Lions, baby? What are you going to do with them?
“You still think it was him, and not a coincidence?” Rafael asked.
Who else would it be? See. Maybe you should take me back.
“The fact that you asked me that, shows you’re not on your game.” Jean-Pierre eyed him while he held the phone to his ear. “Do you need rest?”
“I do, but you know I won’t take it.”
“You can,” Jean-Pierre muttered.
“If I take a break, you’ll probably fly off to Tokyo, and steal the Dragon’s lover too. No.” Rafael shook his head. “At least if I’m around, we can limit the kidnappings to one a day.”
So the Dragon is involved. Good to know. I’ve never been to Tokyo. Would love to go there and kill him.
Jean-Pierre rubbed his eyes. They’d been getting a little pink. It could’ve been a bad reaction to the toilet water from our fight earlier, or just plain old exhaustion. None of us had slept. I doubt we would anytime soon, not until this whole situation was resolved.
I don’t know how long Jean-Pierre kept that phone to his ear, but finally he spoke, “Good morning, Mr. President. How’s your day been?”
I moved my gaze from Jean-Pierre and checked Louis.
Jesus Christ. Would you stop looking at me?
Sighing, I returned to Jean-Pierre.
“Your military had to leave?” Jean-Pierre’s expression turned to rage. “Did their diapers need changing?”
Okay. He had the French military after Kazimir. And for some reason they’re out of this fight.
“Syria is always Syria.” Jean-Pierre’s voice rose in the limo. “What happened, was that the Lion threatened you?”
Oh, damn. Kazimir has the French president’s phone number too. This is getting crazy. We have to end this soon.
If I thought Jean-Pierre had been loud, I had no idea. “It doesn’t matter what I’ve done!”
Rafael stirred on my side.
Jean-Pierre gripped the phone and leaned forward in his seat, as if he was ready to kill someone. “For these past three years, the Corsican has kept your military fed, clothed, and trained.”
I didn’t know what the president said, but it caused Jean-Pierre to massage his forehead. “Kazimir threatened to take away all of France’s arms?”
I widened my eyes.
Louis glared at me.
Jean-Pierre muttered, “Or something else.”
Something else, what? What is he saying?
I leaned his way, but couldn’t hear anything on the other end.
Jean-Pierre calmed his voice, but still appeared angry. “You’re in an uncomfortable position. I get it.”
I twisted his shirt on my lap. I was still wearing it, and he was still shirtless. What an odd pair we must’ve looked like to everyone in the limo.
“I do,” Jean-Pierre said into the phone. “What about France’s airspace? Is that still mine, or have you whored that out too?”
No doubt, Kazimir would fly as many people as he could out to Paris.
If they think Paris is a war zone now, wait until Kazimir gets his toys.
“Hmmm. Thank you for letting me know.” A dark chuckle left Jean-Pierre. “Unfortunately, if Kazimir lands those three planes in France today, then there will be a new president in the morning.”
I gulped in fear.
“But who am I to speak on things like this? I’m only a simple Frenchman .” Jean-Pierre gripped the phone so hard, I thought it would crack in his hands. “But if I were you, Mr. President, I would concentrate on the present moment, not worry about the future. Who knows what will happen in these hours to come? Who knows who will even be alive?”
Jean-Pierre hung up.
Everyone stared at him, even Louis.
Say something. Decide something. What the fuck is going on?
His phone rang again.
He picked up.
“Yes?” His face went cold, but he widened his eyes. “Let me talk to her.”
Louis went back to watching me.
Come on, dude. I’m no threat.
Ignoring Mr. Security, I put all my attention to Jean-Pierre.
He frowned. “I have no time for your games.”
Who’s on the phone?
Jean-Pierre continued, “Now that’s a question that has not plagued my mind for these past hours. I damn sure know where Emily is.”
Kazimir?! He’s talking to Kazimir!
Jean-Pierre closed his eyes. “I have answers for you, but do you have answers for me?”
I yearned to hear Kaz’s voice. I didn’t care if he was screaming at Jean-Pierre. I needed to hear him speak for one second. My heart ached.
“I won’t.” Jean-Pierre opened his eyes and stared out the window. “You wreck my city. You chase my men. You bully my country. I don’t believe you have Eden. I don’t think you’re focused. I don’t think you’re moving with purpose this morning.”
Kazimir has Eden? Fuck. That’s good, right? But wait. Jean-Pierre doesn’t believe him? Why not?
“This is your motivational talk, my friend. Change your life today. The world is yours. Anything is possible.” Jean-Pierre turned away from the window and hit me with a deadly gaze. “Believe in yourself.”
I trembled. The look Jean-Pierre gave had death in it . I didn’t think he wanted to kill me, but he would. I could see it in those cold eyes.