Page 43 of Alpha Bait

Swift Departure

INDIE

"You're leaving tonight then?" Donnie asked, standing in my bedroom near the window with his arms folded.

"Yes. Don't tell Jamal."

"I wouldn't."

"Thank you."

"Jamal would hurt you if he found out, Indie. You're talking about betraying him."

"I'm talking about my freedom, Donnie."

Donnie reached into his pocket for a mint and popped it into his mouth.

"Want one?"

"No thanks."

He shrugged and slipped the mint into his pocket.

"Jamal is serious about you and Will Harkness."

"That's the problem."

"Right. You've met someone else."

"You could say that."

"And this man is going to run away with you?"

"Yes."

Donnie approached my bed and began folding pairs of jeans, slipping them into my bag.

"I don't see why you won't tell me who it is."

"It's not safe, Donnie."

"Not safe, or you don't trust me?"

"Does it matter?" I asked.

"Why don't you ask Aunty Gail to protect you."

"Mama is powerless against Jamal. She might not realize it, but she is."

"You're certain this man is trustworthy then?

For a fleeting moment, I wondered if Donnie knew, or had some inkling of who I'd fallen for. He must have figured out that it would be someone Jamal wouldn't approve of. I didn't think Donnie had what it took to guess.

I pondered his question as I removed strings of pearls from my dresser and dropped them into my wooden jewelry box. Rich and I had fallen so quickly that I'd barely considered that he might not be the man I thought he was. He could be hiding, pursuing aims just as nefarious as my brother's. When I pictured his face, the way he looked at me before he stripped my clothes off or before he kissed me, there was no doubt in my mind that Rich was honest.

"Yes," I replied, "I trust him."

"He must be a wealthy man, to whisk you away at a moment's notice like this."

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