With a Pull of a Trigger

Chapter Twenty-Nine

There was something magical about France, like a painting with the perfect brushstrokes and vivid colors that somehow came into life. It was, to be honest, picturesque, pleasing to all five senses, like a thing of art and beauty that captured how creative life can be.

Reini was only one of France’s many adorers.

France was not only beautiful, it was also historic. So many revolutions had taken place in the very country she was in, when monarchs didn’t know any better than to steal money from the people’s trust.

In her own little way, France had been a part of her history too. Paris had always been beautiful, and so it had been her decision to be put there when she fake-died.

The Eiffel Tower was still beautiful, and Reini wondered absently if she would still find the locket she had foolishly dropped all those years ago.

A hand absently went to her neck, disappointment creeping into her very insides when she realized that the locket was still gone, and there was a very, very slim chance of ever finding it again. She would look ridiculous kneeling in the dirt of the park, looking for a locket that she wasn’t even sure was still there.

No, ultimately, it was better this way.

In a way, it was all too funny for her. It was her second time in the City of Romance ever since the whole mess started and she was still going there alone.

Maybe she should get a French boyfriend or something.

Definitely or something, she decided as she repressed a shudder. She wouldn’t be able to handle the constant romancing of a French lover, much less the heavy accent of a trying-hard French lover.

God, she needed to rest.

Reini was back to her back hair, playfully arranged in a bob, framing her delicate face. Her eyes were a dazzling color of green, and her skin was still its milky-white self. She was wearing a brilliant brown dress with patterns in the color of peach, and a pale yellow bolero. Petite brown dollshoes with a peach bow on its front adorned her feet, and a simple silver wristwatch was worn on her left wrist.

The inviting scent of freshly-baked pastries reached her nose as she walked on the pavement, and she looked back at the shop which had so many patrons in line for their cups of hot coffee or chocolate, only to bump into someone.

Turning back, Reini looked at the woman she had just bumped into, words of apology fading from her lips.

The woman had luscious brown curls that tumbled over her shoulders artfully as she released them from the large clip she wore. Her petite frame was dressed in a plain yet vivid red dress with an oval hole at the upper center of the dress, and a thin, sleek black belt accentuated her curves and lack of tummy fat. The vivid red only served to make her rosy-white skin more prominent, as did the black stilettos with intricate swirls that went until mid-shank. A pair of large, circular black sunglasses that were designer, from the looks of it, were perched on her dainty nose, and she removed them, revealing wide brown eyes that seemed to get wider by the minute.

“Reini?”

“Samantha?”

Samantha nodded, her eyes still wide with surprise. “You’re not here on a,” her voice softened until only Reini heard what she was saying, “mission, are you?”

Reini shook her head. “I’m here regarding, ah, personal matters.”

Samantha nodded, the straps of the designer bag on her shoulder being touched by her hand as if to ensure that it was still there. “Let’s talk,” she said, her voice pleading, “please.”