by Fiona Palmer
‘No.’ She stood her ground. Jaz moved to take off her sunglasses and the guy to her right reached for his gun.
‘Jim,’ the other guy groaned. He rolled his eyes, unimpressed with Jim’s jitters.
But it was probably not surprising after the big gunfight they had here months ago. Jaz never thought she’d be back here. Jim might have been one of the guys she’d shot at.
With the gun now in her face, Jaz raised her hands. She didn’t think they’d be stupid enough to kill her without asking questions. ‘Don’t shoot. I just want to see Salvatore.’
‘Who do you think you are?’ The gun came closer, resting against her chest.
‘What is going on out here,’ boomed a voice from a door by the back corner. ‘I’m trying to conduct business and you’re in here making a noise,’ said Salvatore as he strode towards them.
Jaz kept her head tilted down, hidden by her hat as her heart raced. This was her dad, man that was so weird. Let’s hope he didn’t want to kill his own daughter.
‘Jim, what’s going on,’ Salvatore said as he got closer and realised there was a situation.
‘This girl just waltzed right into the shed and is demanding to see you,’ said Jim. ‘After last time, I thought …’ His voice dropped away.
‘What do you want,’ Salvatore asked Jaz.
She slowly reached for her hat, pulling it off as her eyes tilted up to meet his. As her hair dropped out and fell around her shoulders, she saw his eyes widen.
‘It’s you.’
At Salvatore’s words his men realised who she was, and now she had both men pointing their guns at her.
‘You’re stupid coming back here,’ said Jim. His smile indicated how much he wanted to pop a bullet in her chest.
Jaz flicked her eyes back to Salvatore. ‘I’ve come to talk and I’m sure you’ve got some questions for me, don’t you?’
Salvatore stood there, black slacks, leather shoes and a pinstriped shirt, with gold cufflinks that matched his gold necklace. Jaz noticed her medallion was around his neck. It sent a weird sensation through her body. It was his, after all, but it had belonged to Jaz for so long, had been something she’d treasured. Now she felt very confused. Salvatore saw her eyes drop to his medallion; he reached for it, feeling the inscription with his thumb just like Jaz always had. Even weirder, she thought.
‘Drop your guns,’ he said to his men.
‘Sir?’ They stared back at him blankly. ‘I think we should keep them here while you talk, just in case she tries something.’
‘I haven’t come here to fight. I’ve come to talk to you. I’m not even armed,’ she said.
‘Well, you’re a bit stupid then,’ said Jim. ‘Want me to tie her up then, boss?’
Both of his men stood with their guns still aimed, waiting for Salvatore’s directions. Jaz didn’t dare make any sudden moves as they both seemed trigger-happy and would likely shoot her on impulse. ‘You don’t have to worry about doing that. I’m not here to hurt anyone and you won’t be hurting me either,’ she said calmly.
‘And why is that, missy?’ said Jim.
But Jaz targeted her reply straight at Salvatore.
‘Because I think I’m your daughter.’
Chapter 27
‘What?’
All three men said the same word, it echoed around the big shed, bouncing off each wall like surround sound at a cinema.
‘Um, boss?’ said Jim uncertainly.
‘How can I believe that?’ said Salvatore, his arms crossed at his chest.
‘You already know something’s up otherwise you wouldn’t have stopped your men from shooting me last time,’ she said.
‘I was confused,’ he said, reaching for the medallion again. ‘This is mine. How did you get it?’
‘From my mother.’
‘But?’ He paused. ‘I gave this to only one person.’
If he thought any harder, Jaz was sure smoke would seep from his ears. ‘Yes, my mum. Look at me, see the resemblance? Now, if you give me some of your time, I’ll try and tell you what I know. But I am also coming to ask for something in return. Just know that I’m only here telling you this because I’m in a jam. Before this, I was quite happy to pretend you didn’t even exist.’
‘I’m seriously confused.’ Salvatore stared at her.
Jaz could tell something about her was familiar but he wasn’t sure he could believe anything. If Salvatore had come to her saying he was her father she’d probably tell him where to go. Luckily, he was giving this some thought.
‘Alright. Let’s talk.’ Salvatore reached past the gun for her arm and gently tugged her towards the door he came from.
‘Ah, boss, what do you want us to do?’ the guy in jeans asked.
‘Go back to work,’ Salvatore replied.
He let her arm go but kept glancing at her. Was he trying to spot the similarities or just watching she didn’t make a run for it?
Through the door was a small office. It had a large oak desk with a new computer on it, and some matching filing drawers against the wall behind the big leather chair. On the opposite wall was a long black leather couch with a pillow and a throw rug. Jaz got the feeling he slept in here sometimes. Maybe he had no reason to go home?
‘Please, sit,’ he gestured to the couch and they sat.
Now she was facing Salvatore and had time to actually study him. His hair was the same silky black as hers, and their skin tone was similar. But it was the lines around his eyes that fascinated her, and the deep rich nutmeg of his eyes that shone with an uncertainty as he searched her face.
‘Your eyes, they …’ His words ended but he kept studying her.
‘They are just like my mum’s, so I’m always told. I’m not sure who you knew her as but she was with you about twenty years ago. Fairer than I am and had brown hair back then. She said you were in love.’
He put up his hand to stop her. ‘Julie?’ His head tilted, face shocked. ‘I’ve only ever loved one woman. The same woman I gave this medallion to. But she left me, disappeared completely. I searched for her but she didn’t exist.’
Right then, in that moment, Jaz felt sorry for Salvatore. His face was so raw with emotion and a tiny bit of hope.
‘No.’ Jaz shook her head and prepared to tell the story as she knew it. ‘Back then she was a spy, sent in to gather information about your family and the bad business they were into. Her name and backstory would have been made up.’
‘A spy, but—?’
Jaz put up her hand and shushed him. ‘Let me finish.’ Jaz never thought she’d see the day when she ‘shushed’ a big bad drug lord. ‘Now, from what I know, she actually fell in love with you too. So much so, she told her brother she believed you were different from your family, that you were good. Anyway, she fell pregnant. She couldn’t tell her family because they’d probably want me gone, as well as the agency she worked for, and she didn’t want to tell you and have me brought up into your family. Especially when she saw how tied in you were. So she disappeared to WA and raised me. Only thing was, her one connection to the agency, who helped her create a new life, is who connected me eventually to the same agency, who I now work for, trying to take down people like you. So it is a freak of nature that we actually got to meet and for you to recognise this,’ she said, pointing to the medallion. ‘Without that, I’d never have known who you really were. Mum refuses to talk about you.’
‘Wow.’ Sal blinked rapidly. ‘That’s a lot of crazy.’
Jaz almost smiled. ‘I know, hey.’
‘Do you have a photo of her, I really need to see to believe.’
Jaz got out her phone and found a photo that didn’t give away any other details. She held it out for him to look, but not touch.
‘Oh my God, Julie,’ he said as his hand came up to his mouth. ‘She’s a blonde now? Still so beautiful. I knew I recognised your eyes.’
Salvatore stared at that photo until her arm hurt and she dropped it. She saw the loss splash across
his face. She understood that loss.
‘I never knew what happened to her and there were no records, as if she didn’t even exist. It did my head in.’ Sal shifted in the couch. ‘So Julie is good?’
Jaz had no intention of telling him her real name. He loved her as a Julie so she would forever remain as that girl. ‘Yes, she’s happy. She married. Had another kid. I’ve had a great life.’
‘She did the right thing giving you a new start. My life is not what I would have wanted for my children either. But I wish she’d given me the chance to run with her. I would have given up my family for Julie. She was my everything. And yet here you are, mixed up in this lifestyle she wanted you away from.’
‘I know. Funny how it worked out. But I’ve always had this yearning to do something worthwhile and good. It’s just a shame to find out your biological father is one of the bad guys you’re trying to put away.’
Her words actually looked like they shocked Salvatore.
‘I’m having trouble finding out Julie is still alive and well, let alone the fact that she had my child.’ He held up his hand, wanting to touch Jaz’s face, but she moved out of his reach. ‘I’m sorry. You actually look a lot like my sister when she was young.’ They sat in silence for a few seconds before Sal spoke again. ‘I believe you. As crazy as it seems. But seeing Julie and you, and you filling in the blanks, plus the medallion, I believe you.’
It was hard to dispute the medallion.
‘So you already have a father?’ he asked
‘Yes, I do. He’s been there for me since I was two. He is an amazing dad and he works hard making an honest living to support us.’
‘I guess I must be a disappointment to you,’ said Sal.
‘I don’t know anything about you beside the drug selling and killing,’ Jaz said rather harshly. It was good to remind herself. She didn’t need any fanciful ideas, especially while having this oddly normal conversation.
‘Firstly, I’ve never killed anyone, not by my own hand,’ he added when he saw her expression. ‘I have a gun and know how to use it but I’ve never killed anyone.’
Jaz didn’t feel like pointing out that she had killed someone and seen her fair share of death already; that was nothing he needed to know.
‘And I don’t do drugs at all. It’s something my father always drummed into us with his business. We only sell to those stupid enough to take them.’
‘Yeah, except sometimes it’s kids who don’t know any better and have been pushed into it by friends or drug dealers. You are still the catalyst for many deaths and the killings, thefts, addictions, etc., etc.’ Jaz wouldn’t let him get away with sugar-coating his life.
‘I know. I never wanted anything to do with my family’s business, but I truly lost my way after Julie left. I moved to WA in search of her, as she once told me she thought it was a beautiful state and we dreamed of a carefree life in Perth. But with an alias name I was never going to find her and eventually my father forced me back into the business. You know nothing of family pressures. I’m guessing you have a very supportive and loving family?’
Jaz didn’t reply, just a small nod of her head. Yeah, Jaz had it pretty darn good but she wasn’t about to rub it in.
‘Are you willing to tell me your name? Can we stay in touch? Is it too much to ask to be in your life?’ His words were spoken with care, almost a plea.
Jaz didn’t even think about him wanting to see her, or getting to know her. It had been the furthest thing from her mind. Even now, Ryan sprang to mind. What would he think about her doing this?
‘I guess you can call me Jaz. And yes, it’s my real name. I’m not sure it’s good for us to be anywhere near each other while you are still dealing in drugs and murder. Otherwise it might be me putting a bullet in you at some stage.’ A touch melodramatic but realistic, she thought.
‘Seriously, how can you be a spy when you can only be,’ Salvatore paused to do the sums, ‘what, about eighteen?’
‘Yeah, but I can take care of myself. You don’t have to worry about me.’
‘It’s not every day you find out you have a daughter. It changes everything.’
‘You have no right to be my father. You are far from it. But I come to you with an offer to take a step closer to that position.’
Salvatore lent forward, his frown serious. ‘I’m listening.’
‘Do you know Jamison Figlomeni well?’
‘You are mixing with the wrong crowd, Jaz.’
The sound of her name on his lips was weird. Was this all getting too familiar? Would he want to hug her goodbye next? Would Jaz like that? Her emotions were so mixed up. She’d detested this man for what he did and the stories she’d heard from Ryan, yet here on this couch he was just a man. No, he was actually her biological father, which only complicated things more.
‘Just be thankful we’ve gone after him at the moment. But a word of warning, you may want to cease your drug operation if you plan to have any sort of life.’
‘Who do you work for? Who did Julie work for? Is it the police?’
‘You don’t need to know that. Just know we have lots on you and Jamison and we won’t stop until we topple you all.’
Salvatore scratched his chin. ‘So what do you need on Jamison? I do know him, have done some business together, but we generally stay out of each other’s way.’
Jaz took a deep breath. This was her chance. ‘We had a man undercover in Jamison’s gang.’ Sal’s brow went up, obviously impressed they knew about the gang. ‘But we think he’s in trouble. I was hoping you could reach out to Jamison and see if our man’s still alive and where he might be holding him. We have eyes on all his buildings that we know of but have nothing.’ Her heart was racing again, thinking about Ryan stranded.
‘You must be pretty desperate to come to me.’
Sal was smart. ‘Yes, I am.’
‘This man means something to you?’ he asked. ‘You don’t need to answer that. I can see it all over your face.’
Jaz’s hand went to her cheek and she felt silly for being so readable. But she was here for Ryan, his safety was driving her.
‘Sure, I’ll do it.’
‘What?’ Jaz wasn’t expecting this or was ready for it. Sure, she’d hoped he’d help and that being his daughter might sway him but she didn’t really know how he’d react to any of what she’d told him. He could have pulled out his gun and shot her if he hadn’t believed a word she’d said.
‘I said I’d help.’ He thought for a moment. ‘I can get in contact on the pretence of a deal. Maybe tell him I’m getting out of the business and see if he wants to buy in. And I’m guessing you’d like me to do this asap?’
Jaz could only nod. She was barely breathing, let along able to make a sentence.
‘Right. Did you want to wait here while I call him? Or do you have a number I can reach you on?’
Heck, she had to think. ‘I can wait. And how about you give me your number.’ That way she could call him on a burner phone.
‘Righto.’ He stood up and went to his desk. He grabbed a business card and wrote down a number on the back. ‘This is my private number. Feel free to use it anytime.’ He held it out to her. ‘Anytime, Jaz. For anything.’
Again she felt a weird sensation when he said her name, especially sounding all sincere-like. Jaz went over to grab it from his fingers. Then he pulled out his mobile and made a call.
It was a quick one. ‘Hi, it’s Sal. Can we meet?’ And then a few ‘yep’s’ and it was done.
‘We meet in an hour. Call me in two hours’ time and I’ll hopefully have some information for you.’
‘Do you think he’ll tell you anything about Reece?’ Jaz used Ryan’s alias name.
‘Reece? I can only try. We do discuss matters about things only we have to deal with. I asked him not that long ago about one of my men who went missing.’
Jaz almost choked, lucky she wasn’t eating. ‘Yeah, about him. He’s dead.’
Sal’s mout
h opened but no words came out. Just as well. ‘I won’t ask how but at least now I know for sure now. Did you?’
‘Long story, I was there and it wasn’t meant to happen,’ said Jaz. ‘So I’ll go and call you in two hours?’
‘Yes. I know you don’t know me, or even like who I am, but I won’t do wrong by you, Jaz. I know I have to earn your trust. A lot will change from now,’ he promised. ‘I’m glad you came to me.’
Jaz was still on the fence, unsure if this was the right thing to do. She’d put herself at risk now that Sal knew about her. She’d have to be extra careful he didn’t have her followed, find out where her mum lived; you name it, Sal could destroy it. But looking into his eyes now, she felt the strangest urge to trust him, or to at least give him a chance. Maybe she was too gullible or too much of a romantic, hoping that Sal could do something good. Was it a flaw? Was she setting herself up to be hurt? All she had to go on was her gut feeling. And right now her gut just wanted Ryan safe.
Chapter 28
‘Um, say that again?’ said Anna.
Jaz took a deep breath and tried not to let her words rush out. ‘I was just with Salvatore and he’s going to try and find out where Ryan is being held and if he’s okay.’
‘What the hell were you thinking, he could have killed you,’ said Tay. His arms flapped by his sides like he was trying to launch into space. His face was red and there was a glint in his eyes that said maybe he thought Jaz had gone a little mad.
Jaz sighed. It was time she shared her secret, they wouldn’t understand otherwise. ‘He won’t. I just recently found out he’s my biological father.’
Tay rocked back on his heels as if she’d hit him with a leaf blower. ‘What?’
‘Um, say that again?’ repeated Anna.
So for the next twenty minutes Jaz told them the whole story about how she came to work out Sal was her real dad. All their interrupting questions made the task much longer than it needed to be.
