‘Oh, yeah. I know all about adapting.’ She looked at him with an intensity that made his skin tingle. ‘First time I met you, I thought you was a real pussy. Then I thought you was the big, bad ’wolf, some scary howler spy or somethin’. But I’ve been watching you, Tommy-boy. Stuff you’ve done. The way you handle yourself.’ Her fingertips were caressing the rough skin on his knuckles. ‘And I want you to know, I’m impressed.’

He shrugged. ‘I’ve been lucky, that’s all.’

She laughed softly. ‘Boy, you don’t know what lucky is.’ She leaned in closer, angled her face towards him. ‘Do you wanna know?’

Jasmine pressed her mouth against his.

Tom felt a light flick of her tongue, found himself responding. Suddenly they were caught up in a hot, wet kiss. Tom’s thoughts were scattered and lost. All he could feel was the heat of the kiss buzzing through him, the sweet smell of Jasmine’s sweat, the taste of her tongue snaking around inside his mouth. He went to slide his arms around her – and felt the gun, cold and heavy in his right hand.

He jumped away like a shock had bolted through him.

Jasmine stared at him, scared and vulnerable. ‘What? What’d I do?’

‘I can’t do this,’ he muttered.

In a blink, the old, hard look was back, set on her face like a mask. ‘What, you suddenly got religion or something?’

‘This isn’t who I want to be,’ he said. The gun weighed heavy in his hand. ‘The guy you think I am, the stuff you like about me … that’s the stuff I hate.’

‘Sure,’ she said coldly. ‘I guess that’s why you hang with Kate. Nice, clean, smart shoulder to cry on, huh?’

‘No, it’s not that,’ he protested. ‘I …I’m sorry.’ He turned away, placed the gun on the dresser.

‘You having second thoughts about that too?’

He closed his eyes. ‘I know it’s the only way to be free of her and Takapa. To protect the people I love.’

‘Like Kate?’ Jasmine said quietly.

Tom didn’t answer her.

He heard Jasmine rise up from the bed and walk to the door. ‘I’ll be waiting outside with Ric,’ she announced, her tone as cold as the night air gusting in through the window. ‘When she comes in … justdon’t miss.’

The door clicked shut behind her.

g

Tom sat on the bed, one hand on a little pile of his parents’ clothes, one on the gun. He registered that the sky was starting to lighten, but his attention was fixed wholly on the closed door. The minutes stretched by. His shoulder ached. A part of him ached for Jasmine to come back. To feel someone beside him, to help him do this thing he knew he—

There was a scratching, scraping sound at the lock.

Tom jumped up from the bed.