Page 64 of The Carver

“Luca, you know I’m not going to do that.”

“Why the fuck not?” he demanded. “Your nutsack is the one on the line.”

I took another drink, the glass almost empty already.

“Bastien.”

“I’m not gonna do that.”

“He knows who wants your head, and he ain’t saying shit,” he snapped. “He doesn’t give a damn about you.”

“But he won’t cross that line, and neither will I.”

He released a frustrated sigh as he dragged his hands down his face. “Now isn’t the time to be honorable.”

“My father deserved what he got. Not Godric.”

His fingers returned to the glass, and he looked out the window as he did his best to calm down. “What happened with your dad anyway?”

I ignored the question and let it die.

Luca didn’t repeat it. “Then what’s the plan?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know…”

“I’ll get him, Luca.”

“You should be a lot more worried about this, Bastien.”

I sat back in the chair and finished off the drink. Now I wished I’d made another and planned ahead like Luca.

He seemed to understand I wasn’t in the mood to talk shop, so he changed the subject. “What happened with Fleur? Did she run off again?”

“No.” I felt the smile creep on to my face, like an old friend that walked back into your life.

His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because I’m happy, asshole.” When times got tough, she’d stuck beside me. Any reasonable person would advise her to leave me, but she chose to be unreasonable and stay. Chose me the way I chose her from the moment I saw her. “I’m gonna marry her.”

The shock was quickly replaced by a look of horror. “I’m sorry, what the fuck did you just say?”

“Luca, you know what I said.”

“Bastien, you’ve known the girl for three months.”

“I’m aware.”

“You sound crazy right now. Crazier than usual.”

The smirk remained. “I know.”

“Look, I like Fleur and understand your fascination, but this is way too fast?—”

“I didn’t say now, Luca.”

He didn’t even bother to hide his relief at that statement. “Oh Jesus…”

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