Page 28 of Lights, Camera, Love

Notification to next of kin: Due to overcrowding at Broken Hill Correctional Centre, Broken Hill, NSW, inmate MIN 917883; Evans, Jace, has been transferred to Long BayCorrectional Complex, Sydney, NSW. A copy of this letter has been posted to the address on your file.

Relief that my half-brother hasn’t been beaten into the ground by a prison gang floods my lungs. But the moment of solace is quickly eaten away by a fresh horror.

Until now, Jace has been locked up in a jail that was about a twenty-six-hour round trip away from me—even further when I was living in LA. Since he first moved away when we were teenagers, the enormous physical distance between us has made our estrangement, and the creeping regret I feel over it, simpler to ignore.

But Long Bay prison? I could drive there from my apartment in twenty minutes, or even walk. It’s probably not much further than the hike I just finished.

I rest my forehead against the steering wheel, the tension that was eased by today’s walk slowly reforming until my spine feels like a steel pole.

I don’t make it to Evie’s dance class.

CHAPTER 9

Evie

I hobble down the aisle of the city bus as it swings back onto the road and fall into the last empty seat. When I get paid for my role inMoving, I need to think about buying a car that isn’t held together by gaffer tape. My old clunker clearly didn’t appreciate the four-hundred-kilometre round trip to the farm—the day I got back, it refused to start. Now, it’s sitting in car jail at the mechanic’s while they wait for a new part to come in.

As the bus squeaks to a stop at every traffic light that’s ever been manufactured on Planet Earth, I tap open a news website on my phone. The leading image drops a weight on my chest. It’s a grainy, candid shot of my father, who’s clutching a small leather duffel bag as he climbs into a shiny black SUV.

My palm flies to my mouth as I read the caption:

‘Spotted: Gabriel Dean arrives in Sydney on private jet!’

What the hell? He’shere?!

Whyis he here? Does Mum know? I consider calling her but decide against it. She’s probably already left to meet tonight’s Tinder date, and I hardly want to interrupt that little rendezvous with this news.

Private jet.Bile coats the back of my throat when I think about Gabriel’s lavish lifestyle while Mum and I can barely afford to pay our bills. I once asked her why she never went after him for child support payments—surely, his bank balance would’ve been alluring for a chronic spendthrift like her—and she told me it would’ve been incredibly complicated and messy, given they lived in different countries with different legal systems. Plus, she said, she didn’t want my father to think she was only after his money, which was what he’d accused her of in the first place. She refused to give him the satisfaction, and instead went with option B—acting as if he didn’t exist, just as he’d always done with us.

The day she told me that, I decided to never trade on my father’s famous name or use it to help further my career. If Mum, of all people, had enough strength of character to tough out life without his support, so would I.

Refusing to let this topic torment me any further, I turn my gaze to the foggy window and bite down on my thumb until blood springs to the corners of my nail.

The bus drops me off outside DanceLab a few minutes late. I rush into my teaching studio and eagerly greet my regulars, consoled by their smiling faces. It’s my first lesson back since the shoot at the farm.

‘Hey, legends, who missed me?’ I call out with a wink while hurriedly pairing my phone with the sound system.

‘Me!’ says Bliss, beaming, and Avalanche adds, ‘You’re a sight for sore eyes, boss.’

Some of the tension lodged behind my ribcage begins to leak out.It feels good to be home.

After cranking up ‘7/11’ by Beyoncé, I line up in front of the mirror, tighten my high ponytail, and begin the warm-up. Every minute or so, my attention drifts to the empty doorway, and I find myself hoping that a tall guy with smouldering eyes and pouty lips, who can roll his hips like no one’s business, will stroll in.

But Kye never shows up.

My students are smashing out one final round of tonight’s routine when Rafael wanders in, half of his shoulder-length hair tied back and dark liner smudged around his eyes. He cups both hands around his mouth and blows me a kiss, which I ‘catch’ and press to my butt. Barking a laugh, he edges past the dancers to meet me at the mirror and wraps an arm around me. Together we watch Usher freestyling his mad-dog skills and Mayday falling into an out-of-control spin, his arm signalling for aid. I’d love to help him, but it’s too late. Still, he dusts himself off in no time. The song fades out, and Rafael and I give the breathless dancers a round of applause.

‘Before you all escape, I want to say a few words about the upcoming annual showcase,’ Rafa announces, his sparkling grin promising something exciting.

A flurry of hushed whispers erupts around the studio. I’m all ears to find out what Rafael has planned. But then someone steps into the doorway, and all my attention zeroes in on Kye. He’s not here for one of the late-night classes, judging by his outfit of ripped black jeans, brown ankle boots and a loose purple T-shirt. He looks freshly showered; the tips of his hair are still damp. From across the room, his smoky brown gaze finds mine, sending a spiral of warmth coiling up my spine.

Rafael’s teacher-voice snatches our focus.

‘This year’s showcase is going to be held at a nightclub in the city,’ he states, ‘and it’s going to be a charity event with the mediaandsome celebrity guests. The celebs will perform dance routines as part of the show—a bit likeDancing with the Stars. And, of course, between those dances, all our students—which means you—will also hit the stage and perform for the media!’

Avalanche’s skin turns ashen, and Mayday freezes with his mouth open. Bliss does a little happy jig on her feet while Usher stands with his arms crossed, grinning.

Rafael finishes with a promise to share more information soon, and Kye shifts out of the doorway so the students can disperse. Rafa and I have a quick chat about the showcase while I gather my stuff, and I promise to choreograph something fun for my regulars and to partner up with one of the celebrities for a salsa routine.

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