“No.” I shook my head. “We already know what they’re going to do. Jean-Pierre and his cousins will find the dead guys and cut-up woman. Then, he’ll realize that I have Eden.”
On the cameras, more Corsican arrived in vans along with police. Several men rushed out with guns. So many I couldn’t count them. Jean-Pierre had control of the gameboard, and entirely more resources at his grasp.
Paris is definitely your city, Jean-Pierre. That’s why I’m going to flatten it.
All of his armed men headed for the house.
Still the three men remained in the back of the limo.
Goddamn it. She has to be in there.
My hands shook for the first time in years.
And then the limo rocked.
“You see that?” Maxwell asked. “Or am I just high?”
“I saw it.”
Maxwell fisted his hands. “Can you do a close up on the limo, Blue?”
“No. I only put a small camera on the top of the door. The best ones are inside.”
Nothing else happened.
In that moment, Jean-Pierre’s lover stepped inside. She had her hair in a ponytail. More presentable, I could see why she might’ve caught the psycho’s attention. She still held the invisible unicorn in her arms.
Maxwell looked up. Approval hit his face. “Did you have a good shower?”
She began to speak, but I had no time for any of that.
“Come here.” I gestured at her and pulled out my phone. “Blue, get a view of Jean-Pierre inside the house. I want to see his face, while I’m talking to him.”
Blue nodded.
Eden slowly walked over to me.
I gestured for her to hurry.
She did and petted the invisible unicorn faster.
My phone rang.
Jean-Pierre’s voice came on the line. “Kazimir?”
“Did you see? My men say that you arrived.” I didn’t want to let him know that I had cameras on him, but he had to realize, that I could find him anywhere in Paris. On the camera, Jean-Pierre pointed to the sky, as if to tell Louis that I had a satellite on him.
Not yet, you piece of shit pansy, but soon.
David backed away and whispered into the phone, probably trying to see how close our men were to the scene.
We’ve got you.
“Do you have Eden?” Jean-Pierre asked.
“Ah!” I gestured for Eden to come closer. “You have humbled yourself.”
“Kazimir—”
“I thought I answered that already,” I growled. “Put Emily on the phone. That was the deal.”
“We both know I have your Emily.” Jean-Pierre left the house, but in the wrong direction.
Blue switched cameras but couldn’t find him.
Where did he go? He must have gone out the back and then walked on the side.
Blue switched to the front view of the house.
The limo rocked.
Wait. What’s going on in there?
“Fuck,” Maxwell whispered, “Em has to be in there.”
The limo rocked again. A shot came next. Glass shattered the side window. And then another shot.
We all leaned forward.
Maxwell covered his face for a second, and then rubbed it. “Em is definitely in there.”
My heart stopped.
Another shot came.
More glass shattered.
The door opened.
Emily got out.
I exhaled and hadn’t realized that I’d held my breath.
“Jesus,” Maxwell muttered.
I couldn’t move for a few seconds. My whole life stood in front of me on the screen. She was miles and miles away. I reached my hand out and touched the screen, not caring what anyone thought of me.
She wore a man’s long sleeve buttoned down shirt and held two guns in her hands .
Maxwell trembled next to us. “Run, Em.”
I covered the phone. “David, send everybody that way. I don’t care where they are.”
David was already on the phone. He stood next to me, barreling out orders.
In the front of the limo, the driver jumped out.
Emily pointed the gun at him and said something.
Mysh!
The driver got back in.
Fast, she looked around and ran off in the other direction.
Jean-Pierre’s voice came on the line. “I need confirmation that you have Eden.”
Shit. I have to keep him busy.
I gave the phone to Eden. She hadn’t turned to the laptop screen, probably still drugged up on whatever the Devil had given her.
“Hello?” she whispered.
Jean-Pierre mumbled several things into the phone.
I rose and hurried to David. “Call Misha. Get his satellites. Have them send a feed to Blue’s computer.”
David nodded.
Goddamn it, Emily. Now what do I do?
“Jean-Pierre?” Eden’s face brightened. “I’m fine.”
Blue tapped the screen.
Jean-Pierre had entered our view. He hadn’t even noticed the shattered glass, so excited to be on the phone with his lover. But then he came close to looking off in the direction that Emily had run. I had to give her a fighting chance.
I grabbed the phone back from Eden. “Put Emily on the phone. Now!”
Maxwell mouthed the word no.
“Goddamn it.” On the screen, Jean-Pierre rushed over to the limo. “Give me a minute.”
Emily should have some more time to escape as he remained near the limo.
What if this doesn’t work?
My hands shook. “You hurt her, and I’ll erase the French from European history.”