Page 67 of The Saint

He spoke first. “You’ve been looking for me, Butcher.” He cocked his head slightly, a man who was ten to fifteen years older than me but still bulky with muscle. “Well, here I am.”

I was an arrogant man, but I was never arrogant about an opponent that could affect my city so profoundly. With his harsh ideologies, he campaigned for my job, and he was obviously a decent candidate because my own supporters were turning on me. “Good. No one likes to chase a rat in a sewer.”

Instead of rising to the insult, he allowed a slow smile to creep over his lips. “You’re a young, arrogant son of a bitch. I like it. You remind me of myself.” He raised his hand toward his face then traced the scar from eyebrow to jaw. “Before I got this.”

The threat was subtle, but I definitely got the message.

“I still remember the man who gave this to me. Was never the same after…”

“Did it feel better after your mother kissed it?”

His smirk returned. Most men were probably too intimidated to face off with him, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy the fact that I wasn’t intimidated at all. “I’ve admired your work. From humble beginnings as the son of a simple dealer to PresidentMartin’s right-hand man and the first French Emperor, it’s quite impressive for a young man. Which is why I’m going to offer you a deal that would be unwise to refuse.”

I already knew what that deal would be.

“Step down and revoke the Fifth Republic—and I let you live.”

“You know I can’t do that, Ivan.”

“Ivan?” He smiled again. “We’re on a first-name basis now?”

“Aren’t all people who want to kill each other?”

This time, he chuckled. “I like you, Bastien. Which makes this a little harder…but only a little.”

“We won’t go back. France’s economy is the strongest it’s ever been. Tourism is up over fifty percent. And all my partners are rich and operating with convenience. Working with the government rather than against it has increased productivity.”

“Perhaps that’s true, but margins are less favorable with paid labor, and with the taxes and tariffs they’re forced to pay, they’re working more and keeping less.”

“But innocents are spared, and the country in which they reside is the most powerful in its history—and that counts for something.”

“Over eighty percent of your partners disagree, Bastien. They don’t care about patriotism or morality. They want the old Republic to be reinstated—and they want you gone.”

I’d hoped in time that the men would accept the new policies, but apparently they were too greedy for that. “The Fifth Republic stays. When I discover the parties who have aligned with you, they’ll be replaced.”

“We both know that’s not going to happen, Bastien. You seem like a smart kid who still believes in the good of people, very commendable.” He sat upright and placed his elbows on the table. “But that shit is gonna get you killed.”

I held my silence.

“If you want to do good in this world, be a cop or a teacher. Be a philanthropist. You’re rich enough for it.”

“In the years since I’ve been doing this, I’ve saved thousands, tens of thousands, of innocent lives, and I’ve strengthened my country’s place within the world. I will never know the true impact of my work because it simply can’t be quantified. That’s more important than money, Ivan.”

“Those who care about money the least are always the ones who have it.”

“And you don’t?”

“I was in a Russian prison for five years. I managed to escape and have had to start over. Eating out of dumpsters and robbing men for their clothes. When I came to Paris, I heard about the infamous Butcher…and I knew that was the job I wanted.”

“I’m sorry to inform you that we aren’t hiring right now.”

“No,” he said with a smile. “You’re one of those pricks who loves to smell his own shit because it smells so damn good. But if you don’t pull your head out of your ass and smell the fresh air, you’re going to get that head cut off.” His smile faded, and he turned dead serious. “You have no idea what you’re up against. This is your last chance to take my offer. Think wisely because it won’t come again?—”

My patience had snapped. He was playing checkers with someone who played chess, and I was ready to wipe all his pieces off the board. “I won’t let you destroy my country. I won’t let you burn my city. And I won’t let you rape and enslave my women.”

His eyes narrowed with his frustration. “Then you have chosen death.”

“My power and alliances reach much further than you know, Ivan. But you will know soon enough.”

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