Second Chance for the Mafia Prince
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Found Part II
Hyperventilating was not going to help her situation and yet as she sat squatted on the floor behind the glass cabinet, it was all she could do to peacefully draw her
next breath.
Thisbe and Gulliver were in the shop. He’d found her. Clearly Ford had recognized her or Gulliver caught a glimpse of her and they were here for her. She covered her face as she maintained her hidden position behind the case. Her heart was beating so hard if she were hooked up to a monitor it would likely be screaming.
“Gully. If she were still with us, this would be exactly how I envisioned she would have set up her side of the boutique. Fuck I hope we can find her. I hope the guys who saw her in Burlington get a lock on her so we can see her again. I just, I need to know why.”
“What kind of shop has nobody working in it?”
Gulliver’s voice was deep yet soft spoken in the way he’d always spoken to her. The memory of how he’d yelled at Thisbe the last time she’d heard him had marred her
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memory of his voice. Yet now, the tone, the softness as he
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gruffly questioned Thisbe brought unbidden memories to life.
“It’s a small town and it’s not exactly tourist season. It’s May. I imagine as people are heading to the mountains for hiking and camping and fishing, this place gets busy. Right now, though it’s quiet. It’s probably why they focus a lot of their business on an online model. It makes sense when you’re small like this.” Thisbe’s voice was excited, “holy Gully, look at the exquisite detail on this ring.”
January peered over the edge of the case to see both of them looking into the case on the other side of the room and wanted to cry. Could she just lay flat on the floor and pray they didn’t come look at this cabinet?
“Hi!” Lottie came back into the room. “Sorry. I was in the washroom. I didn’t know we had customers. How are you today? What brings you by?”
If Lottie thought it odd she was still on the floor not greeting the customers she didn’t so much as make a face. She simply greeted the customers in front of her like her kooky boss wasn’t a quivering mess on the floor.
24 My name is Thisbe Crane. Are you Lottie?”
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Found Part II
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“I am! Wow. It’s nice to meet you in person Thisbe. We’ve emailed and chatted a couple times when I was filling your order.” Lottie paused, “oh God, don’t tell me it never got there.”
“No. It arrived yesterday. My boutique manager was sending me photos. My brother and I are in Burlington, and I was desperate for the chance to come see this place in person. We made the drive down as a distraction from our disappointment of not getting the results as quickly as I wanted.”
Trying desperately not to draw attention to herself she rose from behind the cabinet clutching a mittful of her stones and was walking sideways, trying to keep her back to the group, to make her way back to the design studio.
“Who is that?” Thisbe called out.
“Our designer. She doesn’t meet customers in person.”
“I just placed a ten–thousand–dollar order. Surely we can meet the creator of the work I’m selling.” Thisbe called out, “Miss. Please?”
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Found Part II
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“I’m sorry I have to insist you not harass our designer.” Lottie’s friendly vibe took a cool tone. “She is incredibly shy and introverted and as a result, meeting with the customers stresses her out.”
“Oh, I’m not wanting to stress her out!” Thisbe called out. “I am simply such a huge fan.”
“Or maybe my wife could turn around and face us.”
Gulliver’s voice was still quiet but the relaxed tone of it from when he’d first walked in was gone. Now it was tight, controlled and demanding. How he’d recognized her so easily was freakishly confusing.
“January, turn around.”
“January?” Thisbe’s voice was high–pitched as she raced across the room, pushing Lottie out of the way to grab the other woman by the shoulders and turn her around. “Holy shit it is you.” Thisbe’s eyes started to water, “it’s why I feel so connected to your jewelry design. My sister from another mister.”
“Stop!” January dropped all the stones in her hand as she Slapped Thisbe’s hands off her shoulders. “Do not touch37
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- me. Back away from me now.”
“January, it’s me. Thisbe.”
“I know who you are. I’m going to ask you once, respectfully, to leave my shop.”
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“You are my wife.” Gulliver spoke with disbelief. “You walked away without explanation, and you want us to just walk away now?”
“Wife,” the word quietly fell from Lottie’s mouth and then as if she was remembering the story where January told her she’d inadvertently married the prince of a Greek mafia, her face paled and she moved as quick as her feet would allow to run to the back room.
January could not blame her. If she could run, she would too. She raised her voice, “I’m not your wife.”
“The hell you aren’t.”
“The certificate was fake, Mr. Crane, or should I say Mr. Raptis. It was all a joke, a game. You made me the side piece while your real wife would get the real title and the name, right? You let me use the Crane name. I have to2:37
Found Part II
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applaud your commitment to the scam, getting me a fake. driver’s license with my new name on it and making me think it was real.”
“January,” he seemed shocked by her words.
“I heard you.” She looked between them at their stunned expressions. “I went back to the house and got a front row seat to your little skirmish. I heard it all. We weren’t married. You were engaged to someone else. My so–called best friend encouraged it, supported it, hid the truth from me.”
“I wanted to tell you,” Thisbe whispered.
“Did you? I remember differently. I remember you actually choosing to have your wealthy life and inheritance by agreeing to leave the country and not telling me.”
“What? No. I told him I was going back to London because he threatened me if I told you, he’d send me back. I was going to tell you and then go back. I swear. I was.”
/don’t believe you. As far as I’m concerned youre both37
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lying sacks of shit and I hate you. Get out of my shop and don’t come back.”
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