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)
He sank back in the chair and gave me a cold stare.
I downed the scotch and left the used glass on the counter before I lit up a cigar.
He continued to play until he won the pot. “Pay up, boys.”
The men handed over their cash then dispersed.
Carvel walked up to me as he counted the bills. Then he took off a chunk and set it on the counter next to me. “That’s yours.”
“You won the hand.”
“I saw your cards, Luca.”
I left it there and crossed my arms over my chest while the cigar sat between my lips, the smoke rising to the ceiling.
“What was that about?”
“Got other shit on my mind.”
“President Martin still not happy?”
It wasn’t him. “Drop it.”
Carvel turned to the bar and made himself a drink.
I stared through the smoke in the room at nothing in particular, distracted not by work, but by a petite brunette with the tits of a goddess and the mouth of the devil. It was just a blow job, but fuck, it was like a taste of heaven. Even when I paid for sex, it wasn’t that good. I had women on their knees because they wanted to be, but even if the enthusiasm was there, the skill wasn’t.
So I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Two days had passed, and the haze still hadn’t worn off. I was a man with a high libido, but it had revved to a new level after that. I could get sex anywhere, anytime, but now there was only one place I wanted to get it.
I wondered what else she was good at.
Carvel changed the subject. “Dividing the arrondissements among four isn’t that much different from five, and since we don’t have anyone in mind to replace Bastien, I think we should keep it as it is.”
“I agree.” In order to police all the gangs in Paris, we had to divide and conquer. I couldn’t be everywhere at once, not when I had my responsibilities with the Senate. I had to report to hearings just like every other member as the president, now that Raphael had stepped down. Most of the legislature didn’t apply to me, but I was still expected to understand the government as well as President Martin. Bastien had been better at the mingling and the small-talk bullshit.
I was the worst at it.
One of the guys came from the hallway that led to the front of the building. “Godric is here.”
“Send him in.” I moved to one of the tables in the corner, the cigar still in my mouth. By the time I sat down, he had entered the room. Like me, he didn’t make small talk, so he ignored everyone and made a beeline for me.
He dropped into the chair across from me, crossed his legs, and then took his time pulling out a cigar from his pocket and lighting up. The only similarity he shared with Bastien was in their appearance. He also had blond hair and blue eyes. But beneath the surface, they were nothing alike.
Godric and I had matching vibes, but I still preferred Bastien over him.
He smoked his cigar for a while, relaxed in the chair like he was seated in front of his fireplace at home. We were in an old, gutted business with fluorescent lights in the ceiling. Everything was bare. The floors had been ripped out, so it was concrete beneath us.
“What have you heard?”
“Not much,” he said. “People are careful around me now. Know I’m a snitch.”
“A snitch is someone who fakes loyalty to learn secrets to share with the enemy. Your loyalty is public—so you aren’t a snitch.”
He gave a slight shrug. “That’s an eloquent way to put it.” He released a cloud of smoke from his mouth while he held the cigar with a relaxed wrist. “There’s still uneasiness in the 18th and 19th arrondissements. Regardless of your power and ability to enforce the Fifth Republic, there will always be resistance. You know I’ve halted my trafficking business in the last six weeks, and as a result, it’s hurt business in every corner.”
“Expect no pity from me.”
“I feel none either,” he said. “I’m only reminding you of the dissent that many feel right now. Their wallets are being hurt and their businesses strained. Finding labor to replace those girls is a task in itself. Even without fear of retribution from the government, their positions are still dangerous and not guaranteed.”
He was both eloquent and pedantic, sounding more like a professor than a criminal kingpin. Couldn’t be more different from Bastien, who was so blunt it was like the back of an axe to the head.
“There’s quiet on the front right now, a vacancy I left behind, and I assure you someone else will take it right under our noses. There will never be a time when all of Paris is united under the Fifth Republic.”