Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Hard to believe she’d ever belonged to anyone but Bastien.
“The Aristocrats have drastically changed their organization. My sparrows tell me they’re going to take the Louvre next.”
I blinked several times as I stared. “The Louvre.” It was ridiculous, so ridiculous I wasn’t sure why I said it out loud.
He gave a slight shake of his head. “They believe some of those pieces belong to them. Relics and heirlooms from their family lines, taken from their ancestral homes and put in a museum for obnoxious foreigners to see.”
“After all the shit that went down, they’ve gotten crazier?”
He gave a shrug. “Seems so. People believe they’re behind the theft at the National Gallery in London. Only the French pieces were taken…a little obvious.”
It was outside of Paris, so outside of my jurisdiction, outside of my concern. “Subtlety isn’t in their style.” It wasn’t mine either.
The waiter arrived and brought two plates of what Baptiste ordered. Onion soup with the beef tartare. The soup was so hot I could see the steam rising from the bowls. Baptiste dropped his linen across his lap and immediately scooped his spoon into the dark broth with melted cheese and took a bite.
He tapped his spoon against the hard pieces of cheese and forced them to drop into the broth before he took another bite. “How are things with you?”
I went for the tartare instead. “It’s been a smooth transition.” Bastien had given me no notice when he left. Put me on the spot then took off with Fleur. They’d traveled for a few months, visiting the Greek Islands then Sicily and Tuscany. I’d rarely heard from them while they were away. I’d spent that time restoring order to the Fifth Republic and maintaining compliance with the gangs. Most of those who’d turned on Bastien had fled before they could be executed. New leaders came into power, and the entire ecosystem of crime had drastically changed over the last few months.
But it’d finally calmed down again. Probably because everyone knew I wasn’t as easygoing as Bastien. I preferred to shoot first and then think about it later. I didn’t hear testimony before I passed my judgment. I was the judge, the jury, and the executioner all in one. No such thing as second chances. Barely first chances.
Baptiste focused on his soup for a while, decades older than me in appearance but still hearty under the flesh. He’d always been smart, playing chess when his opponents played checkers. It was how he’d been around so long, evolving and adapting to the environment. “You’ve come a long way, Luca.”
From rags to riches. From civilian to The Noose. The Emperor.
“Your father would be proud of you.”
I watched another car pass by the window on the empty street.
“As proud as I am.”
I sat in the booth alone and faced the windows and the main door at Holybelly. The street outside was one-way, and a motorcycle passed and then a town car. Then it was a black SUV. It came to a stop, its taillights turning red.
A moment later, Bastien emerged in a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, a permanent grin on his face as if a plastic surgeon had manipulated his facial muscles to stay that way. When he walked in, he spotted the waiter we saw on a regular basis, and they immediately greeted each other with a handshake and then talked football.
I drank my coffee and looked out the window again.
Bastien finally came to my booth and fist-bumped me. “Been a while.”
“You look tan.”
“It was surprisingly warm, especially in Sicily.” He grabbed the menu and glanced at the specials. “Which really worked out because Fleur had this little bikini that barely covered the goods, so I got to stare at that all day.” He smirked then flipped the menu over.
“You don’t care about anyone else looking at her?”
“No,” he said with a scoff. “You think some asshole is gonna go for it with me lurking around?”
Bryan came over. “The usual?”
“Yep,” Bastien said. “Fucking starving.”
“Me too.” I set my menu on top of his.
Bryan walked away to put the order in.
I already had my coffee, so I took a drink of it.
Bastien sat with his arms on the table and stared at me. “You look like shit.”
“I look tired. While you’ve been fucking all over the Mediterranean, I’ve been restoring order to our Republic. President Martin breathed down my throat every single day until order was maintained. And it’s still not fully maintained.”
Bastien gave a slight nod. “Fair enough. How are things?”
“Not your problem, Bastien.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.”
I gave a slight shake of my head. “How’s Fleur?”
“She’s good. Had a great time on our trip. Got to see a side to her I’ve never seen before.”
“Probably because she saw a new side to you that she hasn’t seen before either.”