The Crescendo (11 page)

‘We'll know more this afternoon when Anna's mum reads out his will. We'll let you know when we can. We're heading back now,' said Jaz as Tick put his arm around her shoulders. They sure made a funny mix and lots of people glanced their way, probably wondering who these three guys were. None of Pax's family really knew him. It was sad, but in a way that's how Pax liked it. He wasn't a fan of his wealthy family and had inadvertently made his own at the gym and with the agency.

‘Righto. We'll follow you back too,' said Bags, his voice croaky.

‘We've put on a banquet of Pax's favourite pastries,' said Tay. ‘He'll be spewing he's not here to help us eat it.'

‘Don't worry, Tay, I'm sure he's living it up wherever he is now. Coffee and apricot Danishes galore,' said Anna as they made their way to the car park.

It didn't take long for all the food to disappear and most of the wake departed soon after. Jaz was happy about that, she didn't like all these strange, uppity folks in Pax's gym. She saw their judgemental looks and the screwed-up noses at the smell she loved. Including Anna's family.

‘God, I'm glad they're gone. I really think I was born into the wrong family, just like Pax,' she said.

‘Your folks aren't that bad,' said Jaz.

‘They're okay, but all my aunties and uncles are so snobbish. It irks me.' Anna's face flushed, and reddened the more she seemed to stew over the idea.

‘Ladies, you are wanted in the kitchen,' said Tay. ‘I'll finish cleaning up here with the guys.'

Tay stopped Anna, his hands caressed her arms. ‘You okay?'

‘She's fine, just pissed off with her family.' Jaz took Anna's hand and pulled her from Tay's grasp. ‘Come on, Annabanana, let's get this over with.'

At the table sat Lenore, Tasha, Paul and Anna's father Eric. They looked far too serious.

The chairs scraped against the floor as they pulled them out and sat down.

‘What's up,' said Jaz. Everyone was looking at them.

Anna's mum wasted no time getting to the point.

‘Pax has left his house to both of you, equal shares,' said Lenore. She didn't sound too pleased with this. ‘Now you don't have to keep it, we can sell—'

‘NO,' said Jaz and Anna together. They looked at each other and smiled, really smiled. Jaz saw in Anna's expression what was probably on her face. Things could stay the same, nothing would have to change, Anna and Jaz could still work from the gym.

‘Jaz, he's left the gym to you and also has left you both a ridiculous amounts of money which,' Lenore turned to the other adults at the table and grimaced, ‘we are not sure about you having just yet. I totally disagreed with this part but Pax insisted. He let me put an age stipulation on a big chunk of it but he still wanted you to have some money to help with the running costs of his house and the gym.' Lenore's shoulders slumped and her mouth turned down. ‘It's still too much but I guess you are classed as adults now.'

Jaz turned back to Anna. ‘This is amazing. Did you know?' she asked Anna.

‘No. We can stay here whenever we want.' Anna's freckles were bright as if glowing from the excitement. ‘Maybe we could move in?'

‘No!' said her parents. They had high hopes for Anna and slumming it in an old gym wasn't one of them.

‘Nothing needs to be decided now,' said Tasha, trying to calm the confrontation she knew was probably coming between kids and parents. ‘Let's just keep everything as normal, there is still a big process to go through and you won't have the money straight away. We would prefer it if you went through us, so we can help you be responsible with the money and not waste it.'

Jaz pulled a face. ‘Mum, we're not silly kids. There is nothing I want the money for except keeping this place running.'

‘I wouldn't mind buying a car,' said Anna carefully, as she waited for her parents' explosion. ‘And that's it, I swear. Please,' she begged.

‘We'll discuss it at home,' said Lenore.

Jaz could tell she was pissed at Pax. They no longer had control over the girls; if Anna wanted a new car she could now buy one, well, when the money was released. She knew it was this that freaked the parents out the most. They were scared of losing their girls, scared that they were no longer needed.

‘It's okay, Mum. School finishes soon and we'd be on our own anyway. You have to let us be in control of our own lives and be responsible for our own actions. No doubt we'll probably stuff up but we know we can come to you. We are not little girls anymore.'

Tasha pouted and glanced at Paul. ‘How do I answer that? She's right.'

Paul held her hand and smiled. ‘This doesn't have to be a bad thing, nor change anything,' he said. ‘We have smart, capable girls. It will be fine.' His words were for Lenore and Tasha, the worried mothers. ‘We just need to take baby steps, it's a bit hard for us parents to let you go.'

As they continued to discuss the money, all Jaz could think was that the gym was hers. Anna could still run her agency work from the special room and Jaz could keep the gym running and use it as her alibi. She had visions of running classes for young women, how to fight off attackers, and also ways that other agency members like Cody could come and train. Pax had no doubt thought all this through. He was proud of them, joining the agency and continuing on his work even though it had worried him. This was the news that was going to help get her over missing Ryan. She could throw all her energy into The Ring. Maybe life wouldn't be so bad after all.

Chapter 11

It had been three weeks since Pax's funeral and it crossed his mind often. How had it been? How were Jaz and her friends? What was happening with the gym? These were the thoughts that came.

He got ready for his day as usual, putting on his suit and making sure it was perfect. Last night he'd written out notes from the places he'd taken Jamison yesterday, as there was a new destination. His notes went into a Coke can, then into his recycling bag, which he tied in a knot so it was recognisable, then on his way to work he dropped it at the edge of the flat's where the rubbish bins were kept. He knew an operative wouldn't be far away to collect it, as it was checked every morning at this time. His notes then made their way back to James or the commander.

From there the other agents would check out these stops that Jamison made, keeping eyes on the places to see who came and went. Everything was documented, as you never know when some important piece of information might pop up.

Ryan made it to Jamison's compound with ten minutes to spare. He always arrived early, was checked in through the big gates then would park in the staff area behind the big shed that housed Jamison's cars. His private residence was further up a rise to make the most of the ocean views. Ryan had learnt that Jamison had two houses he moved between, this one in the city and a much larger acreage block near his farming land.

Ryan would take the car out of the shed and wash and clean it, ready for the day's work. Mr Randall would always notify him of times the car was needed but he had to be ready to go in an instant. It was Ryan's job to make sure it was always fuelled up too. He'd done that last night after dropping Jamison home, so this morning he was just going to give it a quick wet and shammy. Not that the shiny black sleek-looking Jaguar needed it.

His phone rang when he was almost done. Leaving the cloth to dry on a nearby tree branch, he answered it.

‘Hey, baby, you shouldn't ring me when I'm at work,' he said straight away.

‘I know,' said Annaliese, ‘but Dad won't mind. It's me,' she said, matter-of-factly. ‘Are you picking me up tonight? Remember we have that dinner with Shopie?'

Ryan groaned inwardly. He could handle Annaliese, play the doting boyfriend, but it was hard work when they met up with her friends. He disliked them even more. At least now he excused himself from the drugs they took, saying he didn't want to jeopardise his job with her father, and Annaliese took that as a good sign. Still, it made it difficult at times.

‘Yes, seven I'll be waiting at your door, babe. I'll let you know if your dad has any late errands but we should be good to go.' From the corner of his eye Ryan could see movement at the house, bodyguards looking more lively and doing a double-check of the area. ‘Look, I've gotta get back to work. I'll talk to you soon.'

‘See you then, Reece. Tell Daddy I love him,' she said before hanging up.

Ryan got the nod from Mr Randall to bring the car over, so he quickly jumped in and drove it up the paved driveway to the front door. The turning circle was tight out the front of the house, made harder because of the overgrown bushes and shrubs that were overdue to be hedged. Maybe Jamison liked the privacy they provided?

Jumping out, he opened the back door and waited for Jamison to exit his large oak doors. They were on thick black hinges and no doubt very dense and bulletproof.

Jamison walked out, his dark blue suit clean, his black leather boots shining and his walk slow and commanding. Jamison didn't rush for anyone, everything was done in his time and every move he made seemed so precise and deliberate, which made him come across as calm, controlled and important.

‘Good morning, Mr Figlomeni,' said Ryan as he held the car door open.

‘Morning, Mr Lancaster.' Jamison climbed into the back of the car.

Jamison was always polite too. Old school values and attention to detail seemed to be his thing.

Ryan shut the door and slipped into the driver's seat. He never talked to Jamison unless spoken to, and Mr Randall rode in the back with Jamison, and a spare guard sometimes took the front seat. It seemed to be Mr Wilkins who rode shotgun and it was usually on their visits to the warehouses, but sometimes on different meetings that Ryan was yet to infiltrate. Being made to stay with the car was limiting, he really needed to find a way to step up. Maybe Mr Wilkins needed to disappear or get sick. It could be arranged but would have to be done really well. Men like Jamison didn't like changes. Men like Jamison were always double-checking their backs for cops and the like.

Ryan drove Jamison to his first meeting, which was at a bank in the CBD. Even after a month or more working as a driver, Ryan never let his guard slip, was always trying to take in his surroundings, people coming and going just in case there was a clandestine meeting in the works.

The second stop was at a restaurant for lunch, which meant Ryan had time to grab a meal from the nearby Subway that he ate outside by the car. His job was a lot of waiting, but this was a prerequisite to being an agent. Patience was the key, waiting for that one slip-up.

Next Ryan drove him out of the city centre and towards his market garden, no doubt to check on the books and everyday running. The scenery of tightly packed houses changed to bigger spaces and rows of growing vegetables. Ryan had been here before so he knew Jamison like to be driven straight to the warehouse, a large shed-like structure in the middle of the farm. His house was to the left and closer to the road. It looked Italian in style with white walls, pillars, terracotta tiles and lots of garden statues.

The shed was cream in colour and had crates of all sizes stacked around one side, and rolls of black plastic. He knew the plastic was probably for the strawberries and not burying bad workers. But still his mind connected it to Jaz when they were in the hanger together with Salvatore. He didn't want to think about her, but she always crept into his mind without warning. Her smile, silky dark hair and those contrasting blue eyes, so bright and intimidating. His lips twitched with a need to smile but he fought it off.

Stopping the Jaguar outside the shed, Jamison exited with both bodyguards and Ryan was left to wait without a time limit. Workers came and went, some on little tractors, others on motorbikes. He didn't know what was inside the shed, except for what he saw when the sliding door opened so the tractor could drive in its trailer-loads of lettuce and other vegies. More workers were inside, sorting and packaging, and down the back of the shed looked like an office area. Ryan sighed, there was no way he could get near them without being seen and suspicious. He still tried by walking around the shed, with his phone to his ear, pretending to take a call. It made him seem inconspicuous this way. But he couldn't hear anything, nor were there any other windows within reach, just a door that was solid and locked. All he could do was stand by the car.

While he was waiting he did notice a small man hovering around the shed. He was dressed like all the other workers, blue uniforms that looked like they'd been passed down from worker to worker, and boots covered in soil. Ryan took a stab at his nationality, maybe from South East Asia, Philippines, but it was his anxious manner that brought him to Ryan's attention. Why was he nervous? Had he just stolen something? Maybe he'd been hiding drugs? A list of possibilities rattled through his brain until he noticed the door to the shed open and Mr Randall came out, followed by Jamison.

Ryan opened the car door in readiness.

The Filipino man came closer and called out. ‘Mr Figlomeni, sir. You find my daughter?' he asked.

‘Excuse me,' said Jamison, stopping reluctantly. The look in his eyes gave away the fact he knew exactly what this man was after.

The small Filipino man took a step closer and that's when Ryan realised he had a large knife in the back of his pants. The worn handle just visible.

‘I work free so my daughter, Yanna, come to Australia, you say you bring her. It's been long time. Where is she?'

The little guy was desperate and angry. Ryan glanced to Mr Randall but he just stood there with his arms crossed, and the other bodyguard had continued to walk to the car, not seeing this man as a threat. Any man who has something to fight for, to die for should never be underestimated, no matter their size or shape.