by Tikiri
“Er,” I gave Luc a side glance, “these are cupcakes.”
“They look simply delicious,” Fred said. “It would be a great honor for me to try your Americaine cupcakes.” His hand hovered over the cake tray and, before I could say anything, he plucked the biggest cake and bit into it.
Chapter Thirty-three
“No!” Luc and I leaped up at the same time. But it was too late.
Fred’s face went red as he spat into his napkin. He doubled up, moaning. I watched horrified, my hand on my mouth. He didn’t move for several seconds. The waiter moved closer, hovering over Fred.
When he straightened up, Fred’s face was a mix of confusion and disgust. Spitting out a delicacy brought by a guest was probably the most impolite thing he’d done that day. At the same time, that was probably the healthiest thing he’d done that day.
“I’m so sorry,” I spluttered. “I didn’t mean for you to eat it.”
“They were made only to conceal the merchandise,” Luc whispered, taking a second cake and splitting it open. The white packet jutting out of the pastry was unmistakable. He gently pulled the packet out, wiped it clean with his napkin, and deposited it on Fred’s plate. “Vous voyez? You see now?”
Fred stared at the packet for five long seconds, then put his half-chewed cake back on the tray like it was a radioactive bomb.
“What, in god’s name, did you put in that?” Fred said, turning to me.
“Petrol.”
He looked at me shocked and wiped his mouth, grimacing. “Petrol?” he whispered.
“So the dogs won’t smell the other stuff,” I said.
Fred stared at me for several seconds. A rivulet of sweat ran down my back. I thought of the dagger on the waiter’s belt and the gun on Fred’s. They’re going to finish me right here, right now. And do it so politely too. I could no longer look at him. I braced myself.
“Brilliant,” Fred said finally, more to himself than us. “Absolument brillant.” He paused. “And I thought it was the traffic fumes that were particularly bad today.”
I looked up. He was watching me carefully, his face intense.
“Mademoiselle Julie,” he said, looking straight into my eyes.
I clenched my sweaty palms into fists. I didn’t come this far to go out quietly. I’m ready to fight if I have to.
“Will you work for me?”
I looked at him in surprise.
“I may be just a pied-noir, but I can assure you, mademoiselle, that I pay better than anyone else in this business, even the local Belges.”
It took me a few seconds to collect my thoughts. “I er—already work for someone,” I said. “Sorry.”
“Would that be our dear Monsieur Luc here?” Fred said.
“No,” I said. I couldn’t get Luc into any more trouble. “Someone in London, who won’t let me go easily.”
“I wouldn’t either.”
Fred surveyed me with curious eyes.
“Where are you really from, mademoiselle?”
“Many places,” I said, looking directly back at him. Fight fire with fire, I thought.
“Is Julie your real name?”
“It is now,” I said, not wavering in my gaze.
Fred was quiet for a minute, rubbing the white packet between his fingers thoughtfully.
We could stay here and play this game all day, but we don’t have time. I was about to get up, when he reached into the inside of his jacket pocket and pulled out a Swiss Army Knife. Next to me, I saw Luc recoil at the sight. Like he’d done this many times, Fred deftly snapped the knife open, sliced a corner of the plastic packet and shook a few drops of the powder onto his plate. He sniffed it, slid his finger over it, and put a trace of it on the tip of his tongue.
We waited for his verdict. I think Luc had stopped breathing at this point.
“According to your reputation, Monsieur Luc, you don’t disappoint your clients,” Fred said. He paused dramatically. “And that is indeed correct.”
Luc let out his breath.
“Monsieur Fred,” I spoke up. “If you’re happy with the merchandise, we need to take our leave now, please.”
Is it just me, or did that waiter move closer?
Fred, pretending to stretch, exposed his gun again. Was that deliberate?
“I will indeed let you take your leave, mademoiselle et monsieur,” he said. “If you would kindly promise one thing.”
What does he want?
“Bring me more.” Fred tapped the white packet, looking at Luc.
Luc remained silent.
“I know you’re a good-hearted French boy.” Fred’s voice sounded ominous. “I’ve been watching your work for a while now. Maybe if I tell you I give a percentage of my profits to charity, that will motivate you?”
Luc wasn’t even meeting Fred’s eyes. I could feel him breathing fast.
“It’s how I give back,” Fred said with a chuckle. “I see nothing wrong in giving some of my profits to the famine charities back in Africa.” His smile widened and he turned to me. “Here’s a small history fact for you, my young American friend. When Algeria rebelled against their colonizers starting in nineteen fifty-four, the streets ran with the blood of one and a half million of my Maghreb brethren. Now, don’t you think I’m a kind man to attempt some sort of reparation, mademoiselle?”
I gave him a blank stare.
He’s mad. Totally insane. We don’t have time for these games. I’ve got to get back to Katy.
“Shall we say midnight tonight, then?” Fred said with a confident smile, though Luc hadn’t even responded. There was an evil glint in Fred’s eyes. It had always been there, I thought, masked by all that fake civility.
Luc’s face had gone slightly pink. I knew he’d only had time to pack a few of his packets when we ran from London, and all that was now inside the cakes.
Fred settled himself comfortably into his cushions, still watching Luc intently. “You know, I heard some interesting news through the grapevine recently.”
I felt like I was in the company of a cobra, its head spread out, swaying this way and that, toying with us before it moved in with lightning speed to sink its fangs in us.
“I heard a van full of girls crossed the border recently.”
I gasped. If Fred had heard me, he didn’t show it. His eyes remained firmly on Luc.
“Coincidently, Europol are searching for murder suspects that supposedly fled a brothel in London, leaving behind the dead body of a young police officer.”
How does he know all this?
“I understand you don’t have many options, Monsieur Luc,” Fred said, in a steely voice. “We can protect you. This can be lucrative for you and me. For all of us.” He bowed slightly in my direction. “We will, however, need more batches than this. Many more. Can you do this?”
“It will be difficult,” Luc said.
“Nothing in life is easy, Monsieur Luc.”
Luc fell silent.
“Do we have a deal?” Fred said, smiling a smile that could charm a snake.
The waiter was now right behind Luc and me, only inches away.
Luc was cornered. He sighed and nodded.
Fred offered a clawlike hand across the rug. Luc looked at it for a few seconds before offering his own limp one. Fred beamed. He turned to me. Feeling like I was about to touch a slippery reptile, I gave my hand. Instead of shaking it, he took it and brought it to his lips.
I suppressed an urge to retch.
Chapter Thirty-four
When we returned to our street, we hardly recognized it. The police vans, patrolling officers and sniffing dogs had all but vanished. Except for the wooden barricades stacked on the side of the street to be picked up later, it was like they’d never been here.
It had taken us less time to return to the house, partly because we no longer needed to dodge into side alleys, and partly because we ran all the way back, nonstop. The only pit stop we made was to retrieve Bibi’s robe from its hiding place a
t the neighboring building.
I was just about to crash through the back door of the house, when Luc pulled me back. He put a finger to his lips. I nodded and turned the knob quietly. We stepped into the kitchen and stopped. An eerie silence.
“Do you think they packed up and left?” I whispered to Luc.
Luc shook his head. “Van’s still parked out.”
We stood quietly and listened. Though it was midafternoon, it was dark inside the house, but no one had turned on the lights. I couldn’t hear anything, but something in my gut said the house wasn’t empty. Not all was right.
Luc bent down and removed his shoes, taking care to not make a sound. Watching him, I pulled my heels off as well and tucked them under one arm. Luc reached over and picked up the knife lying on the kitchen counter, the one I’d improvised with and used to mix the cake batter earlier.
He motioned me to get behind him, and we tiptoed to the second floor, Luc holding the knife out and me holding up Bibi’s robe so as to not trip or fall.
I wasn’t prepared for what lay on the second-floor landing.
Zero’s door was now flung open, but he wasn’t inside. No one was. The meal containers on the table had been ripped open and everything had been devoured, like a pack of dogs had attacked the food. There were fresh curry stains all over the table and crumbs of pakora and naan on the floor. On the corner of the table lay my beautiful chocolate roll, half-eaten, icing smeared all over the packaging.
Disgusting, I thought. But where is everyone?
I heard a noise. I strained to listen. Something or someone was upstairs on the third floor.
Luc motioned that he’d go up first. I hiked up Bibi’s robe again, clutched my shoes tightly so they wouldn’t fall, and followed him. Halfway up, I could hear heavy breathing coming from the third floor. A few more steps and Luc froze. I crept next to him and nearly gasped. We could only see part of the third floor from where we were, but that was enough.
At the top of the stairway, with his back to us, was Zero holding a limp Win with a gun to her head. His left paw was clamped down on her mouth. She looked pale. On the other end of the landing, we could see part of Tetyana, and she looked furious. She was looking straight at Zero, but her gun was pointed at someone or something else. It had to be Vlad.
No one was talking. Zero was breathing heavily, swaying from side to side. Tetyana’s eyes flickered only for a semi-second as she caught sight of us, but her face remained still. The two of them stood in this silent standoff for half a minute.
Zero spoke first. “You know I kill everyone.” His voice was slurred and unsteady.
“One bullet in her is one bullet in him,” Tetyana snapped.
“Do I care?” Zero said. “Shoot the dickhead.”
“Ha!” Tetyana said, with a scornful laugh. “If he didn’t have the password for our account, you’d have friggin’ shot him by now. Did you think I wouldn’t figure that out?”
“You whore,” Zero said. He swayed from side to side. I watched him in alarm. He was still under the influence of something. He buckled and leaned on Win for support. It was like watching a full- grown bull crush a slender young calf. Win pushed and tried to stand upright despite Zero’s weight on her.
“Let her go!” Tetyana commanded.
Zero clutched Win even tighter. His hand slipped onto her shoulders, then her throat. He was choking her now. She tried to wiggle out, but he had a death grip on her. She struggled, gasping for air.
“You’re going to kill her, you bastard!” yelled Tetyana. “Let her go! Now!”
The image of Win lying on the ground at the London square flashed across my mind, followed by the image of the bloodied yellow blouse of that girl in the warehouse. Something in me snapped.
“Arrrrrggghh!”
Before I knew it, I’d bounded up the stairs with a warrior cry I didn’t even know I had in me, and slammed my shoe heel to the side of Zero’s face. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Let her go! Let her go! You bastard!” I screamed as I hit him, aiming for his ears and his the eyes. Zero let go of Win in alarm, and she folded to the ground.
He turned to me and roared. “You she-devil!” I didn’t hesitate. I slammed my heel on his nose. He reeled back, I wasn’t sure if it was from the hit or the surprise at what he thought Bibi had done. He stared at me stupefied, and that moment was all I needed. I raised my heel and aimed at his right eye. Directly.
That was when all hell broke loose.
Through the eye slit, I vaguely saw a hand with a gun come down. I ducked just in time. With a surprised yell, Zero fell with a crash to the floor. Tetyana shouted something, but I didn’t make out the words. I felt the adrenaline and red-hot blood pumping in me. Without wasting a second, I jumped on Zero’s back and rained blows from my heel onto the back of his head. I dug my knees in, kicking him whenever he tried to get back up. “This is for Bibi, you dick!” I yelled as I hit. “This is for Katy!” I yelled. “This is for Win!”
But that robe became my liability. It severely limited my movements, so I wasn’t ready when he managed to twist around and pull on it with force. I felt myself come crashing to the ground on my back. I couldn’t see anything but I kept hammering, screaming, fighting with every ounce of energy I had. Zero’s movements were sluggish but strong. He slammed a fist down, but hit the floor instead. I kept punching, sometimes hitting flesh, other times air.
Suddenly, all of Zero’s weight fell on me, squeezing the breath out of me. His hands went to my throat, and tightened. I was trapped. I writhed under him, gasping for air.
Without warning, a gunshot rang out, shaking the whole house. Zero’s hands softened. I could breathe again.
Silence.
Someone pushed Zero’s body off me and pulled me up. I stood for a moment, trying to catch my breath. The robe felt claustrophobic, like it was choking me too. I tugged at it, and pulled it off with someone’s help. I threw it on the ground and took a deep breath in and looked around.
Win was standing close to me, looking frightened to death, but alive. She must have been the one who helped me with my robe. Tetyana and Luc were pulling a lifeless Zero to the side. She gave him a swift kick before picking up his gun and tucking it in her boot. She still had hers in her hand. Luc cleaned the knife he’d been carrying on Zero’s shirt. I noticed blood on it. Where did that come from?
Vlad was still gagged and bound in a corner, with bloody gashes on his face. He was looking at all this with bulging, blood-stained eyes. It was the first time he’d seen me, and he clearly didn’t know what to make of me or anything else. I was just as confused. Who shot the gun? Is Zero dead?
Luc and Tetyana rooted urgently through Zero’s pockets for something. Tetyana pulled out a black tube. “Would have helped to have this a minute ago.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Silencer.”
“Did you kill him?” Win whispered in a terrified voice.
“Just got his kneecap so he’ll be crawling for the rest of his life,” Tetyana said. “Got enough dead bodies to worry about. No need to add two more.”
Enough dead bodies?
“Did you stab him too?” I asked, pointing at the bloodied knife.
“Luc jumped on him when he was trying to choke you, but the man didn’t even feel it. Too drugged out. That’s why I shot him.”
“Thanks,” I stammered, “but, but…what if someone calls the police about the gunshot?”
“In this neighborhood?” Luc said with a raised eyebrow. “No one’s gonna want any attention on them, I’d think.”
“What about our fingerprints?” I said. “And all this stuff?” I looked at the knife, the bedsheets, our messy marks left on everything in this house. “Won’t the police come after us?”
“No one’s going to believe a bunch of brothel girls did this,” Tetyana said, surveying the room.
As if she’d done this a hundred times before, she expertly fit the silencer tube onto her gun and
stuck it on her belt. Then, she pulled the remaining piece of ripped bedsheet and began to tie Zero up. She worked fast and furiously, shifting his limbs into the most uncomfortable positions. A moan came from Zero. Her lips curled with scorn and she kicked him in the ribs. His body moved from the force, but he didn’t open his eyes.
“What a coward,” she said when she was done. “You fought him well, Asha. But he’s not dead, not yet anyway.”
“A cop killer’s gonna get what he deserves,” Luc said, with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
“They’ll take care of this one too,” Tetyana said, walking over to Vlad.
He had only a second to whimper behind his gag before she gave him a thundering whack to the head with a gun. He collapsed forward.
My head reeled.
Chapter Thirty-five
Luc was still rummaging through Zero’s pockets.
With a yell, he held up a small bronze object. It took my bleary mind a second to realize what it was, and I jumped on it.
I ran to the attic door, shouting, “Katy! We’re gonna get you out!” With trembling hands, I slipped the key in the hole, swung the door open and sprang toward her.
She’d been tied up for half a day now, and looked it. I began to untie her, with Win’s help. While we’d been trying to get him to open the attic door earlier, Zero had taken his sweet time tying Katy up really well. It took me several tries to get her mouth gag undone and Win struggled with the other knots.
“You’ll be fine, honey, you’ll be okay,” I kept saying over and over again as I tackled the twists in the cloth. When I finally removed the gag, tears were streaming down her face.
“Oh my god, Katy. I’m so sorry.”
She stood up shakily and reached out to me. I threw my arms around her and hugged her tightly. She started to sob on my shoulder.
“Hey, you’re safe now. I’d never leave you behind,” I said.
“You’ll be okay,” said a small voice next to us. “Don’t cry.”
We pulled Win into the hug.
“Girls!” We looked up to see Tetyana motioning to us. Her voice was urgent, hurried. “We can do reunions later. We need to clean up and leave asap.”
