CHAPTER 48

Axel looked at Claire over the top of the file he had buried his head in since they boarded the plane. She was staring off into the distance with haunted eyes. He hated the look, and he didn't know what to make of it. That is the look she had carried since he and Donald returned that evening. It had gotten worse when they had to say goodbye to Jubril.

"Your woman don't see me, brother." Jubril had whispered to him. "She don't want to go back."

He kept thinking about what Jubril said. Claire must have remembered the horrible people that waited for her in New York - Lisa, her sister - and decided Australia was better for her. He literally had to wrestle Claire into the car that was taking them to the airport. She had not said a word to anyone that evening. If Axel were to be very honest, she looked dead to the world.

Claire was not the only one confusing Axel that evening. Donald had been talking quietly on the phone since they entered the plane before take off, and now, he was doing s