𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

6

henry drove the youngsters to JFK airport with a whole mouthful of things to say.

during the car journey, he had given the kids a heavy and detailed set of instructions and demands for marseille. he had never stopped talking the entire ride — they all thought they were going to go blissfully insane if he continued. starting with the history of le milieu and its past bosses, he gradually moved onto what the current leader was like, what they stood for, their illegal trades and activities, their secret schemes in america, and even its ties with the lavigne family which dated back to 1917. he also warned them about any possible dangers — he didn't know if the current boss was a trustworthy man or not. it had been a long time since henry was in contact with them, so of course, he told the three to be careful and always keep an eye out for trouble.

eventually, he pulled into the taxi bay, parking the car onto the curb. he turned around, a hard look on his face. "do not trust anyone. wherever you go, carry a gun or at least a knife with you. and always, always look behind you. especially at nighttime," he said. he then sighed. "marseille... she is a beautiful city, but she can swallow you up if you're not careful."

"we will, grandpa," jesse said, dipping his head at the old man. "don't worry about us."

"okay," henry replied, relaxing in his seat a little bit. "go on and get your stuff out of the back. à bientôt." see you soon.

"à bientôt," chantelle echoed.

they soon heaved their suitcases out of the ford mustang's trunk. with one last curt smile and a wave, henry drove off, his windows down and the radio playing an old fashioned tune. chantelle stepped onto the curb, shaking her leather jacket to relieve herself of the heat.

"god, it's like the devil's armpit in that car," chantelle breathed, playing with her gold bracelets. her new wedding ring shone brightly in the sunlight.

"maybe 'cause you're wearing a leather jacket and a leather skirt," jesse said, picking up his beige suitcase.

"i'm sorry?" chantelle retorted, folding her arms. "these are the thickest items of clothing i own. you do realise, i have to wear them in order to hide the one hundred grand that is taped to my entire body."

jesse laughed. "jesus, who pissed in your cereal this morning?"

giovanni cut him off before he could say anything else to upset her. "come on, we just got here. let's not fight."

chantelle swept her hair out of her face and picked up her suitcase. "okay, okay. let's get this bullshit over with."

heads high, the trio marched purposefully through the entrance of the airport, their flight tickets firmly in hand. giovanni was amazed at the sights — he had been inside this very place before just three months earlier, but it was very different during the day than it was in the dead of night. the walls and the floors were polished and gleaming white, causing the sunlight to reflect and retract in all the right places. way up above, there were huge glass windows, some slats making up segments of the ceiling, and all around them were artisan cafes and little stores selling all kinds of things. as it was summertime, the airport was rather busy; families stood in long, long queues, returning home to see their relatives in faraway countries; college students and groups of teenagers, both male and female, getting pumped up for their trips to places like ibiza, miami, and tijuana. at a candy stall, a class of schoolchildren with bags that were far too big ogled the colourful jars, begging their teachers for some treats.

the trio acted natural as they headed to the check-in desks. they walked past two police officers, accompanied by a german shepherd on a leash. one of them looked chantelle up and down and tilted his hat, giving her a sultry wink. she simply shot him a quick, closed-mouth smile.