“Coming.” She kissed my cheek and left.
“What’s up?” Tia asked the second Ashrika walked away. “You don’t look happy.”
I pointed to the deck. Tia followed me outside. “He’s her husband.”
Tia wasn’t ready for my point-blank statement and stumbled. She gripped the railing to keep from falling. “What?”
“That was my response too.”
“I don’t understand. If he is, why didn’t he just say so?”
Placing my arms on the railing, I stared down at the dark water lapping against the pillars that served as the base of the restaurant. “I think he waited for her to recognize him and when she didn’t...” I was pulling at straws. “Maybe she had recognized him and was pretending not to know him.”
“You think she’s afraid of him?”
“Honestly, I have no idea what to think. We don’t have a beginning to base anything on, except what Ashrika told us and that wasn’t even enough to go on.”
Tia rubbed her brow, her expression thoughtful before letting out a slow exhale. “What do you suppose we do? If he returns and questions her, she might run.”
I straightened. “When he comes in again, ask him if he’s willing to meet me.”
“He is.” I frowned at her response. “Earlier I asked if he wanted to talk about it and he said yes but I guess your confrontation made him leave. He might be back for dinner.”
I ran a finger along my jaw, contemplating my next move. “Try grabbing him before he sits down. Ask him to meet us later at the club.” I referred to the gentleman’s club I owned.
She nodded then went back inside. I stood on the deck a moment longer deciding if I was ready to face what was coming. Raking a hand through my hair, I groaned. Who the fuck knew that my return from Japan would mess up my plans?
Trent
“WHY THE HELL IS SHEpretending she doesn’t know me?” I pushed away from the wall I’d been leaning against and glared at the man in front of me. What had he done to my wife to force her to forget me? Jealousy was a nasty motherfucker but I doubted he’d be idiotic enough to keep me from her. Now that I knew she was alive, I would never give her up.
When Tia approached me to meet her friend outside the restaurant, I hadn’t expected her friend to be the man who’d confronted me in the parking lot. Now, five minutes into the conversation and I still hadn’t been given anything viable. I wanted information about how my wife was still alive. Not some cock and bull story about her being afraid of strangers.
“Believe me I’d like to help you. Give you the information you want. But I can’t.” Zayne seemed a lot calmer than the man I’d met earlier.
“What the fuck does that mean.” Annoyance spurted through my veins. I was through playing games. “Is she my wife?” I barely managed to keep from shouting.
