BooksBarbecue
Back The Frenchman
Chapters (76)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. AMIN
  5. PARIS
  6. … TWO YEARS LATER
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  76. EPILOGUE

Having tapped out, Shrek stood and the two faced one another, the score one-all. They could have left it there, but Shrek raised an eyebrow, so de Payns called game on. Shrek let go a fast roundhouse kick into de Payns’ thigh then followed through with a punch. De Payns slipped inside the extended arm and hip-rolled him onto the mat, only for Shrek to roll free from the slamming and come to his feet again. De Payns was onto his partner as he regained balance, trying to hook him into another arm hold, but Shrek leaned away and lashed out with a right-foot side kick, hitting de Payns in the floating ribs. As Shrek followed through with a left-hand punch, de Payns ducked under it and threw his friend to the ground, pinning him once more with a forearm to the throat. This time, Shrek twisted away and slammed a fast left-hand elbow into de Payns’ right ear, stunning the larger man. They rolled away from each other and jumped back to their stances, panting heavily.

De Payns could feel the sweat running down between his shoulder blades. He was not in shape. ‘That’s not a bad warm-up, old man,’ said de Payns, trying to get oxygen.

‘Beats a stretch,’ said Shrek, voice rasping. ‘Let’s do this.’

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He gasped as he reached for the wineglasses in the dresser. A rib on the left side of his chest felt like it wanted to spring straight out of his bruised skin.

‘You okay, honey?’ asked Romy, watching him from the sofa.

‘It’s fine,’ he said, pouring two glasses of riesling. ‘I sparred with Shrek.’

‘You always regret that,’ she said.

‘I didn’t have a choice. He cornered me in the gym.’

‘Where are you hurt? I have some tiger balm.’

‘Ribs, legs, stomach, arms,’ he said, delivering the glasses.

‘You need a massage,’ she said, sipping at the wine.

He noticed she was wearing the red trackpants that made her look like the genie from I Dream of Jeannie. ‘It might have to be one of those massages where I touch you at the same time,’ he said with a wink.

‘You get the boys out of the bath, and you have a deal, monsieur.’

De Payns put down his glass and leaped to his feet, crying with pain as a muscle gripped in his thigh.

‘Easy does it, tough guy,’ Romy said, chuckling. ‘We have a deal, remember?’

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR