Countdown by James Patterson

Author:James Patterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2020-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 58

I DON’T think I’m ever coming back to Paris, so I feel pretty good about hammering the DGSE guy behind me and disarming him. That leaves only two threats in this little room—I don’t count Jeremy as one, which may later prove to be a mistake—but I’m keeping an eye on the other armed guy, Maurice, and his female assistant. She’s young, slim, and attractive, but I wouldn’t put it past her to dip into that open leather briefcase and come out with a sawed-off Verney-Carron 12-gauge shotgun and blow me in half.

I say, “Here’s my opening statement. I’m leaving with Jeremy, we’re not to be obstructed, and we’re going to catch the next Eurostar to London.”

Maurice stays quiet.

Jeremy says, “Amy…”

“Jeremy, with all due respect and affection, shut your trap.” I take a smooth breath and help the DGSE guy to his feet. “We’re on the trail of a man who has sworn to kill thousands of innocents in my nation’s largest city, and I’m not going to sit on my ass while you match favors with British intelligence. Do you understand?”

“A bit,” Maurice says. “But it is still not a compelling argument.”

“Maybe not,” I say, “but try this. You owe me.”

He nearly sputters at that. “Owe you! Are you mad? One of my men is in the hospital with a concussion, due to you striking him back at that runway. How can I owe you?”

“Because there’s another man of yours in the hospital, Victor Martin. Still alive, I hope?”

The Frenchman just nods. “How do you know of Victor?”

“Because I’m the one who saved him,” I say. “Tied off his left leg with a couple of straps after a good chunk of it was blown off this morning.”

He turns to the woman and says, “C’est vrai, ça?”

A one-word answer. “Oui.”

He turns back to me, nods once more. “I was not aware of those circumstances. You have my thanks. But still…”

Sensing that I’m making progress, I say, “And if we’re keeping score, I also prevented one of your men from assassinating an MI6 officer invited on your soil. How would you like explaining that to your British friend? This would-be assassin, Carlos—a jihadist?”

Maurice purses his lips. “Only because he was so heavily in debt, as we’ve recently learned. His…actions were mercenary in nature, not religious.”

“Well, my actions aren’t mercenary, nor religious.”

I thumb the side button on the semiautomatic pistol and the magazine drops out. I work the slide and the 9mm round in the chamber flies out and tinkles to the floor.

I toss the pistol on the metal desk with a loud thump. It seems everyone in the small room is shocked.

Including me.

“I’ve got a mission ahead of me, and I need to work with Jeremy to get it done. My nation’s largest city is at risk. If Paris was facing a similar risk, I think you’d do the same thing I’m doing.”

The slightest of smiles. “Which is?”

“Which is raising hell and not listening to supervisors when there’s no time to argue or debate.

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