“Good, good, Lieutenant… I was sure you wouldn’t call on the entrance phone”, he says, chuckling.

”Eye on what i’m after
I don’t need another friend
Nod and watch your lips move
If you need me to pretend
Because clever got me this far
Then tricky got me in
I’ll take just what I came for
Then I’m out the door again”

“Is your name really Francois?”, Dante asks him, calmly. He still has the smoking gun in his hand.

The man nods appreciatively.

“Yes. You really have a good memory and, beside that, I would never lie to you”, he replies in a conversational tone.

The three men following him are armed to the teeth. Francois points his forefinger at Dante’s gun.

“Now drop it”.

Dante doesn’t move. His eyes shift slowly from Francois’ face, to his extended arm, then to his face again.

Francois tilts his head to a side, the corners oh his mouth lift a little in a half smile. He says something to the man standing right beside him, and he aims the machine gun to Shane and me. Shane circles my waist with her arm, protectively, and doesn’t say a word.

“Come on, drop the gun. Slowly, put it on the ground”, Francois repeats, coolly.

Dante’s eyes are still fixed on him. He seems to be pondering his words. Eventually, he slowly places his gun on the concrete pavement and gets up again, his face still unreadable.

“Good guy. Now hands up”, Francois says, as his smirk widens a little more, “I really appreciate your obstinacy, though. You didn’t follow one of the rules I had set for you…”.

He counts on his fingers.

“Midnight… No Police… Just you, Miss Carmen and Miss Shane… No weapons…”, he lists, “….Tsk, tsk… I should be angry, but I am not. Because I appreciate men with –“.

“Cut the bullshit”, Shane says, “Let us see our friends”.

I pull her from the hem of her shirt, slowly, silently telling her not to talk. Francois’s eyes rest on her and they seem amused.

“Oh-oh. Miss Shane is as tough as I imagined her to be…”, he mumbles, like he’s talking to himself.

Dante clears his voice claiming Francois’ attention, and he immediately turns to him again. I can clearly see that our friend is the man he’s really interested in. At the same time, I have a feeling Francois is not the only one involved in this matter. That something is in store for me and Shane, too.

“What next?”, Dante asks, quietly. It looks like he’s voluntarily ignoring us, trying to draw Francois’ attention. And looks like it’s working, at least for the time being.

“There’s someone waiting for you in the house”, Francois replies cryptically, “Aren’t you happy to see Johnny alive and kicking? Shane? Carmen? Aren’t you happy?”.

”Lie to get what I came for
Lie to get what I need now
Lie to get what I’m craving
Lie and smile to get what’s mine
Give this to me
Mine, mine, mine
Take what’s mine”*

TBC

SOUNDTRACK:

* “The Package” (A Perfect Circle)