Page 44 of Alpha Bait

I sighed, "I'm not going to tell you who it is, Jamal."

"Alright then."

He zipped my bag shut and handed it to me.

"I'll drive you to your meet up."

"Thanks."

"Jamal's out and when he gets back, I'll tell him I haven't seen you."

"Thank you."

"Come here."

Donnie hugged me and then sighed.

"I won't convince you to stay, will I?"

"No, you won't."

"What about the company, Indie?"

"When Jamal's ready to be reasonable, I'll come back."

Donnie mumbled about Jamal not being known for his reason and I agreed. We hurried downstairs towards the car and I turned back to say a final goodbye to my apartment building. I'd lived in the penthouse for the past year and I loathed saying goodbye.

I'd be saying goodbye to more than Manhattan if my brother caught a whiff of where I was or who I was with. My heart sank heavily into my chest. I had to play it safe, act like everything was okay so Donnie wouldn't worry. He was only helping me because he sympathized with my cause against Will Harkness. If he'd had a clue who I was meeting, I doubted he'd be so forthcoming with assistance.

He dropped me off at the meetup point. I'd arrived early to make sure Donnie left and we could steal away together unnoticed.

"Are you okay here?"

"Yes."

"It's late."

"I can handle myself, Donnie."

"Listen, I've got to go handle your brother. If you need anything, you know how to reach me."

"Yes," I replied, "I do."

"Good. Take care with your mystery man. Don't get caught up."

He rolled up the windows and sped away, leaving me on an isolated downtown street. I exhaled, watching my breath turn to a visible white cloud. I yanked my peacoat tighter around my waist and pulled my hat down over my eyes. When Rich came, I'd recognize him and we'd wait for the hired car to come to take us to Boston where we could fly without detection.

My suitcase pressed down on my shoulders, bruising them gently. The city could get so cold at night I half expected it to snow. As I leaned against my suitcase, a pair of lovebirds walked in front of me, holding hands and whispering to each other. A pang of guilt surged through my chest.

All I wanted was the freedom to be like them -- to express what I felt without consequences.

When you're a Holloway, the consequences for all your actions bear such gravitas. The family, the family, the family -- everything I did had to serve the family. I could never hold hands in public, or go out without my heels, or do anything that might bring shame to our precarious family name. Rich got it. Rich understood why I needed to shed that life and pursue a new one in a different country.

I'd let my hair out of its crisp bun, leave behind the shift dresses and the designer heels in favor of digging my toes into the sand and flowing linen gowns that barely hugged my figure at all. A tall man, with a swaggering gait like Richard's, approached. I tilted my hat upwards to catch a good view of his face in the street lights. Not Richard, his brother.

While I hadn't met Richard until the party, I knew his brother Ames quite well. My heart raced and my eyes widened. Ames appeared to be a hulking, terrifying figure in the darkness. If he knew about our meeting place and opposed it as greatly as my brother did, I'd have no choice but to either run or fight.

I'd be powerless if it came to blows.

---