‘You haven’t answered my question.’ I crossed my arms over my chest; I felt so vulnerable in this outfit. Without my usual armour – my tough, no-nonsense attire – I was naked. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I could ask you the exact same question.’ He folded his arms too,mirroring my stance, and the two of us stood there locked in a silent stand-off. I knew all too well that neither of us was going to break. We were both just as stubborn and could quite happily stand here for twenty-four hours until one of us passed out from the pain of holding in a pee.
‘What do you want with Victor?’ I asked.
‘What doyouwant with Victor?’ he countered.
‘What makes you think I’m here for Victor?’
He rolled his eyes at me and another smile curved his lips. ‘Lizzy Brown, InQuest Investigators, South Africa’s most sought-after private investigator, “working discreetly, efficiently and with the utmost confidentiality”.’
‘Why are you quoting my website?’
He shrugged and then looked around the room. ‘Did his wife hire you? Or is there another jealous mistress hiding somewhere?’
‘Discreetly and confidentially.’ I tightened my folded arms. ‘Who hiredyou?’
Cam stepped back, breaking our deadlock, which surprised me. ‘Maybe I’m just here to enjoy a tropical vacation. Been overworked lately, needed a break, and this place is, well, it’s rather idyllic, don’t you think?’
‘It does boast some very abundant birdlife,’ I said, free to move now that he’d lost that round. I walked over to my camera and picked it up. ‘Been getting some great pics today.’ I slowly looped the camera strap around my neck.
‘I had no idea you were such an ornithophile.’
‘Ooh, that’s a rather big word for you,’ I said, and glared at him. ‘I’ve also become quite a keen herpetologist. You should see the photos of the tree frogs I got yesterday.’
‘I’d love to look at them sometime.’ He wiped his damp forehead with his arm, then ran a hand through his hair, brushing it back from his face.
‘Your hair could do with a trim,’ I pointed out, as some of the longer strands flopped back down.
‘Told you, I’m on vacation.’
I narrowed my eyes at him, as if it might bring the lies and secrets that I knew he was hiding into sharp, crystal-clear focus.
‘Your hair looks great, by the way,’ he said.
I reached up and touched it. The wrestling had ripped it from its bun, and I didn’t need a mirror to know what it looked like – wild curls everywhere. I ran my fingers through it, trying to locate the elastic, but it was nowhere to be found. I glanced around the floor . . . empty. But when I looked back up again, there it was. Dangling from Cam’s finger like a trophy.
‘Looking for this?’ he asked, not even trying to hide the fat smirk on his face.
I shot him a very disapproving look before walking back up to him. We were face to face now. It was a face I’d dreamt about over the years, but not inthatway. I’d mainly fantasised about punching him in that perfect nose of his. It had always made me happy to think of the bruise that would have radiated outwards. I must have smiled at the thought.
‘What’s amusing you so much?’ he asked.
I tilted my head and looked at his nose from a different angle. ‘If you must know, I was thinking about breaking your nose.’
He burst out laughing, a sound I hadn’t heard in years.
‘Why’s that so funny?’ I asked angrily.
‘It’s just good to see that while you look different,’ he ran his eyes up and down my body again, and I noticed him swallow as he did so, ‘really different’ – his voice was slightly breathy now, and I didn’t like it – ‘the fundamentals are still the same.’
‘What, that I still hate you?’
‘That’s not what it looked like last time I saw you.’
‘Bastard.’ I lurched forward and grabbed the elastic. But the second my fingers wrapped around it, Cam tightened his grip. I yanked as hard as I could, the poor elastic stretching to breaking capacity – just like I was being stretched right now.
‘Looks like whoever lets go first will give the other a bit of a sting,’ Cam said.
