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.
