French Connection Vol. 3 Read Free Page A

I started toward the door. I found the jealousy in his voice ironic. “You don’t want me to touch you because...” There was a pause, and then he continued. “Have you been... spending time with him?”
    “While you were out with Vincent earlier?” I stressed the name as I opened the door. “There's an idea. Why don't you give your buddy a call? Maybe you can have another 'business meeting.'”
    I slammed the door behind me as I stalked out into the hallway. I didn't run, but I hurried, afraid of what would happen if Gavin came after me. I wasn't sure I could handle going through that a second time. But I apparently shouldn't have worried. He didn't come after me. He let me go.
     

Chapter 4
    Carrie
    I walked to the restaurant, using the time to regain my composure. The day was just as bright and sunny as it had been earlier, but I wasn't in the mood to appreciate any of it. In fact, at the moment, I was thinking about how spring in the city might actually reflect my current mood better. I didn't like being angry and hurt while the sun was shining down from a bright blue sky. It made me feel petty.
    Was I being petty?
    I had to consider the question as I made my way down the street. Hadn't Gavin proven himself to me more than once? Shouldn't I give him the benefit of the doubt? When he'd shown up at the hotel, soaked to the skin, shouldn't that have been a clue that something was wrong? Why hadn't I asked him what had happened instead of lashing out at him?
    Because, I realized, even after all of this, I was still insecure.
    As I neared the restaurant, I pulled my curls up behind my head and twisted them into a knot that would keep them out of my face. I stopped, closed my eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Whatever Pierre wanted to show me had to be important for him to have asked to meet twice in the same day, especially since he didn't want Gavin getting suspicious about what we were doing. As much as this was tearing me up, what Pierre and I were doing was bigger than the relationship between Gavin and me.
    I didn't see Pierre at any of the outside tables, so I walked into Jean Luc Pele La Table and looked around. He wasn't there yet, but I wasn't going to stand around looking like the tourist I was. I walked over to the display case and looked at my choices. The young man at the counter spoke better English than some Americans so I placed my order, then took my food outside and found an out of the way place to sit.
    I spotted Pierre before he saw me. His expression was serious and I didn't see even a hint of that charming smile until his eyes met mine. Even then, it was a shadow of what it was the first time I'd seen it. That alone told me he had something important.
    He didn't bother going into the restaurant itself, but rather came straight to me. As he approached, I saw that he was holding a manila envelope. My curiosity piqued, I leaned forward, my partially eaten sandwich forgotten. All of this shit with Gavin would be worth it if we could get something real against Alizee. If Pierre and I could find enough for him to write an article and me to present the evidence to the local authorities, Alizee would be exposed and Gavin would see her for who she was. Who knew how many hundreds, if not thousands, of people we'd save from horrible fates. The time and effort it would take to patch things up with Gavin wouldn't seem so awful if I helped accomplish all of that.
    “Thank you for coming so quickly,” Pierre said as he slid into the seat next to me. His knee brushed against mine.
    “You said you had something important to show me?” I started to scoot my chair to the side to put more distance between the two of us, then stopped. He wasn't flirting, so there was no need to establish boundaries. He was just sitting close so he could show me what he had without risking anyone else seeing.
    “I have a... contact in the police,” Pierre began. “When I first began investigating Alizee, I asked for him to pass