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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

‘Ah, Alec,’ said Tomas, the thick-set Austro-Frenchman who ran the Croix. He was in his seventies and wore the full apron that had been the barman’s uniform in Paris until beards and neck tattoos took over. He’d fought for France in Zaire and kept a length of steel pipe under his bar for the drunks, and a cut-down shotgun alongside it for evictees who returned with reinforcements. His big face supported a big nose, but his patrons kept that to themselves.

‘One,’ said de Payns, pointing at the Kronenbourg lever. ‘And a shot of Goose, thanks, Tomas.’

Tomas put a glass on the bar and poured Grey Goose vodka into it, before turning to the beer handles. ‘I’ll have what he’s having,’ said a voice from behind de Payns’ left shoulder.

De Payns turned and found himself face to face with Shrek.

‘You’re too quiet when you walk,’ said de Payns, shaking his friend’s hand and slapping an arm around his back. ‘I swear to God, you’ll give me a heart attack doing that.’

‘Is that three?’ asked Tomas, nodding past Shrek. They turned and saw Templar, taking off his windbreaker and sitting at their usual table—close to the main door but with a view down the hallway to the WCs.

‘That’s three beers, two vodkas and one Jack Daniel’s,’ said de Payns.

Tomas chuckled, showing a couple of broken teeth. ‘You boys are serious tonight?’

‘You’re lucky Rocket and Renan aren’t here,’ Shrek chuckled.

They sat at the table and threw in their coins that bore the Templar knight seal. As long as the coins sat on the table the clan were bound never to discuss what was said between them with another soul. De Payns raised his glass and said, ‘Patriam servando, victoriam tulit.’ The other two repeated the motto and they all drank. The phrase was inscribed on the back of the Order of Liberation medal, commissioned by the Free French in London in 1940. The Free French were conceived as a secret society and were infused with influence from that most famous secret society, the Order of the Knights Templar. The head of the Free French Order—Charles de Gaulle—held the title of Grand Master. De Payns was now a sworn officer of the DGSE, another secret society with pledges that could not be disavowed.