Page 44 of French Escapade

“Oh, so wrecking my operation was not enough for you, now you’re gonna tell me how to run the rest of it?”

Remembering you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, I brace myself and politely insist.

“Of course not, sir. I’m a military man and have the upmost respect for the chain of command. Still, the fact remains that I just came out of that place, and I have information that could—”

“Yep, that idiot wants to teach me my job.” The exasperating man laughs.

Two of his colleagues, standing by his side, laugh with him as if he’s just said something hilarious. The younger one, wearing a waiter uniform and standing next to Ted, shakes his head sadly. He must be Christophe.

I turn to Ted and hesitate. I need to pick a language to talk to him in private. Not Russian—some of Arkady’s men could still be around. Not English. Too many Europeans speak it these days. Not one of the Arabic languages we share, because idiot-in-chief could decide we’re Middle Eastern terrorists …

Navajo, that’s the answer.

“Stop talking to that dumbass and go look for my sister,” I tell him. Ted discreetly nods to let me know he’s got the message.

Jimmy decides to start a countdown, out loud, and in English. “Three Mississippi, two Mississippi, one Mississippi, go!”

With perfect synchronicity, Jimmy and I charge, head down. Jimmy runs towards the marina, screaming like a banshee. Even with his hands behind his back, he still runs faster than a lot of the men going after him.

The idea is to create a diversion, not to hurt anyone.

Running is not my jam. My specialty is Taekwondo. Of all the surrounding targets, the most tempting one is the bulging stomach of the ranking officer.

The asshole is looking away, clearly puzzled by Jimmy’s conduct. I take advantage of the situation to give him my special kick demo. The boss hits the ground, quickly followed by the two guys who thought he was so funny.

Just before a few uniformed cops jump me, I check my surroundings. Ted has taken advantage of the chaos to vanish. Christophe, who stepped back the second I started moving, is staring at the building with an amused smile on his lips. He’s looking at the hallway Ted ran into to look for Madison.

I hope he finds her.

* * *

---