Page 71 of Alpha Bait

The Brother

INDIE

"I'll help you, but this is extreme."

My kind patron adjusted his hoodie, the hood further over his head so no one could make out his features. I did the same. We agreed to meet in a small brewery in Brooklyn, one more frequented by hipsters than folks of our ilk in society.

In relative disguise and virtually unrecognizable, I figured it would be safe.

Our thin, tall barista brought over our two cappuccinos. After much argument, Ames had finally convinced her to make them in proper European-style. I don't think she had a clue what he was talking about, but she got them right in the end.

"Thank you," I muttered.

"It's no problem."

"I would have asked your brother – –"

"I get why you didn't," he replied.

Neither he nor I saw any reason to discuss that matter further.

Since my incident with Will Harkness, I had been eager to get out of the city. The next morning, after Will had locked me in a bedroom overnight, my brother had arrived right at 9 AM with a big smile on his face and a large mug of Starbucks coffee as if that would be all it took to make me not want to kill him. The only bright side was that Will wasn't the one who returned me to the city.

I still preferred my brother's company to his.

As promised, Will had left without touching me, but his threats and insinuations that future violence awaited me were threats that I believed. He could have done anything to me and no one would have heard. In fact, my own brother had fed me to the wolves.

I didn't say a single word to Jamal the entire drive back to New York. When he dropped me off at my place I slammed his car door so hard that he almost got out and smacked me. Take that, Mercedes.

Since then, I had worked quickly, reaching out to the one contact I knew who could get me out of the city alive.

Our family lawyers, my brother's personal security team and a private investigator had been following Rich for about two weeks. I suspected Ames and I were also being tailed but I couldn't prove it. We'd taken precautions however and I was certain our café meeting was safe.

The restraining order meant that contacting Richard would be too risky. Plus, there wasn't much he could do from Italy. I had to see his brother, Ames.

"Take the documents," he murmured.

"Is that it?"

Ames shook his head.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wallet. I felt it's weight with a slight bend in my wrist before tucking it into my purse.

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you don't want me to tell him?" he asked.

"What's the point? He's not even near the city right now. Don't tell him, Ames. He shouldn't know I've left."

Ames nodded. I was right. While Richard was being followed halfway across the world, he had his hands more than full down here.

"So when do I leave?"

"In a few days. The 18th I believe."

I took a large sip of my cappuccino and considered what that would mean. I had only three days to say goodbye to everybody. After I left, that would be it.

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