The Deception (5 page)

‘He has a daughter that he doesn’t see. I think the mother has sole custody. Other than that, I don’t really know. He lived alone, talked about his favourite football team and loved betting on the dogs. I feel bad that I didn’t really know him much outside of work.’

The lump in Jaz’s throat seemed to grow with each fleeting second. She needed to get away from the picture of Tommy. The way Marcus had drawn him, he seemed so full of life. His eyes glistened and the creases on his face were happy lines, as if he’d recently been laughing. If Jaz kept staring at this any longer she was going to lose it. Already she was fighting back the tears. ‘I just need to use the bathroom,’ she said, tucking her crutches firmly under her arms. ‘Be right back.’

The click of her crutches against the solid floor echoed around the house but Jaz pressed on faster, past Carl’s closed door to the toilet. Once inside she bent over and sucked in deep breaths. After ten big ones she righted herself, only to see her reflection in the mirror. Who was that girl she saw? She didn’t look like a killer. Instead, she looked like a scared girl with red-rimmed eyes and a grim line for a mouth. Jaz clutched the end of the sink and leant closer to the mirror, as if hoping to see into her soul through her blue eyes. Could Marcus see her inner torment? Was she doing a good enough job of hiding it all? Was she strong enough to continually fight the feelings that plagued her? Her reflection could answer none of her questions.

Turning on the tap, Jaz washed her face with the cool water. She used the plush hand towel to pat her face dry before squaring up her shoulders, pasting on a smile and leaving the sanctuary of the bathroom. All she knew is that she had to keep going. At night in her bed was when she was allowed to fall apart. Until then, she had a job to do.

Chapter 4

Jaz asked Marcus to take her home ten minutes later, saying she had a big headache, which she blamed on her skateboard stack. Marcus, being so nice, totally understood and drove her back to her house.

After she waved him goodbye she didn’t go back to her room and lie down. Instead, she went into the house in search of pen and paper while putting her phone to her ear.

‘Hi Tay. Are you busy? Can you pick me up and take me to the cemetery please? Oh, thank you. See you soon.’ He was still at The Ring but said he’d come straight over. Jaz only had five minutes so she quickly wrote out a short message for the Agency, listing the two names she thought should be investigated further. She didn’t bother with a code this time as it would be too hard with their names. Hopefully she wouldn’t be in trouble for cutting corners.

With the small note tucked in her hand, she hobbled back outside to wait for Taylor. The rumble of his Mustang could be heard long before he turned into the driveway.

‘Need a ride?’ he said with a smile.

‘You will get sick of me soon. Hopefully as soon as I can put some weight on my leg I’ll get back driving,’ she said, after fitting herself and her metal legs inside the car.

‘I don’t mind.’ Tay looked relaxed with his shirt sleeves rolled up. How he managed to make a plain white school shirt look cool was something she’d never be able to duplicate. He wore his dark sunnies and she wondered if his smile reached his eyes. ‘How did it go with Marcus? Did he say anything?’

‘Where’s Anna?’ Now she understood why he was so keen to come pick her up.

His lips stretched into a thin line. ‘She’s with Pax. I managed to convince her to stay and that I’d be back. She’s taking this protection thing a little seriously.’

‘She cares about you, we all do.’ Jaz sucked in a breath. ‘I guess you want to know what happened with Marcus, right?’

Tay stopped at a red light before he turned to her, lifting his glasses. ‘How bad was it? Are we safe?’

Jaz let his words sink in. Are we safe? From others or from ourselves, she wondered. ‘I think so. Rich, the other guy, is okay but I don’t think he can make me out. Seems to think I’m a guy so that’s good I guess. Carl isn’t taking it well, all the extra attention at the warehouse and worrying what the cops might find out. He’s really crabby and Marcus is tiptoeing around him.’

‘Man, it’s all so weird. I really like Marcus.’ Tay let out a breath.

‘I know. I really like him too. I guess you can’t help who your family is, hey?’

‘Yeah. I guess it’s no different to finding out your dad is leaking information to the bad guys,’ said Tay.

Jaz reached over and gripped his shoulder. ‘Hang on, your dad’s only doing that to protect you. I’m sure he’s working hard to find a way out. Imagine the pressure he’s under. He’s not a bad cop, Tay, you know that.’

Tay eventually nodded and fell silent for a few minutes. ‘What about the bullets? Did they find them at the warehouse?’

‘I don’t know. They know there were two of us due to the shots in … um, Tommy.’ Jaz shivered at saying his name. She just couldn’t connect the nice Tommy she’d met to the one she’d ended up killing.

‘But they have nothing on me?’ said Tay, his voice straining.

Jaz shook her head. They sat in silence until they reached the cemetery. ‘I’ll keep my ears open and I’ll let you know everything they find. Hopefully nothing can trace back to us.’

‘What if they find something, Jaz? Maybe someone saw my car?’

‘Unless they can put your car at that warehouse, then you were just driving past minding your own business. Besides, once they see you’re a cop’s son and just eighteen, they’ll dismiss it.’

Who would think an eighteen year old capable of murder? Sure, there were some bad dangerous kids in gangs and stuff but once they saw squeaky clean Taylor they wouldn’t believe it. Even Jaz was struggling with the notion and she was a witness to both their crimes.

Taylor turned off the motor and they got out, heading to her sister’s grave. The note was still safely in her hand and she hoped her sweaty palms wouldn’t ruin it. The first thing she did when they got there was to put the note inside the flower she’d left there last time.

‘What did you just do?’ Tay asked, his brow creased.

‘Why? What did it look like?’ She was curious. If Tay could tell, could others.

‘I don’t know. You were fiddling with the flower, but knowing you, you were up to something.’

Jaz put her arm around Tay and leant in close. ‘I was leaving a little note for the Agency,’ she whispered.

Taylor nodded. ‘Do you regret it, Jaz? Do you feel like you’re different now?’ His words were sad and devoid of emotion.

But Jaz was packed full of emotion. It was accumulating like a pressure valve. Since the shooting, since Pakistan, since going back into the Sinclair house, she was holding in everything. In the safety of Tay’s arms the cracks began to weaken. A tear slipped out and down her cheek as she stared at the grassy ground. ‘I don’t know what I should feel or think anymore, Tay,’ she said as she began to tremble. ‘I look in the mirror and I see myself but I don’t see me, if you know what I mean? Something has changed. Inside I’m not the same.’ She bit her lip, trying to keep a grip on her tears. ‘I don’t know how to deal with the fear, or the nightmares, or the fact that I’m lying to Anna, and now I’ve brought you into this. The guilt is sometimes worse than the fear.’

Lifting her head, she found understanding in Taylor’s blue eyes, which were glassy and red-rimmed.

Tay wiped away her tears with his fingers while blinking back his own. ‘I’ve never seen you so upset, Jaz. I don’t like it,’ he said before his tears escaped. ‘But never doubt for a second who you are, Jaz, because Anna and I don’t. We know you. You are fearless, strong and our best friend. You fight for the underdog and we love that about you.’ Tay kissed her forehead and then enfolded her tightly in his arms in a hug that gripped them both. Her crutches dug into her sides but she hardly registered them. ‘I know a little of what you’re going through,’ he whispered against her ear. ‘We’ll get through it together. You’re not alone, ever.’

‘And neither are you, Tay,’ she said between hiccups.

They stayed like that, clinging to each other as silent tears eased some of their burdens. Her arms were beginning to ache for holding him so hard.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Jaz lifted her head from Tay’s shoulder and wiped away her tears, only to see Ryan standing there awkwardly.

‘Ryan, what are you doing here?’ she said, quickly stepping out of Tay’s embrace. She felt like she’d been caught out, for being with Tay and for being weak. Ryan had seen enough of her weaknesses already.

Taylor didn’t turn around, just stayed facing the grave and wiping his face slyly.

‘I came to see you. Are you both okay?’

Ryan’s deep gravelly voice caressed her, his concern nearly starting a fresh batch of tears. ‘Yeah, we’re alright.’ She glanced around the cemetery before returning back to Ryan and his muscled arms. ‘How did you know we were here?’ she asked. His eyes went to the flower on Becky’s grave. He had eyes everywhere.

‘Can we talk?’ he asked, causing Taylor to finally turn around. ‘Taylor, I’ll take Jaz home, if that’s alright with you?’

Tay turned to Jaz. She nodded. ‘I’ll call you later.’ He reached for her hand, gave it a squeeze and they shared a smile. This moment had been a release for them both.

‘Later.’ Taylor gave Ryan a brief wave before walking off through the cemetery. Jaz watched him leave, not yet ready to face Ryan’s questions.

‘Are you two—’ his words fell away into emptiness.

‘Helping each other to deal with what we’ve been through? Yeah, we are,’ she said, rather harshly. Her emotions were still simmering underneath the surface, not yet back in her tightly locked box. But her anger dissipated a few seconds later when she felt the heat from Ryan’s body directly behind her. She had to use all her strength not to lean back into his chest. To seek out the comfort she knew she could find there.

‘I’m glad you have someone to help you through it.’ His gentle words floated over her right shoulder.

Neither of them moved even though Jaz was acutely aware of how close he was. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed his scent that calmed her like a relaxing bubble bath. ‘How did you know we were here?’ she eventually asked.

‘We have eyes everywhere, Jaz. Not just agents but people who go about their daily jobs and collect information for us.’

‘So someone at the cemetery works for the Agency?’ she said, finally turning to him. In the late afternoon, Ryan looked more dangerous and sexy than usual. His brief nod was his only reply. Jaz so badly wanted to glance around her. How many people worked at the cemetery and which one reported back when she left messages? How the Agency worked was amazing. ‘So. What did you want to talk about?’

‘Come, let’s walk back to my car,’ he said, reaching for her arm.

His touch was temporary, his fingers dropping away once they started towards the pathway.

‘What was it like at Marcus’s?’ he asked.

Yes, work. It always was. ‘Fine. No one was out to charge me for murder,’ she tried to joke but it came out flat. ‘I did come across two names in Carl’s briefcase that might be of interest.’

‘His briefcase?’ His tone was warning.

‘It’s okay, I was careful. I wasn’t caught.’ Jaz went on to tell him about the customs forms and her theory on Carl having someone on the inside. ‘I also found a business card for Jameson Figlomeni.’

Ryan stopped her. ‘Are you sure on that name?’ he asked, a little too gruffly.

‘Yes. Why?’

‘No reason,’ he said, and began walking again.

Jaz felt a spark of fury begin to burn in the pit of her stomach because she knew Ryan was holding something back. ‘Do you know that name? Have you been watching him? Why won’t you tell me?’

‘The less you know the better,’ was all he said. ‘Come on, I have someone who wants to meet you.’

Jaz gritted her teeth and almost stamped her foot in frustration. She hated not knowing all the details. ‘One day I hope you can tell me, or at least trust me with it.’

Ryan strode to his car, his pace steady while he replied. ‘Jaz, it’s not about trust, it’s about keeping you alive.’

Ryan drove as all the streetlights began to come on in the dying afternoon light. He pulled up outside a church fifteen minutes later. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t mutter a word, even though she was curious as to who would want to meet her and why in a church. Was it a priest? Was he going to save her soul? Would he try to get her to repent her sins, because murder was a bloody big one and saying a few Hail Mary’s probably wasn’t going to cut it?

‘Now, this is a pretty big deal. The commander is an amazing guy, he’s our senior rank and also one who has personally helped me. Jaz, this guy doesn’t just meet people for the hell of it. He’s heard about what you’ve done, the info you’ve got us, and he’s intrigued.’

The smile on Ryan’s face was full of pride and Jaz felt her body glow with warmth. ‘So this is a good thing?’

‘Yes. It’s an honour, Jaz. The commander received the medal of Legion of Honour for his services in North Africa from the French Foreign Legion in Djibouti, and was also honoured by our own Queen.’

‘Like as in the Queen of England Queen?’ His smile confirmed it. ‘Really? Wow, that’s amazing,’ said Jaz in disbelief.

‘Yep. His Queen’s Honour is held on the secret list in Whitehall London. He had seen so many things, Jaz, and what he’s taught me on various missions has saved my life more than once.’

Jaz took a moment for this to sink in. ‘So a French Foreign Legion honour … you guys really must get around.’ Her brow scrunched with the thought.

‘We’re not just a small Perth agency thing, Jaz. It’s a worldwide connection we have, working with other countries to complete certain missions requested of us. It’s been going on for years.’

Goosebumps prickled along her skin. Jaz felt just a little bit important and it made her feel proud to be a part of this organisation. People like Ryan worked hard, offered up their life, gave up their families all to save others. Now she was training to be one of them. ‘Have you got any awards or medals?’

‘I have. One from a foreign country last year for leading a platoon on a live operation with successful results.’