The Recruit (9 page)

Ryan took a last glance at the photo and put the frame back on Pax’s desk. ‘So you really have known Pax longer than me.’

‘Pax is family. I know everything about him…and yet sometimes I feel I know nothing.’ Jaz glanced to the wall where heaps of certificates were displayed in simple black frames. Ryan coughed and cleared his throat.

‘So…are you going to tell me about last night? What was all that about?’ Jaz chewed her lip, watching Ryan. She found him fascinating, and after last night was dying with curiosity.

‘Well,’ he said moving into the office and shutting the door. ‘You know when I told you I did “other stuff” other than being a bouncer? Yeah, well that was the “other stuff”.’

‘So, what are you, like a qualified stalker?’ she asked.

Ryan ran his hand over his chin. It was shadowed with stubble, making him look rugged and a little sexy. Jaz found it hard to be cautious around Ryan. She should be, she didn’t know him but something about him just didn’t seem cruel or dangerous. Not towards her at least.

‘I guess you could call it that. I get paid to keep scumbags off the streets. But I’m a good guy and you can trust me, Jaz.’

‘We’ll see.’

He laughed. ‘I’m sorry to put you into that position last night, but I really couldn’t afford to miss who the guy in the white suit was meeting. You have no idea how important those photos you took were, and even better were the fingerprints we lifted off that plastic bag.’

‘Wow, really?’

‘Yeah, not that it helped much as he’s not on our data base but it’s a start.’

‘So are you, like, an undercover cop?’

‘Something like that.’ He shrugged. ‘That’s as much as I can tell you, but just know that I work for the good guys.’

When he smiled like that, Jaz found it hard to think of him as harmful.

‘So I suppose you’re the
it
thing at school after winning the comp?’ he asked, subtly changing the subject.

Jaz laughed but it was edged with bitterness. ‘Ha, like that would ever happen. You can’t turn a scullery maid into a Queen, and if by some miracle you can it would probably be just for a laugh.’

Ryan folded his arms. ‘Like that is it?’

‘Yeah, school sucks. Some kids just have no idea about the real world. They can’t live past their phones, flash clothes and status. I can’t wait to leave and do something with meaning, earn my own money and be self-sufficient.’ She leaned back in the chair, watching him. ‘What was it like for you? I s’pose you were popular.’

‘What makes you think I was popular?’ asked Ryan with a hint of a grin tugging on his lips.

‘Well…you know…’ she rolled her eyes. ‘Cos you’re alright lookin’ and all.’

Now he laughed outright. ‘Alright looking?’

Jaz threw up her hands. ‘Well Anna thinks you’re hot and you do turn heads wherever you go.’ She wasn’t ready to tell him she agreed with them.

He shook his head but a little blush crept up his neck. ‘I wouldn’t really know. I left school at fifteen.’

‘Really, how come?’

Ryan stared at the cream-coloured wall behind her as if it held a secret. ‘I joined up with the group I’m with now. They trained me and taught me things. But for the couple of years I was at high school, I don’t recall being popular. I was far more interested in sports than anything else. Training took up a lot of my time.’

Jaz sighed. ‘Yeah tell me about it, but I mean that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t give up my afternoons at The Ring for anything, it’s my place. And I like the fact that it’s here and not some fancy gym for the wealthy. It makes me feel like I’m living in the real world and not some fairyland.’

Ryan nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence. Their eyes met and held for a moment.

‘Well, I suppose I better go and work-out. Maybe one day, you and I can have a showdown like you did with Tick?’ he asked.

A wide grin spread along Jaz’s face. ‘That’d be great. You better go practise!’

‘Oh, you sound so confident.’

‘Maybe. Your muscles don’t scare me,’ she said rising out of the chair and put her hand on his biceps as if showing him she wasn’t afraid. ‘One thing I’ve learnt from the boys in the gym is never underestimate the little guy.’

Ryan’s eyes danced with playfulness. Jaz opened the door and put her hands on him and begun to push him back away from the office but his wrist held her attention. Something about his wrist tugged at her memory. ‘Oh, I just remembered something. Does it help to know that the guy in the black suit has a tattoo?’

Ryan’s eyes bulged. ‘Really? Where was it? What did it look like?’

Jaz held his arm and made a circle on his wrist with her finger. ‘It was right here, about this big.’

Reaching for a pen and a sheet of paper, Jaz set out trying to sketch the snake tattoo from memory. ‘That’s sort of it. But it was a bit smaller, like the size of a twenty-cent-piece.’ She held the sheet up to Ryan.

Ryan studied the page, then folded it in half. ‘You are awesome, Jaz. Did I mention that?’ He leant down and kissed her forehead before heading for the door. He paused with his hand on the doorframe. ‘Jaz, just to make it clear, you can’t tell anyone about what happened at the club or about my work. Okay?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ But Jaz was still shocked at the kiss he’d planted on her. How did they become so comfortable with each other in such a short time? Was it being in a dangerous position at the club, knowing some of his secrets, or just that they connected?

‘Thanks. I gotta deal with this. I’ll see you soon.’ And then he was gone. Meanwhile Jaz had a million more questions for Ryan rolling around in her head. Life was much more exciting with him. That much was true.

Jaz felt her eyelids begin to drop, her chin resting on her palms with her elbows on the desk and Mrs Eckleston was droning on and on about some Greek god and the essay she wanted them to write. Yes, maybe she needed to be paying attention but Anna would have all the details. Besides, Mrs Eckleston’s plain, even tone was sending her to sleep like the drone of the jets on an aeroplane. Momentarily she let the force of gravity win and let her eyelids close. She felt her body relax into the darkness, as if she was alone in her comfy bed with the doona pulled up around her. Maybe she should snap out of it, as she’d hate to succumb to sleep and begin to drool or even worse, fall off her chair. But yesterday’s spar with Tick had worn her out. She had pushed hard, wanting to impress Ryan. Instantly his mysterious brown eyes flashed behind her lids. The gold flecks glowing as if he was laughing. She felt her own lips curl into a smile.

‘Wakey, wakey.’

The words echoed as her hands were smacked away from under her head. Jaz flung her eyes open.

‘I don’t know why Taylor even bothers to be friends with you. I guess he feels compelled to help out the less fortunate, always taking in feral animals. I’m surprised he hasn’t caught some mangy disease yet.’

Jaz didn’t bother to move, even though the bell had gone and kids were filing out of the room. ‘Why Minka, back on bitch duty already?’

Minka stood over Jaz, obviously enjoying the domineering position. Her cronies stood either side of her, but back half a foot so everyone knew who was top dog.

Not to be intimidated, Jaz rose slowly, almost on her tippy toes so she could tower over them all. ‘Does it worry you that Anna and I are still Taylor’s friends after all these years?’ Jaz asked. She swung her bag up on her back and made sure it hit Minka, forcing her to step back so she could get past. Jaz could see the safety of the corridor. The next class was already coming into the room.

‘That’s all you’ll ever be to him. He has better taste, he doesn’t do butch,’ snarled Minka as she stuck out her foot.

Jaz tripped and felt the classroom move as she saw the floor coming closer. Swiftly she kicked out her other leg, planted it heavily, and managed to right her body before she sprawled all over the carpet like a pancake that had missed the pan. Minka had stepped up her game, being more bitchy than normal. Then Jaz realised…the school ball was coming up. Was Minka feeling threatened?

Jaz could see Anna outside the door and quickly joined her.

‘Hey you!’ said Anna. ‘You look flushed, are you okay?’

Jaz had a smart arse comment about Minka ready to leave her lips but it was swallowed as bony shoulders bumped into her back, pushing her through the door like a bulldozer. Anna rolled her eyes in their familiar way that said she’d already guessed. ‘Minka.’

Minka’s cronies didn’t move off, instead they started an onslaught of criticism about Jaz and Anna’s appearance.

‘Those freckles are hideous, Anna. Ever heard of make-up?’

‘Commando boots! This is St Christian’s, not the army.’

‘She’s obviously the guy in the relationship.’

Minka stayed lurking in the classroom, listening to each slanderous word she’d probably coached them on.

‘So when are you two going to come out of the closet?’ asked Crony One with the long, red pitchfork nails.

‘I heard they are coming out at the ball and wearing matching outfits of black plastic and whips,’ laughed Crony Two, aka Angelica, whose push-up bra was either really, really good or Daddy had recently paid for a boob job.

‘Yeah, didn’t you know, we got them from your mum’s collection she uses for her special clients.’ Hmm, maybe that was a low blow, thought Jaz. But it was common knowledge that Angelica’s mother had once been an escort girl before finding her rich husband. But hey, they had started this slinging match. Jaz hated to let them get the last word. Sometimes they needed to be dealt their own crap and see how they liked it.

Angelica’s face began to glow a deep pink and Jaz almost expected steam to emanate from her ears. She’d hit her target, full on bullseye.

‘Well you’re just a piece of shit…that…that…no one likes you or even wants you here…you’re…you’re scum!’ Her big breasts shook with her fury.

Jaz saw Minka take a black high-heeled step forward, as if sensing her girls losing control, but just as quickly she paused, before retreating behind the door.

‘Hey Angelica, aren’t you late for class?’ came Taylor’s voice from over Jaz’s shoulder.

Instantly the cronies shrank back and pasted on sickly sweet smiles.

‘Oh, hi Taylor. Yeah we were just going.’

‘See you later, Taylor,’ they sang with the innocence of a dove. Yeah right! More like crows that pick out your eyes, camouflaged in white paint!

‘Thanks, Tay,’ said Anna with a big sigh of relief.

‘Don’t let them worry you. They’re just threatened by your brains.’ Taylor threw his arm around Anna and gave her a squeeze.

‘Are my freckles that bad?’ she asked, covering her nose with her hand.

‘No, she was just being a cow. Take no notice,’ Jaz reassured her.

‘You only have a few freckles, Anna, and they are so cute.’ Taylor pulled her hand away as Anna blushed. ‘So would you girls be interested in coming to the range with me this arvo?’ Taylor smiled at Jaz, and she felt like melting to the floor. ‘Come on guys, it’s been ages since you both came with me.’

‘Yeah, sounds great. I’ll get Bags to run the gym this arvo. I’d like to shoot something,’ Jaz said, totally thinking of Minka.

‘Cool, Tay. Sounds like a plan,’ agreed Anna.

‘Great I’ll swing by your place and pick you up.’

Another reason why Taylor was so cool. He had his licence and everyone loved his old blue Mustang.

Minka took this opportunity to step out of the classroom. ‘Oh, hi, Taylor,’ she said sweetly. Jaz reckoned she was waiting for her invitation to the range but it didn’t come. Jaz felt like snorting with laughter at the impatient look on Minka’s made-up face.

‘Hi, Minka. Come on Anna, we better get our seats.’ Taylor directed Anna through as they weaved their way into the classroom Jaz and Minka had last been in. ‘Catch you later.’

‘See you after school,’ Jaz said, more for Minka’s benefit.

Minka grunted and walked off with a click clack of heels. Taylor had never taken her to the range. He had a couple of mates he took once or twice, as boys love that kind of thing. But girl-wise, it was only ever herself and Anna. Seriously, could you imagine Minka holding a gun! She’d likely shoot herself in the foot.

Jaz walked quickly down the corridor to her next class, knowing that she was going to be late. At this moment, she couldn’t care as she was spending the afternoon with Taylor, and even better, it had put Minka’s nose out of joint.

During her next class with Mr Peel, who was always facing his blackboard, she typed out a text to Bags asking if he could run the gym this afternoon.

No probs Jaz

Mr Peel began scratching at the board with his chalk. He was in his late fifties with a big bushy beard and skittish eyes that seemed afraid to face his teenage class. So, taking advantage of Mr Peel’s weird behaviour, she fished her mp3 player from her bag, put on her latest downloaded playlist and shook her hair over her ears…just in case. She picked up her pencil and began to doodle in the top corner of her page as she did some serious dreaming about the best looking guy in school asking her to the ball. But as if Taylor would ask her.

After school, Jaz was having a dilemma. No, correction, she was having a major meltdown! What the Hell was she going to wear? Jaz walked around her room in her bra and black undies, churning through piles of clothes on her bed and floor. She wanted to look nice for Taylor; maybe this would be the day he’d notice her. Well, you know, notice her as more than just the friend he sees everyday.

She held up a cream leather jacket her mum had got her for Christmas and looked in the full-length mirror. It was a cool jacket. ‘Nup, trying too hard!’ she sighed and threw it over the end of her bed.

Honk, honk.
Shit! He’s here already. Jaz dived into the pile on the bed and pulled on a black singlet and black hoodie. She scanned her room and ran to the far side to drag on the pair of grey cargo pants she’d left draped over her computer chair. Crap! Shoes! Oh, and socks. Quickly she yanked open the top drawer on the bedside table, lucky-dipped a pair of black socks before picking up her Doc Martens by her door and running towards the stairs.