Behind Lies

Chapter Eight

After searching the house and finding nothing, I went straight to my bike. I swiped my finger across the scanner and lifted the seat to reveal what looks like an empty compartment. I ran my hands down the sides waiting to feel the divots and then pulling out a GPS. It is connected to the tracking chip in Phoenix’s watch. When I see movement on it, I know that he is still wearing it. It will only continue to show where he is as long as he has a pulse.

I get on my bike and ride following the directions of the GPS. He must be in a vehicle because unless he’s a white Usain Bolt then, it aint possible. It appears as though the vehicle has stopped in front of a fast food restaurant in Runaway Bay.

Within the 10 minutes it took me to arrive, the GPS was saying that he was still here. I could not see him anywhere though. I see three men walk out of the disabled bathroom, when I enter, I find a half-naked Phoenix – the top half ladies calm down – who is slumped to the ground in one of the far corners and had cuts no deeper than a 5 cent coin around his torso. In the stillness of him I checked to make sure he was still breathing, even though I already knew that he was thanks to my GPS that only gives a reading in the presence of a pulse.

Without another thought I ran out to catch the men who had just abandoned him in the public bathroom. They were gone driving a black SUV, what is with the bad guys and always having black SUV’s. I caught a few letters and numbers from his plate, but by the time I had got back to evaluate Phoenix’s injuries, they had fled my mind.

“Phoenix?” I asked him “Phoenix, can you hear me? Can you tell me what happened? Phoenix!”  He started to gag. I moved before he got the chance to throw up on me. I heard a man’s voice from behind me. I positioned myself from the door so I was covering his cuts from whoever was talking.

“Damn teenagers, drunk as hell,” a tall slender man came to the door. His face was unshaven and his hands well-worn with his nails chewed back, an indicator as to him working with his hands all his life, the nails chewed back are an indication that his job was stressful… miner, I thought. “Back in my day,” he continued, “I would have been belted if my father caught me like this, especially in front of a lady.” He gave me a disapproving look before moving on.

I took Phoenix by the shoulders and gave him a small shake, “Phoenix, wake up we need to get out of here before someone calls the police.” He started grumbling and groaning. “Phoenix can you stand?”

“Calypso?” relief hits me, “Calypso is that you?”

“No Phoenix it’s not me it’s Vanessa Hudgens. Of course it’s me.”

“Vanessa! I like her she was so good in high school musical.” Great he’s been drugged “We’re all in this together.” He sang. I put his arm over my shoulder and lifted him yet again. “I thought the guy was supposed to save the girl, not the other way around.” I heaved at him using all my strength to put his weight on my right shoulder. “And why are you so heavy?”

I heaved him out of the rest room eventually and with several blank stares that I ignored I got him back to my bike.

“How is this going to work, I can’t have you falling off my motorcycle, you’ll probably die, or damage it.” I looked for a solution. Nothing. I had an idea. Nope, nuh uh, not going to happen. If I didn’t do it then we would be stuck here with the police showing up in no time. I remembered; there was one person I could always call if I needed help, but if I asked then my intentions would be misunderstood. I can’t do it. Why is my life so hard? Oh it might have to do with the trail of bodies I leave behind as a job.

“There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach.” I gave Phoenix a stern look. I could see the goose bumps that had risen on his tanned, masculine arms and shoulders. I took off my jacket and put it on him, leaving me in my white shirt. It was way too small on him so I just put it on over his shoulders. “We can’t just stand here in the car park until you sober up.” I said to him, knowing full well he wouldn’t understand a thing I said. Again looking around for solutions, No, no don’t do it. But I had to I knew he had come to Australia, conveniently on the Gold Coast for his next target, except his was more surveillance until he was given the ‘go’. I had to call my ex-boyfriend. I had to call chase.