Paris Love Match

Chapter 20





Piers chased Sidney out to the sidewalk. Little and Large were parked across the street. Little grinned at him from the driver’s seat and tapped his watch.

“Come on,” Sidney said as she stepped out into a small gap in the traffic.

Little’s grin disappeared in an instant.

“Wait!” Piers leapt out into the road and grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?”

She shook him off. “If they’re going to follow us around then they can give us a lift.”

“Are you mad? We want to get away from them, not closer.”

A horn honked and they jumped back onto their side of the street.

“It’s a long walk.” She shrugged, “What have we got to lose?”

“Them. We want to lose them.”

“Come on, you can handle them.”

He heard the Fiat’s engine rev and the gears crunch.

Sidney ran across the road and stood in front of the car, her hand on the hood. “Wait, you can drive us.”

Little waved no.

Piers dodged the traffic and reached Sidney. “We can’t do this. This isn’t good.”

“Stand there,” she said, pointing to the front of the car.

Little waved at him to get out of the way.

Sidney opened the passenger door. Piers held his breath. If Large punched her, she’d really be hurting. To his surprise, Large got out of the car and folded himself into the rear.

“Get lost!” said Little. “You can’t get in here.”

Sidney waved to Piers. “Come on, get in.”

Piers looked at Large and the space beside him. “There’s no way I’ll fit in there.”

Sidney ducked down and flipped open the canvas roof. “Go for it. I need to be in front to give directions.”

Little reached to close the roof. “Leave that alone.”

Sidney slapped his wrist and he drew his hand back.

Piers squeezed into the tiny rear space.

Large looked at him. “Sorry about this. Weren’t expecting passengers.”

“No problem. This is fine. Thanks.”

Sidney slid gracefully into the front seat.

Little stared at her. “What do you think you’re doing? We’re trained killers you know.”

The big guy leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. “Give it a rest. We just do cars—like this.”

Piers put his hand to his forehead. “You stole this car?”

Large looked sheepish. “If I had known we were going to have company, I would have got something bigger.”

“We need to get out,” said Piers.

“The best thing you’ve said so far, lover boy,” said Little.

“Gare de l’Est,” said Sidney. “We are not getting out, and you are driving us there. Or Piers here will sort you out.”

“Sort us out?” said Little.

“Sort them out?” said Piers.

Large rotated his shoulders then smacked his first into the palm of his other hand. “You wouldn’t want to do that now would you?”

“No,” said Piers. “No, I wouldn’t”

“Oh, yes he would,” said Sidney. “He’s the worst of the worst and you don’t want to get on his wrong side. Gare de l’Est, now.”

“And why would we drive you there?”

“Because we’ll get out there. Because we might find your stuff, and because,” she jerked her head toward Piers, “he might hurt you if you don’t.”

Little gave Piers an incredulous look.

Sidney ignored him, sat back in her seat and buckled her belt. “Come on, vite, vite.”

Little muttered, shoved the car into gear and lurched out into the traffic.

Large grabbed the driver’s seat and leaned forward. “Would it be better if I drove?”

“It’s a light clutch,” said Little. “It’s grabby. It’s small cars. I’m not used to them. I usually drive sports cars and stuff.”

“Oh, yeah, right. You should have said. I could have nicked a Ferrari instead, Reynard.”

Little screwed his head down into his neck. “Don’t say my name.”

Large winked, “Sorry. And that may or may not be his name.”

“Riiight,” said Piers. “Thinking of secrets, how do you two keep turning up everywhere we go?”

Large nodded toward Piers chest. “You’ve got Auguste’s phone.”

“You’re tracking it?”

Large pulled out an iPhone. “There’s an app for that.” He smiled and nodded toward Piers’ clothes. “Plus, you’re not exactly hard to spot.”

Piers’ face fell. “Riiight.”

They drove on in a silence that Piers was very grateful for. The air blowing over his head from the open top was refreshing while he was squeezed in the tiny rear seat. The sights and sounds of Paris passed by, mainly honking horns and pedestrians shouting at passing cars. The smells went by, too. Mainly diesel and urine. Sometimes it seemed like there wasn’t a single piece of Paris that someone hadn’t peed on.

Little broke the silence. “What are you going to this place for?”

“A walk.”

“You better not be planning to leave Paris. And I mean it.”

“Nope. We’re going for a walk.”

“Why?”

“None of your business,” said Sidney. “Just drop us off on the corner and you two can go get a late lunch.”

“We’re not going to get lunch. We’re going to watch you two.”

“We could,” Large said, “I’m famished.”

“How can you think of eating at a time like this?”

“A time like what? It’s almost—”

“Stop!” said Sidney, thumping her hand on the dashboard.

Little jumped on the brakes and dived for the curb, ending up parked at an angle, poking out into the traffic. “What the hell?”

Sidney unbuckled her belt. “We’re close enough.” In a moment she was out of the car and holding the door open for Piers. He ignored it and pushed himself over the folding roof and out the rear of the car.

A delivery van behind them honked its horn.

She slammed the door and leaned over the open roof. “Right. You two go and enjoy your meal, and we’ll see what we can find here.”

“Oh, no. We’re going to stay here, watching you.”

The delivery van honked longer.

Sidney tapped the side of the car. “Better get a move on. You’re blocking the road. See you in an hour.”

She walked off and the Fiat crept out into the traffic. As it went by, Large put his hand up to wave. Little yanked his arm back down.