The Recruit (23 page)

‘Well, I’m here and I’m listening. What’s been going on, Ryan? You’ve been so up and down. And what’s with you and Pax?’

His eyes were a conflict of emotions, and she was struggling to read them.

‘I’ve been talking to my boss about you. MTG Agencies was started by Louis Montenegro many years ago. He was very rich and had connections with the government. He put his plan of running a secret agency that would work to keep drug dealers, terrorists and general bad people out of our country to the government, and MTG Agencies was born. They have a base in most states, so you can see how big it has become. Louis has since passed on but his family has continued what he started. His son, Louis Jnr, has just stepped aside to let his own son James take over some of the reins. That’s who I’ve been talking with. James is in Perth for a few weeks.’

‘Wow, that’s some story. It’s nice to know some people want to look out for others, you know. So what has Pax got to do with all this?’

‘Well, Pax wasn’t too happy knowing you and I had met. See Pax knows all about me, and when I told him I wanted to recruit you he wasn’t impressed.’

‘How come Pax knows about you? How can he…’ Jaz saw the look on Ryan’s face and the penny dropped. ‘Oh. Pax is one of you?’ Ryan confirmed it with a nod of his head. ‘No way. Really?’

‘Yes, really. Pax has been involved with MTG Agencies way longer than I have.’

Jaz rubbed her temple as she tried to understand. ‘All this time Pax has been an agent? Has he been out…’ Jaz couldn’t bring herself to say ‘killing people’. Not Pax, her big cuddly, cinnamon smelling adopted grandad.

Ryan laughed. ‘No Jaz. Pax is more an office type. He gets us documents, new IDs, alibis and anything computer-related. He can make a whole person appear on the net under a fake name and make it believable. It comes in handy when you are trying to infiltrate a gang.’

‘So Pax is like the computer geek of agents?’ She let out her breath. ‘It all begins to make sense. How Anna was able to print us those fake IDs using stuff she found at Pax’s place.’

Ryan signed. ‘Yes, Anna is a bit too clever for her own good. Maybe she’d like to work with Pax one day. What do you think?’

‘I think you better stop threatening to poach all my friends into your secret stuff,’ she said gruffly.

‘Fair enough.’

They sat in silence for a while. Jaz having so many questions but not sure which one to ask first. ‘So every time Pax has taken off, he’s been off doing stuff for you guys?’

Ryan nodded.

‘Is he ever in danger?’

‘No, not usually. Most of the time he will make up documents and leave them at our drop points for us to collect.’

‘That’s good to know.’ Jaz picked at her fingernails. ‘But you’re always in danger, aren’t you?’

‘Sometimes, yes. At the moment it’s not so bad, but sometimes if we get a lead on a drug cartel I go in undercover to try and infiltrate and it can go wrong.’

‘Like with Chris?’

Ryan swallowed hard. No answer was necessary.

Jaz wondered what things Ryan had to do to get inside these gangs. To prove he was one of them. Did he kill people? Did he use the drugs? She had no idea what it would be like. She only had movies to go off. She had always thought movies were make-believe but now wondered just how much of it was a variation of the truth.

‘So Pax wasn’t happy that you’d asked me to join?’

‘No. Of course he wasn’t. In his eyes, you’re his little granddaughter. To him it’s like I just handed over a gun to a ten-year-old. I can see where he’s coming from, I’d hate for someone to have recruited my sister. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I hadn’t recognised the potential you have. I’m trying to think of all the people you can save, Jaz. To me, that’s the bigger picture.’

‘It sounds like a noble job, an important job. But it comes with high risk. I just don’t know if I can do it.’ Jaz wrung her hands. She wanted to join, to be like Ryan but would she be digging her own grave? ‘Have many agents died?’

Ryan rubbed his hands down his jeans. ‘Jaz, I won’t lie to you. There have been a few, like Chris. But if you knew or could see all the people Chris had saved, you’d be amazed. And Chris knew what he was doing. He loved that he could get the bad guys off the streets.’ Over the road in the park, Ryan was watching a mother with her little girl running around. ‘He’d saved a boat load of girls, younger than you, from becoming prostitutes. They would have been treated badly but he saved them and that’s what kept him going. It’s what keeps me going. I’m looking after my country and its people. There is no greater job in my eyes.’

Jaz was watching Ryan as he spoke, the passion and fight in his eyes was alluring. Right then, she would have followed him to the ends of the earth.

‘What made you say yes?’ she asked.

He pressed his lips together before taking a breath. ‘Back in school my best mate brought some drugs to try out, it ended up killing him. So I jumped at the chance to stop these people who were trying to sell to kids. I guess I want to make the world a safer place.’

Jaz tried to imagine losing Tay or Anna the same way and she knew she’d be just like Ryan. She’d have said ‘yes’ to joining already.

‘Come on, I better get you back to school.’ He started his car and drove away from the park.

Outside the school walls, Ryan stopped. ‘I didn’t really thank you for getting my message for me either. You were amazing.’ He turned to smile at her. ‘You’d be brilliant on our team.’

Jaz wanted to bring up their kiss. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, but what did it mean to Ryan. Had he wished it had never happened?

‘About that night in the club,’ she said slowly.

‘It’s okay, Jaz. It’s just the adrenaline rush, I understand. It happens in our job.’

Damn it, no he didn’t, she wanted to say. Jaz was sure it was more than that. She knew it wasn’t just adrenaline. If anything, the adrenaline had just given her the courage to do what she’d been thinking about for a while now. Did Ryan’s reply mean he had forgotten it already?

‘Oh, okay,’ she mumbled as she grappled for the door handle. ‘See you later, I guess.’ With her parting words, she shut the door and watched him leave. Why did it feel like he’d driven away with her heart squished in the door?

Okay, so technically, getting out of the school was easier then getting back in. She’d had to convince the guard at the front doors that her mum had just dropped her off after a dentist’s appointment. Jaz even went to the extent of showing him her teeth. You gotta do what you gotta do!

None the less he’d let her go and now she was in her last class of the day. They were supposed to be reading the next chapter of text in Human Biology but Jaz had no interest in reading it. Her book sat open to the right page but inside it was the magazine Ryan had given her. She had his number but she didn’t know really what to text him and in the end thought the code would work best.

So she’d gone about finding the words through the magazine, which was a little harder than she thought. At first she wanted to say
I want to talk more
but she’d just about read the whole magazine without finding the word
talk
. She found
information
on the third page and decided to use that instead.

18-4-3 / 28-11-7 / 22-4-5 / 3-8-2

I need more information

Jaz didn’t bother texting her name, he had her number after all.

The siren went and Jaz sent the text and packed up. She met up with Anna just outside the main doors.

‘Hey, how did the lunch go? What can you report?’

Jaz put on a smile and tried to hide her anxiousness at wanting to hear from Ryan. ‘Yeah it was good. Had a chat and he told me much the same as Pax did. Just a few family problems at the moment but we are still friends. So what are you doing now?’

‘Whoa up, just friends?’ Anna queried as she studied Jaz through slit eyes. ‘You’re changing the subject, are you trying to hide some juicy goss? Did you kiss again?’

‘Of course we didn’t do anything like that. Actually I get the impression he doesn’t want to kiss me ever again. In fact I think he wants to pretend the first one didn’t happen.’ Jaz found the words hard to admit.

‘Oh, no. Really? That sucks,’ said Anna with a frown. ‘But I do think you like him more than Taylor, am I right?’ she said pointing her finger.

Jaz opened her mouth but no reply came. Anna was right, she did like Ryan. It was different to how she felt about Taylor. She would always love Taylor, they’d been best friends for ages, but did she want to date him? Not anymore. But Ryan, well he was a whole different ball game.

‘I mean, what’s not to like about Ryan, hunky saviour and all,’ Anna added.

‘Yeah, he is pretty cool.’ If only Anna really knew what Ryan was capable of.

‘That’s an understatement. So are you off to The Ring? Mum’s picking me up to take me to dance lessons! Dance lessons. Can you believe it? I mean how hard can it be? Don’t you just wrap your arms around a guy and shuffle from side-to-side?’

Jaz laughed as Anna did this dorkie side step move, her hair flicking about around her shoulders. ‘Maybe your mum is right; dance lessons might be good for you.’

Anna hit Jaz in the arm. ‘Bugger off.’ A horn sounded from the parking area. ‘Oh that’s Mum. Better go, don’t wanna be late as I might find some hunky dance teacher.’

‘Good luck with that,’ Jaz laughed as she waved goodbye.

When she turned onto the main road, Jaz started towards Ryan’s house. She had a vague memory of which area to go and was sure she’d find it when she got to the familiar streets. She pulled her hoodie out of her bag and put it on as the clouds had come over, threatening with rain.

Her legs were covered in goose pimples but she began to jog and knew she’d warm up soon enough. She just hoped Ryan was at home. She needed to see him.

An hour later she’d found his place, the only one in the street with a large fence hiding the whole yard and house. Jaz could remember waiting for the big roller door to open the night of the attack.

A few showers had passed overhead and Jaz was feeling a little cold and damp. What was worse was another dark cloud bearing rain was headed her way. After a quick glance up the street, Jaz scaled the Colorbond fence and fell into the garden on the other side. Lucky there were no rose bushes, instead she landed on a daisy bush and was now pulling yellow petals from her hair. Crap.

With quiet steps, she went to his side door and knocked on it. No answer. She turned and looked into his empty garage. No car. Bummer, she’d have to wait. Jaz sat down on the cement, circled her arms around her cold knees and rested her head against them. Her hair was wet around her face from where her hoodie didn’t cover. Jaz tucked a strand back behind her ear as her mind began firing off questions.

What was she going to ask him? Did you not like the kiss? No, she wanted to ask him about the agency, not the kiss. Would she meet this James guy? The sound of a car and the roller door screeching relieved her from her inner torment as she stood up and waited.

A few minutes later Ryan walked up to the door with a big paper bag in his hands.

‘Jaz!’ he said, spotting her over the top of his bag full of groceries.

Jaz felt like laughing, for some reason she’d never pictured Ryan shopping for groceries. He seemed too macho for such a menial job.

‘Hi.’

‘Don’t tell me you still remembered how to get here, after being here only once, in the dark, after an assault?’ He shook his head in disbelief.

Jaz shrugged it off. ‘I like to know where I’m going. I hope you don’t mind, I just needed to talk…you know.’

His eyes melted with warmth as he smiled. ‘I know…I got your coded text. Nice one, by the way.’ Ryan struggled to get his keys from his pocket without spilling his groceries.

‘You need a hand?’ asked Jaz.

Ryan held out his keys. ‘Sure, it’s the square key. Thanks, Jaz.’

She opened the door and let Ryan through before following him to the kitchen. He quickly put away his shopping under her watchful gaze then folded up the paper bag and stored it in his pantry, before touching Jaz’s arm lightly. ‘Come and sit, we’ll talk.’

He led her to the couch before heading off to the direction of his room.

‘Here you look cold. Put this on, at least it’s dry,’ he said throwing her a black jacket.

Jaz pulled off her wet hoodie, struggling with her numb fingers, then wrapped herself in Ryan’s jacket. Her shivering stopped at once. ‘Thanks.’ She put her wet hoodie on the table.

‘You didn’t bring my other jumper back by any chance?’

‘Sorry, I haven’t washed it yet,’ she said with a sly grin.

‘I bet,’ he said sarcastically, picking her bluff.

Ryan picked up a brown folder from a table and sat down a bit closer to Jaz, their legs just about touching.

‘What’s in that?’ she asked, the curiosity getting the better of her.

‘This is something I talked about with James.
If
you decide to join us, this would be something we would like you to be involved with.’

Jaz looked into her lap, her hands clasped together tightly. ‘Can I see it or do I have to pledge my loyalty first?’

He looked like he was going to touch her hand but changed his mind. ‘I can tell you about it.’

‘Well I’m listening, so lay it all on,’ she said to hide the growing heat in her cheeks. Did he realise just how much she wanted him to reach out and touch her, even to hold her and whisper everything will be alright? But their relationship wasn’t like that. With a sigh she added, ‘What have you got?’

Ryan fiddled with the folder. ‘We are after information about a certain guy who we think is involved with a company which we believe is a front for drug running. This guy has a son who is around your age. We’d need you to strike up a friendship with him and learn as much as possible about his father.’

‘What kind of friendship?’ she asked.

Ryan looked at the floor. ‘Whatever one gets you the most information.’

‘Oh.’

‘Jaz, you wouldn’t have to do anything you weren’t comfortable with. You don’t have to endanger yourself. We wouldn’t expect you to…’ Ryan trailed away.