Page 3034

Almost none of Donald's contacts had any idea that he'd been in prison. Only the ones who called him John seemed to know, and even they didn't know why. Donald didn't bullshit them, though. He just left key information out. The ones who called him John, he told them he'd escaped and needed supplies.

It apparently didn't matter that he had no money. More than once, they told him that he was good for it, that he could pay them back later--or that he didn't even have to, that they would be insulted if he tried.

Raul was in awe. When they were alone, he asked Donald how he was able to gain the trust of so many people, many of whom didn't look like they extended their trust very easily.

"You're thinking about it the wrong way," said Donald. "When you've got years of friendship and correspondence under your belt, it's not about gaining their trust or tricking them. It's about being trustworthy. I didn't convince them to be my friends. They are my friends."

"But what if you have to betray them, someday? What if it jeopardizes your mission, and you're forced to choose?"

"Questions like that will poison your mind, son. It'll infect your behavior, make you feel like you're lying even when you're just having a normal conversation. It's not that complicated. In fact, it's the simplest thing in the world. Don't psych yourself out."

Half or more of that sounded like bullshit to Raul, but he supposed the man still had a decent point. Overthinking things wasn't going to help.

When his brothers finally made contact with them, the preparations were just about complete. The look on Donald's face when he saw the three of them standing together for the first time was just as enjoyable as Raul had expected. Donald asked if this was another of his superpowers, which made the Triplets laugh in unison.

That only seemed to make Donald more disturbed, however. Which also kinda made it funnier.