Her brow lifts. ‘Made a friend, did you?’ Scarlett rests a hand on her heart in exaggerated shock.
While part of me wants to tell her to be serious, I can’t help smiling back. So often she looks at me with nervous concern, as if I’m a stray dog with big teeth and red glowing eyes and it’s only a matter of time before I attack.
So, despite the huge weight squeezing my ribs, I force a chuckle. ‘I’m not sure you’d call us friends.’
She smirks, but then returns to chewing on her bottom lip. ‘Callie Jones is not going to help. We should be working out what else we can do. If you’re convicted of anything …’
I swallow hard. As if I haven’t thought about that. I have plans for the future and they don’t involve me being in juvie—or worse. But I don’t want to talk about it here, where just lingering on the street could probably lead to a visit from the cops. ‘Go home.’
She doesn’t move. ‘Ignoring the consequences won’t make them go away.’
‘Now you sound like Javier.’
She pauses to consider the comparison. ‘Does that mean you might actually listen to me?’
I shake my head. ‘No, but you’ve reminded me that if I don’t get this conversation over with fast, I’ll be late for work.’
‘What if she’s not home?’
‘I’ll ask where she is.’
‘And you think they’ll tell you, just like that?’
I close my eyes. ‘I’ll see you later. At home.’
She doesn’t miss my warning. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t be out walking the streets.’
I was more concerned she’d try to visit Hayden in hospital but I don’t want to give her any ideas. ‘Go home.’
She offers a mock salute but doesn’t move. ‘I’ll watch until you get to the door. Someone needs to make sure they don’t feed you to their pets.’
‘Fine.’
Aware of Scarlett’s eyes on my back, I stride up to Callie Jones’s door, ignoring the fist twisting my gut. The house is the same as the rest on the street: two storey and characterless, with a carefully manicured hedge and dozens of standard roses in variations of white. But the huge oak in the front yard stands out.
Maybe she’s different to all the others.
My pace slows as I climb the steps, but I don’t hesitate before ringing the bell.
I wait. And wait. A sniffing sound from under the side gate distracts me. A red terrier of some kind. Not even up to my knees. The pup’s tail wags when it sees I’ve noticed it. They won’t be feeding me to that dog.
Hearing footsteps, I turn back to the door. A familiar silhouette appears on the other side of the glass. I’m in luck—Callie’s home. I turn back to offer Scarlett a pointed look, but she’s gone. I’m on my own.
The door opens. Callie doesn’t look surprised. ‘Rhett.’
Not surprised, but damn fine. Fresh, and just showered. I reckon I could breathe in spring from her glossy hair and white-and-blue striped top.
‘Can we talk?’
She looks past me at the street and there are lines on her brow. ‘Not here. Maybe we should take a walk.’
It’s better than ‘get lost’, but I can’t resist a dig. ‘Don’t want to be seen with me?’
Her eyes flick over me but there’s no distaste. ‘Can you blame me?’
I don’t know how to respond. I mean, stuff her for being a snob, but considering my reputation, I can’t really argue. ‘The beach?’ I suggest.
She shakes her head. ‘The park.’
‘Sure.’ Suits me if she doesn’t want to walk past the mansions, all owned by families like Hayden’s.
I wait for her as she locks up, but when she comes out, she’s not alone. The terrier mutt prances around her feet. I would have expected her to own something purebred. She’s surprised me again. I crouch to give it a pat. The little red-coated dog scrambles to clamber up on my knee. His whole body wiggles with excitement. I give him one last rub and stand. ‘You’re not worried about going to the park alone with me? This little guy will hardly protect you.’
I don’t want to take it as a compliment, but either she hasn’t heard about my reputation—which, having heard the bile that comes out of Bree Madden’s mouth, I doubt—or she doesn’t care.
‘Lion needs a walk.’
‘Lion? He doesn’t look very ferocious.’
She flashes the cutest grin. ‘If you squint, the red fur at his neck could be a mane.’
‘I guess.’ We walk on. She’s only a few inches shorter than me and keeps up easily. There’s weak sunshine overhead but she’s like my own personal storm cloud. Nothing but trouble for me.
I need to keep my mind on what will happen to my mother and sister if I go down for the hit on Hayden. I have responsibilities that someone like Callie Jones couldn’t even imagine.
Before long we’re turning at the deserted school grounds. We stop at the park across the road. Beyond this point lie hulking warehouses and smoking factories. Beyond those is the creek, and even further, the cemetery and my home, where Scarlett should be by now.
Callie sits on an old concrete table near the swings with her feet on the bench, clasping her hands together like she did on the steps last night. Lion’s leash is loose around her wrist.
Is she nervous?
She sees me looking and lets her hands fall to her sides. Her gaze is fixed on Lion, who sniffs the ground in excited circles, and it allows her long hair to form a wall between us. She sighs. ‘What do you want from me?’
I blink. She’s all creamy skin and tight jeans and she’s asking me what I want in that breathy voice? I’m only human. My whole body tightens, but I ignore it. She doesn’t even realise the effect she’s having. ‘I want you to tell the truth.’
Her laugh is bitter. ‘You say that like it’s easy.’ She tilts her head, and her hair falls back. There’s agony in her eyes. ‘It’s not.’
‘It’s my whole life we’re talking about. You can’t let this happen.’
‘Why not?’ She looks away.
My hands clench, but in frustration, not the violence everyone expects from me. ‘Because you’re not the kind of person who would lie.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I just do. You’re Callie Jones.’
‘I’m not who you think I am.’
I’ve been pacing to avoid having to sit at her side. The restlessness brought on by all that might happen keeps my feet on the move. But I stop in front of her now so she has to meet my gaze. ‘You know I didn’t throw that punch.’
‘Not that one, but you were fighting.’
‘Defending my sister. Anyway, a body blow doesn’t put someone in hospital.’
Her hands go to her head and her eyes close like she’s blocking me out. ‘I don’t owe you anything.’
‘What are you so scared of?’
‘I’m not scared.’
‘Then why not tell the truth?’ I try to keep my tone even, but kick a stone into the grass as I say it. ‘Some kid put his friend in hospital and you’re going to let me be punished for it. Why protect him?’
She stands. Her caramel eyes are blazing. ‘Because the kid you want me to turn in, the kid whose life you say shouldn’t matter more than yours, that kid … is my brother.’
I step back.
Her brother? The faint hope that she could somehow make this all go away is gone, as if it never really existed.
Even as I’m being punched in the balls by reality I try to match up the footballer with this confident, smart girl. ‘He’s your brother?’ She doesn’t reply and I don’t wait. ‘Forget it then,’ I say over my shoulder. I’m already walking away. ‘Forget I came by and asked you to do the right thing. I should have known I couldn’t rely on anybody else. I’ll have to work this out on my own.’
‘Why?’
I’m at the road when I turn back at her soft question. Her mouth is open a little, like she’s surprised. She probably expected me to try to intimidate her into telling th
e truth. She doesn’t know me at all. ‘I know a thing or two about family loyalty.’
‘So you’re giving up?’
‘Are you crazy? What else can I do? You’re not going to rat out your brother.’ My confusion gives her the chance to glide over the grass to where I stand by the low fence surrounding the playground. ‘But I didn’t say I was giving up.’
‘What will happen if you’re blamed for this?’
I shrug.
‘You have a record, don’t you?’
I think about lying. I don’t want to see the change in this girl’s expression when I confirm what’s mostly a rumour at school. Thanks to my age, the details were never made public, but they couldn’t keep it completely quiet. Not when a twelve-year-old was dragged into custody in the middle of the night.
Not when someone ended up in hospital.
I take a breath. Big mistake. She’s all vanilla and flowers and it messes with my train of thought. Two steps back doesn’t feel like far enough, but I don’t want her to think I’m uncomfortable.
‘Not exactly.’ My answer is lame and tells her nothing. Which is precisely what I want her to know.
She opens her mouth like she’s going to ask more, but shuts it when I fold my arms.
I check the time. Javier is expecting me at work. If I don’t get paid we don’t keep our house, shithole that it is. But she’s looking at me like she wants something. I allow some of the anger bubbling in my gut to twist my mouth. ‘Do you want me to beg you to tell the truth? Because I won’t.’
‘I don’t know.’
Her hands are doing that thing again where they twist over each other. Unthinking, I reach out and place my rough hand over hers. Stilling them.
And then I can’t make myself let go.
I’m sure I’m not the only guy in school who’s thought about touching the Ice Princess with the hot body and the older boyfriend who’s too far away to do anything about it, but damn if I ever thought I would. Her skin is so soft. Like those satin sheets at the stores with security who won’t let me over the threshold. And I can’t help it, I’m looking at her neck and imagining how it might feel.
‘You can let me go now.’ Her calm voice is the all the cold shower I need.
I drop her hands and walk away. She follows, little dog in tow. What is it with this girl? I turn with a sneer. ‘What?’
‘I thought you’d try and convince me.’
‘To turn in your brother?’ I laugh. ‘I don’t have time to waste hitting my head against that particular brick wall. Or did you think I’d remind you of the secret of yours I’m keeping?’
Her brows meet in a puzzled frown and then a faint pink stains her cheeks as she realises I’m talking about her spewing in the garden. ‘I was scared you’d tell someone.’
I raise my brows in exaggerated shock. ‘You were? I didn’t notice.’ Not that I didn’t like the way she begged and clutched at me last night on the stairs.
The pink in her cheeks spreads to her throat. ‘It seemed important at the time.’
‘Not so much now,’ I add for her.
‘No. You must have thought I was crazy.’
Telling her what I actually thought of her isn’t an option. She doesn’t have to know that her trusting me, when my word doesn’t usually count for anything to anybody, was the highlight of a shit night. ‘I figured a smart girl like you would work out an excuse come morning. Food poisoning, drink spiked.’
‘You could have left me there. Why didn’t you?’
‘Didn’t have anywhere better to be. Unlike now. Some of us have to work.’ I let my gaze slide over her expensive clothes and professionally highlighted hair. ‘You might not understand the concept of not being given everything on a silver platter.’
She doesn’t say anything else, and this time she doesn’t come after me when I leave.
That doesn’t stop me replaying the flash of hurt in her big eyes or wondering if she got home safely. I need to harden up. This girl is not my problem.
I head towards town, running the last three blocks so I’m not late for work.
My boss, Javier, is busy with a stray cat when I arrive at the surgery. The vet’s doesn’t open for an hour yet, but there’s feeding and cleaning to get started before the day’s appointments and emergencies begin.
I let myself in and slam the door behind me, harder than I meant to. I should be coming up with a plan to avoid getting screwed over for the hit on Hayden, but I can’t get the feel of Callie’s skin out of my brain.
Javier looks up from the metal table where he’s busy with a needle and thread. His frown does its usual trick of making me feel the size of a budgie. He returns his focus to the cat. ‘Careful with the door, brother. You’re lucky she’s sedated.’ His sleeves are rolled up, exposing scratched and scarred forearms. ‘I don’t need another mark to add to the collection.’
I duck my head. ‘Sorry.’
On autopilot, I disinfect my hands, ready to check on the animals we’ve kept in overnight. It’s a job that’s fallen to me since Javier lost another assistant last week. For the umpteenth time in the three years I’ve worked here, he was sucked in by a pretty smile and made the mistake of thinking some chick who’d just arrived in Valley Beach was going to stay. Like the others before her, she left for the city as soon as she’d saved enough money.
‘Wait.’ Javier’s voice stops me before I can open the first cage, where a depressed-looking rabbit trembles in the far corner.
I lean back against the bench while he finishes up with the cat and places it, still sleeping, in one of the cages that line the far wall. Before he locks it up, he runs one last pat over its matted fur. From anyone else, the sentiment might seem soft. But somehow Javier, with his tied-back hair and demon tatts, manages to do it without looking any less tough.
Maybe because I know from our spars in the boxing ring that he’s perfectly capable of putting me on my arse if I even think such a thing.
He washes his hands, his dark eyes on me the whole time. Studying. Assessing. When we first met at the anger management group I was forced to attend, I thought that look meant he was determining all the ways I’m lacking. Now I’m used to it.
‘What happened at the school last night?’ As usual, he’s straight to the point.
‘What have you heard?’
‘The lady at the servo said the Chapman boy is in a bad way. Asked me if you’d been arrested.’
I should have known the news would have spread already. There were too many kids at the dance for it not to have become an instant hot topic. I look him in the eye—I have nothing to be ashamed of. ‘There was a fight. Some idiot hit Hayden Chapman accidentally, and put him in hospital.’
He measures me. ‘You didn’t do it.’
There’s no question in his tone. I swallow back an unmanly lump in my throat at his faith. ‘I didn’t.’
‘Why were you even there?’ There’s so much in his question. Disappointment. Surprise. Frustration. ‘We’ve talked about situations that can escalate. You know avoiding them is the first step to keeping out of trouble.’
There’s no point claiming I wasn’t stupid, but I can’t pretend I wouldn’t do the same thing again. I straighten. ‘Scarlett was in trouble.’
The mention of my sister is enough. Although Javier never talks about his family, or his past, or what put him into the mandated counselling sessions, he knows how important Scarlett is to me, and the responsibility I feel towards her. He carries an old photo of a little dark-haired girl with big eyes and a carefree smile in his wallet. He understands. ‘You defended her?’
‘I tried. They outnumbered me, and one wild swing from a stupid kid put Hayden down. They pointed the finger at me.’
‘What’s done is done. You were there, but you’re innocent. What are you going to do about clearing your name?’ Javier is all about taking action. Doing something instead of waiting for the anger-beast, as he calls it, to take over and make him crazy. He’ll expect me to
have a plan and a fallback. Unlike most people, who think I’m a loser headed for jail, Javier expects a lot of me.
Most of the time I take it as a compliment, but sometimes living up to his standards seems impossible. My hands tighten and the edge of the bench cuts into my palms. ‘I tried, man.’
‘Try something else.’
I breathe deep and stare at the ground. ‘Leave it.’
But he moves to stand in front of me, waiting for me to spell out a plan or something. He’s not scared of my temper. Only because he doesn’t know everything about my dad.
Eventually he speaks. ‘Go to the police.’
I lift my head. ‘Now why didn’t I think of that?’
He ignores the sarcasm. ‘Because you’d rather let them win.’
‘Win? There’s no competition. I can’t walk into the police station and tell the sergeant that the kid who put Hayden Chapman in hospital is one of their precious footballers. He’ll laugh in my face.’
‘Sure, it’s a risk.’
Today his calm, slow voice is like five more envelopes with red writing on the front added to the pile of bills I already need to pay. ‘I’m not going to the police station.’
A yapping sound comes from outside the clinic. Javier glances at the clock on the wall above my head but doesn’t move to open up. ‘You’re giving up then?’
His words bring Callie Jones back into my mind, just when I’d finally managed to banish her for five minutes. ‘No.’
‘Then do it.’
Javier walks away. Moments later his smooth tones carry from where he’s charming some old woman and her annoying toy poodle.
He’s said his piece and now it’s up to me.
I hear Javier’s question on a loop in my brain. You giving up? But it’s the challenge in Callie Jones’s eyes I see.
Fuck it. I’ll go. What’s the worst that can happen? It’s not as though my life can get any more screwed up.
CHAPTER
5
Callie
Jonny’s car is in front of my house when I round the corner into my street. Black and sleek, it reminds me that I’m thinking way too much about Rhett Barker for someone with a boyfriend. I want to pretend I’ve only thought about Rhett in terms of what happened last night, but I can’t lie to myself.
What I Saw Page 5