Then the reality hit him. “Ketsu’s in mortal danger! We need to save her!”

“We will,” Dash said. “The police have been after Jakes Masego for years. Miss Dlamini, what happened after you spoke to Tommy? Where did you go?”

I thought and thought about it; nothing new came to me. “That’s all I remember for now.”

Tommy grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “Think! You have to remember.”
Dash threw him to the floor and Tommy whimpered.

“Don’t you dare touch her again!” he warned Tommy.

I looked at Dash and felt myself flush. What was this feeling? Maybe it was appreciation because he was trying to protect me. But, maybe it was something more – something deeper.

“We’ll be in touch,” he told Tommy, taking his number. We turned to leave and Dash’s hand gently brushed against mine … by accident. I swear there was an electricity there like I’ve never felt before. He immediately averted his face and I wondered what he was feeling. Dash was so fierce about some things, yet so shy with others.

Back in his car, I asked him if we were going to tell the police and if it was enough evidence to lock Jakes away.

“No,” he said. “This is a drug case. We can’t interfere.”

“But what about Ketsu?”

“They’ll handle it. I don’t want you getting any more involved in this.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Just trust me. Jakes is a dangerous man. I hate that Violet and Jones let their ambition to succeed cloud their judgement. How could they have got you mixed up in this?! And while your own reasoning was distorted by drink, drugs and whatever. I should report them!”

“Don’t!” I said quickly. “They didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. You can’t blame them. And if the need arises I can pretend to be Ketsu again and–”

“No!” That one word was filled with so much power. “He’s ruthless, vicious … and annoying, with his stupid third person speech.”

I laughed. “Does he really do that? You mean, like, refer to himself in the third person?”

Dash nodded. “Trust me, you want to knock him unconscious when he talks.”

He drove me home and we talked some more. I was so comfortable with him already. It was hard to believe.

I couldn’t resist asking him about an issue that had been nagging at the back of my mind. “Why do they call you ‘wolf boy’?”

He sighed bitterly. “When I started out at this station, Jakes was my first case. I was investigating possible drug dealing at his club. He got angry when I started turning over the right stones. Jakes set me up on a false trail, and when we busted him, all the evidence had been faked. No-one believed that he was involved. They started calling me ‘the boy who cried wolf’.”

“That’s why you feel so strongly about him, and about me not getting involved,” I guessed.

“Yes,” he said. “Miss Dlamini, I wasn’t just investigating drugs. I was investigating a possible murder charge against him, too. So, please. I’m begging you. Stay away.”

Chills ran down my spine. “Okay,” I said truthfully. “I will.”

I got out of the car and looked back. “Call me Zukiswa,” I told him. “No more of that ‘Miss Dlamini’ business.”

He smiled and said goodnight.

***

Tell us: Do you think Tommy will escape with his life after double-crossing his gang boss, Jakes?