Jealous Storm

by Jack Stroke

  The car came to a stop outside cabin three. Amber wandered over, in no hurry. She didn’t knock on the window or anything. She just waited. They would get out eventually.

  The trees swayed gently in the breeze. Such a simple thing. The movement of the shadows dancing on the grass. The sun poking its way in and out between the leaves. Not the sort of thing Amber would usually notice. How could she not? It was so beautiful.

  “See what I mean?” Megan said, opening her door. “She’s like stepping in gum. There’s no getting rid of her.”

  Amber smiled.

  “What, couldn’t you find the café? Or did you just beat us back here?”

  “That’s pretty much the same joke you made earlier, Megan,” Amber said.

  “Still funny.”

  Judging from his smirk, Ellis agreed.

  “Why are you standing there? What do you want, Beetroot?”

  “I just need a quick word with Ellis.”

  “First Mum, now Ellis? What are you trying to do? Turn the world against me?”

  “It’s not actually about you, Megan. Not everything is.”

  “Anything you’ve got to say to Ellis, you can say to me.”

  “Actually, you’re right. This should probably be to both of you. I just wanted to apologise.”

  The couple exchanged a glance.

  “About what?”

  “Everything. Look, Ellis, I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but that should be the keyword, shouldn’t it? Past. Twenty years later and I’m still going with this nonsense? It’s ridiculous. Childish. I can’t believe how I’ve been behaving, so I’m sorry.” She turned to Megan. “Megan, all I want is for you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “Whatever. Leave it out.”

  “It’s true.”

  “You try and hug me, I’m gonna punch you.”

  “Fair enough. Look, if you two are happy together, that’s great and I’m sorry for not realising that earlier.”

  For a few awkward moments everyone stood, no idea what to say.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Megan asked eventually. “Have you got cancer or something?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  Ellis watched Amber. He may have been silent, but she could see his mind working overtime, calculating behind his eyes.

  Was there anything else to say? Not that Amber could think of. “Anyway, hope you had a good brunch. I’m off to enjoy this beautiful day.”

  She left them standing there, staring at one another.

  58

  Amber found herself wandering towards the pier, a magnetic attraction drawing her to Vaughan. What should she tell him? She had the urge to tell him everything. Everything. Explain it all, from Ellis’ attack right up to the here and now. About how being attacked scared her so much she vowed never to be powerless again. How she joined Diamond Logistics, learned how to fight. How to kill. How she became…

  Maybe that was a bit much. She should at least tell him about her talk with Joan and her new attitude with Ellis. Thank him, because, as usual, he helped so much.

  That seemed like a lot of talking. Maybe they could just have sex instead. Really good sex.

  Except wandering down the pier to his berth, his boat wasn’t there. Fear rocketed through her chest. Had Vaughan gone? Just up and left her? She wasn’t sure what was worse - the concern he had or the realisation how attached she was getting to him. She assured herself any fear was irrational. He had just taken the boat out. Gone fishing somewhere. It was a boat. That’s what it’s for. It didn’t help.

  Maybe Grubby knew. She made her way back to the bait shop. The odour wasn’t getting any better.

  “Hey, Grubs. Do you know where Vaughan is?” she asked, doing her utmost to keep her voice casual.

  “Fishing, I reckon.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I would have thought too.”

  Grubby moved around the counter.

  “Hey, listen. While I’m here. I wanted to say thanks for our talk the other day and your offer to help me with…”

  Her voice trailed away, distracted. What was he doing?

  Grubby shut the bait shop door, locking them in. Was he about to try something with her? She hoped not, for his sake. Amber tried to get her head together. Ignoring his actions.

  “Anyway, thanks for the offer of help. I wasn’t at my best or thinking clearly.”

  “You’re always at your best, aren’t ’cha?”

  “Nice of you to say but I wasn’t the other day. Whatever, I appreciate you being there to help out.”

  His face fell. “Wait, does this mean you don’t want me help anymore? What about the drugs?”

  “Didn’t Vaughan speak to you?”

  “Yeah, but…” He scoffed. “You don’t think I’d take any notice of what Mr Bloody Goody-two-shoes says, do you?”

  “Yeah, I do. Or did.”

  “Whatever. Suit yourself.”

  “It was a bad idea, Grubby. Like I said, I wasn’t myself.”

  “You sure?”

  “I am.”

  “I would have thought more of you,” he said, clicking his tongue.

  “Sorry to disappoint.”

  He pulled open the drawer under the counter. “What am I gonna do with this then?”

  Grubby tossed Amber a bag. The clear plastic fitted snugly in her palm. The tightly packed powder had a distinct pink hue. Pink heroin. Amber had seen this before. The colour was slightly duller than she’d encountered previously, having been cut with something else. Definitely the same though. The same heroin Amber had destroyed when she killed Ava. The same as she and Ben had found in the Cards ’n Care warehouse.

  “Grubby. Where did you get this?”

  “I got me sources. I’m… What did you call me? Man in town? Did the Grubster come through or what?”

  “Yes, you definitely came through.”

  Pink heroin. Not good. There were only a couple of possibilities as to where this could have come from.

  Amber managed to convince Grubby to let her hold on to it, even though she didn’t have any money on her, reasoning he knew where she lived. He wasn’t happy but finally acquiesced (not that Grubby would have had the first clue what acquiesced meant). Grubby having that much heroin was like a two-year-old having a loaded gun.

  “And there’s more where that came from.”

  “Good. Because we will have to have a serious conversation about that later.”

  “About what?”

  “About where this came from.”

  “You know I can’t reveal me sources.”

  That was fair enough. She couldn’t reveal too much either. But he would. Grubby just didn’t know it yet.

  Amber hurried back to Paradise by the Bay faster than people generally did anything in Paradise Cove.

  59

  It took a while to get Mother on the phone. When she did, Amber first apologised about the whole business with Ellis and the background check, assuring Mother she was thinking clearly once more. Mother accepted her apology, and Amber got to the point of the call.

  “Bad news. I’ve come across some heroin down here.”

  “Not entirely surprising. Port Simmons is —”

  “It’s pink.”

  Mother paused, processing. “Same as the heroin you destroyed.”

  “Exactly. Too quick for them to be back in business.”

  “We agree. A rogue batch maybe?”

  “Leftover, you mean? Maybe. There are more likely possibilities though.”

  “Such as?”

  “There were drugs in the warehouse that I raided when Ben almost got shot. Drugs the police should have taken care of.”

  In the silence that followed, Amber became aware there was someone there. Outside cabin six. It wasn’t clear if she heard them or sensed their presence.

  “Call you back,” she said to Mother.

  Could it be Ralph again? She took a moment to ensure she was actually awake. She w
as reasonably sure she was. Occasionally she encountered the dead when she was awake, although it was rare.

  Should she grab her Sig? Just in case? It was Paradise Cove, so most likely nothing to be concerned about. The heroin had her on edge. Plus instinct told her pure evil was on the other side of the door. Amber opened it to find a familiar figure slinking about.

  “What do you want, Ellis?”

  “Wow, that didn’t last long, even for you. What happened to the happy ‘everything is fine’ Amber? ‘We’re all best buddies around here’ Amber?”

  It took a moment to twig what Ellis was on about.

  “I enjoyed your little speech earlier. Nice touch, apologising to me.”

  “I meant it.”

  “Sure you did. It won’t work, you know. Whatever this new game is.”

  “No game, Ellis. I’m not playing anymore.”

  “You can’t not play. All you do is play. You’re just not very good.”

  She said nothing.

  “So, what? You’re going to pretend to like me from now? That’s the big plan?”

  “Ellis, I couldn’t even pretend to like you. You’re repellent. But what I’m not going to do is engage. Or stand in your way.”

  “See, you can say that all you want.” He stood too close, invading Amber’s personal space. She was surprised how evocative Ellis’ scent was, even after all these years. In times gone by, such close contact would have been exhilarating. Then terrifying. Now it was irritating.

  “You’re obsessed with me. You’ve always been obsessed with me. Not your fault. You can’t help it.”

  He ran a finger down her cheek, tracing her facial scar. What was his endgame here? To make her snap? She was tempted to break his finger off. Was that what he wanted? So he could go crying to Megan and Joan?

  “Please don’t touch me,” she said, taking a step back. “Pretty tricky with the phones the other day. I was impressed. You sent yourself those messages, didn’t you?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His smirk suggested something entirely different.

  “You knew I would check your phone. That I couldn’t help it and would follow you to the motel and make a complete fool of myself. It was clever. But I told you, I’m done with all that nonsense.”

  “See, I don’t think you are. You can pretend you’re not going to play all you like, Amber, but we both know that’s not true. That you can’t help yourself, even if you want to.”

  “Is that what all this is to you, Ellis? One big game?”

  “That’s all it ever been between you and me. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

  “Goodbye, Ellis.” Amber moved back inside cabin six.

  Goodness, how had she let this jerk get under her skin for so long?

  60

  “Tell me why we’re doing this again?”

  “It will be fun.”

  They both knew this was a lie.

  “We just should. This is me making an effort, okay?”

  Vaughan shrugged and continued to get dressed. This was after Amber had gone to see Grubby and paid him for the heroin, but made it quite clear this wasn’t over. The two of them were going to have a serious conversation about it. The conversation could wait. For now. It was a longer-term issue. Not one Amber could fix tonight.

  And after she had called Mother back, who had agreed the heroin could wait.

  And this was after Amber felt way too much relief to discover Vaughan’s boat back in at usual berth, just like always.

  “Are you actually going to make it this time?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I’ve been to the Half with you twice. Both times you were long gone before the food even arrived.”

  She put her hands in the pocket of his pants and pulled him close before he could get his shirt on.

  “I promise I’ll make it until all the food is gone.”

  He had a lovely body, one she felt she was becoming more and more acquainted with.

  “You’ve got the best forearms, you know that?”

  “Why do I feel like everything is a game with you three?”

  “That’s the point. I’m done. I’m not playing with Ellis anymore. That’s why dinner.”

  Vaughan gave her a nod which meant nothing.

  Amber found herself surprisingly nervous walking into the Half, no idea if she could actually manage to be nice to Ellis for an entire evening. She need not have worried. Megan and Ellis were bickering when they arrived and things went downhill from there. Amber remained polite and friendly, asking Ellis about the past twenty years, what he had been up to and anything else she could think of. The more she questioned him, the more disgruntled Megan became.

  “Why don’t you leave him alone?” Megan said eventually.

  “Sorry?”

  “Why keep badgering him?”

  “I’m interested in what he’s been up to.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Ellis didn’t have a lot to tell. Either he hadn’t done a whole lot in the last twenty years or he didn’t want to say.

  “And you’re enjoying Paradise Cove?”

  “God,” Megan butted in. “All these questions. You’re worse than Joan.”

  “She’s just being friendly,” Vaughan said.

  “Oh, what a surprise. Who’d have guessed you’d stick up for her.” Megan downed her drink in one mouthful.

  They dissolved into silence. Eventually it was Vaughan who filled it.

  “What are your plans, Ellis? Think you’ll hang about?”

  “Yeah, planning to.”

  He put an arm around Megan. She flinched like his touch burned.

  “What sort of work will you look for?”

  “Dunno. Maybe I could just do odd jobs at Paradise by the Bay and stuff.”

  “What? We never discussed that.”

  “I dunno. Just thinking. It’s not a bad idea though.”

  “Whatever.” Megan pushed his arm away. She sat for about another ten seconds before storming out.

  “Meegs… Meegs…” Ellis called after her. “Where’s she going?”

  The door swung shut. Ellis looked from Amber and back, lost. Finally he got up and followed her.

  “One day everyone is going to stay until the end of the meal.”

  “You think she’s leaving?”

  “The toilets are that way.” Vaughan pointed the other direction. “She doesn’t smoke, does she? No other reason to go outside.”

  “Was it something we said?”

  Vaughan shrugged.

  “Oh well. You might get three meals instead of just one.”

  “Plus, you’re having dinner with me. Just like a date.”

  “I would happily go to dinner with you if you want.”

  “Sure.”

  “Hey. You haven’t asked.”

  “No point. I know what you’d say.”

  Later, when Amber was at the bar, she felt someone standing that bit too close. Instinct told her to pop them in the throat. Quick, decisive action.

  “You still stink of sweat and stale beer, you know that, Ellis?”

  “Very clever, Amber.”

  “Just an observation. Although I guess it was better than my usual comebacks.”

  “You think you’ve won, don’t you?”

  “Ellis, I told you. I’m not playing anymore.”

  “This is not over.” He moved closer, digging his fingers into her forearm. His warm breath tickled her ear. “I hear Ben is getting back tomorrow.”

  “So?”

  “I’m sure he would be interested to hear all about his precious godmother.”

  “Hey,” came Vaughan’s voice from behind. “Let go of her.”

  “Oh yeah? Who’s gonna make me?”

  “No one’s gonna make you. You’re just gonna do it. You don’t grab women like that.”

  Amber enjoyed the sternness in Vaughan’s tone.

  Ellis let go and took a step towards Vaughan.

&n
bsp; “Go on then. Hit me, tough guy.”

  Vaughan scoffed. “What? No one is gonna hit you, mate. I think it’s about time you went home.” He led Amber back to the table, leaving Ellis standing there like a fool.

  “My hero.”

  “Yeah, like you couldn’t have broken his hand in five places.”

  They sat at the same time as the food arrived. The meals looked great, yet Amber wasn’t hungry. Somehow Ellis had managed to crawl his way behind her defences once more.

  Ben. She hadn’t thought of that.

  61

  Way down below the land looked so neat. Ordered into patterns by farming, sliced up by the occasional roads, themselves little more than thin black lines. And every so often a house or a town or a small city.

  Ben felt Shake before he saw him, hovering too close, gazing out Ben’s window.

  “Everything looks so small down there, doesn’t it? What’s that thing they say astronauts get? You know, from being up so high?”

  Ben shrugged.

  “Didn’t you go to school? What did they teach you?”

  “Not that.”

  “The Overview Effect.”

  Not really much point asking Ben if Shake already knew the answer. Ben didn’t bother to point that out.

  “When you get out into space, they say that the perspective makes you re-evaluate your entire existence. The whole of the earth appears fragile and small. You realise in the greater scheme of things your problems are tiny and inconsequential.”

  Ben didn’t respond.

  “Maybe you need to be higher for that.”

  A car made its way along a liquorice road. Smaller than a matchbox car from this height. Shake returned to his seat.

  “You’re okay, Benny?” No response. “Talk to me. Are you okay?”

  “That’s two questions. You only get three.”

  “Haha. Funny. Besides, it was only one.”

  “You asked it twice.”

  “You want to talk about it, you know where I am.”

  Ben tried to hold his tongue. He didn’t really want to ask questions for fear of what the answers might be. Assuming Shake did answer.

  “Arms dealer or human trafficker?”