Page 85 of Resist

“Really? Why not?”

“My grandpa wears those.”

I laughed. “Okay. No checkered shirt. How ‘bout plain white?”

“White works.”

We searched the online store for the next hour or so until Patsy yelled for us to look out the window, her demand loud and insistent. “THERE IT IS!” She applauded herself. “How fucking hot do we all look?”

I ducked my head to see what she was squawking about and noticed a giant billboard covered with our marketing photo.

“What the fuck?” My blood ran cold. “STOP THE BUS!” I yelled.

I shot up from my seat as Baz veered off onto the shoulder of the road, my heart pounding, my legs shaking.

“NO! No, no, no, no, NO!”

“Helena, what’s wrong?” Patsy called out.

“Oh, shit!” Lucas said.

“What?” Patsy said.

I pushed on the bus door. “Open it, Baz.”

He did, and I flew out of the bus to get a better look, even though what was right in front of me, five storeys high, wasn’t going to change.

“SHIIIIIIIIIT!” I screamed, clutching my hair. I turned back toward the bus where everyone had disembarked and shouted at them. “WHY IS THIS HERE?”

“Because …” Patsy paused, her eyes bouncing from one person to the next. “Because you asked me to organize a billboard for Clifford Hill.”

“CLIFFORD HILL IN DARWIN. NOT CLIFFORD HILL IN CAIRNS.”

Her hands shot to her mouth, which was when I doubled over and vomited. Lucas rushed to my side and bent down, his hand rubbing my back.

“It’s okay, baby.”

“NO, IT’S NOT OKAY.” I stood back up and pointed to the billboard, which was right next to a billboard — equal in size — of Colin, advertising SunCoast Bank. “THAT’S HIM. THAT’S MY EX-HUSBAND. AND NOW HE KNOWS I’M IN TOWN.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand while staring at the bold detailed letters that read, ‘Wild Nights Revue: this Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at The Reef Hotel Casino’. My body trembled. “He knows exactly where I’ll be and when,” I whispered.

Lucas wrapped his arms around me and pressed my body to his chest, his hand on my head, his lips touching my forehead. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

I wanted to believe him, I really did.

But Colin was a wolf, and I’d always been a lamb to the slaughter.

* * *

As I steppedoff thebus at The Reef Hotel Casino, another large billboard greeted me. It wasn’t as big as the one by the highway on our way into the city, but it was still large enough to churn my stomach.

“I’m so sorry, Helena,” Patsy said. “I didn’t know you wanted them in Darwin. I didn’t even know there were two Clifford Hills.”

I sighed and diverted my gaze to the contents of my handbag. “Neither did I.”

She trudged past me, suitcase in hand, and I knew deep down this wasn’t her fault. In fact, she’d done an amazing job getting the billboards printed and displayed in such a short amount of time, and I had to give her credit for that. Still, it didn’t change the fact that I was certain Colin already knew I was here.

Sensing the mood around us was sombre, I felt the need to explain my outburst. “Listen, everyone,” I called out.

Baz, and the guys looked up from where they were unloading our luggage from the bus, Johnno and Dex butted their cigarettes, and Cori lowered her camera, all of them moving closer to where I was standing.