by Fiona Palmer
Jaz decided now was not the time to let Ryan know that her memory wasn’t the greatest. Cramming for her exams never worked, so she highly doubted she’d remember the number plate. But just for good measure she repeated it over in her mind a few times.
‘Let’s go,’ he said, holding her hand and pulling her to the taxi stand.
They jumped into the back of the first one. Ryan held the door open for her, still playing along. She realised just how important it was to keep up appearances. Who knew who would be watching? Maybe Sal? She shivered with the thought.
‘You cold?’ asked Ryan after he climbed in. He pulled her in close and rubbed her arms. Then he paused, as if realising how close they were. He dropped his hands and sat forward, trying to spot the car. ‘Can you follow the black car that is turning right up ahead please? Our friends are in it,’ he said to the cab driver, who smelt like old cigars and sweat.
Jaz relaxed back in the comfort of the taxi and left the watching up to Ryan. His aftershave smelt divine and she missed the warmth from his arms. At least pretending to be his partner she could be close to him. It was better then when he was away on missions doing God knows what with God knows who.
After thirty minutes, Ryan told the taxi driver to take them home.
‘Why?’ she asked as he sat back after giving Pax’s address.
‘He’s gone straight home. Nothing exciting tonight. We were hoping he would stop by a warehouse or meet up with someone.’
‘He could have been meeting Sal? And what if he leaves later, in another car?’
‘I will let them know about Sal being here tonight and don’t worry. Someone is already watching Nicko’s house.’
‘Oh, okay.’ Jaz felt like a very small piece of the puzzle. But it was also reassuring to know she had joined something real and that there were others working hard out in the field to bring these bad people down. The rest of the car trip was in silence, and when they arrived back at Pax’s place, outside The Ring, Jaz felt better. She was home and safe. Ryan paid the huge taxi bill and followed her inside the big flat white building. The sign stating the ‘The Ring’ was still a fading blue and red, which she should repaint one day. Inside, the smell of leather, sweat and plastic mats welcomed her. She’d been coming to this gym since she was a baby. It started with her mum teaching her karate, and then the rest of the guys, like Bags with boxing and Tick with street fighting. She loved it all.
Inside the office light was on. Pax was sitting by his computer still at work or, more likely, waiting for them.
‘Great, you’re back,’ said Pax, pushing his steel-rimmed glasses onto his head. He held out his arms to Jaz and she hugged him. His teddy bear body wrapped her up warm and soft. Just how an adopted grandparent should be. ‘You don’t look like my little Jasmine anymore,’ he said letting her go. ‘All grown up. It’s so hard to believe.’
‘Pax, come on,’ she said, embarrassed that Ryan was a witness to this display.
‘So it all went okay?’ Pax asked, looking to Ryan for an answer.
He nodded. ‘A relatively quiet night really. Look, I’ve gotta go and report and then see what our next move is. I’ll see you all later.’ He turned to leave but Jaz called out to him.
‘Ryan, will you still be around? Wanna come for a spar sometime soon?’
His smile was tight. ‘I’d love to, Jaz but I’m tied up for a while. I might not be around for weeks or months. But I’ll be in touch when I get back. I hope all goes well tomorrow for your briefing. Good luck.’ Ryan lifted his hand as if he was going to touch her shoulder, but then it morphed into a wave. Jaz felt ripped off. ‘Bye.’
He shared a nod with Pax before he turned and left. Jaz was still gazing into the dark when Pax spoke.
‘Come on, I’ll make you a cuppa while you go and have a shower. You’ll feel better.’ Pax’s warm arm came around her shoulders and together they headed to his house, which was attached to the end of the gym. Pax locked up The Ring and then set the alarms. Jaz always thought it was because The Ring was in a bad neighbourhood, but now she realised it was to protect all the computer stuff he used for the Agency.
As Jaz walked into Pax’s dark house, feeling for the light switch, she couldn’t help but feel abandoned. She just hoped Ryan was back sooner than expected. Until then, she would go into this briefing and be the best agent she could. She was going to have her very own mission and she wanted to make them thankful for selecting her. And maybe she wanted to make Ryan proud too.
Chapter 2
Jaz woke to the sound of Pax whistling an old Elvis song while he made breakfast. She could smell coffee and cinnamon. What better reason to get out of bed. She threw back the covers and put her ugg boots on. There were two single beds in this room; one was hers, the other belonged to her lifelong best friend Anna Johnson. Pax was Anna’s great-uncle and the reason they’d become friends.
Back home, both girls had rooms three times the size of this one, with queen-size beds and expensive plush carpets. But that was never something they missed here with Pax. They loved the small room with its old patterned carpet and all the little personal bits they’d kept here over the years. From the stuffed animals Pax had brought them to the things they’d made with him, like the computer cable curtain which hung over the doorway, and the light cover, which was made from parts off a motherboard, that glittered in the light. Pax’s place was certainly a world away from the glitzy life they had at home. But it was his love that made it so homely.
As Jaz walked down the narrow passage towards the kitchen in her blue pyjamas, she wondered if Pax was the reason they weren’t stuck-up snobs like the rest of the girls at their fancy expensive school, St Christian’s. He came from wealth yet turned his back on it.
‘Morning, Jaz. How’d you sleep?’ said Pax, handing her a cup of coffee. He gestured for her to sit at the table where fresh pastries were laid out. Pax’s favourite, which meant he’d been out to the Vietnamese bakery down the street already. He had on his old Kmart runners with his threadbare jeans and a big brown polo shirt that stretched across his podgy middle. Jaz found his non-brand name clothes refreshing and real. He may seem like he was poor, to the untrained eye, but Jaz knew the computer equipment he had was state-of-the-art, as well as printers of all types. She had also seen one of his bank statements and knew he was as rich as his brother’s family. After all, the Johnson Computer Empire was a well-known business in Perth, but Pax had taken a different path. One that finally made sense to her now.
‘Like a log, Pax. Thanks,’ she replied, before sipping her coffee. ‘Ahh, that’s better.’
Pax sat across from her at the seventies-inspired table, his focus set on her. ‘Now tell me all about last night. Did you see Nicko?’
‘Yes, we did. He didn’t do anything out of the unusual. But this guy Sal was there, which sent Ryan a little loopy.’
‘Sal?’ Pax said loudly. ‘The bad boss Sal? Did you see him?’ His eyes grew wide. Sal’s name really provoked fear and rage in people.
‘Yep. I actually ran into him by accident — ’
‘WHAT!’
Jaz ignored Pax’s outburst, which was just as overprotective as Ryan’s, and continued. ‘And when Ryan saw us exchanging words, well, he blew his stack just like you’re doing now.’ She smiled at Pax who was looking a little pale. If anything, he looked green, like he was about to be sick.
‘What did he say? Did he look at you? Do you think he’ll remember you? Please tell me you didn’t tell him your name.’
‘Geez, settle down, Pax. It was nothing. I said sorry, he said sorry and that was it. I must admit, it was rather strange meeting him.’
‘W-why?’ Pax stuttered.
‘I don’t know. It was like he was a normal person. It’s so hard to picture him as a drug-trafficking hard-blooded killer.’
Pax breathed deeply and pushed his plate away from him. She must have shocked him. He hadn’t touched his pastries at all, and nothing usually stopped Pax from his f
avourite treat.
‘Jaz, one thing you’ll soon find out is that everyone has a secret. People aren’t who you think they are and people are really good liars.’
Jaz pushed her own plate away, suddenly losing her appetite. ‘I guess I’m one of them now too. Lying to my friends and family. Hiding secrets.’
‘Some choose to lie and other do it to protect. Don’t feel bad, Jaz. You and I, we want to traverse this world with our eyes wide open. And sometimes that means we see the world for what it really is. The human race can be disappointing; people have no conscience and greed and power rules them. I believe in what I’m doing, and I know you do too, otherwise you wouldn’t have said yes to joining.’
Jaz smiled. ‘You’re right, Pax.’
‘Right about what?’ asked Anna as she walked through the door. ‘Oh yum, pastries.’ Her strawberry-blonde hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail but it still slipped over her shoulder as she reached for the plate Jaz pushed towards her.
‘Here have mine. It’s the apricot one.’
‘You don’t mind?’
Jaz shook her head. ‘Go for it. I’m happy with just coffee. So what are you up too? Miss me?’
‘Yep. Thought I’d swing by and say hi,’ said Anna, giving Pax a hug and kissing his balding head. ‘Wish I could have stayed over too, but I wasn’t sure how long I’d be stuck at Dad’s big work dinner. Who wants to celebrate a new merger with another company, not me, that’s who.’
‘It can’t have been that bad,’ laughed Pax.
‘Oh, it was. You know Dad, he was loving it.’ Anna rolled her eyes. ‘Now I know why my brother went off to an American college instead of staying here for uni.’ Anna’s smile faltered. She missed her older brother, Jeff. He’d left nearly two years ago and his visits home were few and far between. ‘What did you guys get up too?’
‘Um, well we just did some stuff in the gym and then watched a movie,’ said Jaz.
‘You wanna hang out today for a bit?’
‘Oh, I’m busy this morning, but we can do something after lunch?’
‘Yeah, okay. I think Ricky was going to call today so I’ll let you know.’
‘How is the Rickster?’ Jaz asked. Anna had gone with him to the ball and now they were dating, which annoyed her a little as Anna was with him a lot but, then again, it gave her freedom to pursue her other pastime, with the Agency.
‘Great. He’s really nice. His folks are cool. He’s not stuck-up and he’s smart.’
And boring, thought Jaz.
‘I’m glad you’re happy, sweet pea,’ said Pax, whose colour had returned, but he still didn’t reach for a pastry.
‘I am, thanks, Pax. So Jazzy, what’s got you busy this morning? Hot date? Is Ryan back?’
Jaz shot Anna glances. She did not need Pax hearing about her desires for Ryan. He’d hit the roof. ‘Oh no, haven’t heard from him,’ she lied. ‘But I am off to a job interview.’
‘What?’ Anna glanced between Pax and Jaz. ‘Is she for real?’
Pax smiled and reached for his coffee, his hand shaking slightly. ‘Yes, Jaz is going for a job.’
‘Why?’ Anna screwed her face up. ‘Isn’t your job here at The Ring?’
Jaz laughed. ‘Anna, this is a love job. I want a job that is going to pay me money. Mum refuses to buy me a car, or even lend me the money, so I’m going to get a job and buy my own bloody car. She can’t stop me then.’
Anna’s eyes lit up. ‘Cool. You should get something awesome like Taylor’s Mustang.’ She brushed some pastry crumbs from her lips. ‘Maybe I should get a job. Mum and Dad have been talking about getting me a little beep beep Barina. I would just die in one of those. Taylor wouldn’t get in it,’ she said with a chuckle.
‘Anna, do you know how much that Mustang cost? I’ll be lucky if I can get a second-hand clapped-out Barina!’
‘You’ll just have to work longer. What’s this job?’
Pax reached for the sheet of paper he’d printed out this morning. ‘She’ll be an office girl. One of my mate’s mentioned they had a position going.’ Pax handed Anna the fake job application at MTG Agency.
‘Aw cool. What hours do you have to do?’ said Anna.
‘After school for a few hours and some weekends.’
Anna’s face dropped. ‘Life’s about to get very sucky.’
‘Yep. That’s the problem with growing up.’ Jaz checked her watch and then sighed. ‘Speaking of which, I better go and get ready. Until I get my car, I’ll have to take the bus into the city.’
Jaz finished her coffee, got up and headed back to her room to get dressed. Lying to Anna wasn’t easy; well, it came easily, but it just left a great big ball of twisted guilt in her guts that was hard to deal with. Would it get easier? She’d have to ask Pax how he had handled his secrets all these years.
Jaz got off the bus in the city and only had to walk a block to the MTG office. Pax had given her the address again, but she remembered from the last time Ryan had taken her in to meet with James, who was the big boss guy. This time around, though, she didn’t have Ryan for comfort. This time she was going in alone. And this time she wouldn’t be afraid.
She tilted her head back as she stood outside the tall building. The noise of the city drowned away to a hum. It looked just like the other high-rises around, windows and steel. MTG didn’t own the whole building, just the bottom two floors, as far as she knew. Someone walked past her and entered the building. He wore a suit, and Jaz wondered if he was an agent or just a guy that worked on the fourth floor.
With a deep breath, she walked through the automated doors. Two elevators were front and centre, with steps on the left, but Jaz knew to walk around to the right and head down a passageway to the front office of MTG. This time it was a different woman at the reception desk.
‘Hi, can I help you?’ she asked. Her face was covered with make-up, but it only accentuated her wrinkles. Jaz preferred this fifty-something lady to the last younger, prettier one who’d made goo-goo eyes at Ryan.
‘Yes, my name is Jasmine Thomas and I’m here for my appointment.’ Jaz wasn’t sure how much information to give her. Did she know what the MTG Agency did? Jaz tried to imagine this older lady knowing about all the operations and missions. Then she thought of Pax. Maybe this lady was one of the originals; maybe she even knows Pax.
‘Sure, take a seat.’ She gestured to the four red chairs on the opposite wall.
Jaz sat and tried to smooth her black pants straight. She’d dressed up as if she was going to a real interview, nice pants and a blue silk cap sleeved top. But it just made her feel more uncomfortable with her lie. In her bag she carried a folder with her résumé. Just in case.
‘Mr Montenegro, Jasmine is here.’ The receptionist’s voice was clear and professional. She hung up the phone and gestured to Jaz. ‘You can go in now. Second door on the right,’ she said with a smile.
Jaz heard the door unlock as she got close, pushed her way through the heavy door and came to James’s door. She pulled her shoulders back and breathed in before knocking.
‘Come in.’
Inside the familiar office, she found him sitting behind his big desk.
‘Hello, again,’ she said.
James waved her to a seat by his desk. ‘Hi, Jaz? Jasmine?’ he asked.
‘Jaz is fine.’
‘Great. It’s good to see you again. We have lots to discuss today, and a few forms to sign as well.’ James smiled, his blue eyes instantly calming her and making her feel at ease.
‘I’m ready.’
‘I’m sure you are. We’ve never had anyone like you before, Jaz. Yes, we get kids as young as you, like Ryan was, for example, but they never come ready to go into the field, if you know what I mean. Ryan is convinced you can handle yourself and believes you have quickly picked up the techniques he’s taught you already.’
Jaz thought back to the time Ryan had taught her how to observe and to follow someone. ‘Yes, he’s a good teacher.’ Amon
gst other things, she thought to herself. It warmed her to know Ryan had faith. He believed in her ability and knew she wanted to make a difference. He knew her well.
‘Normally we wouldn’t have given you a mission, but you open up a perfect opportunity to connect with this family, and Ryan backs you all the way. Marcus is around your age and you can easily gather information from him and his family without too much danger.’
‘So that’s all you will need me to do. Befriend him, find out personal info, get access into his house and have a look around?’
James leant back into his chair and smiled. His dark blue suit brought out his eyes and blond hair. ‘It seems you have a good handle on what’s expected. I’m impressed.’
Jaz tried not to grin like fool at his praise. ‘I’m getting the idea. Ryan is helping with that, and last night’s job helped.’
‘Ah yes, the casino. You may feel like a bit of jewellery, like you’re just for show, but do know, Jaz, that you are playing an important part.’ He opened the folder on his desk. ‘Janice has given me all this paperwork for you to fill out.’ James began to pass over sheets and a pen. ‘We have set up a bank account which you will have access to, and where your payments will go. And yes, you can claim all your expenses relating to the missions.’
Funny, that was the last thing on Jaz’s mind as she started filling in the sheets. ‘Is Janice the one at the front desk?’ she asked.
James nodded. ‘There are a few that work the desk, and they are all aware of who the agents or operatives are. But the less discussed the better, if you know what I mean. Except with Pax, of course. Now, we have worked out a safe drop for you while you are doing this mission. We can’t have you being followed back to MTG, so your sister’s grave will be your drop.’
Jaz jerked up. ‘You know about my sister?’ she asked.
He said, by way of answer, ‘Rebecca, your brother’s twin, died at eighteen months from SIDS and is at the Karrakatta Cemetery. You will put any information you find inside flowers, and we will do the same if we need to talk to you. Use the code Ryan showed you, but we will use this to communicate.’ James picked up two books off the floor; both were Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy. ‘I’m told this is popular with kids your age.’