The Deception (27 page)

‘Sure am. I’ll see ya Sunday maybe.’

It was a lot easier lying to her mum when her friends were in on it.

Jaz had hugged her mum goodbye, carried her overnight bag to the car, and headed to the gym where her friends were waiting.

Once there she changed out of her uniform and into a pair of black leggings, her white Chuck Taylor’s and a long blue jumper.

‘I know I’m only away for a bit but I’ve done up a list of things for Tay to do,’ she said, handing it to Anna. ‘Make sure he gets through all these after school.’

Anna grinned. ‘So I’m the boss. I like this,’ she said, shaking the page at Tay. ‘Twenty push-ups then burpies. Man, I am going to make you sweat.’

‘Don’t let the power go to your head,’ said Tay teasingly.

He wasn’t fazed one bit and Jaz had to wonder if he was looking forward to it being just the two of them.

‘We should be back Saturday arvo sometime. It will all depend on if what Tony said was true and drums do turn up. If he’s right then we’ll end up back here somewhere,’ Jaz added. She was assuming it would be a building belonging to Salvatore.

‘Let us know where you are and what’s happening, okay?’ said Anna.

‘Will do. I’ll text, don’t worry.’ Although most of it would be in code in case they were ever found and someone decided to go through her phone.

Tay started laughing and they all turned to the road. ‘No way, Jaz. Look, you’re travelling in style.’ Out front was a white Wicked van, the funky types you see backpackers driving all around Australia.

They all rushed outside as Ryan got out. He was wearing thongs, denim shorts and a white shirt. She’d never seen him in shorts before, or thongs.

‘Wow, what a ride, Ryan,’ said Anna. Putting her hands up to one of the windows, she glanced inside. ‘Not much room,’ she added, while glancing back at Jaz.

Worse thing with Anna was that Jaz knew exactly what she was thinking. To hide her burning face, Jaz admired the spray job on the outside. It was covered with graffiti characters, who exactly she wasn’t quite sure, but they were certainly bright and colourful. Funny to think being this outlandish meant they’d blend right in.

Ryan slid the side door open, revealing a little table and seating area. It no doubt folded down into a bed also. How was a person not supposed to think about the sleeping arrangements when it was clear there was only one bed!

‘Chuck your bag in and we’ll get going,’ said Ryan.

‘Good luck,’ said Tay.

Her friends hugged her after she’d thrown in her bag. Not because they were worried she wouldn’t make it back, but because they were best friends.

As she climbed in beside Ryan in the front of the little van, Anna put her arm around Tay and they both waved. They were in their school uniforms, ready for a day of school without her.

With all the missing days of school, Jaz would have to be careful. Maybe Anna could write a letter to say that Jaz was suffering from an illness, or anything that might stop the school from calling her parents.

‘Alright, let’s get this bus on the road,’ said Ryan, pulling out and heading down the road.

It was a quiet ride north out of the city, both focused on their own thoughts. When they hit the open road Jaz glanced around the mini-van. People had written on the inside, leaving their names and dates, sayings and funny comments. In the back she saw Ryan’s bag, some sleeping bags (she wondered if they were joinable) and bags with food. ‘Wow, you’ve thought of everything,’ she said.

He laughed. ‘It pays to be organised and cover every base. I’ve got some binoculars and dark clothing for when we are crawling through the sand dunes.’

‘Now that sounds like fun. I hope there’s no creepy crawlies in the dunes.’

Ryan laughed again.

‘What?’

‘You’re afraid of creepy crawlies? That I find hard to believe.’

‘Hey, everyone is afraid of something. I just so happen to dislike ticks and leeches. The fact that both suck your blood …’ Jaz pulled a face just thinking about it. ‘And get all fat and gross. Simon had a tick once under his armpit after we went camping. It was freaky.’

The morning sun was warm through the car windows. Jaz took off her jumper while Ryan wound down his window and rested his arm out.

‘But I guess you’re not afraid of anything … are you,’ she said teasingly.

He wore his sunnies so Jaz found it harder to read him.

‘I am afraid of some things, not bugs though.’ He shot her a smile.

Reaching over he turned up the radio, putting an end to their conversation. Was he worried she was going to ask what scared him? Actually, she was curious but she guessed now she’d never know. A man like Ryan, who faced danger head on, would probably not fear much at all. Except maybe losing his commando boots or his favourite gun, she thought with a smirk.

After two and a half hours, maybe more, they made it to Eneabba and stopped at the roadhouse for lunch. The owners were a friendly couple who made them both fresh burgers with the lot. So good that Ryan opened up the side of the van and they sat there eating, dropping bits of lettuce and smearing sauce over their faces. It was worth the mess.

Ryan reached behind and held out a tissue box. Jaz grabbed one and cleaned her face. ‘Best burger ever,’ she said.

‘I can’t believe you ate all that. Where do you put it?’ he asked.

‘In my muscles,’ she said and flexed her arms. She knew hers were no match for Ryan’s but the amused look on his face was worth it. ‘Want me to drive for a bit?’

‘Sure, I could use some sleep. Will be up most of the night doing checks.’

Jaz’d had maybe an hour’s sleep earlier. She couldn’t help it, with the warmth on her skin and the drone of the old van motor she’d fallen asleep, using her jumper as a pillow against the window.

‘Here, you can use my jumper. Works a treat.’ Jaz threw it at him before jumping in the driver’s seat. Ryan settled in quickly, tucking her jumper up into a ball. From the corner of her eye, she saw him turn his head into the material for a moment. Was he smelling it? Jaz pressed her lips together to fight off her hopeful smile.

It was over an hour before they reached Geraldton. Ryan stirred the moment she began to slow down.

‘Good,’ he said, clearing his throat and trying to stretch. ‘We’ll get some fuel and a few drinks before we make camp.’

Jaz wasn’t sure what he meant by drinks; she guessed it wasn’t water as he had a big five litre container in the back. Unless that was in case the mini-van overheated.

But after getting fuel, he drove them through a bottle shop and got a sixpack of beers. She raised her brow at him. ‘Drinking on the job?’

‘Maybe. One or two won’t hurt. Maybe none for you,’ he said with a cheeky grin. ‘Na, just more props to look the part. There wouldn’t be many backpackers’ camps without some drinks lying around. If I would notice that detail then it’s possible they would.’

‘Yeah, true.’

‘We aren’t dealing with your average guy off the street, Jaz. These ones are careful and untrusting, they have to be. They’re on the wrong side of the law, which makes them extra vigilant.’

‘That’s what makes you a good agent,’ said Jaz in awe. He could do no wrong in her eyes. She was a bit biased. ‘You don’t leave anything to chance, all details are covered.’

‘Not all the time. I’ve had to learn from my mistakes. This one time I got caught in a bomb blast when we were overseas on a mission. I thought the area was clear around this bridge we were blowing up. But I missed a kid playing by the river. Bomb went off a few seconds after I’d grabbed him. Ended up with debris in my back.’

‘Kid okay?’

‘Yeah, silly bugger thought it was awesome. Except I had a hell of a time making our rendezvous point with my back bleeding. People notice stuff like that.’

Jaz never got sick of hearing his stories. It just amazed her, the things he’d seen and done. She knew he’d only just scratched the surface. Imagine what it would be like to hear the commander’s stories.

Ryan turned off the main road before they reached Northampton and headed towards the water. They went along the gravel road, past farmers’ paddocks, before reaching bush that turned into dunes. A few tracks led off to the left and right, as well as one leading straight to the beach. He took the right one.

‘We won’t get this old girl bogged, will we?’ said Jaz, a little nervously.

‘Don’t feel like pushing?’ he teased.

Luckily it didn’t get to that. Ryan parked when he found a spot sheltered enough. ‘They shouldn’t be able to see us from here and we have the height of that rise to give us a good vantage point all up the coast.’ He turned off the Wicked van and shot her a big smile. ‘Right, let’s get this campsite set up. Then we can do a little patrol of the beach.’

‘You ruined that whole sentence with “patrol”.’ It almost sounded like a real holiday.

They got out, Jaz stretched her legs while Ryan opened the sliding door. The area out the side of the van was flat so he set up the two chairs he’d packed, and a fold-out table. ‘I’m impressed,’ she said as she put a lantern on the table. Ryan went to the back and lifted up the door, which revealed a tiny kitchen. There were also a few rolls of toilet paper stashed down the side gap.

‘Afternoon snack,’ he said, reaching for a bag of chips. He had a small esky, which she’d not noticed before; inside were some sausages, butter and milk.

‘I’ll go camping with you anytime, Fletcher,’ she said, opening the chips.

‘We can’t light a fire as it’s not permitted, so it won’t feel like real camping,’ he said. ‘At least we won’t attract attention.’

With most of their stuff out of the van, Ryan popped the table down and made up the bed. She stood there, a little awkwardly.

‘Don’t get any ideas,’ he said, reaching for the pillows.

Jaz turned away from him, feeling caught out, as if he could read her innermost thoughts. She felt bad and wanted him to be wrong for once. ‘I’m just feeling a little lazy. You’ve done everything, brought everything. I just turned up.’

‘When you’re in charge then it can all fall on your shoulders,’ he said with a grin.

Ryan grabbed a beer from the esky and put a pair of binoculars around his neck. ‘Shall we check out the beach?’

With a nod, she followed Ryan up through the bushes growing on the sand dunes. The bushes got thinner and smaller closer to the surf and within a few minutes, they stood watching the waves crash against the shore. The sun was beginning its descent towards the water. The beach was empty, no four-wheel drives, no one fishing, just the seagulls ambling along the wet sand.

The wind was quite strong. Jaz had to stand into the wind to stop her hair from wrapping around her face, choking her. ‘It’s so beautiful,’ she said, closing her eyes and breathing in a deep salty air.

Ryan was using the binoculars, checking along the beach and the deep water.

‘Anything yet?’ she asked.

‘No,’ he said, dropping them down. ‘I didn’t think there would be. A few hours before we have to start watching.’ He sat himself down on the dune and had a sip of his beer. ‘This is the life though, right?’

‘Yep.’ Jaz took off her shoes, pulled up her leggings, then threw her arms out and ran. She charged down the steep sand dunes, flicking up sand behind her. It was a steep drop but the sandy path was clear of twigs and she reached the bottom without falling over. She kept running towards the water, scaring the birds and dodging the seaweed patches. The cold water pulled her up short, but she persisted and kept her feet immersed up to her ankles.

Ryan was watching her from his perch, she waved and he waved back. After ten minutes of watching the sun drop, the water began to feel warm but not enough to entice her to swim. She didn’t bring bathers, but that didn’t really matter. Skinny-dipping would have been fun, especially if Ryan joined her. Maybe on their next camping trip.

Feeling rejuvenated she ran up and down the beach, stopped to look at shells, collected cuttlefish, carved patterns in the wet sand with her toes and then decided to do flips and handstands. Time to oneself on a deserted beach should be a must. It was freeing, as if the water had washed away her fears and the wind had driven away her nightmares.

As the sun started to dip into the ocean and fill the sky with golden colours, she joined Ryan back on the top of the dune.

‘You looked like you were having fun.’ His eyes flicked over her face, as if drowning in her rapture.

‘I was. You should have joined me. We could have built a big sandcastle,’ she said, bumping his shoulder. ‘When’s the last time you were at the beach?’

He scratched his chin. ‘For fun or work-related?’

Jaz rolled her eyes. ‘Both.’

‘Fun was probably with Chris the last time we went surfing together, well over a year ago, and work, well, last week.’

Ah. Probably with little Miss Red Dress.

‘You?’

‘With Marcus, and then Tay and Anna, but I guess you could call that work-related too as I was looking for Marcus. But before that, probably a few years ago with the family. Simon got roasted.’ She remembered calling him lobster for a while. ‘I heard from him, you know.’ Ryan frowned. ‘Marcus. He sent me a letter.’

‘Right. He’s okay then?’

‘Yeah. It was good to hear from him. Kind of needed it. Think it might take a while to get into this whole business,’ she said. ‘Or do you always get a connection with the people you’re undercover with?’ Was she asking specifically of his time with Annaliese? Probably.

‘Sometimes. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t.’ He shrugged. ‘I had to befriend these guys to try and get into their gang once. There was this bloke Gordo, covered in tattoos and a shaved head, seemed like a tough bastard but underneath all that he really had a gentle heart. Loved his dog and had such a sense of humour. I enjoyed my time with him and after the op was over, I actually missed him, you know? It’s hard to have friends in this line of work, so you kind of take what you can get.’

‘Yeah, I get that. I got so used to Marcus calling me that when it stopped I felt like I’d lost something.’

Ryan’s shoulder came to rest against hers; an explosion of warmth spread throughout her body and it wasn’t from the golden rays along the water.