him until the rooster crows at dawn, when they must return to their graves until the next year.”
“So, you woke me up to give me a lesson on classical music?”
“When Danse Macabre was first performed it was not well received and caused widespread feelings of anxiety.”
“As your presence in Moscow causes.”
“Ha. My presence in Moscow? Have you seen Paris and what your lion did to it?”
“You started it.”
We rounded a corner.
He stopped us.
Harlem took that moment to pee.
Jean-Pierre frowned at my fur baby. “I prefer cats.”
“I prefer open honesty.”
We faced each other.
Rain poured down. People walked around us.
“Do you see my gun?” I gestured under my jacket.
“I did notice the bulge.”
“I’m going to shoot you with my gun, if you woke me up to only talk about Dance Maccabi.”
“Danse Macabre.” Jean-Pierre grimaced. “But, let’s talk about this situation. I’m having difficulty identifying the man responsible.”
“You know his name, but not his face?”
“This is true.”
“But you’ve found it difficult for anybody to point the guy out or give you his location?”
“That is also true.”
“Kaz said that Moscow is not Paris. Things are more secretive here.”
Jean-Pierre smirked. “Kaz? Is that your little lion’s pet name?”
I pointed at him. “If you start calling him Kaz, I won’t be able to stop the ass whipping headed your way. Back to the name—”
“I still have time to catch him.”
“But, the clock is ticking, J.P. Just give me the name.”
“You know why I’m withholding it. I want peace. Which means your psychotic maniac is tamed. And there will be no more bombs or lions storming the streets of Paris or no more threats about Eden.”
I considered all of the things that occurred today. “Well. . .I may be able to give you another card to play in order to get Kaz to not start a war with you. It’s. . .a bit odd, but it could work. Truthfully, I think Kaz is thinking about maintaining some form of peace with the Corsican anyway.”
Jean-Pierre leaned in closer. “I’m listening. What’s the new card?”
“Eden’s father.”
He stepped back. Rage covered his face. “Be careful, mouse. I’ve seen your kills. Is this a threat?”
“What?” I blinked. “What the hell do you mean you’ve seen my kills?”
“The Tinder Serial Killer case.”
“Okay. First of all, stop stalking me. It’s creepy.”
“As if being a serial killer doesn’t provide its own creepy factor.”
“J.P. I mentioned Eden’s father, not as a threat, but because. . .”
Damn. Should I even tell him, and would this really help.
I considered the fact that, Rolan wanted Kaz to make peace with Eden’s father. That meant protecting Eden and in some way, not killing her lover, Jean-Pierre. She was pregnant after all. Surely a war would stress her out. It could harm their baby. This added to all the other logical reasons for why Kaz should leave Jean-Pierre alone.
But will Kaz listen to reason, is the other question?
Jean-Pierre’s anger deepened on his face. “You mentioned her father because?”
“He’s Kaz’s. . .god father.”
Stunned, Jean-Pierre stepped back. “God father?”
“Yes.”
I could see all types of chess moves working on his face. I hoped I had helped this situation and not ruined anything. I didn’t need Kaz involved in any war with anybody, especially a sneaky bastard like Jean-Pierre. This pregnancy had already seen enough chaos. Once this monkey business ended, I hoped for peaceful months ahead.
Jean-Pierre nodded. “I knew that there was some connection with Eden’s father and the Bratva, but I didn’t know it was that deep.”
“How did you know there was a connection at all?”
“Eden has an old photo album. Inside is a picture of Kazimir’s father at her parents’ wedding.”
“So, you know I’m not lying?”
“That is correct.”
“So?”
Holding the umbrella a little lower, he rubbed his chin with his other hand and considered the options.
“J.P. this is bullshit. Give me the name.”
“It’s more than one. The guy on the inside of the Bratva is coordinating with another person who is outside of Moscow. I don’t know the outsider. I just know that he resides in Italy.” He moved his hand from his chin. “I planned to grab the guy in Moscow, torture him, and find out.”
The outsider is in Italy. This supports Kaz’s and my theory.
“Who is the insider?”
Jean-Pierre extended his hand. “Will you continue all efforts to protect the French?”
“What I do, is not for the French, it’s to keep Kaz out of war.”
He gestured to his hand. “Same thing.”
“I’ll continue to work on keeping a war from happening. You give me the fucking name.” I shook his hand.
He tightened