I had to catch a plane in a few hours and I didn’t fancy spending my last few hours in Brisbane at Inigo’s, so I called Ed.
‘Tara? You alright? I waited up.’
‘Sorry,’ I said hoarsely. ‘Can I come over?’
‘Now?’
‘Yes.’
He barely hesitated. ‘Call me again when you arrive. I’ll come down and get you.’
•
The cool air of Ed’s hotel sent every muscle in my legs cramping and I almost collapsed in the foyer. The night receptionist gave me a strange look as I hobbled over to the lift and waited.
Ed came down quickly, wearing a thin cotton dressing gown over his boxers. He took one look at me and hooked his arm under my shoulders. We barely spoke while he got me to his room and ran me a bath.
I sank into the warmth and shivered for a while, letting the shock of seeing Slim almost thrown to his death slowly settle.
‘Food’s here,’ Ed called out.
The bath water had started to cool so I dragged myself out and put on the hotel dressing gown he’d left for me.
‘Ordered you an all-day breakfast,’ he said.
The sight of scrambled eggs, bacon, croissants and a pot of tea made me want to go down on one knee to him. ‘I think I want to marry you.’
He suddenly looked shy and a bit awkward.
‘Joke,’ I said. ‘Rough night. What I mean is . . . thank you. It’s just what I needed.’
He sat on the end of the bed and watched me wolf down the food, speaking only to suggest I slow down or I’d give myself indigestion. Naturally I didn’t listen to him.
‘What happened after I left?’ he said as I lay back against the bedhead propped up by four fat pillows.
‘Paolo, the owner of the club, tried to throw Slim down a stairwell. We stopped him in time.’
‘Shit.’
‘Yeah. The police are all over it now.’
‘You saved Slim’s life.’
‘Joint effort actually.’
‘Can I ask what it was about?’
‘Officially it will be something along the lines of Paolo and Slim getting into an argument about fees. Unofficially, it’s a crime turf war. But I can’t say any more. And honestly, Ed, you don’t want to know.’
‘If I was Wal, would you confide in me?’
I thought of my security chief appearing from the darkness like a ninja to save the day. ‘Wal knows things. But he’s made choices in his life a long time ago. You don’t want the history he has. Believe me.’
Ed looked down at his hands and curled his fists. ‘I want you though.’
My heart turned into treacle. ‘Our timing hasn’t been good.’ ‘I don’t just mean sex, Tara. I want you. To go out with you properly—not the hit-and-miss way things have been going.’ My treacly heart almost slowed to a stop. I leaned over and put the tray out of the way then I drew my knees up. It was time he knew the truth.
‘Ed, you’re younger than me and you’re astonishingly beautiful—inside and out. It can’t work. My life is . . . chaos; your career is about to take off. Soon you’ll meet some gorgeous model or actor or producer and you’ll be off to Hollywood or the catwalks of Paris. I’m not really in the market for that sort of broken heart.’
He listened to me with a serious expression. ‘I can’t read the future, Tara. But I know what I want now, and that’s you. You’re not like anyone else. You have this . . . energy in you that’s irresistible. Whenever I’m close to you, I just want to live. You’re so much more than beautiful, Tara.’
I didn’t think anyone had ever said anything so sweet to me before. A little of my weariness left me.
Nick Tozzi flashed into my mind but I banished him. The only time Tozzi had made advances towards me had been when he’d wanted to have his cake and eat it. Wife and one-night stand.
‘Well . . .’ I said slowly. ‘I suppose we could give it a go.’
‘Exclusive?’
‘No point otherwise,’ I said.
He got on his hands and knees and crawled up the bed towards me. As his weight descended on me, I felt the rest of my fatigue vanish in a surge of desire.
I rolled him over on his back and sat astride him. If there was one thing I knew how to do well, it was this, and Ed was going to get my best performance.
I pulled his dressing gown open and started by putting my lips to his ridiculously toned abs. The whole world went away.
I was a girl on the best kind of mission.
•
The taxi took me via Inigo’s to pick up my bag. I left her key on the kitchen table along with a posy of flowers I’d bought from the flower barrow outside Ed’s hotel. Her bedroom door was shut and I didn’t feel like an odd goodbye, so I left quietly and got back into the waiting cab.
I dreamed my way to the airport and most of the flight home; mushy, girlie thoughts about the last few hours with Ed and the possibilities of a future with him. After the meal, I dozed for a bit, which proved to be less pleasant—dreams of Slim screaming and Bon Ames strangling me. I woke with a jolt, scaring the gentleman next to me, and told myself proper sleep could wait until I was alone and free to have nightmares.
I drank tea and coffee for the rest of the trip home and was on my seventeenth wind by the time I picked up my luggage from the carousel and went outside to hail a taxi.
As the driver loaded my case into the boot, a figure carrying a small backpack sauntered up and got into the back seat.
‘Oi!’ said the driver.
‘It’s okay,’ I said. ‘He’s with me.’ I got in next to Wal Grominsky and leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek.
‘Boss!’ he said in an admonishing tone.
The taxi driver got in the front. ‘Where to?’
‘Euccy Grove police station, please,’ I said.
Wal frowned.
‘Liv reported you as a missing person. I promised Bligh I’d come in for an interview about it. Best if she sees you in the flesh.’
He sighed, nodded, put his head back on the seat and went to sleep.
Thankfully the taxi driver didn’t make conversation, so I listened to the radio and thought over the Brisbane trip. Slim was safe now at least, and with all the media attention around the attempted murder, Stuart would be too hot to go near for a while without raising all sorts of flags. The problem of his house being in the way of organised crime groups’ land development still remained, though. Or did it?
‘Could you please turn up the radio?’ I asked.
The cabbie obliged and I caught the end of the news item.
‘. . . attempt on a Brisbane minister’s life last night was foiled by a homeless man. Antonio Messo, the victim, was set upon in his own home by a criminal who tried to cut his throat.
‘The homeless man, hearing screams, went in to help Brisbane’s Environment Minister and together they fought off the attacker. Messo has been helping federal police with an investigation into a land development deal thought to involve an area of heritage-listed properties. According to sources, Messo’s wife moved out of their home last week when he came under investigation. The homeless man could not be found for comment.’
‘Shit,’ I said softly. I’d been saying it a lot lately.
‘Homeless man, eh?’ said Wal enigmatically, his eyes still closed. ‘Would never have picked Harvey as homeless.’
I leaned back on the seat and took a deep breath. Wal and I needed to have a long talk. The details could wait until later but there were some things I had to know now.
‘So why did you disappear and how the hell did you turn up like that?’ I asked.
‘I thought Viaspa was coming for me over some past history.’
‘The Adelaide road trip?’
I got a sideways glance. ‘Stu fill you in?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Yeah, well I figured there’d be a reason for it coming up now, and wondered if Stuart’s problems were connected.’
‘You knew all that
before I went!’ I admonished him.
His mouth twisted into something that might have been a sly grin, but it was hard to tell with Wal. ‘Had always planned to come over and keep an eye on you. Just thought I’d do it from a distance. In case I had it wrong.’
‘So you’ve been following me ever since I got here?’
‘Pretty much. Took the next flight after you. Saw Harvey outside the club after that press thing you had. Knew then some big shit was going down.’
I lowered my voice. ‘So he does work for ASIO?’
He shrugged. ‘Or something like it. Sussed that back when we used to come to those groups of yours.’
‘You never said.’
‘You never asked.’
I thought about that for a bit. ‘So was your road trip with Stu and the land development connected?’
‘In a way,’ he said, lowering his voice as well. ‘That shipment we “lost” had been supplied by the KAs. Machete and Viaspa were trying to do business with them. Things went pretty sour when it disappeared. KAs wanted their money, blah blah. Fast forward a year and a bit and now they wouldn’t spit on each other in a fire. Machete didn’t want them in on the land deal.’
‘Whew. That’s one tangled web.’
He lifted his shoulders in indifference and laid his head back on the seat again.
That reminded me to switch my phone back on. Messages beeped in fast and furiously. There was a long text from Stuart saying Slim was surprisingly okay and that the reviews on the gig were so good he’d had two enquiries already about adding new dates to the tour. He’d see me in a few days as the Perth winery had confirmed. Thanks, Tara, from the bottom of my heart, the message finished. Slim says he wants to book you for his US tour when he goes back.
God, no!
The next was a hysterical voice message from Liv.
I cut that one short and curtly told Wal to ring her. He feigned sleep, ignoring me.
The next was from Smitty, as hysterical as Liv and threatening to throw herself off the Cottesloe groyne for the sharks to eat if I didn’t tell her something today.
I texted her back and said I would be at her house in an hour.
The phone rang and I answered without thinking.
‘Sharp?’
‘Constable Bligh. I’m in the taxi on the way to Euccy Grove station as promised,’ I said.
‘Look, don’t come in now, something’s come up. I’ll call you with another time.’
‘Someone here you should speak to.’ I shoved my phone under Wal’s ear. ‘Talk to the good constable.’
Several short exchanges later, he handed me back the phone. ‘Sorted. No longer a missing person.’
I told the taxi driver we wanted to change destination and he punched Liv’s address into his GPS. When we arrived, Wal got out without a word and gave me a finger-roll wave.
‘See you tomorrow for a full debrief,’ I said, not envying him the next few hours. My aunt was gorgeous and charming but she was more ferocious than my mother when she got riled.
‘Where to now?’ my unimpressed taxi driver asked. With a sinking heart I gave him Smitty’s address.
Between Liv’s and Smitty’s I checked in with Mr Hara.
‘You back, Missy?’
‘Back and tired.’
‘You go well?’ he asked.
‘Kinda. Just heading over to Smitts’ place. Any change in status?’
‘Not much. Not looking good for Mr Smitty.’
‘Okay, thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow.’
‘Make sure you do. I got work coming up my nose.’
‘Out your ears,’ I corrected, and hung up.
Walking up Smitty’s drive after I’d paid the taxi driver was one of the worst feelings I’d had in a long time; worse than being locked in a room next to a bunch of violent criminals, as bad as seeing Slim dangling in the air.
I dragged my feet as I tried to work out a plan. Get Henry alone, give him a bollocking, and then tell him to lie to Smitts was the best I could come up with. Oh, and tell him I’d have Wal chop him into little bits if he ever went near the Bussey bitch again.
Henry answered the door when I knocked. ‘Sharpy,’ he said. ‘Come on in. How was Brissie?’
My plan came undone right about then and all the frustration and fear and anger of the last week exploded out of me. I punched him fair in the mouth.
Henry was neither robust nor a fighter, nor was he expecting to be king hit by his best friend. He went down like a demolished house.
‘How could you!’ I bellowed down at his shocked face.
As I lined up for a walloping great kick Smitty ran down the corridor towards us.
‘T! T! Stop!’
I stared blankly at her. ‘What?’
She stepped over Henry and shoved her hand in my face. I was almost blinded by a sparkling diamond the size of a sugar plum.
‘Uh?’ I managed.
‘It’s my anniversary present. Henny just gave it to me. He got it imported especially. And guess who from? Belle Bussey. You remember her from school? Well, she has connections in South Africa. Henny didn’t want to use her because he knows how I feel about her, but she’s the best wholesaler around. He wanted the best for me.’
‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Hen, are you alright?’
He was holding his jaw, which was hanging at a funny angle. ‘I fink is boken.’
Suddenly the kids were on us.
‘Tara broke Daddy’s jaw,’ squealed Xavier.
‘I told you she’d beat Daddy in a fight,’ said Jo.
‘Dad will sue you for this,’ said Claire gravely.
Smitty stared at me helplessly.
‘Shit,’ I said.
•
The trip to the hospital and ensuing hours were filled with much guilt and apologising and totally inappropriate fits of the giggles, the latter had by Smitty and me as Henry was wheeled off to surgery to have his jaw pinned. Then came the tears and the waiting for the news that the surgery had gone well and, finally, somewhere around dinner time, I got to go home.
I cheeped at the birds as I staggered down the driveway and they cheeped back, pleased to see me.
As soon as I got in the door, I locked the world out and flopped on my bed. It took a while for my head to stop spinning, but eventually I fixed on the few hours Ed and I had spent together, and let myself feel happy that things in my love life were at least sorting themselves out.
I was almost asleep when my phone rang. I nearly didn’t answer it but then I saw it was Tozzi. Whatever he wanted to tell me must be important. I hoped his mum hadn’t got sick.
‘’Lo,’ I whispered.
‘Tara, are you home? Are you alright?’
‘Yes. And yes. Just beat. I was going to ring you after I had a nap.’
‘I know,’ he said thickly. ‘But I just had to hear your voice.’
I raised myself up on my elbows. ‘Nick, what’s wrong?’
‘Nothing’s wrong, and everything’s right.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I wanted to say this in person but I can’t wait any longer. You have to know.’
‘Know what?’
‘Antonia and I have separated. I’ve left her because . . . because . . . Tara, I want you in my life.’
Shit!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A big thanks to Jud Campbell aka Sheldon D’Arc who let me bribe him with beer to talk about all things musical. To Ian Amos for all those great contacts. Thanks also to my sons Ivan, Marcus and Jules who find their mother’s eclectic tastes inexplicable but love me despite it.
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