The Valhalla Prophecy by Andy McDermott Read Free Book Online

impatienceand disdain. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you all morning.”
    “Turned my phone off,” he replied. “Had a … job offer.”
    She expressed no interest. “Well, I need to talk to you. Can you come to my house?”
    “Not sure I know where that is, Soph,” said Chase. “Is it anywhere near
our
house?”
    He expected a sarcastic retort but got only a huff of irritation. “You know exactly what I mean. Come over as soon as you can.”
    “That could take a while, seeing as I don’t have a car anymore.”
    “Then take a cab.”
    He could no longer hold in his own exasperation. “Fucking hell
fire
, Sophia! I guess you forgot what it was like when your dad cut you off. Remember, when you
had no money
? When your credit cards might as well have been cream fucking crackers for all the good they were? I can’t just hop in a taxi and cruise over to Chelsea, because I can’t. Fucking.
Afford
. It. You get that?”
    Another huff, this time overflowing with undisguised disgust. “Oh, very well. If it’ll get this sorted out, I’ll come to you. Where are you?”
    He gave her the address, then closed the phone with an angry snap. “Fuuuuuck …,” he said, kneading his forehead.
    Sophia arrived a mere twenty minutes later; considering London’s traffic, Chase imagined she had driven at Formula 1 speeds through the city’s rat-runs. Not wanting to give her any further ammunition, he went down to meet her on the street rather than letting her inside the dismal apartment. “Nice car,” he snorted on seeing what was parked on the double yellow lines, hazard lights flashing. “Which Hooray Henry did you get to pay for that?”
    “No one you know,” Sophia told him, giving the brand-new Maserati Coupé a casual glance through her sunglasses before curling her glossed lips at the surroundings.“So this is where you’re living now? I’m not impressed.”
    “Can’t say I am either, but needs must. What do you want?”
    She took off the glasses and shook out her long black hair. “My solicitors told me you haven’t replied to their last letter yet. I thought I’d see if a personal visit would prompt a response.”
    “I didn’t reply to it ’cause I don’t agree with it. You’re asking me to say something that isn’t true. I wasn’t the one who was sleeping around.”
    Sophia bared her teeth. “We’ve been over this, Eddie. It’ll make things much simpler if you just bite the bullet and go through with it.”
    “You mean it keeps your name clean while I get shat on.”
    “A crude way of putting it, which I suppose I should expect by now, but yes. You have to admit, the financial settlement we’ve offered is more than adequate.”
    “The financial …” Chase shook his head. “You make it sound like a fucking business deal. It was a
marriage
, Sophia! Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you, but it does to me. I made a promise.”
    “Sometimes promises have to be broken.”
    “Not by me. If I give someone my word, I move heaven and fucking earth to keep it.”
    “Ah, the knight in shining armor rears his head again.” Sophia looked away, taking a breath before rounding on him once more. “Eddie, I’m sorry to be so blunt, but clearly I have to be in order to penetrate that armor—I don’t want you anymore.” Chase felt as if he had been kicked in the chest, but she kept talking. “We were in love once, but that was the past. Things change. I changed.”
    “I didn’t.”
    “Maybe that’s the problem. You have all these noble, romantic ideas about true love and how marriage should last forever … but this is the real world. It didn’t work; it’s over. The best way for you to avoid any more pain is simply to sign the papers and finish it, quickly andcleanly. I’ll expect my solicitors to hear from you soon.” She returned to the Maserati, hesitating as she opened the door to give him a slightly softer look. “I’m sorry, Eddie,