Page 38 of French Escapade

“A missing person?” he repeats and frowns. I haven’t heard about…”

I can see in his eyes the second he understands what this means.

“You’re flying solo? Are you out of your fucking mind? Do you really want to lose your job?”

“It was a last-minute thing. I didn’t have a choice. If I had gone the official route, we would have missed our window of opportunity.”

“Do you know what type of guys we’re dealing with? Let me tell you, the guys in this building, they are no altar boys. I don’t know who you’re after, but this is not small fry.”

“You mean guys like Arkady.”

I look straight at him when I say the name of the Russian mobster. Christophe doesn’t react beyond agreeing. “Yeah, like him.”

A moment passes in silence while I decide what to do next. Should I trust my colleague? After all, his presence could be an asset tonight. If I’m to believe him, he’s not on his own, and we could use reinforcements.

But he has his own operation going. I know for a fact Arkady has men inside my own station. Is Christophe one of them?

Time is of the essence. I need to make a decision, so I ask.

“What do you know about the auction?”

* * *

---