Discipline Down Under (11 page)

The two men argued over what to do, but Darcy tried to catch her feet. Peg managed to get a good kick into his gut.

“Ooph! Damn it, Bruce, hold her still!”

“I got her, Darce. Ya gotta catch the lower half.”

“Stop it, Peg! I don’t want to smack yer pretty face, but damned if I care much anymore.”

Her answer was to scream louder, make as much noise as she could. It was unlikely to bring help, or even slow the brothers down, but it was instinctive, and along with her kicks, that was all she could do.

Darcy’s strong hands finally caught her ankles. “Got her! We need to tie her up.” Peg was exhausted and her fighting was getting weaker with every passing second.

“Gimme yer belt,” Bruce said, the slur in his words unmistakable.

“I can’t, ya
nong
. I got my hands full.”

“Well, what do we do now?”

They debated for what seemed like an eternity to Peg. Her limbs were heavy and less and less responsive as she tried to get away. Eventually, she had no strength left to fight and a quick movement by Darcy had her down on the ground. His look of triumph made Peg want to vomit. This was it. She was going to be raped. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the fire-lit campsite and everything around it.

“Ya blokes want to die today? It can be arranged.”

Tripp! It was Tripp’s voice. Peg blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. There, behind Darcy, holding a rifle, stood Tripp, looking mean. She’d never seen that kind of anger in his eyes before. It made him scary. Apparently, Darcy saw it too. He straightened and confronted Tripp, his hands outstretched in a gesture of submission.

“Now, now, mate. It’s nothing. She’s got a snake bite, that’s all. She won’t let us tend to it.”

“Snake bite my arse,” Tripp responded, motioning with the gun for Darcy to step away from her.

Darcy moved back to where Bruce was standing, giving his brother an elbow to the ribs. Bruce dropped her like a lead brick. “Uh… she’s gonna die from that bite, Tripp,” Bruce said.

“I ought to shoot ya right now,” Tripp told the pair.

Peg rolled onto her hands and knees and wearily crawled over to Tripp. Her limbs were shaking, barely holding her up.

“Behind me, Peggy,” he said. “Now ya two, go get in a canoe. I don’t care which one. Ya get in and toss me the oars.” He stepped toward them. “I’ll keep yer rifles.”

“But there’s crocs in the river,” Darcy said. “How do ya expect us to defend ourselves?”

“Do it like Peggy was doing, with yer hands and feet. Get moving.”

The guns were behind Tripp, past the fire pit, near the other side of the camp. Although both Bruce and Darcy looked longingly at them, they didn’t try to go get them. Tripp had a bead on them and they must have been able to see by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to take any crap.

Darcy licked his lips and his beady eyes flicked from Tripp to the guns and back again. He nodded toward his brother and then made a sudden move toward Tripp, grabbing the rifle barrel and twisting it aside. Tripp pulled the trigger, but the shot went off into the bush harmlessly. Bruce stood there, terror in his wide eyes.

“Get him!” Darcy screamed at his brother. Bruce was galvanized into action and the two brothers fought with Tripp over the gun. Tripp wasn’t about to let go of the weapon, but he was nearly overwhelmed by the two men. Peg gathered up her courage and the strength left to her and got one of the rocks that made up the fire pit. It was hot in her hands, but it didn’t matter. It was all she could do to lift it. Her arms felt rubbery. But lift it she did, and taking aim behind Darcy, she brought the rock down firmly on the top of his head.

He made a grunting sound and dropped to the ground next to the rock that had knocked him out.

Tripp made quick work of Bruce after that. He strapped the man’s hands together with his own belt. After he’d secured Bruce, he checked on Darcy. The man’s pulse was strong and, although it bled copiously as head wounds are wont to do, it didn’t look serious. He might have a slight concussion when he awoke.

The two brothers got half dragged, half carried to one of the canoes and dropped into it. Bruce whined and pleaded for mercy. Tripp told him to shut up and Bruce did. Their canteens got tossed near Bruce’s feet.

Loaded with the two men, the boat rocked precariously for a minute, but once it was steadied, Tripp unmoored it and gave it a quick push that sent it into the current and took it downstream.

Peg stood with him, watching the brothers float out of sight.

“They won’t come back?”

“Not this direction, upriver, without the oars. They’ll float downriver until they get to the next village. It’s a tribal village and they don’t much like the Fentons since there was some bad blood over a gambling debt a while ago.”

“Oh. So they won’t die.”

“Not unless they overturn the canoe. That’s pretty unlikely.” Tripp’s gaze moved over her from head to foot and back to her face. “Are ya all right? They didn’t…?”

Tears were streaming down Peg’s face as relief flooded over her, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him for all she was worth. “Oh, God, Tripp! I was so scared!”

He hugged her. “Yer not hurt?”

“Just tired. I fought them, but it didn’t do much good.” Her tears got heavier and she sobbed with relief. Tripp’s shirt got wet, but Peg didn’t think he even noticed.

Chapter Seven

“Are ya hungry? Thirsty?” Tripp didn’t want her to suffer more than she already had.

“Yes. Both.”

“I have a few things in the boat.”

“The Fentons left supplies, too.”

Tripp nodded. “Okay. Ya grab a canteen and I’ll put some food together. We’ll continue to use their campfire, despite the fact that it’s illegal here. It’s already hot and I’ll keep an eye on it.”

Peggy moved very slowly to get her canteen and sit down on a log. Tripp was worried about her. The worst might not have happened to her, but a scare like that could make a person very closed off for a long time. Peggy had been so vivacious and open. It would be a shame for her to lose any of that spark. He went about making them a meal.

“How did you get here?” she asked.

“I… um…” He hardly wanted to admit it. “Borrowed a boat from a friend.”

“But it’s dark! Wasn’t that dangerous?”

“I knew ya were in more danger than I would have been. I had to get to ya.” He’d been frantic to reach her, and fortunately, he’d gotten there in time. Gary was going to be none-too-pleased about the missing boat, but hopefully, Tripp could get it back to him early tomorrow morning, right after sunup.

She was crying again, but this time, the tears were soft and sad. “Thank you.”

Tripp served her a plate of food and she took the utensils slowly. “Whatever possessed ya to take a trip like this, Peggy? All alone with two men? How could that have possibly been safe?”

Wiping tears away with one hand, she answered. “All the Aussie men I’ve met have been so nice and polite. I just assumed they were all gentlemen. The Fentons seemed a little oily, but not too much, and I really, really wanted to see more wildlife.”

“Ya could have asked me.” It hurt that she hadn’t even tried.

Peggy spooned rehydrated spaghetti and meatballs into her mouth, but she swallowed like it was a lump in her throat. “You and I… I thought you didn’t want to speak to me anymore. I thought you were through with me.”

“I don’t want to hurt ya.” And a long-distance affair was sure to hurt her. She was young, vivacious. She’d want to date, go out and go to parties. Tripp couldn’t go to the US with her and be her boyfriend. He had too many responsibilities in Australia. And, of course, it would be painful for him, too. Not in the same ways, but it would be lonely knowing someone you cared about so much was half a world away. Skype calls weren’t hugs and kisses.

They finished their meal in silence. Peggy only ate a portion of what he’d served her, but Tripp made sure she drank a good amount of water. She looked exhausted. Lines formed around her sad mouth, making her look older, but not more mature. At twenty, Peggy was still sheltered in many ways. Tripp figured this was about the worst experience of her life.

He cleaned off their utensils and plates, and kicked out the campfire, making sure the coals were safely buried. “Come on, luv. Let’s get ya to bed.”

Her head popped up and she looked at him with something like panic. “Please don’t leave me alone tonight, Tripp.”

Peggy needed cuddling and soothing, but, damn, it would be hard to resist her sweet body in his arms all night. Still, he should resist. After the evening’s events, the last thing she needed was to be seduced.

He was reluctant, but he agreed to join her in the tent.

Tripp retrieved his sleeping bag from Gary’s boat, went into the tent and zipped the two bags together. Peggy had changed into her Hootie Owl pajamas and tied her hair in pigtails again. She was a cute as a button, even with tired features and no smiles.

A nagging thought needed some attention, though the timing wasn’t the best. Still, he had to know. “Did ya ever have that date with Matt?”

“Matt? Matt who?”

Relief washed over him. “Matt, the park ranger.”

“Oh! Oh, no. He couldn’t get the day off. And, actually, I didn’t care. He didn’t really interest me.”

“Why agree to it?”

“I dunno. It seemed like the right thing at the time.”

Good enough. She was still his girl, though he kicked himself for thinking of her that way.

“Crawl in,” he told her, gesturing toward the tent, and she obeyed.

Tripp took off his shirt and belt, left on his jeans, but not his boots, and got into the sleeping bag next to Peggy. Immediately, she snuggled up next to him and rested her head on his chest. Holding her tight was easy and natural. They were quiet together for a long time, and eventually Peggy went to sleep. Tripp could feel her deep breathing as she fell into a tired slumber. He whispered to her, so softly she probably couldn’t even hear it in her dreams.

“I love you, Peggy-girl. God help me if I’ll allow yer heart to be broken.”

“Mmm,” was her mumbled, sleepy response.

Tripp lay there for several hours before falling asleep himself.

* * *

The next morning, Tripp awoke to Peggy’s muttered curse outside the tent. It was very unusual for him to sleep past sunrise when in the outback, but, judging by the amount of light illuminating the walls of the tent, the sun was up and shining brightly. He donned his shirt, slipped his belt and his boots on, and crawled out of the shelter.

“G’day, Peggy. How ya feeling today?”

Wearing a camp shirt and shorts, she was rehydrating eggs, fumbling around with them. “I’m okay.” She held out her hand. “Burned my finger a little. I followed the package directions, but I don’t think I’m doing this right. They look like runny yellow powder globs.”

Yes, she was back to her usual behavior. It was a huge improvement over the exhausted and sad little girl he’d held the night before. “Let me,” he offered, taking the egg pan and spoon from her. After a while, they ate their breakfast and cleaned up the mess.

Tripp got up off the rock he’d been perched on, and got to the business he was compelled to do. “Peggy, ya really did a foolish thing, coming downriver with those bastards. Ya were this close—” he gestured with his fingers, “—to getting hurt badly. Now that yer recovered, I think we ought to deal with the consequences of yer actions.”

Her body stiffened as she took a sip of water and she choked. “I-I… don’t know what you mean.”

“Ya do know. Crikey, Peggy, I told ya and told ya to be careful out here. Ya didn’t check their references, did ya?” He held up his hand. “Don’t even try to tell me ya did, ‘cause I know if ya did, ya would have gone running the other direction. Those are bad men. They’ll get what’s coming to them in the village downriver; that clan doesn’t take any guff. We’ll also call the police when we get back to Katherine. They’ll track ‘em down and see that they’re punished. But that doesn’t address yer punishment.”

“Wasn’t last night punishment enough?”

Tripp shook his head. “No. It was going on stupid for ya to get yerself in that position in the first place. It was reckless and beyond foolish.” Nodding toward the foliage, Tripp got his knife out from the back of his belt. “I want you to go over there and cut a few green shoots from that sapling. Three should do it.”

She didn’t move.

“Peggy, if I have to do it, it’ll go worse for ya.”

Slowly, she rose to her feet, her eyes searching Tripp’s face. He tried to remain impassive; it wouldn’t do to show her any weakness.

“You’re going to spank me with the twigs, aren’t you?”

“Yep. I bloody well am. Ya have to learn.”

Her gaze lowered, Peggy took Tripp’s knife gingerly. It was way too big for her hand, and he had second thoughts about sending her to do the job. “Never mind. I’ll do it. I want ya to take off yer clothes, though.” Being naked in the open wilderness would add a little embarrassment to the punishment. He wanted this spanking to stick with her. She might never learn to take better care of herself, but Tripp was determined to try to teach her.

“All my clothes?”

Although he hesitated, he nodded. It might not be the best choice after all. He wanted her and having her naked and humbled might be more than he could resist. Still, he had to impress upon her that she had to have a care for her safety and not behave as though nothing could harm her. But he couldn’t just stand there and watch her shuck down. Instead, he walked over to the sapling and cut three sturdy shoots off. They were firm and yet whippy. He’d been switched once as a boy, not too dissimilar from this experience. He’d been out in the bush, acting like the world was his plaything, endangering himself without a care. His father had put him to rights without hesitation. Tripp would have to have the same firm discipline with Peggy.

When he turned back, she was removing her panties. Her slender back was to him, her heart-shaped bottom exposed as the panties came down. This was going to be difficult for both of them.