the room. Her long blonde hair and light blue eyes were in stark contrast to Ming’s dark hair and eyes. “My dear Blossom, I have a job for you.”
Blossom smiled, “Yes, mother.”
“You have been requested to protect an asset.”
Blossom approached Ming’s desk. “Protection?”
“Yes, my dear, you keep him safe and I have a feeling we will have gained a very valuable new friend.”
Blossom smiled again, “I will not fail you, mother.”
“That’s a good girl. Pack your bags, you are going to England.”
“As you wish,” Blossom said with a bow as she left the room.
Ming reached out and picked up the paper the man had left on her desk. “James Gold, who are you, my dear, that someone is willing to pay a fortune to protect you? How valuable could you be to me? Maybe I will take you for myself.”
The man had moved swiftly to leave Madame Ming’s estate. He made his way down the road. As he approached a line of trees, a voice called out to him, “You can stop right there.”
The man froze in his tracks, “I did exactly what you asked. She took the money and the job.” The man raised his hands up in a surrender pose, “I was not harmed and she didn’t get any information about you. She is odd. She was wearing a kimono. An odd thing to wear for a Chinese woman.”
The man heard a rustle from the tree next to him and he stepped back. Suddenly, a thick envelope was tossed to him from the higher branches on the tree. The man caught the envelope and let out a deep sigh of relief.
“She is only half Chinese. Her mother was Japanese. She wears it in honor of her mother, a black widow. I am sure you know what that means. Her mother lured and killed men for money. Ming continues her tradition, her girls are trained to seduce and kill. Now, your contract is done. Thank you for your prompt and discrete work,” the voice called out.
“This is a life saver for my family. Thank you, and if you need anything else, I will help,” the man called back.
“You will not be needed. Take care of your son and stay away from everyone you have met in the last few days.”
The man nodded. He heard the trees rustle again and looked close to see if he could find the person he had been talking to, but there was no sign of them. He had never seen his employer since the day they met outside the hospital two days earlier. Only a voice and the envelopes with money were known to him and he felt it was safer to keep it that way. The man clutched the envelope tightly and made his way into the night.
Chapter
19
James, Chessy, and Greg arrived in London, England the following day. They were dressed the part, wearing black suits with black ties. Only Chessy’s high heel shoes set her apart from James and Greg’s outfits. They had a car waiting for them at the airport. It was from the embassy. The three of them were driven straight to the US Embassy. As they pulled up, they marveled at the site. The US Embassy sat along the Thames River and was surrounded by beautiful parks. The car drove them straight up to the front entrance. They didn’t even have time to open the doors themselves before the car doors were opened by two US Marines. They stepped out of the car as the doors were quickly closed behind them. A grey haired woman dressed in a blue dress was waiting for them.
“Welcome to England. Please follow me.” She turned, walking toward the front door.
James turned back to the car to see it pulling away, “What about our things?” he questioned.
“They are being taken to your residence. Please follow me. The ambassador is waiting for you.”
They followed the woman as she entered through the glass doors. Their amazement continued as they observed the large metal pillars and the internal gardens before them. They were taken straight to the elevators and the woman pressed the number 6. The woman was silent, they followed her lead and didn’t say a word.
As the elevator dinged, James was