“Right. Sculptures.” He nods. “I admire your work greatly, and we became friends.”
“Sounds good.”
It does, as a matter of fact. Oh well, I suppose a more assertive compliment is in order.
“As a matter of fact,” I say, “I’ve become friends with two of my regular clients.”
“What do you think of your brother Gilles?” he asks out of the blue.
Not an easy question to answer…
“I love him,” I begin. “But I also hate him. His gambling addiction ruined his life, made him break the law, and end up in prison.”
“Must’ve been hard for your mother.”
“He broke her heart. All our hearts! Not only did he become the first convict in our family, but he dishonored the sacrifices our great-grandparents made during the war.”
“What was your reaction when you first heard about the deal he’d made with Farid Aifa?”
“What do you think?” I glower at him. “I was livid.”
My pulse quickens as I recall that fateful prison visit when Doc caught sight of me. Gilles told me about his debt, and that he was thinking about killing himself. I begged him to negotiate with Doc, to stall so that his family could come up with the funds.He negotiated, all right!It turned out Doc was only too happy to offer an alternative to a full and immediate payment of Gilles’s debt. That alternative was me.
“Yet you agreed,” Theodor says.
“What choice did I have? Let Doc kill Gilles?”
He gives me a hard stare. “Do you want to know what I think of your brother, Madame Pontet?”
“No.”
“He’s human garbage, a coward who doesn’t take responsibility for his actions.”
I purse my lips, refusing to caution such harsh judgment. It’s my brother we’re talking about!
“Gilles should’ve said no to Doc,” Theodor carries on. “He should’ve never considered Doc’s offer. He shouldn’t have put the burden of such an impossible choice on you.”
I turn away and gaze out the window.
Jordan hits the accelerator.
We must be way above the speed limit now.
“There’s no hurry,” I say to his back. “My grandfather isn’t going anywhere.”
Darrel looks over his shoulder, his face marked by concern. “We’re being followed.”
“What?” Theodor and I twist our bodies and peer through the rear window.
Among the many cars on the highway, two are driving as fast as we are. One of them looks like the red Audi from Doc’s photos.
Theodor pulls out his phone and makes a call. “What the fuck? You took the money.”
“I did, and I don’t regret that decision,” Doc replies proudly and loudly enough for everyone in the car to hear without the speakerphone.
“Then fuck off.”
“Not so fast!” Doc laughs. “I did some thinking and I decided I want the girl, too.”
