Thank you everyone for reading along and enjoying the story!

TW: Mention of rape and suicide.

Erik

Chapter 38

The Deal

Vaillancourt stared at Vincenzo with fire in his eyes as he watched him twirl the knife lazily between his fingers. He looked around, at the dozen or more men who seemed ready to put up a fight.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Where is my dog?"

"Unharmed," replied Vincenzo, "and he will remain that way so long as you do as I say."

Vaillancourt's nostrils flared. "Where is my dog?"

Vincenzo looked at me and raised a brow. "I believe I hear an echo, M. Phantom."

I smirked. "I believe I do too."

The red-faced man spit in my brother's direction. "Of course a gypsy steals a dog from a man's possession."

A murmur went through the thieves, full of anger and sneers. I felt ready to strike him as well. But Vincenzo merely smiled. "You stole a child, gadjo."

"Because you didn't get to her first?" He twisted his face in disgust. "I can smell you from here."

Vincenzo, who in fact looked cleaner than most in this tavern, merely sighed. Bored. "That's your own stink, my friend."

"We are not friends."

My brother ignored him. He spun and dropped to his feet behind the bar, where Olivier was leaning. "Anything to drink?"

Vaillancourt let out a breath that bordered on a growl. "Tell me where my dog is."

"No." Vincenzo looked him in the eye. "No, Audric, I won't." He turned to the cowering man behind me. "Anything for you, Franklin? Phantom?"

"No, thank you," whispered Franklin, and I shook my head.

Vaillancourt's face twitched. "How do you know my name? Who the hell are you?"

"I know more than your name." Vincenzo came from around the bar and sat on a stool. "I know you take two lumps of sugar, no cream, in your coffee. I know you can sleep with no less than three pillows at night." As he spoke, Vaillancourt paled. "I know you walk for fifteen minutes at seven-thirty every morning - except Saturdays, when you like to sleep in. I know-"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hm. There's that echo again."

"Tell me who you are, where to find my dog, or I will-"

"What?" A slight smile. "You'll do what, precisely? Kill me? Try. Go on."

Vaillancourt seethed but didn't move.

"Or go to the police? You won't be the first. My people span across Paris, and word spreads fast between us. You want your dog alive? You want your house to remain free of robbery? Then you'll keep your mouth closed - and you will do as I say."

"Blackmail," he hissed, then looked at Franklin. "You did it, Knight. You turned the tables back on me." Franklin shrunk further, took another step back. Vaillancourt looked back at Vincenzo. "Rob me, if you'd like. I started from nothing and can build it all back again. And that dog?" He smiled venomously. "Go ahead and kill him. There's other dogs to be bought."

"Oh," said Vincenzo, "well, in that case." He nodded at one of his men, who immediately started for the door.

Vaillancourt's smile faded.

"Be sure to make the dog suffer," called Vincenzo. "Pass that along." He looked at Vaillancourt. "That message should arrive in...oh...five minutes."

I was calm. Vincenzo had already informed me that no harm would come to the animal - that he'd be sold to a farm miles from Paris, instead, should Vaillancourt respond this way.

"Wait," said Vaillancourt coolly, holding up a hand, and the man stopped before he reached the door.

Vincenzo smiled. His back-up plan had been to merely send word to the police that Vaillancourt had been keeping a young girl in his home against the wishes of her father, doing who knows what. He'd even have Raoul testify that he'd seen her in the window recently, calling for help. He'd let the police sort out the rest. Franklin had been too afraid to do this, for fear of what would happen to Grace. But now Grace was safe - or we hoped she was. So though Vincenzo wouldn't be able to use him, at least the man couldn't torment Franklin anymore.

But now Vaillancourt was watching Vincenzo steadily. "What do you intend to use me for?"

Vincenzo waved his hand. "Too late. Chance has passed. I hope you gave that dog a good life."

"Don't." Vaillancourt froze. "I've changed my mind. Don't kill him. Just...tell me what you'd like me to do."

Vincenzo grinned, then gestured to the thief at the door to sit down. The thief obeyed. Vincenzo addressed Vaillancourt. "You will close the payments M. Knight has owed you. I'm sure by now he's paid you back twice over."

"Thrice," said Franklin, but when his debtee glared, he took another step back.

"And you won't kill my dog?" Vaillancourt asked.

"And I won't kill your dog," Vincenzo answered.

"Fine."

Franklin exhaled.

"Additionally," continued Vincenzo, "it came to my attention that there is a doctor, Pierre Beyle, who owes you money. A very similar situation as M. Knight."

"How do you-"

"Eyes and ears everywhere, Audric. Or did you already forget?"

Vaillancourt's nostrils flared.

"You will close his payments, as well."

"Done. Now that you've taken a good chunk of my income from me, what else can I do for you?"

"Ensure that anyone else you loan to is given an actual contract, that you ask for payments fairly." Vincenzo winked. "Let's start there."

Vaillancourt sucked his teeth.

"Now, now, Audric. We both know you have plenty of savings to live on.

"Anything. Else."

"Oh, yes." He leaned forward. "I want you to play spy for me."

"Spy against whom?"

"Comte Philippe de Chagny."

I blinked in surprise.

This I hadn't known. Threatening him to spy, yes, but not the person he would spy on.

Why the comte?

Vaillancourt's eyes lit, intrigued. "Oh?"

"Oh, yes." Vincenzo nodded. "I know that you idolize him. That you look down upon those who don't hold the same social standing as you, the same monetary wealth. That you bully and harass to maintain your power." He finally came up close to Vaillancourt, still with that knife in his hand - no, I realized, not Luciana's knife. A regular kitchen knife. What happened to his wife's blade? "Barely an hour ago, I learned that before you held Grace captive, you held a woman. The wife of your other debtor, the doctor Pierre Beyle. His son would sneak to your window every night and whisper with his mother. You raped her. And then she killed herself."

The room went quiet. My ears rang. Franklin's breath was shallow and quick. "Grace," he whispered. I knew what he was thinking. It made bile rise to my throat.

Vaillancourt went green. "How-"

"Their son went a bit mad...dropped out of school." His eyes flashed. "Fell in with thieves." His lip quirked. "So here is what else I know." A step in his direction. "I would never trust anyone like you to spy for me. I don't even believe you deserve the mercy of prison."

The red-haired man opened his mouth to speak, and without warning, Vincenzo plunged the knife straight through Vaillancourt's chest.

Time stopped. So did my breath. My heart. The ringing in my ears grew louder.

"You like dogs so much," said Vincenzo as Vaillancourt clawed at his chest, as his eyes flew to the back of his head and he fell backwards, "then let's hope you enjoy the hounds of hell." He looked to Olivier. "Well, M. Leroy?"

Olivier brought up a knife - Luciana's knife - to his cheek, slicing it. Blood poured. He barely flinched. "Self-defense. He found his dog gone, came here looking for answers, seeing someone who looked like his servant ride here - but he wasn't here. He demanded to know where he was, but I didn't know. So he came after me in anger. But I killed him before he could kill me." He threw the knife to Vincenzo, who caught it. The kitchen knife was placed on the bar.

Vincenzo patted Vaillancourt's pockets, and smirked when he found the note he'd left on Franklin's desk. He crumpled it and stuffed it in his own pocket. He looked to the rest of his men. "Self-defense?"

They repeated, in unison, yes. Olivier killed him in self-defense.

He nodded and looked at the bartender again. "You are sure you want to put your freedom at risk?"

"My sister went the same way Dr. Beyle's wife did. If this means I go to prison, or worse, then so be it."