stared.
‘What?’ said Sophie.
She instantly disliked both of them.
Next to her, Liz
mumbled something and took her by the arm. ‘Let’s sit somewhere else,’ she said,
standing and trying to lift Sophie.
‘There is nowhere else,’
she said, refusing to budge.
‘Just trust me, Soph,’
she said, still pulling at her. ’We need to move.’
‘Yeah, find somewhere
else,’ said the guy in front of her, without looking back. Sophie had half a
mind to put her boot through the back of his head.
‘What’s your problem,
mate?’
‘ Sophie ,’ Liz
moaned. ‘Come on .’
Further below, Jaimie
stood up and waved her down as if it was urgent. She heard the men in front of
her mumble in hostile tones.
‘What’s going on?’ she
said loudly. ‘This place is rank tonight.’
The guy in front of
her rose and turned to her. ‘My problem is you, sweetheart. Why don’t you go
back to your sick fuck back at Stoneleigh and tell him he should still be
behind bars.’
Sophie glared at him.
‘Do I know you?’
Suddenly the Bangaloo
men were on their feet and Jaimie was on his way up the steps. ‘I don’t want
any trouble,’ he said quickly, raising both hands in peace to the guy in front
of her. He took Sophie by the arm and yanked her forcefully out of her seat.
‘Hey!’ she complained.
Jaimie dragged her
down the steps and she let him, somehow knowing she should trust him. He didn’t
let go of her until they were under a large white marquee and he had her seated
at a table. He went to the bar, and Liz plonked her bag in a seat next to Sophie
and let out a long sigh of relief.
‘Will someone please
tell me what that was all about?’ Sophie demanded. ‘Who was that dickhead and
what did I ever do to him?’
‘You’re mad getting
involved with that Brett guy, Sophie,’ said Jaimie, returning with a beer and sitting
down next to her. ‘I know you don’t want to be with me. That’s fine. But be
careful. You’re a nice chick. I don’t want to see you hurt. No one does.’
‘Why am I going to get
hurt?’ she asked.
‘That guy in front of
you, with the blue shirt,’ said Jaimie. ‘He’s from Heads Up Station. He’s Jarred
Young – Mark Young’s brother. Mark was the guy Brett killed.’
Sophie went cold. Okay,
now she got it. This was heavy; too heavy for her. She didn’t want to get
tangled up between two feuding mobs of station hands. While she sat, soaking it
in, more questions hit her. ‘What happened?’ she asked Jaimie. ‘Why did he kill
him? Was it a fight? What was it over?’
Jaimie looked across
the bar and swore under his breath. ‘They’re coming in here.’
‘Heyyy,’ slurred a
drunken reveller. ‘Heads up, boys!’ The drunk raised a glass to several large
men in black hats and rodeo buckles.
Sophie had heard the
greeting before. It was traditional for the workers on that station. She’d
heard it in town, in pubs, at the servo, even in the supermarket. But she’d
never heard about their feud with Brett. That must have started before she came
here, before Brett went to prison, more than four years ago.
She thought. Come to
think of it, she had heard about a lethal fight, but she’d never paid much attention.
Tall tales were rife in the outback, mostly because not much ever happened.
Things got exaggerated all the time.
She looked across to
where the Heads Up boys had taken a table.
‘Let’s go,’ said Liz, picking
up her bag and standing.
Jaimie stood up,
leaving his half-finished beer on the table, and jangled the keys in his
pocket. ‘I’ll drive you.’
Sophie felt them
eyeballing her the whole way out. She couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder
as she followed her friends through the dark carpark. Thankfully they hadn’t
followed.
Jaimie drove in
silence for half an hour or so. His car, some sort of throbbing V8 Holden,
hummed quietly and she sank into the leather seat and closed her eyes. What had
she got involved in?
‘You never told
‘What?’ said Sophie.
She instantly disliked both of them.
Next to her, Liz
mumbled something and took her by the arm. ‘Let’s sit somewhere else,’ she said,
standing and trying to lift Sophie.
‘There is nowhere else,’
she said, refusing to budge.
‘Just trust me, Soph,’
she said, still pulling at her. ’We need to move.’
‘Yeah, find somewhere
else,’ said the guy in front of her, without looking back. Sophie had half a
mind to put her boot through the back of his head.
‘What’s your problem,
mate?’
‘ Sophie ,’ Liz
moaned. ‘Come on .’
Further below, Jaimie
stood up and waved her down as if it was urgent. She heard the men in front of
her mumble in hostile tones.
‘What’s going on?’ she
said loudly. ‘This place is rank tonight.’
The guy in front of
her rose and turned to her. ‘My problem is you, sweetheart. Why don’t you go
back to your sick fuck back at Stoneleigh and tell him he should still be
behind bars.’
Sophie glared at him.
‘Do I know you?’
Suddenly the Bangaloo
men were on their feet and Jaimie was on his way up the steps. ‘I don’t want
any trouble,’ he said quickly, raising both hands in peace to the guy in front
of her. He took Sophie by the arm and yanked her forcefully out of her seat.
‘Hey!’ she complained.
Jaimie dragged her
down the steps and she let him, somehow knowing she should trust him. He didn’t
let go of her until they were under a large white marquee and he had her seated
at a table. He went to the bar, and Liz plonked her bag in a seat next to Sophie
and let out a long sigh of relief.
‘Will someone please
tell me what that was all about?’ Sophie demanded. ‘Who was that dickhead and
what did I ever do to him?’
‘You’re mad getting
involved with that Brett guy, Sophie,’ said Jaimie, returning with a beer and sitting
down next to her. ‘I know you don’t want to be with me. That’s fine. But be
careful. You’re a nice chick. I don’t want to see you hurt. No one does.’
‘Why am I going to get
hurt?’ she asked.
‘That guy in front of
you, with the blue shirt,’ said Jaimie. ‘He’s from Heads Up Station. He’s Jarred
Young – Mark Young’s brother. Mark was the guy Brett killed.’
Sophie went cold. Okay,
now she got it. This was heavy; too heavy for her. She didn’t want to get
tangled up between two feuding mobs of station hands. While she sat, soaking it
in, more questions hit her. ‘What happened?’ she asked Jaimie. ‘Why did he kill
him? Was it a fight? What was it over?’
Jaimie looked across
the bar and swore under his breath. ‘They’re coming in here.’
‘Heyyy,’ slurred a
drunken reveller. ‘Heads up, boys!’ The drunk raised a glass to several large
men in black hats and rodeo buckles.
Sophie had heard the
greeting before. It was traditional for the workers on that station. She’d
heard it in town, in pubs, at the servo, even in the supermarket. But she’d
never heard about their feud with Brett. That must have started before she came
here, before Brett went to prison, more than four years ago.
She thought. Come to
think of it, she had heard about a lethal fight, but she’d never paid much attention.
Tall tales were rife in the outback, mostly because not much ever happened.
Things got exaggerated all the time.
She looked across to
where the Heads Up boys had taken a table.
‘Let’s go,’ said Liz, picking
up her bag and standing.
Jaimie stood up,
leaving his half-finished beer on the table, and jangled the keys in his
pocket. ‘I’ll drive you.’
Sophie felt them
eyeballing her the whole way out. She couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder
as she followed her friends through the dark carpark. Thankfully they hadn’t
followed.
Jaimie drove in
silence for half an hour or so. His car, some sort of throbbing V8 Holden,
hummed quietly and she sank into the leather seat and closed her eyes. What had
she got involved in?
‘You never told
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