“Sorry.” I was being unnecessarily asshole-like to one of the few people I liked. “Just have a lot on my mind.”
“I remember when Bastien had a lot on his mind.” She took another drink. “Now he doesn’t brood so much. The brooding was sexy, but his smile is sexier.”
“I heard the word sexy.” Bastien approached the table with Carvel, and his girl followed behind. “Must be talking about me.” He sat down and dropped his arm around Fleur’s chair as he leaned into her.
She rolled her eyes, but the grin on her face lost her the poker game. “You caught me.”
He pulled her in close and gave her a hard kiss on the mouth.
I turned away and watched the other chairs be filled with people I’d describe as strangers more than acquaintances. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I checked the text and was met with disappointment.
“Where’s Diana?”
I knew it was coming. Knew Carvel had thrown me under the tank. “Couldn’t make it.”
“Then what about what’s-her-name?”
“There’re a lot of what’s-her-names.”
“They were all busy?” Bastien asked, slightly playful like he knew he was getting under my skin and enjoying the dig. “Your dick dirty or something?”
Carvel nearly choked on the laugh that left his throat.
I knew they were in on this together. Carvel had told Bastien everything, and he was drilling me until I cracked and caved.
“What did you catch?” Bastien asked. “Don’t tell me it’s?—”
“You think I won’t cut out your tongue?” I snapped my head in his direction. “Let’s see how long Fleur sticks around when you can’t?—”
“Whoa.” Bastien held up his hand. “Leave my wife out of this.”
The conversation was finished, and I’d struck the killing blow.
It was silent for a while, and then Bastien exchanged quiet words with Fleur. Then he got up, and the two of them switched seats so he could sit directly next to me.
I sighed and drank from my water glass since my scotch was already in my stomach.
Bastien stared at the side of my face and waited for me to acknowledge him.
I didn’t.
“All jokes aside…” He raised his hand slightly, a form of surrender. “Who’s Aliénor?”
So, Carvel did tell him everything. “It’s a long fucking story, and this isn’t the place.”
“You’d rather chat with the Senate about the new pension plan?” he asked incredulously. “That’s why we’re all here.”
I’d raised the tariffs on all the gangs, and most of them accepted it without complaint—at least to my face. In the nextfew months, we’d have enough to cover this additional cost since people were living longer than they ever had before. An additional ten years of life for each citizen had already strained the treasury. President Martin wanted to celebrate his achievement of avoiding the age extension for the plan.
It wasn’t really his achievement, but mine.
“She had some bounty hunters on her ass. Needed a place to stay, so I gave her a guest room. Then I forged a deal with the Oath to drop their contract and let her go. That’s it.”
“How did you meet?”
“She jumped into my car when she was being chased down. I got her out of there.”
“And you did all of this out of the goodness of your heart?”
