“You mean—” The lilt in his voice let me know the unspoken word was Penumbra.
“Yes. And others, if you have them.”
“What about White? That’s his job.”
“I know. I’m not having troubles with White, but I don’t want any contact with the company for a while. I don’t know when I’m going back and I don’t want to have to explain myself anymore.”
“What the hell did Red do?”
I shook my head. “It really isn’t a big deal. Actually, it’s a whole lot of little things that just built up until he really pissed me off. I need time, but I don’t want to just sit around. Might as well be making money while I’m gone.”
“Do you need anything?” He asked after several seconds of silence.
“No. I’m good. I’ll be getting rid of this phone, though. I don’t want the guys tracking me. So, if you get a call from an unrecognizable number, answer it, okay?”
“Okay. Give me a call next week. I’m sure I can have a job for you by then.”
“Thanks, Colin. Oh. Could you please tell my dad that I’m okay and that I promise to keep in touch with you? I don’t want him or mom to worry too much.”
“Of course. Take care of yourself, Alex. Talk to you next week.”
I took a deep breath and dialed White.
“Alex?” White sounded panicked.
“Hey,” I said.
“Where are you?”
“I left. Did you call the Admiral yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Don’t.”
“Why? Don’t you think he should know?”
“Maybe. But, if you don’t want Red to disappear, don’t call.”
The other end of the line was quiet for some time.
I finally said, “I need some time to work through this and I couldn’t do it there. Not with everyone and their questions and accusations.”
“I understand. I won’t call the Admiral.”
“I’ll be in touch. I promise. Just not again from this phone. I can’t have Red tracking me down again.”
I hung up the phone before he could answer.
I might not care for Red, but he really was one of the good guys. He didn’t deserve to die or be held against his will because he didn’t trust me. He’d had good reason not to trust me. I’d been hiding something. He was protecting his partners and the company. What he did was understandable. I just wished he’d talked to me about it before he brought it up in a meeting. I tried to give him the tools to be my friend. He wouldn’t talk to me. He’d been seeing me as his enemy from the very beginning. If he’d have shown me his proof privately the conversation might have had a much better ending. For all of us.
My sobs became uncontrollable. I curled up on my bed. I might never see White again. I knew that. I wondered if he did. The only way to handle this, and protect Red was to lose Ms. Grey, not Penumbra.
Discover other titles by J.C. Phelps at Smashwords.com
Color Me Grey: Book One of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles
Shades of Grey: Book Two of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles
Reflections of Grey: Book Three of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles
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Traces of Grey: Book Four of The Alexis Stanton Chronicles Page 20