“Let’s.”
The two walked into le Royale.
A waiter immediately approached them and said in perfect English, “Mr. Reilly and Mr. Bower, I presume?”
Sam nodded his head.
“Good. Right this way. He’s waiting for you.”
The waiter sat them out the front of the restaurant, in the sidewalk seating area. There, a man in his fifties was waiting by himself.
The man was slim and wore casual clothes, made by a local and impeccable designer. He had a full head of brown hair. If there was any greying, the man had dyed it well. With blue eyes and a bright smile, the man stood up to greet them, as though they were old friends catching up over lunch.
“Sam Reilly?” he asked.
“Yes.” Sam replied, offering his hand. “And this is my friend Tom Bower.”
The man took it cordially, and said, “My name is Vincent Dubois. I have taken the liberty of ordering you both something for lunch. I own the restaurant, but even so, I believe the food is excellent. Do you have time for lunch?”
Sam looked around and saw the police officers staring at him. “Of course.”
“Good. Because I cannot do business with a man who dismisses a good meal at lunchtime.” Vincent laughed at his own joke. “Wine?”
He poured three glass before Sam could reply.
“And I take it you own the police officers too?”
“We are a civilized society my friend. I cannot own the police officers. Let’s just say that I merely pay into their social fund each week, so they have a vested interest in my wellbeing.” Vincent smiled. “Tell me. Why are you interested in the Arcane Stone?”
Sam took in the man’s personality in an instant. He was being played with. “For the same reason as everyone else, of course. I want to find Atlantis.”
“But surely you must know that Atlantis was a myth, created by Plato to torment the gullible minds of the Greeks and now you Americans?”
“Ah, that’s most likely true, but I have a friend who has found herself in a certain kind of trouble, having gone looking for Atlantis, and now it’s my job to get her out of it. And you just happen to have the only clue that points to where she might have gone.”
“Ah, so you are not so gullible after all, Mr. Reilly. You are doing this for honor? That is good. I have it. You may have it for the agreed upon price of 10 million euros. Would you like to examine it?”
“Yes, please.”
Vincent made the slightest of curt nods, and a waiter came out an instant later. Removing the cloche revealed what Sam had come for.
The Arcane Stone.
It glowed unnaturally orange. It wasn’t gold, but it wasn’t copper either. And the luster was no less impressive than had it been pure gold. Even at the glance, Sam knew he was looking at the real Arcane Stone. He’d never seen real orichalcum, but this matched every description that Plato revealed of the alloy found only in Atlantis.
“I’m going to have to take a small sample for metallurgical analysis.”
“Of course. But if you break it you bought it.”
“Only if it is indeed the Arcane Stone.”
“I may be a criminal, but I’m no fool. I don’t try to rip people off for 10 million euros. My reputation is worth more than that!”
Sam used his laser cutter and removed a fraction off the base, no more than a quarter of an ounce. “I will need to have this examined by a metallurgist before I make the purchase.”
“Of course.”
Sam nodded his head to another diner, who stood up, left the bill and came over to pick up the tiny metal fragment.
“I’ll have the results for you within the hour Mr. Reilly.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ramsay.”
Vincent smiled at him. “A friend of yours?”
“You didn’t think I was going to entrust 10 million euros to my high school level chemistry, did you?”
“No, of course not.”
The waiter returned to remove the artifact, and replace it with two plates. Sam put a hand on the artifact. “I’m afraid I’m going to need to have that stay right here. Not that I mistrust you or your men, Vincent, but I wouldn’t want anyone to feel the temptation to cheat me, either.”
The waiter looked to Vincent for direction. “It’s okay Luc. You can leave it on the table. After all, they’ll pay for it before they leave.”
Sam looked down at the escargot with just the slightest hint of uncertainty. Next to it, the waiter left the artifact, glowing with a rich orange and red luster.
Vincent smiled. “Please, be my guest. Start eating. My lunch is still coming.”
Sam’s stomach rumbled at the strange sight, but he forced himself to eat them. Despite its appearance, his lunch tasted every bit as divine as he’d expected from fine French cuisine.
“Delicious!” Sam said.
Vincent smiled. “Good, because I’ve always found them disgusting. That’s why I ordered the lobster.”
Chapter Nineteen
Parked facing a southerly direction, the engine of a single all-terrain vehicle idled at the onramp of Boulevard Jean Jaurès. Inside, Tom sat in the driver’s seat. Elise had arranged for the car to be left there for him at the edge of the old town of Le Vieux Nice. It was a Hummer H1, the original military version of the all-terrain vehicle, equipped with all the modern conveniences of a military vehicle, such as waterproof and gas proof interior with its own air supply, bullet proof windows and anti-mine undercarriage. Elise wasn’t taking any more chances with their lives.
Tom had left Sam inside the restaurant, happily conversing with Vincent in fluent French, while he waited for approval to make the purchase of the Arcane Stone. Sam and Vincent had agreed on a standard untraceable Bitcoin transaction to a predetermined digital wallet of Vincent’s choosing. When Tom had left, it amazed him that Sam should so readily befriend the head of such a notorious criminal organization.
Sometimes he forgot that Sam had lived a multitude of lives for a very long time. In fact, when he thought about it, Tom had no real idea when Sam had begun splitting his lives. He now knew about the event in Afghanistan in 2003, when Sam had been recruited for his specialized knowledge and skills set — Tom could only imagine that it was a euphemism for rich spy. Then there was the life he shared with his father, James Reilly who owned Global Shipping, the third largest cargo company in the world. James had a God complex, in which he really did feel he was superior to everyone. Last there was the guy he’d grown up with, competed with throughout high school and in the Corps — he was the man whose word was his honor, a binding contract without reservation; who had a powerful sense of duty that guided his every judgement.
But what about this man? The one that could purchase from a ruthless criminal, because he needed something from the man. Tom wondered how far this Sam Reilly would break the rules if he needed to. And then he knew he’d already had the answer — the depths of the darkest world.
Tom’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell phone.
“Was it what you were after?” Tom asked.
“Yes. You can pass on to my banker that I’d like to complete the transfer and to please have the engines on my jet running, so we can leave.”
It was a prearrange code. If the artifact had been a fake, Sam would have told him to transfer the money, and Tom would have broken into the restaurant with his hired men.
“Very good, Sam. I’ll let them know.”
Tom quickly contacted Elise.
“He’s happy.”
Ten minutes later Sam climbed into the Hummer next to him.
Côte d'Azur International Airport was just four miles southwest from them. There, a private jet was waiting, its turbines already turning in preparation of their arrival.