Chapter 46
46
Grey
The drive down the dark, windy roads of Bindi Bindi Cove, through Bunbury and back to Perth, felt a million times shorter this time. Grey wished the entire world could stay like this, just him and Max in Bessy’s front seats.
But even though he was changing his ways, duty would always call. He just hoped that maybe the same duty might call them both.
Max’s phone had been dead most of the night; she’d been too distracted to charge it, which pleased him, but what wasn’t pleasing him were the monstrous sounds it was now making as it charged through the USB port – screaming with texts and voicemails like a newborn baby that had just woken up.
‘If that’s your boyfriend who keeps texting you, can you please give him a detailed itinerary of everything that happened in my bed last night?’
‘Sure.’ She unhooked the phone from the charging dock. ‘Is “faked orgasm” two separate words or hyphenated?’
‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to work out if you’re lying or not.’
The phone continued to beep.
‘Seriously, does he—’
‘It’s Nella, and missed calls from a random number.’
‘What’s Nella saying?’ He gripped the wheel tighter. Even though he’d spoken to the Barbarani siblings virtually every day of his life, ever since the gala, Grey felt like he was talking about completely different people when he mentioned them now. He was sure it would change, and the new versions of Nella, Tom and Luca, his half siblings, would emerge from the murky sludge in his mind, the same shapes, with only a few edges shifted. A new version of normal would exist.
But right now, it was weird.
‘She literally sends a whole paragraph of text in separate mini sentences.’ Max sighed, squinting at the screen.
Grey cracked his neck. ‘Yeah, she does it so you’ll be compelled to reply out of sheer aggravation.’
‘Listen to this.’ Max read from the screen:
I want my clothes back.
But I want you to stay.
Follow this link.
Tell me what you think.
Huh! That rhymes. It wasn’t meant to rhyme. Now all I can think of is words that rhyme! All the time! How sublime!
Max.
I don’t want the underwear back, by the way.
‘What’s the link to?’
‘A job advertisement?’ Max scrolled. ‘From her law firm – they’re looking for a private investigator to join their team.’
Greyson held his breath but nothing in her voice gave away what she thought of Nella’s bold-as-batshit wingman gesture – trying to get Max to stay in Bindi Bindi Cove.
He couldn’t let himself hope. Max’s whole life was in the city – she’d only just gotten out of jail, there’d be things she needed to do, people she needed to see again, an apartment to go back to and to feel at home in after so much time away. Thankfully, the need for someone to fill the strained silence after Nella’s intrusion was obliged by Max’s phone again as it trilled its stock ringtone through Bessy’s cab.
‘I need jet fuel to hear sounds at that decibel.’ He winced as she shushed him.
‘It’s that private number again!’
He turned down the radio, just back into range for the city stations, as Max took the call.
‘Max speaking. Hi, Alexandra?’ She frowned at Grey, who shrugged. I dunno why she’s calling.
‘We’re about twenty-five minutes out from you guys. Did someone tell you I’d be coming— What? No! I ...’ Her voice trailed off.
Grey indicated to pull over but she almost took out his eye gesturing for him to stay on the road.
‘When?’ Max whispered. Grey’s stomach curled into a sodden lump at the sound in her voice. ‘Okay, okay. We’ll be there soon. Do you think you can pull the tapes for us?’
‘What’s happened?’ Grey exhaled as Max ended the call. He pressed Betty’s accelerator and the car responded obligingly.
‘There’s no point speeding,’ she said quietly. ‘Libby’s dead.’