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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

Conversation moved across Macron, the gilets jaunes, French petrol taxes and the chances of France in the coming European Football Championship. Romy accepted a second glass of wine from Ana and then leaned back into him and de Payns gave her a quick kiss on the neck, feeling her soft blonde hair on his face. The kids came to the table when Rafi called that dinner was almost ready, and de Payns excused himself and made for the bathroom. He counted off one child’s bedroom and a closed door that he assumed was the spare room. He entered a white-tiled bathroom near the apartment’s front door, where there was a toilet, sink and bathtub with a showerhead above it. Two blue towels on a rack, a child’s T-shirt and underwear on the floor in the corner. He moved to the vanity, opened the mirror-door cabinet and saw a tube of toothpaste, a bulk packet of toothbrushes, an unopened bar of soap, a clear plastic punnet of elastic hair ties and a bottle of head lice lotion.

Closing the cabinet, he checked the vanity counter and opened the doors underneath, where there was a spray bottle of shower cleaner and several cleaning sponges. The toilet cistern was white ceramic—he lifted it and checked for hidden items. De Payns flushed the toilet and washed his hands. As he left the bathroom, he noticed a patchouli-like scent that lingered in the house. He paused in the hallway—the door across the hallway was three inches ajar. Through the gap he confirmed it was the master bedroom. He paused and tried to get a line of sight through the gap, but as he looked to his left he realised the Homsi child had left the table to do something with his Xbox, and he was looking straight at him. De Payns smiled and walked towards the boy, who immediately stood up and returned to the table. As de Payns resumed his seat and watched Rafi serve his meal, he wondered what the child had been doing at the Xbox. Romy gave him a warning look and de Payns eased back in his chair and smiled. He drained the last of his wine and held up his glass.

Ana was ready with the bottle. ‘Nice to get to know you, Alec,’ she said, with a winning smile.

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER

TWENTY