Page 13 of Love on the Run

“It sounds terrible on your Britishcolonizer tongue, just so you know.” I deadpan.

She relaxes back, resting her hand over her chest for a moment before murmuring to me. “As you know, your case is more complicated than others. Because most of these guys at this point, would’ve started divorce proceedings, or at least contracted a hitman, which would give us a chance to blackmail his ass away. Not yours, he’s looking for you himself. So, I hope you’re prepared to be in hiding for a long time.” She turns her head looking at me, her eyes are deadly serious. “How serious are you about being rid of him?”

A strangled sound rises in my throat. I can’t even get the words out. Never.

“He doesn’t seem like the type to give up. From what I hear he’s laying waste to everything. Both Bridget and Evangelina have disappeared, Flower. We just got the news today. The word is his brothers has them. He’s not touched Creative Chaos. He and FADE seem to have some kind of understanding. All your charities have been closed. Your name is done in film. All of your projects have not only been paused, but they have also been shuttered. Access to your mutual accounts denied and your personal accounts monitored. He’ll know and have everything you access traced. He’s not going to the authorities. The word is you kidnapped Asa, and you poisoned him. Every circle is closed to you. So that is why I’m asking. I know you say you love himbut your reasons for leaving him are valid. He’s not just looking for his wife and son. He wants retribution.”

“I don’t wantanything to happen to him, Prosper.” No matter what he’s done or what he will do, but those words ever come out of my mouth; of all the things I’m sure of I know that that is true. “I don’t want him harmed.”

“As for Evangelina and Bridget,I purposely left them out of this because I knew how closely they worked with TekMoto. I didn’t want to put their careers or their lives in jeopardy. His brothers are fair men, they won’t harm them. I came to the person I knew who could get the job done,” I assure her.

“Be that as it may.And thanks for the vote of confidence not to mention being one of my benefactors. You know your husband better than anyone and knows he won’t stop.” I watch as she calls for tea regarding me as if I am going to give her the go ahead to kill Akchiro. Again never.

“Prosper,I’d think you hate men if I didn’t know how much you love your brothers.” I shake my head at her never seeing her in a relationship.

“Girl,I love my brothers, but they are the exact type of men women would run from. Plus, I love my sisters more Bliss, Blessing and Promise are wayyyy better than any of them. They are ruthless and hard. You love your brothers then married someone just like them and how’s that working for you?” She smirks at me. I roll my eyes at her.

We both fallsilent when the tea is brought.

“I knowyou just didn’t try to Dr. Phil me,” I say as soon as we are alone again.

“Indeed.” She pours for us both English style which makes me miss having tea every day with my mother-in-law who is my confidant. I never felt comfortable telling Mother Takeda anything negative about my marriage to Akchiro. How domineering he is but she always seemed to know. Many times, she hinted I should stand up to him more. I didn’t know why I let so many things slip through until I was away and had time to reflect and breathe. It was the loss of our first baby and my guilt around it, not telling him for so long, the hurt and chasm that I caused between us. I was scared to rock the boat and more importantly hurt him again. Afraid he’ll stop loving me, realizing he picked badly. But he did anyway…

So, I make you weak?”

A slow blink, then his gaze slides away, looking out into the garden just beyond the window. “Not anymore.”That conversation is emblazoned on my heart. His eyes were so dispassionate it was basically him saying using tatamae —I know longer love you.

A possession? Yes. Maybe even a penance to his way of thinking for even allowing himself to be enamored with me for a brief period. Did he ever love me? It hurts to even think about it.

“Still, I want no harm to come to him.” Steadfast, I take the tea and cakes she offers biting into the delicate flakiness of the sweet, moist confection.

“Yum,” I hum. “Everything here is so delicious.”

“I knowww.” Her return hum is just as animated. “Better than the boring British food I grew up on.”

“Most of your teen years were in America at boarding school with me, Prosper.” I remind her laughing at her exaggeration. “The food was great, though.”

“Yeah, I’m talking about before I got kicked out of every school there only for daddy and mommy have a eureka moment and ship me off to the states. It was the best thing really.”

“How did you manage to get kicked out but none of these ruthless bothers of did?”

“Because they were so ruthless. Thankfully, they picked a school where I met a cool chick with a name as unique as mine.” She tips her teacup my way.

Her phone buzzes, she leans down and roll her eyes whispering, “Speak of the devil.”

“Aye, bruv,” Sing-songing cheerfully, she turns the speaker on then presses her finger to her mouth, so I don’t say a word.

“Where is she?” A deep control voice crushes through the line. I’d only met Bishop Shipmoore once and it was at a premier of my friend, Lovey-Belle’s film, Just Forever, he was an imposing figure then. Well over six foot with a height surpassing my husband, he gives off an air of refined ruthlessness but that night he was all charm. There is no charm in his voice now only a blade of pragmatism so sharp he could cut through and iceberg.

“What are you talking about Bish?” Prosper snaps. “I excused myself from a meeting to speak to you. Are you talking about that little poodle you keep imprisoned in the Hyde Park Mansion you never frequent or one of your many subsluts?”

“Prosperity,” he warns in a withering tone.

I notice her bravado fractures a bit before she bites back. “Bish. I honestly don’t know whom or what you’re speaking of.”

“Hm, ok well maybe you can answer why your personal yacht as off the coast of Japan a month ago? The same time the wife of a very prominent Shipmoore investor and my fucking friend’s wife disappeared. We’ve looked away and let you do this littleproject of yours because it was for a good cause. We don’t fuck with bitch made ass punks who hit and abuse women. So, unless you know something different about one of my best friends and not something she told you then you broke the covenant when you helped her take his child.” He rails over the phone his words a searing lecture.

“First of all, I had business in Japan and?—”

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