Luke, with his hands clasped behind his back, strolled alongside Jean-Paul as they departed the dubious company of Robert Beaufort and his vampire nest. Trying to remain calm with a horde of angry vampires behind him, he wanted to either turn and fight or run for all he was worth. Based on the constant movement and turning heads of his people, they were of the same mind, though Jean-Paul’s people seemed more copacetic with the situation.
It wasn’t until they’d walked at least fifteen or twenty minutes and made several turns down dark tunnels that Jean-Paul finally spoke. “Enjoying your tour of the old mines and catacombs of Paris, Your Excellency?”
“It’s fascinating, that’s for sure. And the entertainment was unique, though I’m not sure I’d give high marks on the hospitality or the beverage options…” He raised the partial bottle of Château Margaux. “This wasn’t too bad.”
Jean-Paul laughed. “I can’t believe you stopped to put the cork in and take his wine. You’re an audacious man, Your Excellency. Though, you’ve made a firm enemy of Robert Beaufort.”
“Oh, I think I’ve been his enemy since we first met, or perhaps before. He’s playing some game with Mathis, and I don’t think he appreciates my association with our Luxembourgian acquaintance.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed at this rate. I’d figure an international business mogul such as yourself would be more cautious,” Jean-Paul said, a bit of bite in his tone.
Luke shrugged. “Sometimes when you’re surrounded on all sides, boldness is the best defense.”
After more silence, Jean-Paul pointed toward their next turn. “I bet you’ve never been this deep under Paris before.”
He had, though maybe not these particular series of tunnels. There were an estimated one hundred eighty miles of tunnels under Paris. He’d probably explored a fraction, though he couldn’t bring himself to lie to his guide. “I’m certainly glad to have an experienced tour guide to keep me from getting lost. Your knowledge of these catacombs seems more than casual.”
Jean-Paul chuckled. “I’ve been down here a fair few times over years. They’re a good place to hide if the occasion demands.”
“Perhaps you’ll have to tell me about it sometime.”
“I haven’t always been the upstanding citizen you see before you, but we’ll see if there’s time and occasion for such tales at some later date.”
“I look forward to it,” Luke replied.
Jean-Paul grunted noncommittally. After that, they returned to their earlier silence. Resisting the urge to pull out his phone and check the time, Luke put himself entirely in the hands of Jean-Paul. He knew the Parisian would guide him true and take them out of the tunnels and back into the light of above ground Paris. Though he hoped he hadn’t burned this bridge. Jean-Paul’s usual jocularity seemed a bit thinner than usual, almost as if it was a thin pastiche pasted over his true feelings.
“We’re almost to the exit, Jean-Paul,” one of the Parisian werewolves said.
“Good, we’ll just need to wait until our rearguard says the coast is clear.” Jean-Paul replied, then he turned to Luke. “We’ll wait here for a few minutes, Your Excellency. Then we can ascend out of these tunnels back into the city proper. We’ll leave you in the fifteenth arrondissement. From there you can make it back to your rooms on your own.”
A few minutes later, a couple werewolves jogged up, declaring that the vampires hadn’t followed them and they were clear to exit. Nodding at his rearguard, Jean-Paul led them through a series of secret doors and passages until they found a winding spiral staircase. At the top, Jean-Paul sent people through in small groups so they wouldn’t attract too much attention as they dispersed.
When it was Luke’s turn, he inhaled deeply of the fresh air, squinting at the dawn sun. It felt good to be in the light of day.
“Jean-Paul, thank you for your timely arrival. Though my people could have affected my escape, it certainly wouldn’t have been easy or non-violent.” Luke said, offering his hand.
The Parisian packleader shook it, though it felt not entirely enthusiastic. “Though your thanks are appreciated, I can’t say that I’m terribly happy with you upsetting the tenuous peace we’ve maintained with the Paris nest. And now I’ve snatched you from Robert and walked out without any reprisals on his part. You’ve interfered in the peace and left me with a pissed off vampire nest. Now this is only a suggestion, but it might be best if you and your associates departed from my city before things escalate further.”
“My apologies for blundering into something I didn’t fully understand, but it appears that Beaufort has upset the peace already by eliminating the vampire lord with whom you had your treaty. Nor does it sound like he’s interested in maintaining the status quo. I will take your advice, though, and leave Paris. I do hope you can forgive me for making your life more difficult.” He placed his hand over his heart and bowed respectfully. “For my part, I would like to get that story from you and will offer at least one in exchange. If there is ever something you need, do not hesitate to call on me. If it’s within my power, I shall be there.”
The serious expression on Jean-Paul’s face was new to Luke, but it didn’t look out of place on the man who led Paris’s werewolves.
“Fairly spoken, Your Excellency.” He stuck his hand out.
This time, the handshake was more cordial. Luke would have to settle for that. At least Jean-Paul hadn’t outright banned him from Paris. It would have made future operations against Robert Beaufort a lot more difficult.
They stood quietly next to each other as their people emerged in mixed groups. As they moved off, Luke’s people pulled out jackets and more colorful hats so they didn’t look like a guild meeting of cat burglars, though they waited to lift their masks until they were out of eye shot of the Paris werewolves. Pulling out his phone, he sent the order to evacuate Paris and take all necessary precautions to make sure they weren’t followed.
When only Ahmed, Charlie, and Jung-sook were left, Luke threw a wave at Jean-Paul and headed toward the street leading back to their hotel. Blending into the early morning commuter traffic, they disappeared onto the metro. When they arrived at their hotel, Charlie split off to pick up coffees and pastries while Luke, Ahmed, and Jung-sook headed up to their room to pack up.
“That could have gone better,” Luke said once the door shut.
“What do you mean?” Ahmed asked.
“We nearly lost Jean-Paul and the Paris Pack as a potential ally. I think I managed to salvage the relationship, or at least buy us more time to win him back.”
“At least we figured out where Le Mousquetaire is hanging out these days.” Jung-sook set her suitcase by the door.
“That we did,” Luke replied, yawning. “I’m not looking forward to the drive back to the cottage.”
“We can share shifts once we get away from the city. Charlie will take the first one so we can keep up appearances in case anyone is watching. Once we get to a spot to swap, you can put on a new face and we can slap on one of the fake license plates.”
Ahmed laughed. “This is one of those occasions when Europeans having boring taste in car colors will work out for us.”
“What do you mean?” Jung-sook asked.
“All the cars are basic colors like black, gray, silver, or white. We’ll just be another black BMW driving through France.”
Jung-sook chuckled. “That’s convenient.”
Luke quickly stripped his room down and brought his suitcase to the small pile growing by the door. Within a few minutes, they were completely packed, even Charlie’s stuff.
“Just in time,” Jung-sook said, opening the door for Charlie. She took the coffees and handed them out.
Once they finished their quick coffee refresh and breakfast, they took their luggage and departed Paris. The trip had been valuable even if it hadn’t gone as smoothly as he would have liked. But they’d solved one mystery and managed to keep a powerful potential ally still in play. The trip had been eventful; at least in that aspect, it had been like many of his past trips to Paris.