by Fiona Palmer
She was listening to Avicii, I Could Be the One, when she got off the bus and walked along Marine Parade. It was a lot quieter than the last time they were here. Most were probably tucked up in bed after a big Friday night. But still there were those who were out, walking dogs, exercising or just enjoying the morning beauty of the beach. It was tranquil.
Jaz headed to Bluewaters Café and got a coffee, the whole time her eyes searching for Marcus. She was well aware that she might not even see him. He was eighteen, he was probably sleeping off a hangover.
She found a table by the window to enjoy her drink. She knew that she couldn’t stay here all day. Once she’d finished her coffee, she’d have to move to somewhere else. Damn, she should have brought a book and could have pretended to read. She’d just have to lean up against a tree and pretend she was dozing. God, if only her friends knew that this was her new job. Lying in the dappled sunlight trying to spot a certain Marcus Sinclair.
Realistically, she knew it would get harder. She hadn’t even tried to think about what could happen down the track. And she didn’t know how far they expected her to go with him. Probably as much as she was comfortable doing. How far had Ryan gone on his undercover missions? Did he sleep with people? Maybe killed others to be a part of the gang? Jaz shuddered as her mind spun cogs.
‘This is going to be a long day,’ she mumbled under her breath.
But the intel that had been gathered was right. Marcus did like his Saturday stop by the Bluewater for breakfast. He walked in alone. Dark, almost skinny leg jeans hung low on his waist and he wore a rustic red t-shirt. It was weird seeing the target in the flesh. But he was just like the photos they’d shown her. His hair was longish but clean and he smelt like he’d had a morning shower with plain soap. Jaz resisted the urge to run and hide as he walked past, but Marcus only had eyes for the counter.
‘The usual, Marcus?’ the guy behind the counter asked.
‘Yeah, cheers, Russ.’ Marcus handed over some money before sliding his wallet into the back of his pants. Jaz had nearly finished her coffee and had to figure out a plan.
The shop was almost half full, mainly couples eating together. Marcus went straight to a corner table. No doubt his regular one.
Jaz took out her earphones, leaving them on the table by her coffee cup. Then she pulled out her phone and pretended to be texting someone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him get his order of bacon and eggs. When her stomach groaned she realised she should have got herself breakfast, but with her nerves she didn’t think she’d be able to eat.
Okay, she had an idea, she just had to see if it would work. Standing up, she put her phone in her pocket, walked to the counter and asked for a takeaway coffee. Marcus still hadn’t finished his breakfast by the time the barista had made her coffee, so she continued out the door. She stopped just outside and leaned against the wall of the shop, far enough so Marcus couldn’t see her through the window.
Her heart was pounding and her hand was shaking so much that she was worried she’d spill her coffee before it was time. Deep breaths, she told herself as she fought the war with her nerves. Jaz was lucky enough to have a reflection of the open glass door that let her see into the café. She pulled out her phone so she had a reason to be standing where she was without drawing attention to herself.
The blood in her head pulsed through her ears, almost like a clock counting down. Her muscles began to tense and then she saw movement. Without second-guessing what she saw, or if her plan would work, she headed back into the café with her head down.
She was relived to see his black Converse shoes just as she walked into him. To make sure it was dramatic enough, Jaz squeezed her coffee cup, causing the lid to fall off as the cup contents splashed back against her. She did too good a job, as hot coffee scalded her skin through her shirt.
‘Ah. Ohmygod! Sorry,’ she blurted out.
‘Sorry,’ he said at the same time.
Jaz practically shoved her phone and the coffee cup, with whatever was left in it, into Marcus’s hands.
‘Sorry, thanks. I’ve gotta…ouch,’ she mumbled out as she pulled her shirt off over her head. ‘Boy, that was hot.’ Jaz used her shirt to wipe the coffee off her skin. She could see it was slightly pink on her chest from the heat of the coffee. At least she was making this seem all real and accidental.
Jaz finished mopping up then held her shirt in front of her, scrunched up like a stained coffee ball. ‘I’m so sorry, it’s really not my day,’ she said. Finally, she had the chance to look at him. When they said he had deep green eyes they weren’t wrong. He was much cuter in person.
He was smiling at her, a little dimple forming in his cheek. He was fresh-faced, no stubble.
‘Nice abs,’ he said. His eyes lifting to hers. ‘Are you okay? Weren’t you just in the café?’ he asked. His eyebrow raised slightly.
‘Um, yeah. I forgot my earphones. See, I told you. Bad day. I should have stayed in bed.’ Talking to him came easy. She just had to think of him as a normal guy, not some target. Jaz pointed to the table she’d been sitting at, her earphones still sat there. She left Marcus there, holding her stuff while she stepped into the café to collect her player. ‘I’m sorry again. I really need them for the bus.’
‘They would have been alright here. The guys would have kept them behind the counter for you.’
Jaz nodded and shivered slightly as the breeze gusted past.
‘Here, let me help.’ Marcus handed her back her phone and coffee. Then, before she knew it, he’d pulled off his own shirt.
‘Nice abs.’ It was the first thing that came out of her mouth and she chuckled. Marcus smiled also as he handed over his shirt. His chest was smooth and tanned. As if he got around without a shirt on, and his abs were defined. She wondered what he did to get them. He was probably thinking the same thing about her.
‘Thanks. Here, take my shirt.’
‘Oh, are you sure?’
‘Yep, I live just down the road. Not a problem.’
‘Really. That would be great. I don’t fancy riding home on the bus like this, or smelling like coffee.’ Jaz pulled a face. ‘Hang on.’ She quickly chucked her coffee cup into a nearby bin, along with her shirt, and stuffed her phone into her shorts, then took the shirt offered. ‘I can’t believe you’re giving me the shirt off your own back. Thanks…?’
‘Marcus,’ he supplied.
‘Thanks Marcus. I’m Jaz.’ She pulled his rustic red one on. It smelt nice and manly. It made her think of Ryan, not the cute guy opposite her. ‘Comfy,’ she said, as he admired his shirt on her. Jaz turned toward the street, wondering what to do next.
‘Hey, don’t you want my number?’ he asked.
Jaz turned back, her brow crossed.
‘So you can return my shirt?’ he said.
‘Oh, you want your shirt back? I figured that since you live here in Cott, and with those designer labels — ’ She indicated his jeans and shoes, ‘that you wouldn’t miss one little shirt?’ She was being cheeky but she hoped he liked cheeky.
‘Is that so?’ he said, putting his hands on his hips. It just made his shirtless body look more appealing. ‘It just so happens that you are right, I can afford to lose a shirt, but that shirt also happens to be my favourite. That shirt and I have seen some awesome things together. And it’s lucky.’
‘Lucky, you say? I could definitely use some of that today.’ Jaz fished out her phone and held it out to Marcus for him to enter his details. ‘But I can’t steal your luck so I’d best return it.’ She smiled as he took her phone.
She read the contact entry when he handed it back. ‘Marcus Sinclair. Hi,’ she said.
As she put her phone away, Marcus pulled out his and held it out to her. She raised an eyebrow curiously.
‘I need yours too. What if my shirt brings you too much good luck and you forget to return it? I need to be able to bombard you with calls and texts until you return it.’
Jaz nodded and reached for his
phone. As she entered her details, she wondered if his phone held any secrets. Phone numbers of his dad’s business partners. Maybe they had Marcus pick up things. Who knew how involved he could be. She liked to think no parent would include their kid in anything like this, but she wasn’t naive enough to know that bad people didn’t make money from having ethics.
Marcus’s fingers brushed against hers as he took his phone back. ‘Jaz Thomas - shirt girl.’ He glanced at her. ‘Nice to meet you,’ he said with a grin. ‘But you didn’t need to add that. I won’t forget you.’
‘Because I have your favourite shirt?’
‘No, because one, you took your shirt off in the main street of Cott and two, I’ve never seen a chick with abs before.’
He didn’t run his eyes over her body or come across as creepy. It was like he was just stating a fact. ‘Thanks. I work hard to keep them.’
Marcus glanced at his watch and then sighed. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve got to catch up with friends, but I hope to hear from you soon.’ He bent down and picked up a skateboard, which had been by the doorway. ‘See ya, Jaz. Take good care of my shirt.’ Then he smiled, turned and launched onto his skateboard. He didn’t look back, but when he picked up speed he flipped his skateboard in the air and kept going down the path. Yeah, he knew how to use a skateboard. Probably how he kept his own abs tight.
Lifting her head, she followed Marcus, who was rolling down the street half-naked. She looked down at his rusty shirt and tucked the front section into her shorts. She’d certainly come away from this meeting with more than she expected. A shirt and a phone number. Now she just had to report her morning’s work and wait until it was time to meet Marcus again. Next time thought, she wouldn’t be as scared. After all, he was just a boy.
Chapter 6
Jaz went back to The Ring to collect her bag. She was hoping for another note from Ryan, even though she knew it would be unlikely.
The Ring was still open when she got there late in the morning, Bags was long gone. ‘Pax, you here?’ she called out, as the smell of leather and sweat got stronger the further into the gym she went.
‘In here,’ he called out. Pax’s head stuck out of the storage room. ‘I’m just getting ready to scrub some mats.’ A wicked grin spread over his face. ‘And you’re just in time to help me, aren’t you?’
‘Yeah, I guess.’ Jaz returned his smile then left her phone, sunnies and music player by her bag and went to help Pax carry out the buckets and sponges.
‘So you’re back early?’ he queried. ‘I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.’
‘It’s good. I met Marcus and got his number.’ Pax’s eyes shot open. ‘Oh, and his shirt,’ she laughed.
Pax’s jaw dropped next, as he took in her shirt. ‘Really? How did you manage that?’
Jaz begun to scrub down the mats beside Pax and told him how it had gone down.
Pax sat back on his heels when she finished. ‘Wow. You really get how this stuff works, don’t you?’ Jaz paused and he rushed on to explain. ‘I mean, just for you to plan that out and for it to work. Obviously Ryan has rubbed off on you.’
Jaz wanted to say that Ryan hadn’t rubbed off on her enough. She’d gladly take more. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders. ‘Or maybe I just watch too many spy movies,’ she said with a smirk. ‘It wasn’t that hard. He seems nice.’
Pax’s eyes narrowed. ‘You just be careful,’ he warned. ‘If his family is up to no good, then you don’t want to be caught up in it. And don’t let yourself like him too much. Many an agent has been warned about that. It does happen but it never ends well.’ He looked so serious and worried.
Jaz almost wanted to tell him there was no chance of that because she was hung up on Ryan. That admission would almost be ten times worse the trouble.
‘It’s okay, Pax. I’ll be careful. Shall we finish these mats? I have to get home and pass on my notes, so to speak.’
‘I understand. Just know that if anything feels funny you can come to me. I’ll be here for you, Jaz. I know I don’t do rescues or play with guns. I’m just the computer guy. Need a new ID or to get into a country, that’s me. But I can help you in other ways. I just hope you don’t get into a position where you need any of that.’
Jaz grabbed Pax’s hand. ‘I know you don’t like that I’ve joined and I know that you will worry about me. All you can do is trust that I’m capable of looking out for myself. It’ll be okay, Pax.’ It was so sweet that he cared. He could have told her mum and make it hard for her to join but he didn’t. He had supported her and that meant the world. ‘I’ll be okay.’
When she got back to her house, her mum was just leaving.
‘Hey, Jasmine, I’m just taking Simon to the shops. Do you want to come? Or do you want me to get anything?’ Tasha was in jeans, ballet flats and a designer top. Her hair was whisked up in a sexy bun.
‘No thanks, Mum, I’m fine. I’ve got some homework to catch up on.’
Tasha paused as she reached for the car keys. ‘Are you sick?’ she joked.
‘Ha ha.’ Jaz smirked.
Tasha cast her eyes over Jaz’s shirt and then shrugged, as if giving up over her daughter’s choice of attire. Jaz preferred Adidas, Lonsdale and the Bad Boy MMA clothes to her mum’s preference of Lisa Ho and Alex Perry.
‘Dad’s at work but we’ll be back this afternoon.’ Then Tasha put on the biggest pair of Gucci sunglasses Jaz had ever seen and walked out the door, calling for Simon. They hid half her face, they were that big.
Simon came running down the stairs. ‘Hi, sis, bye, sis,’ he said as he ran past.
‘Hey, what are you going to get?’ she asked him as he paused by the door. That was the most running she’d seen Simon do in the last month. He may have tended toward the computer geek, like his dad Paul, but Simon also had Jaz’s coordination. He could play sports, was quite good at it, just chose not to. It was a waste. But Simon did adhere to their mum’s fashion tastes, which was evident with his designer jeans, polo shirt and expensive leather shoes.
‘The new Final Fantasy game is out, and the latest iPhone.’ He shot her a grin like he’d just won the lottery. ‘You want anything?’
‘Actually, can you get me a skateboard?’
Simon screwed his face up. ‘Say what? Punching people isn’t enough, now you want to hurt yourself on a skateboard,’ he teased.
‘Ha ha. Just go and ask for one that would suit me, please? I don’t care what it looks like, just as long as it’s a good one. Okay?’ Jaz hoped Simon didn’t bring back some pink or fluoro one. But it didn’t really matter. It was just an idea that had occurred to her, a way to get closer to Marcus. She didn’t want to look like a complete fool on a skateboard, so practice she must.
‘Righto sis. I’m sure I can manage that.’
‘Thanks Si.’ As her half brother left the house, Jaz felt the warmth of love for her brother. He was a good kid. It made her think of his twin sister Becky and how much different life would be if she had survived. Would she have been more like Jaz or like Simon? Knowing she would be visiting her grave soon made her feel sad and wistful.
‘Back to work,’ she said to herself. She grabbed a Coke from the fridge and a chocolate bar from her mum’s secret stash behind the flour tin in the pantry, before heading up to her room.
Automatically she begun to put away the folded clean clothes her mum had left on her bed. Her room was no longer a cave of darkness and mess. Now she loved leaving her heavy dark purple curtains open, letting the light fill her large room. The carpets and walls were grey and the room was accentuated with deep purples and black. She’d realised, after seeing Ryan’s spotless organised home, that if she wanted to be treated like an adult then she had to behave like one. Her messy room had been the first thing to fix.
Jaz put her Coke and snack on her study desk and caught her reflection in the full-length mirror. Marcus’s shirt looked good on her. She lifted the material up so she could smell the earthy male scent. Spending time with
Marcus would be good. It would keep her mind off missing Ryan. Closing her eyes, she inhaled one last time before taking the shirt off and finding Ryan’s jumper, which she still had. It no longer smelt like him and had been washed many times, but it was as close to him as she could get.
‘Okay, where did I leave that book?’ Pulling open the drawer of the study desk, she found the copy of the Vampire Academy that James had given her. Then, with a piece of paper and a pen, she began the long task of recording today’s events for her boss. She knew the basics of what she wanted to say. ‘Have made contact with target. Have phone number and will meet again soon.’ Only it wasn’t that easy to find those words in the book. At times, Jaz forgot she was looking for a certain word and found herself actually reading the book, getting totally swept up in Rose and Lissa’s story. Who knew searching for words like ‘contact’ and ‘target’ would take so long?
Next time she caught up with James she’d have to ask if they could switch to an ebook. Then she could just search for the word she needed and ‘boom’ there would be the page number. It would save them both heaps of time.
Jaz heard voices from downstairs and was surprised to see it was well after lunch. Her stomach groaned as if to remind her food was needed to function. She’d just been so engrossed in her task.
Putting her note into her book, she slipped downstairs. ‘Hey, did anyone bring back any food?’ she asked. Jaz started looking through the bags full of shopping, hoping to find something edible.
Tasha pulled out a bacon and cheese twist roll from a bag. ‘How did I know you’d be hungry?’ she said. ‘Please use a knife and not pick at it like a barbarian.’