Defending Pacer

by TJ Hamilton

  “Bullshit!” Logan calls out from the back. “I’m not standing by to watch like some princess!”

  Everyone laughs and Franco slaps Logan on the back encouragingly. I jump down from the chair and everyone breaks into applause.

  “Hurry up and marry her!” I hear Franco yell out.

  I’m sure that’s not the last time I’ll hear that. I take hold of Chelsea, and she clutches around my neck and we kiss. I kiss her to thank her for all that she’s done, and all that she’s going to do.

  She pulls back and whispers, “And when were you going to ask me about the boat trip away?”

  “Surprise.” I grin. “Come on, let’s go. I want to hear all about how you pulled this off, and I’ll tell you about our next adventure.”

  The front door opens and the strobe of camera flashes hits us. I take Chelsea’s hand and wait to the side, away from the view of the cameras.

  “Hey, tell us when you’re ready, Uncle Carlo,” I say as he passes.

  After a few minutes of yelling, Uncle Carlo calls out to hurry up. We race towards the door. Chelsea tries to pull her hand out of mine, but I grip it tighter and pull her through the corridor that all the guys have made for us. The yelling gets louder and the corridor narrows as the cameras try to force their way past the guys. Franco yells at someone and I just pray he keeps his cool. This is worse than I’d expected. They all want a piece of us. I see a car door open ahead and squint to see whose car it is.

  “Get in Logan’s car.” I hear Chelsea behind me.

  I hope Logan knows how to drive fast—these guys are ruthless. The flashes are blinding. I pull Chelsea through to get into the car first and shove her in as I jump in and slam the door shut. Logan’s Mercedes throttles down the road at a lighting pace. She’s good.

  Looking out of the back window, I see at least four sets of cars speeding after us.

  “Jesus!” Chelsea says between breaths.

  Nodding, I take in the craziness of the moment. “That was intense.”

  “I can’t live like this.” Chelsea’s eyes seem sad. Is she having second thoughts about us?

  I try to offer some comfort. “I can’t either, but it will die down eventually.”

  Shaking her head, she answers, “It’s not that simple. We are public property. For as long as our story is interesting, they won’t leave us alone. It’s just how it works.”

  “What about your Mum? Can she do something to stop this?”

  “Nothing she’s done so far has helped.” She shrugs.

  She’s right. What if her Mum hasn’t even helped at all? From what Chelsea’s said about her family, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re doing this to try stop us being together. Well, it’s not going to work.

  ***

  Directing Logan to my house, we get through the gates, leaving the cars that followed to stay at the top of the long drive.

  “You sure you don’t want to come in?” I ask Logan again.

  She shakes her head. “Nah, thanks. I’m not a fan of being a third wheel.”

  I’m glad she’s decided to leave. I need my girl alone.

  Watching her drive up the drive, we make our way inside. I head straight for the bar and fix Chelsea and myself a drink.

  “Gin and tonic?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  Her gorgeous grin gets me every time. She is beautiful and mine. She rips her heels off and pulls her bun out. I’ll never tire watching when she flicks her hair out after it’s been up all day. It’s that very moment when I see her transform. Right from the first time I watched Chelsea do it through the window of her terrace, I knew she had more to her under her boring suit.

  “So, I think you own me an explanation. How the fuck did you get Reed locked up and me off all charges?”

  I hand her the glass of gin. She sips it and looks to me with a smirk that can only be described as utter cheek.

  “It was simple, really. I just went to the detectives who were last linked to the missing files. I told them that there was a Royal Commission about to be launched and Jackson Reed was about to go down. If they wanted to stay out of prison, then I advised them that they had better destroy the evidence that they stole from the archives. And in return, I destroyed the evidence I had that linked them to the files. They met with me down at Alexandria where we burnt all the evidence together. I kept copies though, and I suspect they did too, but they won’t be in any hurry to speak out against you when they can be associated with Jackson Reed.”

  I stare in bewilderment. Huh. That simple.

  “You are incredible, honeybee.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “I don’t care if you cure cancer, Chelsea, I will never condone you being involved with a Fratelli.” Dad’s words tear my heart to pieces.

  “But Dad, don’t you see that everything in Pacer’s investigations was fabricated?” I try to reason with him.

  His glare is like nothing I’ve seen on him. “Bullshit! And you know it is! BULLSHIT!” he yells louder. “I never thought I’d see the day that you would front up to me like this and lie. You have brought so much shame upon our family.”

  Heart smashed.

  I suddenly feel very alone in this battle.

  Looking to Mum, I pray that she says something, anything. The look on her face tells me she wants to, but I know she’s with Dad on this. And she has every right to be this way. I am lying to Father. But I just thought they would see how happy I am, and will warm to the idea eventually.

  I try to steady my voice as I talk. “What if you met him? You might think differently.”

  Dad’s fists hit down on the table we’re sitting at in the dining room. The fury in his face is rising like a volcanic eruption.

  His voice resonates like a booming megaphone. “You have two choices, girl. Continue with this charade and consider yourself out of our family, or do what is right and forget about the Fratellis!”

  I think about his words and remember my past week with Pacer and his family. How could I ever try to forget them now? But my family is my blood. They’re my reason for life. I want them to understand that I’m okay and that Pacer isn’t as bad as the media say.

  What kind of father does this? He wants me to choose. The thought of it alone is too much. I can’t bare it. I see the figure of Dad through tear-soaked eyes, but can no longer make out the expression on his face. It’s a small reprieve.

  “Mum?” I whimper.

  Her voice is less angry, but still full of disappointment. “Chelsea, dear. You have to understand—there are rules in this world that dictate whom we can and can’t associate with. We are just two very different families. What did you expect to happen? We were going to sit down for a meal together and come together as one happy family? The world just doesn’t work like that.” She glances to Dad. “Your father and I have worked very hard to keep this family at a high level within society. The media are having a field day with this, and there is nothing I can do to stop it! This doesn’t just effect you. I’m already being shunned from certain circles because of this. Your father’s name is being dragged through the mud. Just think about what you’re doing.”

  There is no hope. How can I possibly chose between my family and a man who has made me feel more than I have ever dreamed to feel? His family, everyone in his life have made me feel as if I was someone important to them.

  I don’t know what I was expecting. I didn’t think I was going to have this—an ultimatum. A true family wouldn’t do this. Pacer’s family would never do this. My father was the one who sentenced Vincenzo Fratelli to his subsequent death, but they’ve only opened their hearts to me.

  “How can you do this? I have been a good daughter to you. I’ve never touched drugs, studied hard at school, got the best grades at university and became one of the best barristers in the city!” I cry.

  “And you’re going to throw all of that away for a criminal?”

  I can’t take any more of Dad’s words, and I get up to leave.

>   “If you walk out of here now, you will NEVER be accepted back!” My Dad’s voice frightens me.

  Tears stream down the face of my mother. I’ve never seen her cry, not even when my grandfather died.

  “I’m sorry,” I sob as I look at my Mum.

  I turn and walk. I can’t do this anymore.

  They will come around, one day. They have to. Right now, I need to go.

  “You are making a mistake, Chelsea.” My Mum’s pleading is the last thing I hear as I walk out of Dolorous.

  ***

  Looking around my terrace, I feel very disconnected with the whole space. Another knock on the door makes me jolt. There is no privacy here!

  I wish they would all fuck right off. This trip on Pacer’s Dad’s boat couldn’t come at a more perfect time. I need to leave to clear my head from all that has happened. A few months just circumnavigating the globe is exactly what I need to get away and consider everything my parents have forced upon me. They would accept me back if I returned, I know it. But could I leave Pacer?

  Another knock at the door pushes me over the edge—I can’t stand it anymore.

  “Will you just fuck off?” I screech.

  “Chels, let me in, quick!” I hear Logan call out.

  Shit! Swinging the door open I pull her in, and meet with a face full of flashes at the same time. She shakes herself off and looks up to me with a flushed face.

  “Are you okay?” She holds my shoulders as she speaks.

  Nodding I blink away the threatening tears. I guess she’s heard about Mum and Dad. I can’t talk right now.

  Her sympathetic gaze is hard to ignore. “My Mum told me what happened. I think it’s a bit rough. But they just don’t get it. I don’t think they ever will either, Chels.”

  “Then I have no other choice but to leave for a while.” I can’t stay in this city now. How could I?

  She nods. “How long do you think you’ll be gone for?”

  “As long as it takes for the city to calm down over this.” I shrug.

  “What about your work?”

  “How am I supposed to do any work with that going on? My clients will be harassed. No one will be getting a fair trial if I represent them. My boss suggested I take some time off. My family, my work, the city—they’re all against me.” The tears well in my eyes as I speak.

  “I’m so sorry, Chels. I just hope things will sort itself out.” Logan hugs me.

  “I’m going to miss you.” I hold her tight.

  “Nah, you won’t. You’ll be having plenty of fun with your lover boy. It’s going to be a trip of a lifetime.”

  I look at her face and smile. It feels like a last goodbye, but I know it won’t be long before I’ll see her again.

  “There’s one last thing I need you to do,” I say as I grab a file from my kitchen table. “Could you please deliver these to Lou at the café? They’re the documents for the trust that has been drawn up for his café. I’ve left enough money that any displaced person can have a bacon and egg roll at his café for free. He wasn’t impressed with the idea, but the money is more than he’d ever earn in a decade.”

  Logan shakes her head but smiles. “You have always been a Mother Teresa. You’ve always had to help people, ever since we were kids. Please don’t ever change. No matter what.”

  “I couldn’t if I tried,” I say with a grin.

  ***

  The Lady Maria. She is a beautiful boat, as I imagined she would be. The interior is rich with woods and navy blue fabrics. The furniture is really tasteful, and not an Italian designer in sight. In fact my Dad’s boat is very similar and ironically, this is also berthed in the same marina as my Dad’s, here in Rushcutters Bay.

  The cameras followed us from my terrace to Pacer’s house, then down as far as they could get at the Cruising Yacht Club. Thank Christ this is a restricted area, but I know the paparazzi’s lenses are powerful enough to zoom right in on everything we’re doing. I can feel them everywhere. I’ve never felt so suffocated. I feel as if we can’t go anywhere or do anything. My parents are going to see all of this, and be hurt by it. They’ll see me leaving with Pacer and know the decision I’ve made.

  I shake my head, reminding myself that they’re the ones who don’t want to accept this. They gave me the ultimatum. If I weren’t pushed away, I wouldn’t be going. I almost don’t want to come back. This isn’t any kind of life to live—filled with cameras and judgment.

  “Please look after each other.” Pacer’s Mum holds my hands tight as Logan helps Pacer load my suitcases aboard. “You have both been through so much. Just be there for each other.”

  I smile. “I couldn’t imagine going through this with anyone else.”

  “Okay.” Pacer comes up the stairs from the bedrooms on the lower level. “I think we have loaded your thousand suitcases now, and we’re set to go.”

  Looking at Logan, I feel the tears building again. As much as I wish things were different, deep down I have the sinking feeling that this is just how it’s going to be forever. I am no longer part of my own family. From this time on, I only have Pacer’s family and Logan.

  “If they put pressure on you, I understand if you can’t be part of my life anymore. This is my choice and my burden to carry, not yours.” The tears overflow and roll down my cheek.

  Logan smiles. “That’s never going to happen. I won’t let it.” She hugs me tight again.

  “Make sure you send postcards of all the places you go.” His ma points her finger between the two of us.

  Nodding, I answer, “Of course.”

  We all say our final goodbyes and prepare to launch. As we pull away from the berth, I stand at the rear and wave at Logan and Ma Fratelli on the pontoon.

  ***

  Cruising through the headlands of Sydney harbour, the waves pick up and the boat rocks over the rolling ocean. The last of the boats filled with photographers dwindle off as we head farther out into the open ocean.

  I join Pacer up at the control bridge and sink into his outstretched arm. One last glance out the back of the boat and I see the tall cliff tops that line Sydney become a small thin line. Looking ahead, there is nothing but the ocean, and our future together.

  Reflecting back on our whirlwind romance that began just over a month ago, I find it so hard to believe just how far we’ve come in that short time. Under the circumstances that we were given, we had little choice in taking things slowly.

  I never would’ve dreamed of doing the things I’ve done during the past month. I was raised on the values of having strong ethics, but Pacer’s world has shown me that ethics are subjective to each individual. Pacer was right—the only way to deal with someone like Jackson Reed was to fight fire with fire.

  The moment I made a deal with the detectives to destroy evidence against Pacer, I knew I had crossed a line that I could never come back from—I had entered their world.

  Even if I knew my parents weren’t going to accept Pacer and I no matter what I did, I would do it all over again.

  It’s not just love; it’s the whole package. Security, self-worth and understanding—it’s what I feel every time I look at Pacer. There was no other choice in this. I had no alternative—love found me in the most unique of situations, and I accepted it with open arms. Maybe we were drawn to one another for a reason.

  Our destination may be unknown, but as long as Pacer is beside me I don’t care where we land. Pacer is my island and his love is my life-vest.

  EPILOGUE

  The badly-damaged and capsized boat, Lady Maria, was located off the coast of the Cook Islands by the coast guard today. It is believed that the vessel met with rough seas a month after it set sail from Sydney Harbour. An extensive operation has spent the past two days salvaging the wreckage, which is believed to have spread across 100 metres of the South Pacific Ocean. There are no confirmed survivors of the wreckage. Dive teams have searched the waters for its occupants, but the bodies of Pacer Fratelli and Chelsea Tanner are yet to be reco
vered.

  A nation watched on in wonder as both Fratelli and Tanner left aboard the vessel days after Fratelli was cleared of a charge of murder. The pair captured the interest of the country with their Shakespearean-style love story. True to a story that Shakespeare himself would have written, art has imitated life, and this too has resulted in a tragic outcome for a romance that embroiled two of the city’s most powerful families on opposing sides of the law.

  Representatives from the Legano family—the prominent crime family that Pacer Fratelli was linked to—have requested that the public please respect the privacy of the Fratelli family while they grieve for the loss of their much-loved family member. This is the second tragedy for Maria Fratelli, after the death of her husband in 2010 while he was serving his prison sentence at Silverwater Correctional Facility.

  The high-profile Tanner family has refused to make a public statement about the incident, but sources close to the family say they are understandably devastated about the news of their daughter.

  EXTENDED EPILOGUE

  Picking out a new postcard, I choose one with palm trees overlooking the white sands of Bahia Beach in Costa Rica. We have decided to stay here for the next few months. Chelsea comes out of the drug store with her purchase, wrapped in a paper bag.