Page 14 of Alpha Bait

Strangers

INDIE

Jamal, Donnie and I stood on the second story of the yacht watching our friends, acquaintances and the stragglers who had snuck into the party milling about on the dance floor.

"Look at that white girl," Donnie chuckled, pointing at a red-headed woman flailing about on the dance floor.

"Wait is that..." I muttered, squinting at the figure below, only illuminated by the soft yellow lights on the deck.

"Yes," Jamal scowled, "It's Selena Carter."

"What the hell is she doing here?"

"Theresa invited her by accident."

"What?!"

"She mixed up about a hundred names that were supposed to be on the funeral guest list."

"Geez. How many other frickin' Carmichaels are here?"

I folded my arms and leaned against the railing between my cousin and my brother, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone in the party below deck.

"I hope they were smart enough not to come," Jamal grumbled.

"I dunno. I think I might have seen Ames."

"Fuck's sake!" I grumbled.

"All you gotta do is ignore them," Jamal replied.

"Easier said than done they're crawling all over the ship."

"I'll keep an eye on you," Donnie offered.

I chuckled and wrapped my cousin in a half hug.

"Thanks, Donnie, I'm a big girl. I can handle a Carmichael any time of day in the boardroom and at a party."

"Think they came just to piss us off?" Donnie asked.

Jamal shrugged.

"Maybe it's just good faith -- they want us to know they're taking what mama said seriously."

Jamal and Donnie chuckled.

"Indie, don't be naive," Jamal replied.

"They're ruthless."

I rolled my eyes.

"They might be ruthless but if they make an effort, I don't want us to look like the bad guys."

"We can't look like the bad guys if we aren't the bad guys."

Donnie ran his hands over his waves. His dashiki made him look smart and contrasted with his white linen pants and boat shoes. Like me, he was a transplant in the world of the wealthy and his wardrobe often reflected his incongruence with the wealth our family had grown up into. We were black -- no question about that -- but we were different too. People like the Carmichaels never allowed us to forget that difference.

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