Under Cover Of Dark

by Juanita Kees

  ‘What I want is to tie up the loose ends those miserable bastards left behind.’ She reached around Dawn for her handbag. ‘Don’t worry, Dawn, I won’t shoot you. Gunshots are way too messy and bullets can be matched too easily these days. I’m going to send you on a little trip instead while Lily and Luke here watch. You’ll remember this, Luke? You watched me give it to Tiny while you stood by and cried.’

  The sound of the zipper grated on Lily’s nerves as it amplified in the silence of the kitchen. Beside her, Luke shuddered. Lily could only imagine the horrors in his mind. Serena pulled a vial of thick, clear liquid and a syringe from her bag, and lined them up on the kitchen table.

  ‘First, you’ll feel a little burning, Dawn.’ She concentrated on preparing the syringe. ‘Don’t try anything stupid. I really don’t want to waste good drugs,’ she warned as Dawn squirmed in the chair.

  Lily saw the terror in the woman’s eyes and felt it echoed in her stomach. Her mind worked, searching for a way that would get them all out safely. A quick glance around the room and all Lily could identify as a weapon of defence was the plastic dining chairs. Yes, there’d be knives in the kitchen drawers but Serena stood in front of the cabinets and what use would they be when she had a gun? Could she use her little bit of self-defence training, was she strong enough? They were three to one. Surely they could overpower Serena. No, Dawn’s colour wasn’t healthy and her breathing came in short gasps. Unarmed, she and Luke would be no match for Serena.

  ‘Please don’t do this, Serena,’ Luke begged. ‘Dawn doesn’t deserve this. You’re right. I’m a coward. I can’t watch her die the way Tiny did.’

  Serena squirted liquid from the needle then pulled back the plunger to create an airlock. ‘Another waste of a life, another disappointing loose end, all because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, Luke. How many times did we tell you not to leave any evidence behind? But no, your mates had to try some of the merchandise and attract the cops.’

  ‘You gave it to them!’ Luke moved forward, his fear morphing into anger.

  Serena shrugged. ‘They didn’t have to take it. They could have sold it on.’

  ‘You bitch! You knew they were already addicted to the shit you and Gino made.’

  ‘Watch your tone with me, Luke, and don’t move another step or I’ll shoot you without a care for the damn mess it will make.’ Anger flashed in her eyes as Serena put the syringe on the table. ‘Now, you know what happens when we do this, don’t you? The headache, the hallucinations, the sweating, you saw it all with Tiny. Your son was there, Liliana, quaking in his hundred dollar DCs, throwing up all over the backseat of his daddy’s car. Obviously he got his courage from you.’

  Rage speared through Lily, firing her blood. Had everyone thought her so weak? Was she really such a spineless, whimpering fool under Gino’s control? How dare Serena suggest Luke was a coward? He was a child, forced to face things no young boy should ever have to see. Her hands itched to grab Serena around the throat and squeeze until there was no air left in her lungs. It was no longer a question of courage but of strength.

  Luke stiffened and Lily felt the waves of anger heat his body. ‘Why can’t you just let us go? All we want is to start over, disappear. You can go on doing what it is you do and we’ll start a new life somewhere,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t be more stupid than you already are, for God’s sake. Gino was right. You really are a brainless idiot. Enough chit chat,’ said Serena, picking up the gun and pointing it at them. ‘Come over here, Luke, and bring your mother with you. You’re going to send Dawn off to Hell while I hold this gun to your mother’s pretty little head. Say goodbye.’

  Chapter 16

  Luke picked up the syringe filled with a deadly cocktail of hallucinogens and methamphetamines.

  ‘Tell your mother what happens when it goes into your system. What too much too fast can do in your bloodstream,’ Serena taunted as she pulled Lily forward by the arm, her fingers digging cruelly into the flesh and jamming the gun against her temple.

  Luke remained silent, pushing back his hoodie.

  ‘Tell her!’

  He flinched at the harshness of Serena’s voice.

  ‘Enough!’ cried Lily. ‘Leave him alone! We know what it does, Serena! It kills people. You kill people.’

  ‘I wasn’t talking to you, Liliana. Did you want some, Luke? You know you do. Remember what it’s like as it pulses through your blood? That rush of adrenalin. The strength you feel, the confidence. You can conquer everything, you’re capable of anything — even killing your own mother.’

  ‘Stop!’ Luke shouted.

  ‘Go on, Luke, no point wasting time. No one is coming to rescue you this time. I want your mother to see how she’s going to die, struggling against it, hallucinating, screaming with pain from the fire in her veins.’

  The twisted sound of Serena’s laugh raised the hair on Lily’s arms. Her hopes that Mark would come in time faded fast as she faced reality. They were on their own. There would be no dramatic rescue. It was kill or be killed. The realisation struck deep that it would make them no better than Gino. They’d run out of choices, out of time. Whatever Luke had planned was no match for Serena. He was just a boy. Desperate to avoid the horror of watching Dawn die, Lily used the only weapon she had.

  ‘You’d do this to a boy? Force a child to murder his mother and an innocent woman? You’re a mother too, Serena. Eighteen years ago, you abandoned your baby — your son — in a hospital in Port Hedland.’

  Serena’s eyes flickered. ‘What the hell are you talking about? You’re wrong.’

  ‘Nic Albero was his father.’

  Serena’s pale, translucent skin flushed an angry red. ‘Bullshit! Luke! Give the old woman her fucking shot now.’ She grabbed Lily around the neck, the gun pressing painfully against her skull.

  Lily choked and fought against Serena’s grip, desperation overriding fear as she clawed at the woman’s arms. ‘Let her go, Serena! You can kill us but the truth will still be out there. Mark Johnson will still be on your tail.’ She struggled to swallow the panic, the dread, the fading hope that just beyond the door, Mark waited for the right moment to smash it down.

  ‘Your time is running out. Whatever bullshit tale you’re spinning, spit it out.’ Serena’s grip tightened. ‘I had a baby, yes. He was premature and they said he wouldn’t live.’

  ‘He lived until you killed him. Tiny Watts was the baby you abandoned in Port Hedland. You murdered your own son.’

  * * *

  Mark had the door of the Beechcraft ready to lower as it taxied to a stop on the runway at Kalgoorlie airport. He sprinted as fast as the narrow steps would allow, and headed towards the police car they’d radioed ahead for. Fear had burned a hole in his stomach already and dread added to the pain.

  ‘Fill me in,’ he said, slamming the car door behind him.

  ‘I have an emergency response team armed and ready to go at your word. We checked the Desert Inn about an hour ago and everything was normal. There’s no sign of Snow. I’ve had the boys on the lookout since your alert a couple of hours ago. I checked with Dawn at the Desert Inn at 4:00 a.m. Lily and Luke were safely in their room.’ Detective Inspector Ned Howes turned the key in the ignition and started the car as soon as Harold opened the rear door. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘Did you leave a man at the motel?’ Mark asked.

  ‘No, it was all clear as I said. I sent them out to check the area within a 5km radius, hoping we’d spot her before she got there,’ Ned responded. ‘I tell you, I’ll be a happy man if I can throw that bitch’s arse in prison. I’ve been trying to crack that syndicate for years.’ He paused as he turned the car towards town. ‘This week alone we intercepted three drug shipments heading north. The highway is a hot spot for trafficking.’

  The knot of fear in Mark’s stomach tightened. ‘You’ll have to stand in line, mate. I need to have a little chat with her first. I’ve got enough to charge her with, but God help her if she’s hurt Lil
y or Luke — or anyone else. Can you drive a little faster?’

  Ned floored the accelerator pedal and the V8 engine roared as the pursuit car surged forward. ‘This could bring down one of the biggest syndicates world-wide, equating to millions of dollars-worth of meth. It would certainly make my job easier and my town a whole lot nicer. I could go back to handing out parking tickets for a while.’

  Mark bristled. This was more than a drug bust. ‘Let’s not forget the lives at stake here.’ He felt Harold’s warning hand on his shoulder and shook it off irritably.

  Ned looked across at him. ‘I understand that. We’ve lost enough lives in this town to the trade. I don’t need to add to the body count.’ He pulled up outside the Desert Inn. ‘That’s weird. Dawn should be in the kitchen prepping for breakfast but the lights in there are still off.’ He pointed to the building that ran at an angle to the motel. The windows under the overhanging roof were dark against the clay-coloured wall.

  Mark and Harold didn’t hesitate.

  * * *

  Serena Snow’s roar of outrage sliced through the tension in the room. ‘You’re a lying bitch! Stop stalling for time!’ She grabbed Lily’s hair and forced her head back, pressing the gun into the soft flesh under her chin. ‘Tiny Watts was a street kid. My baby died. They said he wouldn’t live more than twenty-four hours.’

  Lily ignored the pain that ripped through her skull. ‘You’re wrong. He lived until he was eighteen, moving between foster families or living on the streets. I’ve seen his birth certificate. He was born July 25th at the public hospital in Port Hedland. You abandoned him and left him to the mercy of the foster system without looking back. Serena Snow is your maiden name. Your married name is Serena Maria Watts. I found your marriage certificate in with Tiny’s birth certificate. You left your whole life at the hospital and walked away. Did you ever — just once — wonder what had happened to your baby, Serena?’

  ‘Shut up! You know nothing of life on the streets, you pampered bitch. Struggling to make a buck so you can eat. Prostituting yourself to pricks like Nic Albero so you can get your hands on the stuff that makes you forget how you got there,’ Serena yelled as she pulled a rubber tube from her pocket and threw it at Luke. ‘Get the fucking job done! You’re next.’

  ‘I won’t let you murder my son like you murdered yours!’

  Lily slammed her elbow into Serena’s stomach, satisfaction warming her blood as the impact sent her stumbling backwards. A chair toppled over with a crash as Serena fell against it. She lost her footing and landed hard on her backside, the gun spinning away. Lily scrambled to her feet, picked up the gun and aimed it squarely at Serena. Luke wasted no time either. He grabbed Serena in a neck hold and pressed the needle of the syringe against her neck. ‘How does that feel, huh? All I have to do is jab it in and press the plunger, and you’ll die just like Tiny did.’ She tried to dislodge him but he clung to her throat, squeezing hard against her wind pipe.

  ‘Luke, no! It’s not worth it. She’s not worth going to prison for. Get that syringe away from her neck. Don’t do it, baby,’ Lily pleaded. Déjà vu darkened her world once more.

  The door to the kitchen crashed open and feet pounded across the tiles. Luke dropped the syringe and stood with his hands in the air. Lily kept the gun aimed squarely on Serena, her finger trembling on the trigger, her thumb ready to cock the shot. It would be so easy, she thought, so easy to finish it. A familiar warm hand covered hers and pushed it downwards gently to lower the gun.

  ‘Give me that, love. It’s okay now. Harold’s got her covered.’ Mark’s voice washed over her, warm and soothing.

  She hesitated. The urge to kill the woman who’d destroyed their lives was strong. They’d lost so much because of her. Mark’s body was warm against her back as he moved to put an arm around her waist and remove the gun from her hand with the other. She let him take it.

  He turned her in his arms and held her tightly against his chest, stroking her hair with a soothing touch. She felt him press a kiss on top of her head and heard the rumble of his voice against her ear. ‘Are you okay, Luke?’

  ‘Yeah, but Dawn needs help. Serena whacked her a mean shot against the head.’

  ‘I’ve taken care of it,’ said Harold. ‘The ambulance will be here in a minute or two. The locals are taking Snow away and locking her up for us. Want to come with me, son?’ he said to Luke. ‘I think Detective Johnson here has a few questions for your mum and I know I want to ask you a few too.’

  Luke hesitated and Lily lifted her head from the warm comfort of Mark’s chest. ‘It’s okay, Luke, go. It’s over, baby, it’s over.’

  ‘Will you be okay, Mum?’

  Lily smiled. ‘We’ll be okay, Luke.’

  He nodded and followed Harold out the room. Lily looked up into Mark’s eyes. He smiled at her and she thought she’d never seen such a beautiful sight. Her heart pounded at the promise in his eyes. As the room emptied out around them, he held her and simply looked.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said to him as the paramedics carried Dawn out on a stretcher, her head bandaged and the painkillers kicking in.

  ‘I thought I was too late,’ he said, trailing his finger over her cheek. He tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘I’m in love with you, Lily.’

  Lily pressed her cheek into his palm, closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to dream. ‘It’s not over yet, Mark’, she whispered.

  ‘No, but when it is, I will still love you.’

  He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. She returned his kiss, glorying in the warm tenderness, her imagination running wild with thoughts of where that kiss might lead one day. She lifted her hand to his head to bring him closer still, standing on tip toe to enjoy the feel of his body against hers and the euphoria of being alive as her blood sang through her veins.

  Harold cleared his throat in the doorway. ‘We have a plane to catch. Olive is going to be heartbroken.’

  Mark lifted his head and smiled at Lily. ‘Let’s go home.’

  Chapter 17

  An hour later the plane was fuelled up and ready to go. They’d stopped at the hospital to check on Dawn with a promise to come back for a less eventful visit.

  Now, settled into the seat of the plane, Lily leaned back to do up her seatbelt. She looked up to find Mark’s face so close to hers, she could see the day’s growth of beard darkening his jawline and the deep lines of a frown on his face. She lifted her hand and placed her palm against the warmth of his face, stroked her thumb over the groove near the curve of his lips. He stilled and turned stormy grey eyes to hers. In them she saw a promise that made her blood sing with hope.

  ‘Thank you,’ whispered Lily as she leaned forward a little and placed a soft kiss a little to the left of his lips, inhaling the warm scent of him. She imagined waking up in his arms, the firm heat of his body against hers, the feel of his skin under her touch and the pleasure she knew would follow. This was true love. Not the idea of love she’d had when she met Gino but a love that would survive the toughest challenges and bring them closer instead of driving them apart.

  Mark looked at her a moment longer, heat flaring in his eyes. ‘You’re welcome.’

  If they were alone, she would crawl into his lap and take advantage of the invitation in his eyes. She looked up to where Luke sat in the co-pilot’s seat like he was born to be there, bombarding Harold and Jack with questions as they went through the final flight checks. Harold didn’t seem to mind the teen’s questions, so she settled down to enjoy the flight.

  She turned her head to look at Mark. He sat with his head resting against the seatback. Tired lines etched his mouth. She reached up to touch them again. He turned and pressed his lips against her fingers. She left them there and enjoyed the sensation of them against her skin.

  He took her hand in his and threaded his fingers with hers. There was no need for words. His eyes held all the unspoken promise she needed. Her heart skipped a beat as her mind ran riot with images of twisted sheets
and satisfied sighs. In just one look, there was the promise of happiness she’d never imagined having the opportunity to experience. With a sigh, she rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes. The plane taxied down the runway and she said goodbye to a past best forgotten.

  * * *

  ‘Lily.’

  Warm fingers stroked her cheek. She turned into the warmth and comfort of a broad, muscular shoulder, felt the tickle of Mark’s beard at her temple and sighed.

  ‘Lily, honey,’ Mark whispered, ‘we’re coming in to land.’

  Lily groaned and shifted. The ache of the muscles in her shoulders registered through the cloudiness of sleep. She lifted her head and moved to sit upright in her seat, a little stiff from sleeping in the awkward position. Her hand was still held tightly in Mark’s. She smiled.

  ‘I’d love to take you home to clean up, but we have to check in at the station with Luke first.’

  Mark’s words cleared the remnants of sleep from her mind and replaced it with heaviness in her heart. ‘Is he under arrest for breaking his bail conditions?’

  ‘No, love, we need to fill in some paperwork to cover the delay in his checking in. We also need to take your statements on what happened in Kalgoorlie. I’d delay it if I could, but Serena will be transported back here tomorrow and I want all the red tape tied up nice and tight when she arrives.’

  Lily nodded. ‘I understand. Is it really over, Mark?’

  The wheels of the Beechcraft touched down on the runway at Jandakot airport with a squeal and a bump. Up in the co-pilot’s seat, Luke gave a whoop and high-fived Harold.

  ‘Almost.’ Mark let go of her hand, leaned over and unclipped her seat belt as they taxied to a stop. ‘Giles Pritchard has a date set for Luke’s court case. Given the new evidence and what happened today with Serena Snow, the court has brought his case forward.’