Page 20 of The Saint

He gave a slight smile before he grabbed his fork and took a few more bites of his meal, his appetite back at the change in subject. “I’m sure the guys who moved everything could never forget.”

“Luca will be there?”

“Probably.”

“Probably?”

“He’s kinda flaky.”

“Will you know anyone else there?”

“I’ll know a ton of people there.”

“A drug dealer wedding…that’s a first.” It was hard to picture criminals doing normal things like everyone else.

“I’ve been to a lot of drug dealer weddings and birthday parties and bat mitzvahs.” He finished his tray of pasta then wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Not all criminals are bad. Some of them are just trying to provide for their family like everyone else. They sell drugs, but they run it like a family-owned pizza parlor.”

“Is that the kind of wedding we are going to?”

He nodded.

“And the others…?”

“The others need to be policed by me. Otherwise, a lot of bad things would happen to good people.”

I remembered the first night we’d met and how he handled the burglars. He’d spoken to the police like he knew them well. “I thought you were a cop when we first met.”

“I remember.” There was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“If I didn’t know you, I would have a hard time believing all of this.”

He soaked up my words like a dry sponge that was suddenly damp. “There’s a lot of stuff that happens in Paris that most people don’t know about. The French Emperors have been asecret society that has existed on and off for centuries, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte before he became the first French Emperor. It was an important part of his strategy, to take hold of the country from the inside out. Over the centuries, the organization has changed, faded into the background, and then come into prominence when the Republic needed it. It’s grown to what it is now, protecting the Republic in the shadows. We have partners all over the world, and those people are the best sources of information for global terrorism and other threats to the Republic and our allies. I report what I hear to our generals.”

All I knew was the man before me, the man with a heart full of justice and kindness. It was easy to forget his position in light of that. “I had no idea.”

“I’m a descendant of Napoleon—on my mother’s side.”

“Wow.”

“We still have a couple things that once belonged to him. The Aristocrats allowed me to keep them because it’s mine by blood.”

“Allowed?” Bastien didn’t seem like a man who needed permission.

“Their intentions started pure, but they’ve become extremists through the generations. They are more like a cult these days, declaring war on anyone who doesn’t revere the French Republic. I thought Oscar was more practical than his peers, but I learned the hard way that he wasn’t.”

I shouldn’t care enough to ask this question, but a part of me would always care. “Do—do you think they’ll try to kill Adrien?”

Bastien didn’t bullshit me. He never did. “Absolutely.”

“Would they spare him if he gave them what he wanted?”

“This isn’t your problem, sweetheart. I warned him many times. He got himself into this mess, and even when he had a way out, he still didn’t take it. Your concern is misplaced.” He spoke calmly, like my interest in my ex’s well-being didn’t upset him.

“What about you?” I asked. “Will…will they try to kill you because you killed Oscar?”

He stared at me across the table, the light coming through the window and striking his face with the most beautiful glow. His eyes were like pools of clear blue water. “That’s my problem, not yours.”

“It is my problem, Bastien.”

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