‘You’re certainly happy to see me,’ King said.
Billy visibly relaxed. ‘I thought you were some nutter, King. I thought you’d go in there all high and mighty and get shot in the head, and then they’d find my car and come back here and kill me.’
‘Far from it, my friend.’
‘Come out back. NICOLE!’
‘What?!’ came a shouted reply from the back.
‘Need you up front again.’
Billy led King past the same disgruntled young employee that had eyeballed him the first time.
‘You’re back,’ she noted in a sardonic tone as they passed.
‘Congratulations,’ King said. ‘You have eyes.’
She shot him an icy glare. Then they walked through into the back room and Billy slammed the door shut with the intensity of a man desperate for answers.
‘Tell me everything,’ he said.
CHAPTER 12
By the time King had finished explaining the events that had transpired, he wasn’t sure Billy’s jaw could fall any lower. The man sat deathly still in his chair, almost shellshocked. At the same time King noticed a faint glimmer of emotion in his eyes. He knew the look. Pure, utter relief. Like an enormous burden had finally been lifted off his shoulders.
‘You seem stunned,’ King said.
It took a few seconds for Billy to gather his thoughts. ‘When you showed up here I thought this was all too good to be true. Like I said before, I thought you were a crackpot who thought he’d stir up trouble in a small town.’
‘I’d say I did stir up trouble.’
‘Only the best kind of trouble. I’m still not sure if I believe everything you just told me.’
‘Feel free to head down and take a look for yourself.’
‘Nah,’ Billy said. ‘I’ll take your word for it. But what if they come back for me?’
‘They won’t.’
‘You can’t be sure of that, mate. From what you told me, you completely fucked them up. They’re going to want to take out their anger on someone. And they know you’re tied to me. You took my car.’
‘They won’t,’ King repeated.
Billy stood up and laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘How do you know?’
King allowed the corners of his mouth to turn into a wry smile. He reached out and gripped Billy’s shoulder, returning the gesture. ‘If you knew half the things I’ve done in my life, you’ll know to take my word for it.’
‘All this cryptic talk,’ Billy said, exasperated. He sat back down, shaking his head.
‘Okay Billy, you want the truth? I’ve seen people break hundreds of times. Mentally. Over the last ten years I’ve seen many sport the same expression those bikers did this morning. It’s the look of total defeat. They don’t want anything to do with me, they don’t want anything to do with you, they don’t want anything to do with Jameson anymore. I watched them crumble. I’m very good at doing that. How’s that for an explanation?’
Silence.
‘Well…’ Billy said after a long pause. ‘That certainly scared the shit out of me.’
‘So you believe me?’
‘Oh yes. I believe you. I’m sure they’re very far away from here by now.’
‘You’re correct.’
‘But still, you can’t be one hundred percent certain.’
King shot him an icy glare.
‘Kidding, kidding,’ Billy said, running a hand through his curly hair in exasperation.
He rose off the chair again and crossed the room to a thin filing cabinet tucked away in the corner. King hadn’t even noticed it was there. Billy withdrew a key from one of the pockets in his shirt and unlocked the bottom drawer with a swift twist of the lock. It sprang open to reveal a thick row of manila folders, all crammed into the cabinet with not an inch of room to spare. He reached to the very back and shimmied out the final folder. This one was a little thicker than the others, King noted. Billy opened it up and grabbed its contents.
A thick wad of Australian currency. All yellow. Fifty-dollar notes.
Billy crossed the room, hand outstretched, gesturing for King to take it.
‘I’m a man of my word,’ he said.
King didn’t move. ‘That’s all yours, Billy.’
Billy froze, perplexed. His brow furrowed in confusion. ‘But I said I’d pay you if you helped me out.’
‘And I’m telling you it’s all yours.’
‘Then…’ Billy stared at the floor, gathering his thoughts. ‘Then why did you help me?’
‘You looked desperate. And I hate people like those bikers. Besides, I found some of their cash at the clubhouse and took it. I gave half to Amanda’s dad. I’ll use the other half to keep myself afloat for a while.’
‘Do you want a lift anywhere?’
‘I’ll be fine. Thanks Billy. But I never would have taken your money. You worked hard to earn that. You deserve it.’
‘So you did all that for nothing? You put your life in danger.’
‘I wasn’t in danger.’
‘Do the tough guy act all you want, you still took a big risk for someone you didn’t know.’
King paused. ‘I guess I did.’
‘So thank you.’
‘Not a problem.’
King could tell nothing further needed to be said. Billy appreciated what he had done. And that was that.
‘So this woman,’ he said. ‘Kate Cooper. Can I get her address?’
‘You can have whatever the hell you want.’
‘Will I need to borrow your car again?’
Billy shook his head. ‘You seem fit enough. It’s a twenty minute walk from here. Think you can manage?’
‘I can handle that.’
King waited patiently as Billy scrawled a few words on a scrap of paper. He sat the pencil down and passed the note across. It read:
12 Walbrook Drive.
‘How do I get there?’ King asked.
‘Turn left when you leave and follow the road. Eventually you’ll see the street sign. It branches off the main road.’
King followed him out into the post office, which was still just as empty.
‘Been busy?’ Billy said.
Nicole raised an eyebrow. ‘You kidding?’
‘Of course.’
They walked past her and stepped outside. Wind feathered through the surrounding trees, blowing a cool mountain breeze along the main strip. King shivered in the sudden cold. The drone of a small plane passing overhead made him look up. He spotted it, nothing but a tiny speck in a sky full of thick clouds.
He looked at Billy and held up the scrap of paper. ‘Thank you for this. Helps me out.’
‘Just don’t go assaulting her or anything. She’s a nice girl. Works hard. I wouldn’t forgive myself if you turned out to be some psycho.’
‘I think you know you can trust me.’
Billy nodded. ‘This still all seems like a dream. If you’re a man of your word and I never see those bikers again, I’ll owe you for the rest of my life. Will I see you again, King?’
‘Depends, Billy. Good luck with your business. I hope everything works out.’
‘You too… with whatever the hell it is you’re doing.’
And with that King was off. He shook the man’s hand and turned on his heel. It was a calm day in rural Victoria. The middle of autumn. None of the blaring horns or constant murmur of pedestrians or sharp noises of the city. Out here there was just peace and solitude.
A nice day for a walk.
He set off at a brisk pace, channeling memories of hikes he’d made long ago. Those walks had been far worse. Often, he had no idea what he’d be heading towards, or if he’d come out unscathed on the other side. Here in civilian life, he was confident of any encounter. There were thugs and gangsters in society. But these ordinary crooks paled in comparison to the enemies of his past. Even the hitmen from the night before had failed to rattle him. They were simply irritating. He wondered just how different he was to the rest of the population. Perhaps it was irreversible, burnt into his subconscious. Guns and murder and clandestine activity were nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he felt more at home dealing with these problems than handling daily life.