Her eyes widen. “You think he…”
I glance at Amantle and lower my voice. “I saw him leaving and he looked upset. It’s not exactly evidence, but I got the feeling something was off. And the premonition…”
Amantle hangs up. “My cousin’s coming; she’s a nurse. Maybe I should get my brother – he’s supposed to be the chaperone, but I think he’s outside.”
“Good idea. I’m going downstairs to see if I can find any of the Cresta Crew.” I glance at Kelly. “Will you guys be OK?”
Lebz nods. I leave the room and scan every face downstairs, but none of the boys are in sight. I enlist Wiki’s help in the search, to no avail. All six of them have vanished. We head outside. I see Tshiamo talking to another boy, and I remember that I never found out what his story was. His back is to me.
“One second,” I tell Wiki, and walk over to Tshiamo. I tap his shoulder.
He turns around and swears colourfully. “Look, I’m sorry, OK? What was I supposed to do? Two hundred bucks just to keep an eye on you is a sweet deal, so I took it.” He fishes in his pocket, pulls out a folded bill and hands it to me. “Tsa. I don’t want any hassles.”
I stare at the money, utterly confused. “Wait – you were paid to keep an eye on me?”
“Hey!” He forces the money into my hand. “I was just trying to help. Take it up with your crazy jealous boyfriend. Or maybe not – he looks like the passion-killing type.” He gives me a significant nod. “My advice? Dump him and get a bodyguard.” He backs away, shaking his head. His friend follows, glancing at me over his shoulder.
I blink. “What the hell was that?”
Wiki clears his throat. “My conclusion is that Rakwena paid Tshiamo two hundred pula to keep you out of trouble.”
“We’ve reached the same conclusion,” I reply through gritted teeth. No wonder Rakwena seemed calmer when he dropped us off – he had a plan. I’m angry and exasperated. I hate it when he goes behind my back!
“I’m sure he was just worried about Thuli,” says Wiki gently.
I shake my head. “When Duma came towards me, Tshiamo tried to take me away. He said he was supposed to keep me away from other guys – especially those guys, meaning the Cresta Crew.”
Wiki falls silent. I storm past him, back into the house. I intend to have a word or two with that boyfriend of mine. By the time we get to Kelly’s room the nurse has arrived and it’s almost eleven. Amantle’s brother looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. I imagine Kelly’s parents won’t be too happy with him.
The nurse emerges from Kelly’s room. “She’s fine,” she declares, and we all heave sighs of relief. “I think she might have had one drink too many, and she just needs to sleep it off. She’s a bit weak, but otherwise all right.”
I pull Lebz aside and leave Amantle and her brother to talk to the nurse alone. “Rakwena will be here soon,” I remind her.
“I’ll get a lift with Botho,” she says.
“OK. Don’t worry – you heard the nurse. She just drank too much.”
Lebz nods, but she’s not convinced, and neither am I. I give her a quick hug, say my goodbyes and head back downstairs. Wiki’s already outside with Rakwena, and I can tell from the look of concern on Rakwena’s face that he’s been filled in.
“How is she?”
“She’ll live to torment me,” I assure him, keeping my annoyance in check. I don’t want to fight in front of Wiki. “The nurse thinks she partied too hard.”
His eyes narrow. “And what do you think?”
“I’m not sure.” I turn to Wiki. “Ready to go?”
“I’ve been ready since I got here,” he quips, and the three of us make our way to Rakwena’s car.
Rakwena doesn’t say much until he’s taken Wiki home and it’s just the two of us. He parks outside my gate and peers into my face. “You’re upset. Is it Thuli? Did he – ”
I pull the crumpled P200 note from my pocket and slap it onto the dashboard. “Money-back guarantee from Tshiamo. By the way, he doesn’t like doing business with crazy, jealous boyfriends.”
Rakwena stares at the money and says nothing.
“Are you going to explain why you felt the need to hire me a bodyguard without my permission?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” He takes the money, unfolds it carefully and puts it in the glove compartment. “I was worried Thuli might – ”
“No, you were worried I’d talk to the Cresta Crew. Tshiamo told me.”
I see his jaw tense in the dim light. “Yes. I’m worried about them, too. You said you’d stay out of trouble. You promised, and then you went to a party where you’d be exposed to one freak hunter and six undefined threats, so I took protective measures.”
“You’re not my father!” I sigh. “Honestly, you can’t do stuff like that. And if you were so worried, why didn’t you gate-crash the way you did at Thuli’s party?”
“I’m sorry,” he says, and he sounds sincere. “I overreacted. It won’t happen again.” He’s got his cool, calm mask up, and I can’t tell what he’s really feeling.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” I assure him. “I’m fine. I’m much more concerned about Kelly. There’s something about that boyfriend of hers. His friends, too.”
“Wiki says you think they’re gifted.”
“Oh, I know they are.” I release the buckle of my seatbelt so I can turn to face him properly. “Spencer’s relationship with Kelly bothers me. It’s so intense. It’s not like her at all. Duma seems like the friendliest of the group. I need to talk to him again.”
“Again?” Rakwena blurts out, eyes wide. “You spoke to one of them?”
I recoil. “Relax, we barely said two sentences to each other. His cousin Elias interrupted. What’s your problem, anyway?”
He has that look on his face, the one he gets when he doesn’t approve of my tactics. “I just don’t want you getting hurt. After the Puppetmaster and Thuli…” He sighs. “Look, maybe Kelly did just drink too much, and Spencer had nothing to do with it.”
“And maybe I’m not really a telepath – I just have an overactive imagination,” I retort, with a tinge of annoyance. “I know what I saw. Those guys are dangerous!”
The mask slides back on and his expression is as inscrutable as ever. “Fine.” He hesitates. “Just don’t go looking for trouble, OK?”
I poke him hard in the ribs and he winces. “Aren’t you the one who wanted me to take an active interest in these things?”
“Yes, but – ”
“Then stop complaining.” I glance towards the house. “I should go make sure Dad hasn’t fallen asleep on the sofa again.”
He leans forward to kiss me. “Can I come by tomorrow?”
“I’ll think about it,” I tease, before jumping out of the car.
I wish he’d relax; I’m not the one in trouble. I chain the gate and put on a padlock before hurrying up the driveway. I’m concerned about Kelly. Instead of graduating from bad boys with trust funds to bad boys with powers, she should find someone trustworthy and loyal. But I guess not everyone can be as lucky as me.
***
“Kelly’s fine,” says Lebz with a sigh. She’s sprawled