Kat smiled cheekily. “One of them is probably gay.”
“Not the muscly one. I caught him checking out a few girls in their twenties. Shame I’m not old enough yet,” the waitress said as they sat down. She handed them a menu each. “Yeah, I’ve been paying attention since they arrived. They got here about five minutes before you. I took them to their table too. Let me know when you’re ready to order.”
“Thanks, we will,” Brady said with a smile. He waited till she walked away. “I love the service here. So friendly.”
“Agreed.” He seems like a nice guy. Maybe it was a one-off with Georgina? He might even feel bad about it.
“Everything I’ve tried here is good. What would you like to eat, Kat?”
Kat noticed Damon and Connor leave after they finished their meals. She didn’t say anything, but their waitress did. “The hotties have gone. How did you two like your meals?”
“It was great, thanks,” Kat replied.
Brady took her hand from across the table. “Yeah, I love it here. Maybe, it can become our place?”
Kat blushed and smiled. I don’t like pretending like this. He seems to genuinely like me, but Georgina was so upset.
The waitress smiled. “I’ll give you two some space. Let me know if you want anything else.”
Brady smiled back at her. “Thanks. Will do.” He squeezed Kat’s hand. “I like the way your hand feels in mine. Do you wanna get out of here?”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
“I know a nice place. Let’s go.” Brady stood up and took Kat’s hand again. He only let go of it while he paid until they got to his car. “I love how you’re so strong but will still let me take the lead.”
Kat smiled, not knowing what to say to that. “Dinner was nice. Where are we going now?”
“There’s a great spot a nice drive from here. Jump in.”
Kat got in and noticed a white ute was parked where Damon’s Territory had been. “What’s this place like?”
“You are inquisitive. I’d say it’s a surprise but you’d probably keep asking. It’s got the best view I’ve ever seen. I think there are some walking tracks too. You can even see the water. It’s amazing.”
“Sounds great.” It sounds like the place Georgina told me about except she didn’t mention walking tracks.
Brady turned off the highway and started driving into the hills, getting further away from main roads. “There are some nice hobby farms and market gardens around here.”
“It seems a long way from Lorikeet Meadows? How much further?”
“Not that far. I did a few hours at work in the gym today. How about you, Kat?”
“Yeah. I teach a nine o’clock aerobics class.”
“What about karate. Do you teach that yet, Kat?”
“I start my first class on Monday.” Kat could only see the bush now. There wasn’t even a farm in sight. “We’re heaps away from the main roads now. How far is it?”
“For a strong woman, you seem very nervous, Kat.”
“Just cautious. What if we break down or something? We’re heaps away from anywhere.”
“It’ll just be you and me like we’re the only two people in the world, Kat.”
That sounds creepy. “That’s nice, but what if something goes wrong?”
“Nothing’s going to go wrong. It’s just at the top of this hill, Kat. It’s worth the drive. You’ll see.”
Kat looked at the road. It was steep with no bike lanes or walking paths, just a lane going each way for traffic and a guardrail to discourage cars from falling over the edge. If you hit them fast enough, they wouldn’t do a damn thing. This would not be a nice walk home.
Brady drove into the car park at the top. “I told you the view was amazing.”
Yeah, okay, the view is…spectacular. “The view is pretty good.”
Brady smiled and touched Kat’s chin. “Just pretty good?”
Kat gave a small laugh. “Okay, spectacular.
“That’s more like it.” He pushed her chin so she faced him and kissed her.
Kat saw Tommy before her. Why do they always entice you with a view? Kat forced herself to kiss him one more time and pulled away.
“Are you okay, Kat?”
Maybe he is a nice guy? “Can we just take it slow, please?”
Brady smiled. “Sure. Do you wanna have a look outside? It won’t start getting dark until nine. Maybe check out a walking trail?”
Kat nodded. “Okay. I’m still not used to the sun setting so late. I’m from Brisbane. It’s usually pitch black by seven.”
“Even at Christmas?”
“Yeah. It’s weird having sunlight at nine at night.”
Brady laughed. “I thought Queensland was the sunshine state.”
“It is. It’s such a huge state. The heat would be really hard on the farmers up north.” Kat opened her door. “Let’s go for a walk.” She looked at her sandals with the block heel. They’ll have to do.
Brady met Kat at the front of the car and looked at her sandals. “Will you be okay hiking in them?”
“I’ll give it a go.”
“I like how you’ll try new things. Let me know when you want to come back. You are so beautiful.” Brady put his arms around her and kissed her again.
Oh, fuck, there’s Tommy again.
Brady pulled away. “You are so tense, Kat. Maybe a walk will help calm you down?”
“Maybe. Let’s go.” Crap. He’s being so nice. What do I do if he does the right thing and then asks me out again? Could Georgina have misinterpreted what happened?
Kat followed Brady along the track for about seven hundred metres.
Brady stepped to the side and pointed. “The track’s smaller and rougher here. I think we should head back to the car and enjoy the view and each other for a while.” He moved in close and kissed her.
Just go with it, but keep your wits about you, Kat. She kissed him back and tried to think just about the two of them. If she thought about Tommy or Georgina, she may jump to the wrong conclusion.
Brady took Kat’s right hand in his right hand and started leading the way back down the track. “It’s the best way to hold your hand while we walk single file.”
“Smart thinking.” Kat kept holding his hand until they were back at the clearing.
Brady let go of her hand, turned around and kissed her. “Do you want to sit in the front or backseat?”
“I like it out here. There’s a lot more room.”
“True. I wish I’d thought of that. I could’ve thrown a picnic blanket in the boot.”
Thank God he hadn’t. That would certainly blow our cover. Kat pointed at the bench seat in the viewing area. “We can sit there.”
“I love the way you think.” Brady took her hand and walked to the seat. He pulled her onto his knee and started kissing her.
It’s just kissing, Kat. You can do that.
After a while, Brady’s hand moved to her bottom. Kat tensed up, not sure what to do. He moved his other hand to her breast.
Kat grabbed the hand on her breast. “No,” and moved it back to her waist.
After around a minute, Brady moved the hand on her waist down to her bottom so he was holding on with both hands.
I guess it’s okay. Kat jumped as she felt one hand slide up her shorts and try to push her undies out of the way. “Stop! I said no to you touching my breast. I’m certainly not letting you do that!” Kat jumped off him, landing in front of the seat.
Brady stood up so Kat wasn’t towering over him. “Calm down. Let’s go back to kissing with my hand on your butt.”
Kat shook her head. “Sorry, Brady. Can you just take me home, please?”
“No. We’re not done yet.” He tried to grab Kat around the waist, but she stepped back, almost hitting the barrier.
She spun out of the way so she couldn’t get trapped against it. “We’re done. Take me home, Brady!”
“No fucking way. I’m not taking you home un
til you at least give me head. Either walk home or call your parents to pick you up.”
Kat bit her bottom lip. “I guess you give me no choice then.” She stepped forward and placed both hands on his waistband.
Brady sighed. “Smart choice.”
Kat plunged her hand into his front pocket and pulled out his car keys. She stepped through, hooked Brady’s leg and pulled her leg back. She pushed his waist and started running the instant he started to fall.
She jumped into the driver’s seat and was just starting the car as Brady ran towards her. “Get out of my car, bitch!”
Kat took the car out of park and slammed on the accelerator. The car surged towards Brady.
“Fuck!” Brady threw his hands up in the air as he screamed.
“Shit!” Kat slammed the brakes on and took the car into reverse. She managed to drive out of the car park and onto the road. After about a minute, she heard a loud thumping from the boot. She pulled the car over and popped the boot. She got out of the driver’s seat and started walking towards the back of the car.
“Jesus, Kat. You scared the hell out of me. I thought we were going over the edge. I really need to teach you how to drive,” Damon said as he walked towards her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. That scared the hell out of me too. Even more than Brady did, except…um. We better get out of here. Does saying Jesus count as swearing?”
Damon smiled. “No, but don’t tell Dad. Jump in the passenger seat. We can talk on our way to meet Connor. I’m driving.”
“Thank God for that.” Kat waited till they were on their way. “How are you? It must’ve been cramped in there.”
Damon smiled. “I’m fine. I’ve been in much worse, believe me. It must’ve been difficult kissing him.”
Kat nodded. “It was. Um, it kept reminding me of Tommy.”
“Oh no, Kat. We should’ve done it another way. I don’t want you reliving that again. We’ll do something different if there’s a next time.”
“There’s got to be a next time. We’ve really helped Georgina, Avery and Sheridan. Imagine how many others we can help.”
Damon smiled at Kat. “It was all you.”
Kat shook her head. “I couldn’t have done it without everyone in our group, especially you. We’re a team.”
Damon nodded. “Yeah, we are.” He saw his Ford Territory about four hundred metres down the road. “Text Brady. Tell him his car is parked on the corner of Brown Street and to enjoy the five kilometre walk.”
Kat laughed and did as she was asked. “All done.”
Damon parked behind his Territory and put the keys in the boot. “The car’s unlocked and the boot’s ajar. Let him know when you’re safely in my car.”
Connor met them halfway. “A few times there, I thought he was going to do the right thing.”
Kat nodded. “So did I.”
Connor hugged her. “Are you okay?”
Kat looked up at him. “I will be.”
28
“We can get a better view from up there on the dunes.” Tommy took Kat’s hand. “It’ll be so romantic.”
Kat looked at Courtney who had Michael’s arm around her.
Courtney smiled and nodded, “Okay.”
She started walking towards the dunes with Michael.
Tommy pulled Kat to him. “We’ll catch up with them. You are so gorgeous.” He leant down and kissed her.
Kat kissed him back and pulled away. Something didn’t feel right. Tommy’s heart was racing. Is it like this with all boys? “We better catch up with Courtney and Michael.”
“One more kiss.” Tommy kissed her again and again.
Kat tried to pull away, but his lips were on hers. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Kat jerked awake. Fuck. Not again. She lay in bed waiting for her shaking to stop. She took a big breath and looked at her clock. Four forty-seven. “I’m going for a run if anyone’s up and would like to join me?”
Her phone sounded with Damon’s message tone. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Kat jumped out of bed and started pulling on her clothes.
She tried sneaking out of the house without her parents hearing her.
Dominique stepped out of her room, wearing her black silky robe. “You’re up early for a Sunday, baby. Are you going for a run with Sensei Damon?”
Damon smiled as he ran up the drive, hearing every word they said on his earbud. He turned his earbud off before he reached their door. “Morning, ladies.”
“Morning, Damon.” Dominique smiled at them both. “Enjoy your run.”
Damon smiled. “Thanks. I always do.”
Kat hugged her. “Try to get some more sleep. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Dominique watched Kat run down their drive with Damon.
“Did you have another bad dream?” Damon asked as they ran onto the footpath.
Kat nodded. “Every night since I kissed Brady. That’s eight nights now. It just reminded me of Tommy so much. They both had me thinking they could be nice guys. I was wrong both times. It was much worse with Tommy although I had no idea he would do something wrong. I had the heads up with Brady but still hoped he would do the right thing. I feel stupid.”
“Hey, look at me.” Damon stopped and put a hand on Kat’s shoulder, encouraging her to face him. “None of it was your fault. Wanting to see the good in others is not stupid. Look what happened with Josh. He’s turning into a really nice guy now. I wouldn’t have thought that was possible. You’re still going to want to do this sort of thing again, despite all the bad dreams, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely. Let’s keep running.” She started running and continued the conversation. “I know we’ve done a lot of good. Georgina didn’t want to go back to college. We’ll walk in together on Tuesday.” Kat giggled. “Brady won’t like seeing us together. I wonder if he’ll even show up. I’m glad he didn’t call the cops on me for stealing his car.”
“And say what? I tried to force a girl into going down on me and she took off with my car? Gareth would’ve sorted it. He’s applying to become a detective.”
“He’ll be fantastic at that! Pity about what happened with his wife.”
Damon nodded. “Yeah. She’s asked him to come home.”
“Oh my God! He’s not going to, is he?”
“I don’t know. He hadn’t decided but was thinking about it when we spoke.”
Kat’s shoulders dropped a little. “I guess betrayal comes in many forms. He’s probably feeling more betrayed than I was with Tommy and Brady.”
“Yeah, but Tommy did try to have you killed. I’ve had some terrible things happen in my life, but I’ve never been betrayed.”
Kat stopped herself from slowing her running pace. “Seeing Bethany murdered in front of you and losing your mum. I don’t know what happened there, but it must have been horrible. You don’t need to add betrayal to the list of horrors you’ve faced.”
Damon blinked the tears from his eyes as he subconsciously picked up the pace. “I was only four, but I’ll never forget. Let’s stop for a moment.”
Kat stopped with Damon. “Okay.”
“Do you remember how to turn off the listening device on your earrings?”
Kat nodded, held onto the stem of her earring and turned the innocent looking stone three times anticlockwise. She repeated the action on her left earring. “They’re off. We’re alone now.”
Damon smiled. “Good. Let’s keep running. I don’t want everyone to hear this. Dad obviously knows. I think Connor and Brent do but we’ve never talked about it. I’d prefer to talk with them in private than them hear this second hand.”
“Was it cancer?”
“No. Have you seen Dad’s tattoos?”
“No. Why?”
“When he married Mum, he had her name, Lee, tattooed onto his left arm. He tattooed Damon and Ruby below her name when we were born. He doesn’t wear a singlet at our gym much as not many people know about Ruby.”
“Oh no. Did you lose your mum and sister in childbirth?”
“No. Ruby was my twin sister. She looked like a younger, red-haired version of Cadence. I was three minutes older.” Damon started running faster without meaning to. “They were murdered in front of us when I was four. We were on the swings at a playground in the States. Mum was pushing Ruby and Dad was pushing me because I always wanted to go higher.”
Kat could hear the self-loathing in his voice.
Damon continued. “If he were pushing Ruby, she’d still be alive.”
Kat grabbed his hand and made him look at her. “You’re meant to be here, Damon.”
“I’m sorry. I do know that now. It just sometimes feels like part of me is missing. Losing Ruby was even harder than losing Mum, and that was…” Tears flowed down Damon’s cheeks. “The conversation’s getting pretty deep. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you can trust me.”
“We’re partners on the field. We need to trust each other. You tell me heaps of personal stuff. It’s necessary, but it’s also fair that I trust you as much, and I do.”
“Thank you.”
“I heard a loud bang. Dad pushed me to the ground and landed on top of me. I heard two more bangs and footsteps coming towards me. He pulled Dad off me. I will never forget the hate in the murderer’s eyes. Dad moved faster than I’ve ever seen him move, and we’ve both seen him move fast. He grabbed his head and twisted it so hard it faced the other way. He dropped the murderer on the ground and fell back on top of me. It felt like ages before I heard people yelling and sirens roaring. Obviously, they saved Dad, but for a while none of us thought he’d make it.”
“Oh my God, Day. You’ve been through hell. You both have.” Kat grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop and hugged him.
He hugged her back and let go. “We better continue our run.” He smiled wickedly. “I’m supposed to be your trainer.”
Kat hugged him again. “Today, we’re good friends. The run’s a bonus.” She let go and started running. “Do you know who did it?”
“I didn’t find out until I was much older, but yeah. Mum’s father. He had been sexually abusing her when Dad met her. He got her out of there and fell in love fast. They married and moved to America. Mum’s Australian. Dad was born in Australia, but grew up in America.”
Our Cause (Let the Monsters Live in Fear Book 1) Page 21