Dangerously Placed (17 page)

‘Oh! A date, yes? Well, that's fine, of course.' Inge's voice dropped from shrill to smiling in an instant. ‘You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend, Alex!'

I felt Nix go very still beside me. My face flamed up.

‘Oh …' I swallowed. ‘Well, maybe I … do.'

Slowly, haltingly, I raised my head to look at Nix … and found him staring back at me with such shining intensity that everything in me stopped. For a long, still moment we looked into each other's eyes. And suddenly I felt that everything was going to be all right. More than that – I knew that today, which just a short time ago had been the most terrifying day of my life, was also going to be the best. Without even knowing that I'd moved, I found my fingers entwining with Nix's. It felt warm, safe. Right.

Something was buzzing in my ear.

‘Alex? Alex! Are you still there?'

‘Oh! Yes.' I'd completely forgotten that I was holding the phone.

‘I was saying,' said Inge, ‘that I have spoken with some officers at the Headquarters, and they have agreed to work with our techies to put in another layer of
security for the Virk Rooms and the office immediately – cameras, extra passwords, lots of things. I think this will make us all feel safer, yes?'

‘Um, yeah, that sounds like a good idea.'

‘Then you will be coming back to the office later?'

I blinked. I hadn't even thought that far ahead. The only thing I really wanted right now was some time alone with Nix. Suddenly I pictured spending weekends with Nix at the beach – no stalkers, no stressing over homework or work prep, just the two of us and the waves. I smiled up at him and he grinned back, gently brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. After the fight, my hair was probably as messy as Nix's always was. We were a matching pair.

‘Alex? Did you hear my question?' Inge's voice was increasingly urgent.

There were only two days left of my placement, I realised, pushing my daydreams aside with an effort. I looked around at AU-3. The attacker surely wouldn't come back here with police swarming all over it.

‘I guess I'll have to check if my parents are okay with it,' I said, ‘but I'll try.'

‘I knew I could count on you,' purred Inge. ‘I have the chance to meet with Annemarie Romano on Friday, and I would like to have both proposals to show her.'

‘The Director of Impression Jeans?'

‘Yes. You've almost finished the package with the JeanScan concept, haven't you? I think she would be very interested to see a fresh strategy in addition to the
one Radek has been compiling. I need you to complete your work by the end of tomorrow.'

‘Wow! I mean, yeah – I'll make sure I'm back as soon as possible.'

To my surprise, I felt Nix's hand slip out of mine.

‘Excellent. I will see you then.' Inge hung up.

A frown had settled on Nix's face.

‘You're going back in there?'

‘Well … yeah.' I looked up at him, bewildered. ‘What's wrong with that?'

‘You have to ask?' Nix stared at me like I'd suddenly announced I was becoming one of the nudists at Flinders Beach. ‘After what you said happened to you this afternoon?'

‘But Inge said they'll be putting in extra security measures right away, and –'

Nix cut me off. ‘I heard what she said. What makes you think they'll be any better than what you had before? It was supposed to be impossible to get into these Simulcorp buildings in the first place.'

I couldn't believe it. He was telling me off again.

‘What do
you
suggest I do, then?'

‘I suggest you be sensible for once and have nothing more to do with Simulcorp.' His green eyes were glinting dangerously now, his mouth set. ‘Whoever this woman is, she's clearly out to hurt you. I think you should stay home for the last two days of your placement.'

‘If she's out to hurt me, what makes you think I'll be
any safer at home? We don't have any security alarms there, you know!'

Nix waved a hand impatiently.

‘I know that! And I know we can't be sure you'll be safe anywhere, but –'

It was my turn to interrupt.

‘Oh, thanks for that idea! Are you
trying
to scare the hell out of me?' A tight knot of pain was forming in my throat. ‘Because it's already been a pretty terrifying day for me, and I thought I was doing pretty well not to completely freak out, actually.'

‘I'm sorry, Alex.' Nix's expression softened as he put his hands out to touch my shoulders. ‘I didn't mean to put it like that. It's just that you need to see reason on this one.'

‘Oh, I'm not seeing reason? I'm sorry – I didn't realise you were the only person around here who was capable of thinking logically! Isn't it
reasonable
to suppose that if I'm in danger
anywhere
, I might as well get on with my life and finish my work experience, instead of hiding out at home with the quilt pulled over my head?'

Nix let go of me as if he'd been stung.

‘Oh, I get it.' He moved away from me a fraction. ‘Your precious placement is the only thing that really matters to you, isn't it?'

‘
What?
' The nearby police officers turned to look at me, but all I could do was stare at Nix. He bit his lip.

‘I should've realised that what I think was never going to be as important as your career plans.'

I felt like I was in a Virk Suit with the breathing filters turned off.

‘H-how can you say that?' I gasped.

‘Oh, come on, Alex. We all know how ambitious you are – we barely saw you all summer. It's been “Simulcorp this” and “Simulcorp that” for months now.' His eyes had gone dark, defensive. ‘I never thought you'd get so obsessed you'd put your life in danger, but obviously I was wrong. Clearly I could never compete with that.'

‘It's not like that,' I whispered, shocked, but at that moment Detective Sergeant Hargreaves stepped up beside us with a tactful cough.

‘Perhaps you'd like that ride back to work now, son?'

Nix nodded, turning his back on me.

‘Yes, thanks. I would.'

Nix strode off in the direction of the cars, followed by Detective Sergeant Hargreaves, who shot a sympathetic glance at me over his shoulder. And then I was falling to my knees on the hard black pebbles, gasping for air.

There was no answer when I tried to call Nix that night. Sitting on my bed, occasionally shifting to try to redistribute the discomfort of all my bruises, I tried his phone again and again. Clearly he wasn't going to give me a chance to tell him he was wrong.

Thanks to my dad's ridiculously loud football-song
doorbell, I had enough time to wipe the tears off my face before Sky and Kiyoko came into my room. Amid Sky's exclamations over my beaten-up appearance and Ki's industrious note-taking I told the whole story over again. Well, almost the whole story. What had happened between Nix and me seemed too complicated – and too painful – to explain.

‘My God, Alex,' breathed Sky when I finished. ‘You could have been
killed
!'

‘Actually, it seems unlikely that the attacker intended to murder Alex,' Ki remarked.

‘Really?' I stared at Ki. ‘It seemed a lot like deadly intent to me.'

‘If that were the case, your stratagem of trying to remove her mask would have failed. Had she expected you to be dead by the time she left, there would be no reason for her to conceal her identity from you. It seems more probable,' Ki mused, ‘that she merely wanted to frighten and hurt you. The question is: why? To keep you from doing further investigation into Grody's death? Or perhaps to discourage you from returning to Simulcorp?'

I pondered this.

‘I don't know. But I still think she's hardly going to try and get to me in my Virk Room again with all the security measures they're going to put in after today's fiasco.'

‘Are you sure you're up to going back there tomorrow?' asked Sky.

‘Yes, I am. I don't know yet if Mum and Dad will let me, but I want to go.' I frowned. ‘Let me guess – you think I'm crazy?'

‘No, not at all! I think you're very brave.' Sky peered at me, worried.

‘I'm sorry.' I rubbed my eyes. ‘It's all been a bit intense lately.'

Sky hugged me. I winced as one of her oversized hoop earrings prodded the cut on my cheek.

‘I know. But you've coped really well, Alex.' A new thought struck her. ‘Man! How lucky was that, Nix being there just at the right time?' She shook her head. ‘To be honest, I didn't realise he could be so quick-thinking, pushing you back inside before the shutters came down! I mean, I love him and all, but would
you
have said that was the kind of guy he was?'

‘Um …' My mind filled with images: Nix stalking Dale for me, Nix holding my hand in the cave, Nix standing close to me in the pebbled courtyard. I looked away, working hard to keep my face expressionless. ‘Probably not.'

‘Perhaps we should discuss other matters,' suggested Ki, closing her phone. ‘It can be damaging for a person who's suffered trauma to go over it too many times before they've had the chance to reflect on it in private.'

I smiled gratefully at her.

‘Yeah. Why don't you guys tell me what
you've
been up to today?'

‘Ugh!' Sky collapsed on the bed. ‘I had the
worst
day!'

Ki raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Well, okay, not the worst day – obviously that honour goes to Alex,' amended Sky.

‘Gee, thanks,' I said. ‘I hope you're going to get me a trophy.'

‘But it definitely did suck,' Sky went on, not to be deterred. ‘You guys remember Robbie, right? The delivery guy at my work?'

‘Twenty years old, light brown hair, rides a motorbike and has a penchant for giving you flowers, if I remember correctly,' said Ki.

I gave the ghost of a smile.

‘Thanks for that, Inspector,' said Sky. ‘Yes. Well, anyway, he came into the shop today to pick up a delivery and we were just outside talking a bit …'

‘Uh-huh,' said Ki, in an I'm-sure-that's-all-you-were-doing tone.

‘And somehow he put his hand right on a Singapore orchid arrangement,' continued Sky. ‘And there was a bee in it. And it stung him.' She gulped. ‘And he's allergic.'

‘He took a job in a florist even though he's allergic to bee stings?' I exchanged a glance with Ki.

‘It does sound like a less than brilliant plan,' she agreed.

‘We hardly ever see any bees!' protested Sky. ‘Most of the flowers we get have been in cold storage and transport for ages before they come in!'

‘Anyway …' prompted Ki.

‘Anyway, so Robbie started freaking out and his hand was swelling up like a balloon, so I asked him what I should do and he told me he had one of those EpiPen thingies in his courier bag in the shop. And by the time I got back with it, his face was all puffed up too and he could hardly breathe. It was really scary!'

Sky had gone paler than usual. I put an arm around her shoulder.

‘But he's okay now, right?'

Sky nodded.

‘I had to stab the pen thing into his leg. For a minute I thought it hadn't worked and I was really panicking, but then he started to breathe okay and Cherie, my mentor, called an ambulance. And when he could speak again, Robbie said I'd saved his life and he'd be eternally grateful.'

Ki blinked in surprise.

‘I would have thought you'd be pleased to hear that, Sky.'

‘I was – for about ten seconds,' scowled Sky. ‘Until some tiny brunette showed up and started crying and kissing him. It turned out after Cherie called the ambulance, she called Robbie's house. Where his girlfriend also lives.'

‘Ah.' Ki gave a sigh. ‘Well, as the Romans would have said:
caveat basiator
.'

Sky and I looked at her.

‘Let the kisser beware,' she translated.

Tears began to sting my eyes; I quickly blinked them away as I gave Sky's arm a sympathetic squeeze.

‘Wait. I thought Alex was the one who got attacked?' said a confused voice. We all looked up to see Joel standing awkwardly in the doorway, holding a box.

‘She was,' said Ki.

‘Then why is everyone looking sorry for Sky?'

‘It's a long story.' Sky stared at him. ‘Is that a
present
?'

‘Yeah. What's wrong with that?' asked Joel, though he looked a little embarrassed. ‘I went to your place to see if you guys wanted to hit the waves,' he told Sky. ‘Your mum told me what happened to Alex and I thought, well … maybe she'd like some chocolates.'

‘Thanks, Joel!' I took the box from him, touched. ‘That's so sweet of you!'

Joel looked like he was really regretting his actions now, but once I'd handed the box around and he had a mouthful of a strawberry soufflé he cheered up.