The Recruit (8 page)

Ryan must have seen her panic as he put his hand on her shoulder kindly. ‘It’s okay, Jaz. Your secret’s safe with me.’ His attitude towards the IDs had taken a complete turn. It left her slightly confused.

His eyes flicked to the side as if something else was also holding his attention. ‘Look, I’ve gotta go, but please be careful tonight. Don’t leave your drink unattended.’ His eyes came back to her for a second and she saw fiery warmth in them. ‘A pretty girl like you could attract a heap of attention.’ He took his hand away, it paused by her hair as if he was going to touch it but then dropped quickly. With a deep breath, his eyes flicked back to the far corner of the room where the noise level had gone up. ‘Ah, shit.’

‘What?’ Jaz asked. ‘What’s up?’

Ryan’s eyes darted back to her and then back across the room. She couldn’t see over the heads of the people but Ryan could. She wondered what was going down. A fight?

His eyes came back to her again. ‘Can you do something for me?’ His gaze was serious and dark as if his life depended on this simple request.

‘Sure.’

Ryan bent down towards her ear. ‘I need to go sort out that fight, but can you go sit over there and watch that man in the corner? He has on a fedora and a white suit. Can you see him?’

Jaz glanced across to where he’d motioned with his eyes and caught sight of the man. He was hard to miss. He looked important and reeked of money. Maybe he owned the club? ‘Yeah.’ She nodded.

‘Keep your eyes on him and tell me if he meets up with anyone new. If he does, use this to take photos but pretend you are texting someone.’ He put his mobile into her hand. ‘Can you do that?’

‘Yeah, but — ?’

‘Look, I gotta go. Just do what you can. But I’ll be back, just make sure to watch him please. Thanks.’

Ryan disappeared. She was left surrounded by a dancing crowd and with his phone in her hand.
His
phone. This was all too weird.

Jaz moved through the crowd to the bar and bought herself another drink. She figured she couldn’t sit at a table and not be doing anything. She sat and made sure to be opposite the fedora guy.

Why would Ryan want her to watch this guy? Maybe he was the club owner and Ryan didn’t want to get caught doing something? Heck, was he out the back robbing this guy? Really, Jaz had no idea what she was doing. Could she be aiding a criminal?

She took a sip of her drink and fiddled with Ryan’s phone. It was plain, no pictures on the main screen, just the stock standard stuff. Jaz opened up the camera and aimed it at the fedora guy but made it look like she was just typing a text. As her heart rate increased, she checked the flash was off.

What the hell am I doing?

But before she could answer her own thoughts she saw movement at Fedora’s table. A guy in a black suit had joined them, shaking his hand. Jaz took a few happy snaps of them both. The photos wouldn’t be so great in the nightclub but you could just make out their faces from the single lights that hung down on a wire, low over each table.

She took another sip of her drink and then glanced around to see if she could spot Ryan. There looked like there was a big scuffle over by the far wall. God, she hoped Anna and Taylor weren’t near that. Far too much was going on at once.

Jaz glanced back to the table opposite her and just about panicked when she saw Fedora and black suit guy getting up to leave.

‘Oh shit, now what?’ she mumbled. Did she stay here or follow them? Come on Jaz, think quick, her brain screamed.

Leaving her drink, she got up and followed the men who were headed towards the toilet. Great, that’s where she was going too.

She practically ran into the corridor that led to the toilets, afraid to lose them. Crunch. She shouldn’t have stressed. They were chatting just behind the wall and she’d collided right into the guy in the black suit. Instinctively he reached out to steady her as she almost slid down him. Jaz gripped his arm and gathered herself, her heart racing. What an idiot!

He shrugged her off and withdrew his hand but not before she saw the small snake tattoo on his wrist. ‘Sorry,’ she said. It came out a bit wobbly from her nerves.

‘Here, take these and bugger off,’ he said as he pressed a small plastic bag into her hand and pushed her away.

That’s when Jaz realised they thought she was drunk or drugged. She’d never felt so relieved, as she dragged herself along the wall trying to keep up the appearance of being inebriated. She stayed close to the doorway, but hid behind a pole just in case they came back out. In her hands, the packet with pills — it scared her. Did that guy think he was doing her a favour by giving her these? Instantly Jaz wanted to throw them away, but to where?

‘Hey, I found you.’ Jaz jumped. ‘Jesus, Jaz. Is that what I think it is?’ said Ryan snatching it from her hands and putting it in his pocket. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ He stared at her like she’d grown two heads.

‘Chill. It’s not mine,’ she said. ‘Some man with the fedora guy gave it to me.’

‘What? So it’s not yours?’

Jaz slapped her hands on her hips and sighed. Not that he’d hear it over the noise.

‘Good. Great. I’m glad. So this guy…where did he go?’ Ryan glanced around the room.

‘They are just in the corridor by the toilets. They could be still there. But I got photos.’ She handed back his phone and Ryan checked it.

He gaped back at her opened mouthed. ‘Amazing.’ Ryan glanced to the doorway before resting his eyes on Jaz. ‘So the other guy was the one who gave you the pills?’ he said leaning towards her ear.

‘Yep.’ He was so close she had to resist the need to grip his shirt and shake him. ‘Ryan, what’s going on?’

He tucked his phone away into his jeans before bringing his focus back to her. ‘Look, Jaz, you’ve helped me heaps just now. One day I hope to repay the favour. But I think it might be best if you head off, okay. It’s not safe in here at the moment.’

‘That doesn’t tell me anything,’ she said with a frown.

‘Now is not the time to go into it, Jaz.’

She glanced at Ryan’s pocket, thinking of the drugs. ‘What are you going to do with them?’

‘Destroy them.’ The rumble in his voice made it sound like he was going to kill people, not flush pills down the toilet.

‘You really have a beef against drugs,’ she said. Had he seen firsthand their disastrous side affects?

‘Yes, I do. And for a bloody good reason, Jaz. Never go near them, it’s not worth it.’

Jaz hoped one day he’d share that reason. He reached out for her arm, gently this time, and brought her in closer still. The effects of both her drinks, combined with Ryan’s aftershave, were making her light-headed. She was also losing the feeling in her legs. Were they still attached?

‘Jaz, please go home. I’ll feel better knowing you’re home safe. We’ll talk later.’

And then, without even a goodbye, he was off through the crowd. Just the pressure from his touch and the scent of him left lingering, taunting.

Jaz was a little flummoxed. Ryan said himself he wanted her safe. What did he mean by that? What did it all mean? This whole night had been weird and she found herself wondering if someone hadn’t spiked her drink, causing her to hallucinate. Feeling vague, she started to wander back through the crowd for her friends.

‘Hey, Jaz, we’ve been looking for you. God, don’t scare us like that, we thought we’d lost you!’

‘I’m okay, Anna. I just ran into Ryan and he had to break up a fight. I think we should leave.’

‘Oh we saw some of that, it was big,’ said Taylor. ‘Are you okay? You look a little hazy.’

‘I had another drink and I’m not feeling that flash,’ she lied. What else could she say? I did some weird spying for my hot stalker and I was given drugs and I’m totally confused by all the events.

‘Let’s go. That fight freaked me out and my feet are killing me,’ said Anna. ‘I’m so glad Tay was there.’

Jaz smiled and agreed. Together they headed for the exit.

At the last minute, Jaz glanced back and saw Ryan watching her leave. How was it that in a crowded room she could find him as if he was a lighthouse on a rocky side? He was standing by the wall, no doubt waiting for the men to return from the passageway. Ryan nodded for her to keep going and mouthed ‘go’. She didn’t need to be told twice. Turning, she headed down the steps, hot on Anna’s heels.

Riding in the taxi back to Taylor’s house, Anna started talking about the club and wondering if they should go again next week. And while Taylor and Anna made plans, Jaz just laid her head against Taylor’s shoulder to rest. She was too caught up to talk with them. The whole night was just a mix of Ryan’s face now. She couldn’t get his vision from her mind. There was just something about him. Danger. Mystery. Smoking hot. What did she just get herself into?

‘Come on, think you can take me?’ said Tick as Jaz stood on the mat in front of him. ‘Little miss. I’ll toughen you up, come on.’

Jaz stood still, watching Tick try to scare her with his tactics.

A panicked shout rang out behind her. ‘Jaz!’

Ryan ran towards the mat, bag in hand and a worried expression on his face.

She laughed, he probably thought she was going to get slaughtered by Tick. I’ll show him, she thought. So she threw the first punch at her opponent.

Tick blocked her punch and fired off one of his own. Jaz saw Ryan from the corner of her eyes. He was about to run in and rescue her. How sweet. But his step faltered yet again as Jaz threw up her hand and blocked Tick’s oncoming fist. Not only did she block him, she followed it with a knee to his gut that connected. Tick’s stomach was not soft either; it was rippled with muscle and was like kneeing a brick wall.

Ryan’s bag dropped to the floor along with his jaw, but she focused on Tick and unleashed a frenzy of kicks and punches.

‘Oh, you think because you won a fencing tournament that you can hurt Tick now, hey?’ Tick taunted.

‘I don’t know. How did that last kick feel?’ Jaz asked, her pink lips curling up into a cheeky smile.

She assumed by now Ryan must realise they were just sparring and having fun. He hadn’t run in to stop them.

Jaz jumped and swung her leg out as she spun, aiming for Tick’s head. If Tick hadn’t moved his head back in the nick of time, it wouldn’t be sitting on his shoulders. Her foot brushed past his nose by millimetres.

‘Remember,’ said Tick. ‘It’s get in and get out.’ And he showed her what he meant by slapping her in the face and sliding away and down so her return swing missed him. ‘Be on your feet ready to instantly move down and away.’

Ryan walked to the edge of the mat. After ten minutes, Jaz put up her hand and called a truce. The slap Tick gave her still stung her cheek but it also made her feel alive and invigorated. ‘Enough, I’ve still got stuff to clean,’ she laughed. ‘I don’t need blood on the mats too.’

Jaz hugged Tick as they laughed, and compared fresh bruises.

Ryan put his hands together and clapped. ‘Well, that was brilliant.’

Jaz smiled as she wiped the sweat from her brow. ‘Hey Ryan, this is Tick. Tick, meet Ryan. He’s just signed up for a few months.’

Tick held out his tattooed arm. Ryan shook it as he admired the artwork.

‘So you saw me take it easy on Jaz then, huh?’ said Tick full of bravado.

Jaz scoffed and flicked her towel at him. ‘Bullshit, Tick. You weren’t holding back.’ She felt pumped up and invigorated, her skin tingled from the work-out.

Ryan chuckled while they argued. No one had taken it easy on the other and it was just how Jaz liked it. Sometimes they went a little far and she went home with split lips or a blood nose, which would cause her mum to complain. Then she’d have to remind the guys to not aim for her face.

‘Well I’m gonna hit the shower. Catch ya’s later,’ said Tick as he walked off. The words JUSTICE were etched in black across his shoulders.

Jaz also turned and, headed towards the office, Ryan followed. ‘Well, you’re full of surprises.’

Jaz took a drink from her water bottle; she felt a bead of sweat run down her neck, over her collarbone and down to her fitted, black sports top.

‘Anything else you can do that I don’t know about?’ Ryan asked as he hooked his thumb into his jeans pocket.

Jaz laughed. ‘Well, I can handle a toilet brush and you’ve seen me scrub the mats.’

Ryan scratched his chin as he replied, and tried to hide his smile. ‘Yes, you’re talent really has no end,’ he teased. They gazed at each other for a moment. ‘So…where did you learn to fight like that? Obviously not from a cereal box. Did Tick teach you?’

Jaz sat down on a computer chair as Ryan leaned against the doorframe. Her black shorts rose further up her lean legs as she crossed them. A bruise was starting to show on her upper thigh.

‘Sort of. It was originally my mum, but the guys at the gym kinda finished the job.’ Jaz reached over to the desk and picked up a photo in a wooden frame to show Ryan. The picture was taken in the gym and her mum was helping Jaz to stand on one of the blue mats. Her mum had short, spiky blonde hair at that stage.

‘You look so much like your mum. How old were you?’

‘I was one. Really? You can see a resemblance? I’ve got my dad’s darker skin while the rest of my family is lily white.’

‘You’ve got her high cheekbones and blue eyes,’ said Ryan glancing at her. ‘Your mum’s pretty.’

Jaz nodded as she gazed into space trying to fight the heated flush she could feel building. She felt as if he’d just called her pretty too.

‘She brought me to the gym before I could walk. Mum and Pax go way back, so she was always coming here and she taught me all she knew about karate from day dot. You spend every day in a gym and you soon start to pick up bits. The other guys help too. Bags taught me boxing and Tick’s shown me the street fighting stuff.’

‘So you have a mix of all sorts.’

‘Yep, I love it all, it’s a great way to clear the mind and forget about crap that pisses you off.’

‘Hmm, remind me not to come across you in a dark alley.’

‘Ha, try telling my mum that. She still worries about me walking home! When I was a kid she was so overprotective, I couldn’t play in the park without her worrying I’d gone missing or been stolen when she’d lost sight of me for two seconds.’