Page 62 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 8
“I’ve spent lots of time on base entertaining troops.” She winked at me.
What? When?
Tanner laughed. “Indeed.”
“What about that?” I pointed to a medal on the breastplate that had an eagle and a five-point star hanging from a red, white, and blue ribbon.
“The medal of honor,” said Chastity.
Tanner nodded. “That’s the medal of honor I got for saving the soldiers at the Battle of Shiloh.” He pulled a sheet off a portrait of Abraham Lincoln pinning the medal on him in his samurai armor. Tanner had a sweet civil war mustache in the painting.
“Holy mustachio, samurai,” said Chastity. “Someone could go for a riiiide on that thing.”
Tanner laughed. “I have to change my hair with the times.”
I had so many questions. “So...why were you wearing samurai armor during the civil war?”
“I trained an elite group of commandos using ancient Japanese techniques.”
“Right. But where did you learn those?”
“In the Japans, of course.”
I looked up at him. “And when were you in the Japans?”No. Don’t say it like that. I’m not ancient.
“Is that the second identity you’d like to see?”
“Yes. No! Wait! I need to know about Nigel and Marie Antoinette.”
“Nigel and Marie Antoinette?” Chastity laughed. “Let me guess...she made Nigel eat cake?”
“She hand-fed Nigel plenty of cake, yes,” Tanner said.
“Ew.” Chastity’s face scrunched up. “What?”
“They were lovers.”
Chasity gagged. “No.”
“Absolutely.” He started walking down the hall again. “Let’s see…I know that’s around here somewhere.” Every now and then he’d point to a covered painting or sculpture and mumble to himself, as if he was trying to remember where everything was. “1860s - Panama Railroad…” He pointed to another. “1850s - Edo, Japan…” And another. “Late 40s - Gold Rush.” He pointed to a statue. “1845...” Tanner shook his head. “Worst master ever,” he mumbled.
I had to see that. I peeked under the sheet he’d just pointed to. It was a statue of a guy in a three-piece suit. He was wearing an absolutely terrifying leprechaun mask and a top hat with a shamrock tucked into it. He was carrying a big bag of money and a pistol.
“Were you a bank robber?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He shuddered. “On the way over from Ireland during the potato famine an Irish mobster found my lamp and became my master. So for a few years I had no choice but to rob banks for the Irish mob.”
That sounded awful. “What were you doing in Ireland?”
Tanner continued walking instead of answering my question about Ireland.
Strange.Was he so upset about his master that he didn’t even want to talk about his time in Ireland?
“That master really must have left a bad taste in his mouth,” Chastity said.
“Yeah, that master sounded kinda mean.”
“No. I meant...” she mimed blowing someone.
