Sophie watched Josh tighten his grip on the man’s shirt.
‘Okay,’ spat Maurice finally, pushing him away. He straightened his back and smoothed down his shirt. ‘Nick needed some labels making for the wine bottles, so I put him in touch with a counterfeiter in Montparnasse. The best. Apparently he was very satisfied with the work he produced, and he paid me well for the contact. That was the beginning and end of my involvement.’
‘Who is the counterfeiter?’
Maurice looked shifty. He was a terrible liar, thought Sophie. Even she could tell when he was dodging the truth.
‘The printer has returned to Tunisia. I do not have a number for him any longer.’
‘Then tell me who else was involved,’ said Josh impatiently. ‘Give me a name, Maurice. A contact.’
‘And what will you give me in return?’ said Maurice, his black eyes glistening with greed. ‘I run a business here. I give you something, you give me something. It makes the world go round, no?’
He turned to Sophie, undressing her with a long, lascivious stare. ‘Nick has good taste in women,’ he said softly, then turned back to Josh.
‘How about you go and have another pastis, mon ami. Maybe leave me here with Sophie.’
‘Leave her out of this,’ said Josh.
Maurice stepped towards Sophie and stroked her cheek, making her flinch back.
‘Why?’ He smiled, showing small, yellowing teeth. ‘She would like it. All Nick’s girls like a good fuck, don’t they?’
Josh moved like lightning, pushing Maurice up against the wall with his hand around the man’s scrawny throat before Sophie could even blink. The door burst open and Panda stood there holding a club.
‘Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be, eh, Maurice?’ said Josh in a low, threatening voice. He had almost lifted the Frenchman off the ground, but Sophie didn’t fancy his chances against the more robust Panda.
Maurice spat in his face.
‘Fuck you,’ he hissed.
Josh drew his left fist back to throw a punch.
‘Don’t,’ screamed Sophie as Panda came up behind her and put his arm around her throat.
Josh glanced round. His teeth bared as he saw Panda, then he slammed Maurice harder against the wall.
‘A name, Maurice. Just give me a name and we’ll be out of here.’
Panda’s thick biceps were pushing down on Sophie’s throat and she could barely breathe. Finally Maurice said something in rapid-fire French and Panda let her go. As Josh released his grip on Maurice, the tension slowly dispersed.
Maurice pushed Josh away. ‘I can give you the name of the drop point, a wine wholesaler in Cannes. But I swear that’s all I know,’ he said tersely.
‘What’s it called?’
‘He is a wine merchant called Jacques Durand. He has a shopfront in the old town, not far from the harbour. He took supplies from Nick and sold them on to rich Russians on the Riviera.’
‘Russians?’ queried Josh. Sophie knew he was thinking the same thing as she was.
‘Yes, Russians,’ repeated Maurice. ‘You know that’s who has all the money now.’
‘Thanks, Maurice, you’ve been very helpful,’ sneered Josh, leading Sophie towards the door.
‘Don’t ever come back here,’ said Maurice in a low, threatening voice. ‘If you come back, I will kill you.’
Josh turned back, his coolness returning.
‘That’s what I like about you, Maurice,’ he smiled. ‘You always did think big.’
He held Sophie’s hand in a firm, protective gesture and all she could do was squeeze back gratefully.