No. No.
Someone called them and they turned and headed in the other direction.
Yes! Thank God.
The chubby man sniffled.
“Don’t worry.” I dialed Kazimir’s phone one more time. “You’ll be done with me soon. You just have to drop me off somewhere.”
A rang came and then the connection ended.
That’s okay. I’ll try again and a-fucking-gain. I won’t stop. I’m free.
A good mile away from Gwen’s building, the growing chaos continued. More smoke hung in the air. More sirens blared. The city had continued to break out in pandemonium. Several cop cars sped by us.
Finally, the phone showed a signal.
I yelled. “Yes, Jesus!”
The chubby guy jumped next to me.
“Sorry.” I dialed his number and thanked God once again, when it rang.
Chapter 10
Kazimir
The exchange would be the end of this horrible nightmare.
Baba claimed my mouse would be back to me. I wouldn’t believe anything else.
My little mysh will be with me tonight, but will our enemies still be alive.
Blue yelled from across the living room. “The cellphone towers are up!”
“Hurry and Call Jean-Pierre.” I walked over to Maxwell. “This has gone on long enough.”
I took the phone.
It rang once.
Jean-Pierre answered, “Yes?”
“I’m texting you the address. Bring Emily in ten minutes.”
“Okay. I will.” Jean-Pierre hung up, before I could say anything else.
What was that about? No other instructions?
“The tower signals are fading again.” Worry creased Blue’s face. “He must have several people on this.”
“Hold the signal.”
“I’m trying.”
Maxwell dialed the other number that Emily had called from and kept it on his ear. “It’s just ringing.”
Fuck.
“We’re tracking the number now.”
I thought about what Baba told me. She mentioned that Emily would escape. With my mouse, anything was possible.
I grabbed both of my guns. “Let’s head to the exchange address.”
“And if Jean-Pierre’s putting a trap there?” Maxwell asked.
“He doesn’t have enough time to do it. And our people are already in place.” I gripped my guns. “Let’s go.”
Maxwell headed forward. “What’s up with the movie request to the theater guy?”
I rented out the entire theater. That was the only place that would be perfect for the exchange. Tight enough to make it difficult for Jean-Pierre to leave, but enough exits for my mouse to sneak out. I then asked for a list of movies that the theater had in house. They were ordered to empty the whole place out, and play a specific old classic gangster movie in theater 7.
“The movie is a gift to Jean-Pierre.” I cracked my neck. “It’s actually the only nice thing I will do for him.”
“How’s that?”
This particular movie, “The Public Enemy, is one of the best gangster films in history. James Cagney and Jean Harlow. You can’t get any better than that. It would be a decent way to die. Could you imagine, lying on the floor in a pool of blood, right as the most perfect film played above you.”
“I would rather die while a chick with big tits was riding me. Three chicks in fact.”
“I’ll remember that and try.”
“That wasn’t a request.”
“We’ll see.” I winked.
We rushed out of the house.
Blue traded her laptop for a blue handgun she removed from her bag.
Maxwell raised his eyebrows. “Damn. That’s pretty.”
She winked and hurried with us as we got into the jeep. Pavel followed too.
The door shut behind us.
In the other car, David had Jean-Pierre’s lover next to him. It calmed my nerves. The more I saw that damn woman petting the invisible unicorn, the more I yearned to shoot her.
Forget about it.
Soon I would have Emily in my arms.
Everything would come down to this moment. It was Jean-Pierre’s last chance to keep his lover alive. One slip up. One moment of him trying to be cute, and I would slit his flute player’s neck from ear to ear.
My phone rang.
More to say, Jean-Pierre. You hung up to fast.
I didn’t recognize the number, but that didn’t matter today. “Yes?”
“Fuck!” Emily yelled over the phone. “Kazimir!”
My heart boomed in my ears. “Emily!”
“I got away.”
Jesus fucking Christ, woman!
My hands shook. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”
Throbbing hit my head.
Her voice broke into static. The connection sucked due to Jean-Pierre messing with the towers.
“Mouse?”
She came back on the line. “Where’s the exchange?”
“Fuck the exchange. Where are you?”
“I don’t know. I’m heading. . .” she yelled at someone. “Where are we going?”
I widened my eyes. “Who is that? Who the fuck are you with?”
“My. . .new friend. Damn it. He can’t speak English. Where’s the exchange?”
“Who can’t speak English?”
“The guy.”
“What guy?”
“The one I kidnapped. He’s going to take me to the exchange.
I growled. “Mysh, I don’t care about the exchange. I want—”
“Jean-Pierre is heading there. Keep him going that way. We end this today.”
Goddamn it.
Rage erupted through me. “The exchange will be in the cinema of Forums de Halls. Theater 7. Where are you now?”
“In a car somewhere in Paris.”
The signal faded.
Her voice hit the static line again. “I’m. . .”