The Frenchman's Revenge Read Free

had moved outside. Screams could still be heard in the distance , but all that they heard in the hallway was an eerie silence . Squinting over at Tony , Dante shrugged and moved back behind the bar.
    “Whatever it was, it’s over, Tony.”
    Tony nodded, grunted , and threw back the whisk e y in his glass , reaching for the bottle to pour another.
    At that moment, the door opened and a tall young Chinese man entered . He wore a tailored black silk shirt with pearl buttons , fitted black trousers, a black cowboy hat , and heavily tooled black lizard skin boots. He looked lean—almost slender ; d istinguished, elegant until you saw his eyes. They were hard , gleaming , and a strange amber color. But it was his voice, soft and cultured , overlaid with a distinct French accent, that brought the room to a dead quiet .

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    Chapter 2
     
    “Good evening, gentlemen. I trust I’m not interrupting your poker game.”
    The young man reached in his shirt pocket and took out a silver samorodok cigarette case . It had a repousse wolf’s head with topaz eyes embossed on the lid . He removed a cigarette, took a match from the bottom of the case, lit the cigarette , and took a deep drag .
    He blew the smoke up in the air . L ooking at the stunned men sitting at the table , he said with a slight smile , “But, then again, it would appear that th is game is a lmost over.”
    Tony gasped a s he stared in shock , seeing his worst nightmare standing casually in front of hi m.
    With an involuntary shudder, Tony recognized who held the power. It wasn’t him, the three hundred and eighty pound, six foot six inch tall m ob leader sitting at the table. No, goddamnit, it was the lean, elegant man, quietly smoking a cigarette. Everything about him – his voice, his eyes, the way he moved, spoke to the contained animal within. He was t he fuckin’ Frenchman, t he prize of the pride , Tony silently conceded. And the one who held the power.
    Struggling to regain his composure , Tony tried to speak in a voice meant to be brave, unconcerned . I nstead , he choked , a gagging sound rattling up in his throat .
    Trying again , he bellowed, “Well if it isn’t the g oddamned Frenchman. We were just talking about you , Frenchie. You a lone, Frenchie? ”
    The Frenchman smiled . “Not so as you’d notice. ”
    The men at the table froze a s a group of Chinese men with their guns drawn came from behind t he Frenchman , position ing themselves in a row across the front of the room .
    Dante and Arturo made a move for their guns but stopped at the Frenchman ’s soft warning , “I wouldn’t do that. ”
    W ith a barely perceptible nod at Louie , he added , “ It wouldn’t bode well for Tony.”
    The two men jumped back in horror when Louie stood up and tucked the muzzle of his gun in the back of Tony’s neck , tight against the base of his brain .
    As surprised as his men, Tony looked up to see four Chinese men with their guns trained on the space between his eyes . Staring at Louie in disbelief, h is face turned a pasty gray .
    “ Loui e, I don’t believe it. Christ, y ou’re not a Chink . W hat the hell are you doing mi xed up with these assholes ? ”
    Louie ignored him . Instead , he pushed his gun harder against Tony’s neck , exchanging a nod with t he Frenchman.
    “ Nianzu , Quitin, get their guns . A ll of them. Tie their hands. Put them up against the wall, ” t he Frenchman ordered.
    The t wo Chinese men next to t he Frenchman walked up to the men sitting at the table . They began taking the ir guns , putting them in the saddlebags they slung over their shoulders. Two other men came from behind and jerked Dante away from the bar , then pulled A rturo to his feet. They tied their hands tight behind their backs , dragged them across the room and shoved them face first against the wall.
    At that moment , there was the sound of a soft “ shtick ” as a knife fl ashed across the room . A second later , Freddie screamed a hideous cry