In Love with the Dragon - Chapter 8

"What's better than being king to all of mine? Nah, you keep your job and your opinions to yourself!" Due was angry because he thought Spike was belittling all his accomplishments.

"No, bro! What I mean is you can do a legit job! The law will not hound you." Even to Spike's ears, his reasoning had gone bad to worse!

"In my world, Spike, I do the hounding! And if I stop what I'm doing, will the wars stop, too? There will be others who would take my place!"

"Okay, I got your point. Please, calm down..." Spike sighed his defeat.

Due calmed down and talked about other things.

"By the way, I've met this woman at the bar yesterday. I want her to be my mate," Due declared decisively.

"Yesterday? Have you known her background?"

"Oh, Spike! You sound like a mother!"

"Well, we both have no mother so how would you know?" It was an adlib while Spike was thinking. "Just a friendly reminder, get to know her first!"

"How? By stalking her? No, I respect her too much! In fact, I love her!"

"Wait a minute! Does she know you? Does she know about you?"

"No. And not yet. I plan to take her to my house tonight!"

"You'll kidnap her?"

"What's wrong with that?" Due clearly was unlawful!

"Oh, Due!" Spike was full of compassion. "Ask her nicely, for old time's sake!"

"Okay!" Due replied flippantly.

When they were children, Due was the risk-taker and the easy-go-lucky. Spike was a risk-taker, too, but he calculated the factors first.

Due called him one night. "Bro, I took her with me. I did not kidnap her. She went with me on her freewill. And..."

"Are you drinking, Bro?"

"Yes... hik!"

"Is she with you?"

"Nah... she disappeared like a burglar in the night!"

Spike was intrigued on the comparison. "You mean..."

"I mean it literally... She took away all the contents of my vault! Even my wakizashi!" A wakizashi was a Japanese sword, shorter than a katana. It was Due's most precious possession.

"Oh, Due! I'm sorry! You have fallen on the wrong woman!"

"Laugh! Why don't you laugh at me, Spike? Hik! Hik! Hik!"

"No! I can't do that. Your hurt is my hurt, too!"

"D'you mean that?"

"Yes. Look, I'm going to you, Due."

"Nah, you don't have to do that... I'm going to Japan... Hik!"

"Why are you going to Japan?"

"Business! I'm gonna get me a wakizashi! Hik!"

"Wait until you're sober," Spike suggested in concern. "Whatever you need, ask me, okay?"

"Okay. My flight is ready! Hik! Bye, Spike!"

"Due! Wait!" The line went dead.

It remained dead for a long while. Spike met a woman he wanted to marry. He called Due but the number was changed.

Spike had a background check before he approached Celine. She was an orphan of a rich couple. Her parents were involved in a boat accident and died without a trace. When she reached twenty-one, her millions in her trust fund was going to be released.

"Honey, I'll be twenty-one next month. Let's wait. My parents would surely want me to have a dowry."

"Dowry is so ancient! Let's not wait!" Spike was impatient to make Celine his wife. "Let's get married tomorrow! The license is ready!"

"We don't have to be married to go to bed together," Celine murmured suggestively. Her slim body leaned on his chest.

The room next to his was finished but Celine wanted to stay in his room.

Her eyes wide, she asked him where was his vault.

"Where is the vault?"

Warning bells rang inside his head. Spike remembered what happened to Due.

"Why?" Spike pretended to sound absentminded.

"I'd like to know if my millions would be safe here," Celine replied innocently.

"Darling, your millions shall be safe in the bank." Spike held her tenderly.

"Oh, I totally forgot! How silly of me!" Celine turned to face him and kissed him seductively. "Do you find me silly, honey? I am so naive in so many things in life! My guardians kept me on a tight leash!"

"You shall be free with me, Celine," Spike murmured huskily.

"Really, sweetheart?" Celine cupped his face and stared at his eyes. Her pink tongue licked his lips.

He was aroused instantly. All he could think of was her sweetness...

The one month he insisted on waiting seemed so long suddenly.

But Celine knew how to tease. "Oh, look at the time! My manicurist is waiting. I also have a spa appointment at the hotel!"

Spike sighed and swallowed his painful arousal. "Okay. My driver will get you to the hotel on time!"

"Bye, sweetie! See you tomorrow!" Celine sent him a flying kiss.

"That's what you get when you chose to deal with a twenty-year-old!" Spike muttered to himself. "Twenty-going-sixteen years old!" He shook his head indulgently. His scowl turned to a grin when he recalled her softness. Celine had a habit of sitting on his lap.

But the suspicion remained at the back of his mind.

'Where is the vault?' she asked gullibly.

'I'd like to know if my millions would be safe here.' Celine's tone seemed truthful.

"Let us see..." he told himself while he ordered a large vault.

"I have my vault in the library," Spike informed Celine when the big metal box arrived.

"Oh! Let me see it!"

Spike watched her face light up like a child's.

"How to open it? Do you just say, 'open sesame!'? Show me!" Celine clapped her hands. "Open sesame!"

Of course, nothing happened. Celine's face crumpled in disappointment.

Spike told her the combination of numbers. He even left a few treasures and cash inside the vault. He was really suspicious so he was always watchful.

He told himself repeatedly that Celine was not like the woman who conned Due. But...

On the eve of their wedding, Due arrived unannounced. Spike had sent him invitation thru emails and known addresses but received no responses.

"Due!" He laughed as he embraced his closest friend. "I'm happy you are here, at last!"

"I want to see the bride. Where is she?" Due's expression was a blank mask. Even his tone was very grave. His appearance was unkempt. His eyes had bags underneath and were sunken into their sockets.

"Of course, of course! Celine darling, come out here. My brother is finally here!" Spike smiled widely as he hollered along the hall. Celine was in the library. She was measuring the vault whether her millions would fit.

"Yes, honey!"

The moment Due saw Celine, his expression changed into ferocious and deadly.

"Where is my wakizashi? Where did you sold it!"

"W-what? I don't know what you're saying? Spike! Your brother is crazy!" Celine had seen Due. It was clear that she knew him, too. She began looking around her wildly.

"Hah! Spike, have you done a background check? This woman is a fake! She is known to me as Lala!" Due grabbed at her but she managed to evade his hands.

"Stop your brother!" Celine screamed as she ran towards the door.

"What's in the bag?" Spike shouted when he noticed the big bag she was lugging behind.

"Lala, stop right there!" Due roared aloud. "I won't hurt you! Just tell me where is my wakizashi!"

"I don't know!" Celine walked backwards when she saw the two armed men outside. "Spike, tell your men to let me go!"

"Celine, let's talk about this in a reasonable manner," Spike tried to speak calmly. "The men are companions of Due."

"Lala, all I need to know is my wakizashi. You can go peacefully," Due said in a cajoling tone.

"Liar!" Celine shrieked at the top of her voice. "You will kill me the moment I told you!"

Spike was stupefied. Celine was Lala.

"Celine?" He was disbelieving.

"See? She is Lala all along!" Due snorted loudly. "Did you make her into a Celine? Were you envious because I found my Lala?" His attacks bordered on paranoia.

"Due, I didn't know that Celine is also Lala." This was all Spike could say. He was so shocked.

"No! You turned my Lala into your Celine!" Due accused crazily.

While they were having a heated argument, Due's men were quietly disarmed by four masked men. They helped Celine/Lala to escape silently. One of the men slung the bag over his shoulder as they ran towards the thick vegetation.

When Spike glanced at the woman, he saw Due's men struggling against the handcuffs on their hands. Their mouths had large adhesive tape to prevent them from screaming.

"Celine is gone!" Spike exclaimed as he ran towards the wide door.

"Where is that woman?" Due barked at his men.

"Boss, she escaped with four men! They are masked!"

Spike had pressed the special button on his cellphone. All of his security men would comb throughout the property.

"You let her go away!" Due was full of hate as he punched Spike's face.