quite sit well with her, however. She didn’t know how to feel about it.

Relieved.

Indignant.

Scammed.

Even if Gavin had been protecting someone, shouldn’t they find out who that was and bring him to justice? She’d seen firsthand that feeling pity for people who did bad things didn’t help them. It just made things worse.

‘Hey, little mate, you’re looking decidedly grumpy,’ said Chub when she stormed back into their donga office.