by Mandy Magro
‘Yeah, too long,’ Craig replied with a smile as the flash illuminated the girls once more.
‘We’re gonna be in the local paper. Woohoo!’ Hayley squealed, throwing her arms up in the air.
Renee flung her arms around Hayley, giggling, as the vivid flash owned the darkness for a split second. ‘I thought he was the town copper, not the paparazzi!’
‘Yeah, he is, but he does a bit of casual work for the paper too, has for years. So give him your best side, Reni.’
Renee struck a few lighthearted poses, making sure to pout in at least one of the shots—it was all the rage these days to have puffy lips in photos, not that she got the appeal. In her opinion it made most pouters look as though they’d been stung by a bee on the lips, several times. But tonight she didn’t care if she looked ridiculous—it was all for a bit of fun.
The brief photo shoot over, Craig gave them the thumbs up as he went back through the shots on the camera. Renee and Hayley huddled around him, pointing and laughing at some of their poses.
‘There are certainly some beauties in there—and a few I definitely won’t be able to put in the paper,’ Craig said, laughing along with them.
Renee feigned disappointment while fully appreciating that a couple of the snapshots were a little unfit for the conservative local paper. ‘Oh bugger, really? Can I buy some of them off you, though?’
‘Oh, for sure.’ Craig pulled a business card from his top pocket. ‘Here’s my number. Just give me a call during the week and you can pop over to my place and pick which ones you’d like. I have my own studio and darkroom so I can print them once you know exactly which ones you want.’
‘A darkroom? Isn’t everything digital now?’ Renee asked as she popped the business card in her skirt pocket.
‘Most of it is, but I still like to delve a little into the old-fashioned way of doing things sometimes… Photos are amazing when you develop them yourself.’
‘Righto, sounds great. Thanks, Craig.’ Renee gave him a quick hug. ‘Good to see you again, too, after all these years.’
‘You too, Renee, and my pleasure—catch you two a bit later,’ Craig said as he disappeared into the throng of partygoers, his camera at the ready for more shots.
Peeking across the crowd, Renee searched for Dylan’s familiar hat, spotting it almost instantly. With his height and solid build it was hard to miss him. Ralph was standing beside him, his trademark smile on his face. It had been good catching up with him as well. He didn’t seem to have aged a day, in his looks or with his exuberant personality. She’d always enjoyed Ralph’s company as a teenager—he could make her laugh until her sides ached. He’d mentioned he was single, and had asked her if she had any nice girlfriends from the city she could introduce him to. Tia had instantly come to mind—shame there were thousands of miles putting a stop to that introduction.
As much as she tried, Renee couldn’t take her eyes off Dylan, or the chick beside him for that matter. He was chatting intently to a very hot blonde, the same girl that had served her and Mick at the bar the other day at lunch at the Opals Ridge Hotel, and although she tried to ignore the unwelcome sensation, jealousy engulfed her.
Why couldn’t he give her that kind of attention? She hadn’t seen much of him since he’d walked her over to the bar at the beginning of the night, other than the occasional stolen glance from him across the dance floor—Dylan gracing her with a charming grin each and every time their eyes met before turning his attention back to whoever he was yarning to.
Mick had popped out once to check on her, and Hayley told him she would take excellent care of her. Satisfied with this, he had told Renee he would catch her on the flip side. That was when she had figured he’d had his fair share of beers—Mick was never one to use lingo like that. It had cracked her and Hayley up as they’d watched him wobble back towards the hall on his crutches, Mick almost finding himself upended in the garden along the way. But he had made it inside, much to Renee’s relief. She didn’t like the thought of having to go home to tell Pa that Mick had broken his other leg.
The lead singer of the band announced their next song in his renowned husky country drawl, an all-time favourite. Renee squealed excitedly along with the equally passionate swarm of partiers. Allowing Hayley to drag her up onto one of the three timber tables that had been pulled into the middle of the dance floor by a group of guys dressed in women’s clothing, she grooved in time to the music. Hayley threw her head back and laughed while she bootscooted on the table, making it wobble precariously beneath them. All around them the crowd wolf-whistled and cheered them on, the atmosphere electric. Renee threw her hands up in the air, singing the words out loud and feeling the highest on life than she’d been in years.
A few songs later the band changed pace, as they announced their number one hit from years ago, still just as popular today: ‘I Want You’. Not a song for dancing like billyo on the table, Renee and Hayley jumped off, Hayley being snapped up immediately by one of her male mates for a slow dance. Standing in the middle of the crowd of swaying lovers, Renee suddenly felt very out of place, until a pair of warm hands slid around her waist and she was spun around and pulled into Dylan’s strong arms.
As much as she wanted to, she didn’t resist, the magic of the moment taking her away with him. And how could she say no to the sexiest man in the entire place? She smiled coyly at him and he returned the gesture, the skin of his cheeks creasing as he flashed her his most inviting smile. Then, swaying her as though she were weightless in his arms, his lips mimed the words to the song, his eyes never leaving hers for a second.
I wanna touch, taste you, breathe you in.
I wanna see candlelight flickering over your sweet soft skin.
I wanna make slow sweet love to you until the sun comes up.
And then hold you close to me all day long…
It’s just you baby, I can’t get enough.
Come on, give in to me baby,
These feelings are too strong to ignore,
This deep soul loving I’ve never ever felt before.
Come on, give in to me baby,
And put those sweet lips on mine,
’Cause I know this deep soul loving
Has the power to stand the test of time.
I wanna fly off the edge of this cliff.
I wanna break down all the walls.
’Cause baby I’m gonna be right here
To catch you when you fall.
I wanna hear you whisper in my ear
Words that send shivers down my spine.
I wanna love you like you’ve never been loved,
Yeah baby, until the end of time.
Come on, give in to me baby.
These feelings are too strong to ignore,
This deep soul loving I’ve never ever felt before.
Come on, give in to me baby
And put those sweet lips on mine.
’Cause I know this deep soul loving
Is gonna stand the test of time.
I wanna turn on the slow songs,
And dance with you in my arms.
I wanna be a victim to your seduction,
And be magnetised by your charm.
I wanna climb the tallest mountain,
And tell the world that you are mine.
I wanna hold you in my arms forever,
Until the end of time.
Come on, give in to me baby…
Dylan whispered the words, his gorgeously kissable lips so close to Renee’s she could smell the sweet alcohol on his breath. Was this really him, or was it the liquor doing all the talking? Unable to gaze into his eyes any longer, and with the power behind the poignant words making her want to burst into tears, Renee pulled out of his embrace and ran back through the crowd towards where she’d parked the Land Cruiser.
Little did Dylan know she had daydreamed about him every time she’d heard this song since it had hit the charts eight years ago. In her heart, this was their song, and never w
ould she have believed that one day, this day, he would sing it to her. Sucking in deep breaths, she fought to keep her welling emotions at bay. She needed to be alone. Now. Right this second.
At the edge of the darkness, she stopped and briefly looked back over her shoulder to make sure Dylan wasn’t following her, instantly wishing she hadn’t. Billy Burton grinned back at her, his leering face mere inches from hers.
Stumbling a little to the left, he corrected his footing and he reached out for a tree to stop himself from falling flat on his face. ‘Howdidoo, Renee. Why ya leaving so early—ya party pooper?’ His words were slurred, and he was trying to stand up extra straight.
‘Oh, I’m tired, so I’m going to hit the sack. Catch ya, Billy.’ Renee went to spin around and make a break for it, but Billy stopped her, his grip on her arm too tight. She tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her.
‘Let me go,’ she snarled through gritted teeth.
‘Nope, not until you tell me what your problem is. I thought you would have left the past where it was, but maybe not?’
‘I don’t have a problem with you,’ she lied. Now wasn’t the time.
He laughed cynically. ‘Yeah right, and my mother’s a nun and I’m an altar boy. Come on Renee, spit it out.’
Renee refused to answer him.
‘All right then, play mute.’ Billy swayed backwards, dragging her with him. ‘Just for the record…I didn’t have anything to do with your sister going missing.’
Yanking her arm free, Renee glared at him. ‘Like I said, I don’t have a problem with you, Billy. Now leave me the fuck alone.’
Billy threw his hands up in the air in defeat. ‘Okay okay, whatever. I don’t need your kind in my life anyway.’
Renee’s eyes widened. ‘My kind?’
‘Yeah, your kind. You think it’s okay to ruin other people’s lives by pointing the finger, and then just waltz on outta town like you did, without even an apology?’ Billy leant into her space once again, scowling. ‘Well it’s not, Renee Wildwood. You damn near ruined me by telling anyone and everyone that you thought it was my doing that Scarlet went missing… I stupidly thought that after all these years you would have seen sense, but clearly you haven’t.’ Turning away from her, Billy stumbled back into the crowd, not bothering to wait for a reply.
Renee stood mute, wanting to respond but the words a complete jumble in her mouth. Even though she still had her reservations about Billy, she had to begrudgingly admit that he had a fair point—the same point Mick had tried to make the other day. It was just so damn hard when all she wanted to do was discover who had taken Scarlet from them—desperation did tend to take away all logic. What if Billy was telling the truth and honestly had nothing to do with Scarlet’s disappearance?
And he wasn’t the only person she’d pointed the finger at—amongst others she’d also done it to the one person in this world she should never have doubted. Her heart sinking even further, she momentarily caught a glimpse of Dylan still standing on the dance floor and her heart wrenched out of her chest. He looked completely crushed. At least he wasn’t following her. She hated running from him like this, but why stay and pretend there was something going on between them? Nothing was ever going to come of it. He’d made that perfectly clear the other day. For fuck’s sake—one minute he didn’t want her, the next minute he did. What did he want from her? Anger, frustration and confusion filled her as she escaped into the darkness, tears now falling down her cheeks like a dam that had burst its banks. Incredible how quickly a great night could turn to absolute shit.
With the music now more of a distant thump rather than a thunderous rumble, Renee tried to find her way through the darkness, being mindful to watch out for bodies in swags—especially ones that might be dancing beneath the covers. Away from all the commotion, she could suddenly feel every drink she’d had in her unsteady legs—she was officially well and truly wasted. Hayley was a bad influence—not that she was complaining—she had needed a night like tonight, one where she was free to let her hair down. And she’d been having a ball, but all that had changed in an instant. Sniffling, she wiped her teary eyes, determined to stop crying before she reached where she’d parked.
As her eyes adjusted to the blackness, she looked around, noticing there were very few people in the camping area. The ones that were here were either asleep in camp chairs or passed out on the ground. There was not a voice to be heard, making it ear-ringingly silent compared to where she’d just come from. She felt like a party pooper leaving Hayley when the party was just getting started, but she wasn’t in the mood to dance the night away now. Hayley would understand when she explained it all to her tomorrow.
The sound of leaves being crushed underfoot drew her attention, and she suddenly got the eerie feeling that someone was following her. Stopping in her tracks, she turned warily, her heart in her throat, but she couldn’t see anyone.
‘Dylan, is that you?’ she cautiously called out. ‘Hello?’
There was no answer. She shook her head, annoyed at herself for getting the heebie-jeebies. Bloody hell, why had she drunk so much tonight? It was making her mind play horrible tricks on her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she picked up her pace, wanting to get to the Land Cruiser quick smart so she could jump in her swag. Trying to shake off the unnerving feeling, she thought of the positives. At least she’d have a little while to try to get to sleep before people started heading back this way, towards where they’d crash for the final few hours if they weren’t pulling an all-nighter. And at least she wouldn’t wake up in the morning with a smashing hangover if she stopped drinking now and got some decent sleep.
The sound of leaves being trodden on dragged her attention behind her once again, and this time, it wasn’t just a feeling. She was sure of what she’d heard. Spinning around, she glared into the darkness, the deep throaty laughter of a man sending a chill down her spine.
‘Billy, are you following me? Because if you are, rack off will you? I told you to leave me alone.’
There was no reply. Her pulse jacked up another notch.
‘Dylan, Hayley, come on guys. Enough is enough. This isn’t funny at all. You’re freaking me out.’
But there was nothing. No response, no more noise, nothing. Frozen to the spot, Renee started to shake, all her fears and nightmares crashing down upon her like a tidal wave, and suddenly, she was drowning beneath it all. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. Nan and Pa were right. She wasn’t safe here. She never would be safe until Scarlet’s real killer was found.
And maybe, she was about to find out exactly who that was.
CHAPTER
16
Time stood still while everything around her moved in slow motion. Listening intently she tried to make out any sounds. Was someone hiding out there in the shadows, watching her? Or was she imagining it? Terror held her in a vice-grip as the shadows appeared to stretch like clawed hands across the ground, making the hairs stand up even further on the back of her neck. Finding it hard to breathe, she turned around slowly, assessing her surroundings. Other than the distant thump of the music, there was silence. Her heart hammered against her ribcage and the towering gum trees seemed to close in on her. The world felt as though it was spinning beneath her pretty rhinestone boots. Then there was a flash of light behind her, and she spun around. Was someone lighting a cigarette, or waving a torch about?
‘Please,’ she cried out. ‘Whoever you are, stop it. You’re scaring me.’
Intimidating masculine laughter broke the silence of the camping area once again. Whoever was hiding in the shadows was obviously enjoying taunting her. A loud crack of a stock whip from the far side of the showgrounds grabbed her attention for a millisecond. What she’d give to be back amongst everyone at the party rather than standing out here, all alone, in the dark. She knew she had to run. Now. And fast, before whoever it was got their hands on her.
Quickly assessing which way to go, Renee decided she had much more of a
chance of making it to safety if she headed towards the Land Cruiser—there was too much shadowy ground to cross to get back to the party, and it also meant maybe running smack bang into the person that was trailing her. Turning on her heels, she bolted towards the ute, the terror that someone was about to harm her—or worse, kill her—almost rendering her motionless once again. But she pushed through the fear. She had to.
With everything blurring around her, Renee ran as fast as she could, all the while fumbling in her rucksack for the keys to the Toyota. Now she could hear the heavy footsteps of someone running at a distance behind her, matching her stride for stride, but she wasn’t turning around. Making it to the passenger side she scrabbled with the keyhole, her hands shaking uncontrollably. The hurried footsteps were getting closer—someone’s laboured breathing louder. Opening the door, she threw herself inside and slammed the lock down before lying down on the seat and sobbing her heart out. She had never felt fear like this before.
And then it occurred to her. Call the cops. Craig is here already!
Reaching into the rucksack once again, she found her mobile phone. Flipping it open she felt like smashing it against the dashboard when she spotted the lack of service and then remembered Mick saying it wouldn’t work here. ‘Fuck you,’ she screamed as she threw it to the floor.
With her ears honed for any noises outside the four-wheel drive, Renee eased herself up and warily peered out the passenger side window, terrified she’d see a pair of malevolent eyes glaring back at her. But there was nothing, no-one. Was this some sick joke? Or was this real? Was she about to die or was she imagining things? Was this how Scarlet had felt before that son of a bitch had killed her? Closing her eyes, she prayed to God, begging him to save her. She was just starting to calm down when a knock at the window made her heart stop.
Holding her breath, she glanced towards the driver’s side window. A flood of relief washed over her when she saw Dylan’s kindly face smiling back at her. Gasping like a fish out of water, she fumbled for the lock, almost throwing Dylan backwards when she dived out of the Land Cruiser and into his arms. Sobbing breathlessly, she relayed the story, not even giving him a chance to speak. The alarm in his eyes melted her heart and made her see that he really did care about her. Deeply.