The Mission (13 page)

‘Well, let me tell you why I’m here. It’s Mum and Dad’s anniversary in two weeks and they want us to come. Gazza’s going to be there so make sure you bring someone too,’ said Steph.

‘Like who? I’m not dating anyone,’ said Ryan.

Jaz was relieved. One day she hoped it would be her but realistically, in their line of work, probably not.

‘Bring Jaz,’ said Steph. ‘Come on, Ry. You’ve never brought anyone home. Not even friends. We want to be included in your life, we want to get to know your friends.’ Steph leaned forward on her knees and spoke to Jaz. ‘You’d come, wouldn’t you Jaz? You’re the only friend of Ryan’s I’ve met in years.’

‘You don’t have to,’ said Ryan, cutting in.

‘Come on, your family is not that bad,’ Steph replied.

‘I don’t mind,’ said Jaz. Really, she didn’t. If anything, she wanted to meet Ryan’s parents and to see the house he grew up in.

‘Wonderful,’ said Steph clapping.

Jaz spotted the clock on Ryan’s wall. It was eight thirty already. ‘Oh crap. I’ll be late. Sorry,’ she said jumping up and trying to pull out her phone. ‘I need to call a taxi.’

‘Don’t worry. I can drop you off. It will be quicker than waiting for a taxi. Where do you have to go?’

‘Just to Cottesloe. But you don’t have to. Steph is here. Stay. I’ll be okay.’

Ryan stood and put his hand over her phone to stop her calling a taxi, then turned to Steph. ‘You don’t mind if I drop Jaz off, do you? There’re some roasting vegies that could use some basting while you wait and there is wine in the fridge. I’ll only be ten minutes. Cott’s close by.’

‘No, it doesn’t worry me. Go,’ she said as she got up.

Jaz waited for Ryan’s hand to leave hers before putting her phone away. She hoped she hadn’t blushed with his touch. She didn’t need Ryan’s sister reading into anything. ‘Thanks, I appreciate it,’ she said to both of them.

‘I hope you have a great night, Jaz. Who’s your date?’ asked Steph as they began to walk to the door. Ryan was two steps in front and grabbed his car keys off the hook on his way past.

‘A guy called Marcus. It’s his school ball.’

‘Oh, is he anyone special?’

Oh God. Jaz wished she could leave now. Ryan was at the door but his head was slightly turned, listening to their conversation. ‘Yeah, he’s my boyfriend. We made it official just this week,’ she said with a nervous smile.

‘Sweet. Is he cute?’

‘We better go,’ said Ryan who had opened the door. He was frowning.

Steph held her hand. ‘You’ll have to show me the photos of you guys at the dinner. Promise you’ll still come. Ry will bring you.’

Jaz smiled. She really liked Steph. She was bright and friendly. And there was only three years between them. ‘Sure. I’ll see you then.’

Steph waved as she stood by the door. Ryan shook his head before shutting the door. ‘Sorry about Steph,’ he said as they went to his black SUV.

‘That’s okay. I like Steph. Makes me wish my sister was still alive,’ she said softly.

Ryan went to the passenger door and held it open while she got in and checked her dress was safely inside before closing it. Inside Ryan’s car she felt safe. It smelt like him, even more so when he sat beside her.

They didn’t speak until he’d reversed out onto the road. Jaz couldn’t think of anything to say. Tonight had been a real overload of the emotions and senses.

‘You don’t have to come to the dinner,’ Ryan said.

‘Why? Don’t you want me to?’ Did he not want her there?

‘No. No, it’s not that. It’s just Steph can railroad people a bit and I didn’t want you to feel pressured.’

Jaz pulled out her phone again to check the time. She wondered if she should text Marcus. ‘It’s okay. If it’s alright with you I’m happy to go.’ Jaz turned to watch him. His arms were so sculptured, so beautiful and so deadly. Just being alone with him made her feel like she was standing at the edge of a cliff with the fresh breeze in her face as the height made her fell alive and giddy. ‘It is alright?’

‘Yeah, sure. Actually you would be doing me a favour. My family are always nagging me about my life. Same old stuff, they never see me, never meet any of my friends. It’s a bit hard in this business. If I could take you, then that would ease things. I hope,’ he added.

Was he wondering if her being in school would be a problem? She hoped not. And school didn’t have to be brought up. Unless Steph said something.

Jaz quickly typed out a message to Marcus.
Be there in 5!

Ryan watched her but didn’t say anything. He was pulling up to the side of the road. Jaz could see the beach on the left, the moon glistening along the waves. She hadn’t even given Ryan the address but he obviously remembered. For all she knew, he could have been one of the people staking out the house early on.

In true style, Ryan had stopped a house short. She guessed so no one noticed the car.

‘Thanks for the lift.’ She leaned forward to peer at his house. The lights were on and she saw something move by the fence. Oh, he was waiting for her.

As she opened the door Ryan’s voice made her pause. It was spoken so softly, but held so much weight and warning. ‘You be careful, Jaz. Just…be careful.’

She turned back, meeting his eyes, and her pulse skipped a beat. He was so gorgeous it took the breath from her lungs. She couldn’t reply, the nod of her head the only thing she managed before she climbed out of his car.

Quickly she stepped to the path, refusing to glance back, and headed straight to Marcus. ‘I’m sorry I’m late,’ she said, walking fast.

He stepped out onto the path and held his arms out to her. ‘Wow, I would wait another hour for you, Jaz. You look amazing.’

She stepped into his embrace, felt his hands spread over her bare back while he kissed her cheek. Jaz leant back and brushed his suit jacket. ‘You’re pretty spiffy yourself.’ His black suit hung from his thin frame, making him look like a male model. His hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck and he was wearing the tie that matched her dress. Any girl would die to have someone like Marcus as a boyfriend.

‘Come, let’s get meeting my parents over with quickly so I can have you all to myself.’ He lent down and kissed her lips. ‘I don’t want to let you out of my sight.’

Marcus stepped away, and took her hand to lead her inside. Jaz glanced back to the road, expecting to find it empty, but Ryan’s black SUV was only just leaving the kerb. He had waited and watched. What did he think? Did he feel anything watching Marcus kiss her? Did it not churn him up like it would her if she saw him with someone else? She watched as Ryan drove past, but she couldn’t see into his car. Couldn’t glimpse one last look at his face. Trying not to think of the great big chasm of distance growing between them, she followed Marcus into his home.

Marcus led her inside deep red double doors, into a wide bright foyer with a big art piece on the wall. While the walls were white, the colours came from the collection of paintings and sculptures. And the wooden and wrought-iron staircase was a big feature too. ‘Wow, I love your house. My folks have nothing like this,’ she said reaching out to a stone statue, but didn’t touch it in case it was worth a fortune.

‘This is Mum and Dad’s business. They love all this art stuff. Just don’t mention it or it’s all we’ll hear about. They’ll probably want to try and sell you some,’ he said with a smirk.

Tugging on her hand gently, he took her along the large marbled floor to a room off to the left. Jaz was trying hard to take everything in. She hadn’t seen any personal photos yet, just the artworks.

‘She’s here,’ said Marcus as he pulled her towards him, offering a safety buffer.

Jaz recognised his parents from the photos he’d texted. But they seemed even more warm and real in person. Diane Sinclair stood first, rushing towards them with her hands outstretched. ‘Oh, welcome, Jaz. We’ve heard so much about you.’ Diane was wearing a stunning white pants suit and was accessorised to perfection. Her hair pulled up into a high ponytail. Jaz assumed she’d been working at the gallery today.

‘Nice to meet you, Mrs Sinclair,’ said Jaz.

‘Oh no. It’s Diane please. Diane and Carl,’ she said, motioning to her husband.

Jaz could see Marcus in both of them. He had his mum’s eyes and dark hair but he was his father for everything else.

Carl stepped forward and offered Jaz his hand. ‘Hi, Jaz. You look lovely,’ he said, before giving Marcus a wink. Carl’s grin was wide, the same as his son’s, and it was genuine. He wore a dark blue suit but minus the jacket.

‘Thank you. You have a lovely home.’

‘I’ll give you a tour next time,’ said Marcus with a knowing grin. ‘But now we should head off to the ball.’

‘Oh wait. I need photos. Hang on, let me get the camera,’ said Diane, rushing back to the little coffee table by the cream leather couch, where a large Canon camera sat.

‘What did I tell you,’ Marcus mumbled into her ear.

‘You must come around for dinner, Jaz,’ said Carl. ‘Then we can get to meet you properly.’

‘I’d like that. Thanks.’ And Jaz really meant it. She felt as if this was all real, that Marcus was her boyfriend and this was the next step in their relationship. If only Ryan hadn’t left her feeling a little shaken. Fancy telling her to be careful. This seemed anything but dangerous. But then she realised maybe Ryan meant be careful with Marcus. Pax had already warned her about liking him too much.

‘Marcus honey, smile,’ said Diane as she took aim with the camera.

Jaz snuggled up beside him, pulled her shoulders straight and smiled. The flash stung her eyes.

‘Just a few more.’

Marcus eventually held up his hand. ‘Mum, enough already. We have to go.’

Jaz almost swore she could see tears in his mother’s eyes when she came to hug them goodbye.

Both parents walked them to another door that went to the garage. Three expensive cars sat quietly inside, Marcus’s BMW the closest.

Jaz couldn’t help looking at everything. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, maybe a big sign saying ‘drug importer’, or maybe stacks of white powder or wads of money. She did know that she would be back and, if she could, she’d go straight for his dad’s office. It seemed like the obvious place to start looking for information. But for now she was going to take a deep breath and enjoy her night like any other ball-goer.

‘Hey Pax, you’re back!’ said Jaz, as she walked through the gym to the office. Pax was shuffling through drawers looking for something. He paused to give her a hug.

‘Sure am, Kiddo. So tell me, what’s been happening?’ he asked as he went back searching.

‘What are you looking for?’

‘Scissors?’

Jaz plucked a pair from the canister by the computer screen. ‘These do?’ she said with a smirk.

Pax pushed his glasses back on his nose and sighed. ‘Yep. Ta.’

‘What do you want to know? Are we alone?’ she whispered.

‘Bags is down the back with a client but we’ll go into the house. I need you for something.’ Pax scratched at his round belly while he spoke. Then he nodded towards the house and Jaz followed him.

She thought it was strange when he locked the door behind them. But it probably made sense because Anna had a habit of materialising from nowhere. She was so thin and whispy it was like she floated, not like Jaz, who made each footstep count.

Pax led her through the house to the spare room. It was a room that was always locked. He’d told them over the years that the roof had fallen down due to a leak and he just hadn’t got around to fixing it, no point anyway when he never needed it.

But now he pulled out his key set and unlocked the door. Jaz noticed the worn marks from turning a key. This room was used more than she realised.

When Pax pushed open the door, he shuffled her in and then shut it behind him, locking it.

Jaz’s mouth dropped as she saw the expensive computer equipment. She thought what was in the office was good, but this stuff was fancy. There were printers, maybe three different ones. The computer screen was huge, the desk was covered with papers, there was a side desk with fancy paper on it and plastic stuff. This was the hidden hub of Pax’s MTG Agency work.

‘Wow.’

‘Here, stand against the door,’ said Pax who was holding a camera. ‘You need a passport photo.’

‘Oh gee, hang on,’ said Jaz, as she tried to smooth out her hair. ‘Do you do this stuff a lot, Pax?’

‘Yep, sure do. Pakistan, hey? Are you sure?’ He dropped the camera so he could see her properly. She knew the lines on his face as if they were the paths she travelled to her home and The Ring everyday. The crinkles near his mouth were like miniature smiles and the little speckles in his eyes were what she searched for when she needed his comfort. And yet here he stood, with this whole side she’d never known about. He was the man she knew, but not. In a way, Jaz felt as if she’d grown up. That she was finally privy to the secrets of the adult world. And she was glad she could share this with Pax. She felt it brought them closer than ever.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked as he studied her. ‘You having second thoughts?’

Jaz reached out and hugged him. ‘I’m just so glad I have you, Pax. I love you, you know that?’

‘Me too, sweetheart. I love you too. What’s brought this on?’

She had him rattled, which wasn’t her intention. ‘It’s not the trip, Pax. I’m excited about it, really. It’s just seeing this room, this side of you. It makes it all real, you know. And I’m glad that this is something we share, that there are no secrets between us. You are the only one, besides Ryan, that I have that with now.’ She swallowed the rising lump in her throat. She didn’t want glassy eyes on her passport.

‘Oh love, I know exactly what you mean.’ He kissed her forehead. ‘Come on, let’s get this photo done so I can get to work on your passport. Especially when you need it by Tuesday. Love how they spring this stuff on me,’ he muttered to himself as he raised the camera.

Jaz smiled and the flash went off. Then she followed him to his desk, where he took out the SD card and put it in his computer.

Pax paused and then turned to Jaz.

‘What?’ she asked.