Page 246 of Roberto

I paused.

Do I do this?

If I’m going to do it, this is the moment.

“On one condition,” I added.

“What?”

“That you take me with you when you leave Hong Kong.”

He stared at me in disbelief. “You’d leave everything you’ve built here?! Your business – your entirelife?!”

“Yes.”

And it was true. I would throw itallaway if I could get away from Lau.

We had a long discussion about why I hadn’t left Hong Kong already.

I couldn’t tell Roberto the real reason:

Because Lau would neverletme leave.

I was his pet… he liked me on his leash… and he would never let me go.

I couldn’t tell Roberto that because I was terrified of how he would react if he knew I worked for his enemy.

But if I helped him escape Hong Kong, and he took me with him, then what would it matter?

A tiny lie of omission –

That’s all it was.

As long as we escaped – together –thatwas the important thing.

But Roberto had one last surprise up his sleeve.

“Alright,” he agreed, “I’ll take you with me when I leave Hong Kong… but I have a condition of my own.”

“What?”

“That when I take you with me… youstaywith me.”

Okay…

I hadn’t been expectingthat…

But it was a very welcome surprise.

“That’s a condition I’ll gladly accept,” I said with a smile.

As we made love for the next two hours, I think I was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life.

I was with the man I loved…

And I was going to escape the man I hated.

Everything was going to be wonderful.

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