The Black Onyx Pact (19 page)

«It's
8am
and I slept less than four hours, Célestine.» he explains, calling the woman by her real name. «There was a blitz yesterday, a delicate operation. But something went wrong and we had to chase those bastards all over Paris, before to capture them. I worked continuously for almost
24
hours.»

She sighs and leans against the blue tiles of the bathroom, looking at him. The three mastiffs are happy to see her and keep crawling around, so she bends over to pet them, while Drakkar yawns with a long sound.

«Do you know why I'm here, Romain?»

He stares at his urination answering with a noise from his throat.

«Célestine, whatever you want to say, don't. Not now, at the moment I'm not
—
»

«I'm here to talk about Sibylle, Romain.»

Drakkar throws his head back, grunting annoyed.

«Yes, mom, I know my girlfriend doesn't like you, but you must get over it, okay?»

«Don't you dare to make fun of me! I never acted like a mother and I won't start now. And, honestly, the idea of what your mother must have gone through with someone like you makes me cringe.»

Drakkar finishes and flushed the toilet. Takes his boxer off and enters in the shower, closing the glass door. Saphir snorts and goes to open the shower door.

«Don't ignore me!»

«I'm not. I just need to take a shower. May I?» he jokes, beginning to wash his muscular bronzed body.
Saphir sees him as a brother so she doesn't feel any kind of attraction toward that amazing body.

«Romain, I like Sibylle very much, believe me. She is a beautiful girl, she is friendly, she is intelligent, she is a great artist, but you can't break the rules of the Club in this way only because you have a crush on her. When we founded the Club we did promise to be impartial. And you, who follow the law more than anyone else, you act in this unacceptable way! I can't believe it.»

«Which “unacceptable way” are you referring to?»

«I have been told that you want to bring Sibylle to a Ruby level auction. Is it true?»

«Yes, I want to propose it to her.»

«Romain, that's absurd! She is just level Pearl! You can't do whatever you want, you are not respecting the other members. And remember that rumors get around quickly in the Club, if you keep acting like this it can create conflicts. And you know how that can be destructive. We want harmony, brotherhood within the Club; we want equality for all. We don't make preferences, we don't do favors or recommendations of any kind. Have you forgotten all this? I want to see the Club continuing in its glorious way; I want it to continue to be known for its incorruptibility; I want it to continue to be worthy of the trust of our members. And if you continue with this attitude I'll have to suspend you from the Club, I've already talked to Thierry and he agrees with me.»

Drakkar chuckles, while washing his skin with a citrus scented product.

«Are you trying to intimidate me?»

«Of course I am! And the only way I can do this is mentioning Thierry, since he seems to be the only person who can make you stand in your place!»

«Thierry is an exceptional man and you know my deep respect for him, but he doesn't intimidate me, sorry. No one does. And in any case I'm not breaking any rules taking Sibylle at that event. If there is someone who knows the rules of the Club that's me.» He looks up pretending to think. «Why do I know so well the rules, again?» He widens his amazing eyes. «Oh yes! I have created them myself!»

«This doesn't give you the right to break them or to do whatever you like!»

«“
A Black Onyx member may bring one of his/her protege to an event taking all the responsibilities for his/her behavior. To do this it will be enough to present a formal request signed by the three founders and three more members of the sublime
”, so recite the words of the Black Onyx book, right? Did you find my request on your desk?»

Saphir shakes her head.

«I can't believe it. That woman really is driving you crazy. Is she so special? What is it? Is it the way she has sex with you? The way she sucks your dick? The way she clings at you while you bang her?»
Saphir frowns when she sees Drakkar turning his back.
«Oh dear
—
», she whispers in shock, «You had an erection just thinking of her, haven't you? Is it for that reason that you turned your back at me?»

Drakkar doesn't answer and Saphir opens her arms and laughs out loud, muttering her disbelief. She closes the shower's door and leaves her friend to his intimacy.

«I'm going to make breakfast.» she informs him before heading to the big kitchen lit by the sun. There are large sliding glass doors from which one can sees a big garden. She opens them letting the dogs out then goes to the fridge but stops when she notices something in an adjacent room. She approaches slowly, looks at what is inside and widens her mouth in shock, then walks backwards with furrowed brow and goes back to the bathroom.

«Er... Romain? What the hell means that thing in the guest room?!»

Drakkar comes out of the shower.

«Oh, that. Even because of that I slept just a few hours last night.»

«How can you be so calm? Do you think it's ok?»

Drakkar wraps a towel around his waist and with another one rubs his hair.

«Like I said, Cécé, it has been a long day.»

«Romain, there's a young man handcuffed to the bed!»

«Yes, he attacked me last night while I came back from work, he was drunk.»

Saphir can't hold a belly laugh.

«H
—
he did what? Ha ha! He a
—
attacked you?» she chortles.

When she manages to calm down she asks:

«Why you didn't bring him to the police?»

Drakkar puts back the hair towel, turning to look at her.

«Why? Célestine, I don't think I made myself clear:
24
hours working, fully absorbed in a delicate military operation, heavy equipment on, balaclava, shots in the ears, constant alert and total concentration!»
«You know better than me that it's a crime to keep people against their will, you'll risk a charge for kidnapping and imprisonment.»
«It wasn't against his will, he was the one begging me to keep him here. He said he would have been immensely happy not to spend the night in a police station. In fact, I'm not going to report him at all. We all made mistakes at that age. He just attacked me coming out from behind the bushes, I punched him and took him inside. After that he spent an hour throwing up, we talked for a long time and he told me about his life, his terrible past.»

Saphir sighs and nods, understanding. She knows well the good heart of Drakkar, his inclination to forgiveness, his deep empathy. Those are the reasons why she likes him so much.
Saphir goes back in the kitchen followed by him. While she goes to prepare breakfast for three, Drakkar enters the guest room where a boy of
19
years old is lying asleep on a bed. Is dressed in an orange shirt and dark jeans, and has a hand handcuffed to the headboard. He starts to wake up slowly and as soon as he opens his eyes and sees a half-naked man who looks at him with folded arms, he tries to back away in fear; but a moment later he remembers everything. He touches his right cheek on the big bruise caused by Drakkar's punch.

«Does it hurt?» asks the man's deep voice.

The boy looks at him and nods. His eyes are full of fear, two blue eyes that contrast well with his dark hair.

«Come, let's put some ice on it.»

Drakkar takes a small key from the kitchen cabinet and goes to free him from the handcuffs. He helps him to stand up holding him firmly by the arms. The boy is really slim, at his age he intimidated the security at the nightclubs!

«Do you still need to throw up?»

«No, sir.»

«Sir? My name is Romain, remember? Do you have to pee?»

«No, sir.»

«My name is Romain. Can you walk?»

«Yes, sir.»

Drakkar takes his chin in his hand staring at him and saying slowly:

«My name is Romain. What's my name?»

«Romain, sir.»

Drakkar rumbles and shakes his head.

«Last night you called me by name, Nathan, remember? You did when I held your forehead while throwing up, and also when you apologized crying. So, how you should call me?»

The boy swallows.

«Romain.»

Drakkar smiles, but the smile disappears as soon as the boy falls on his knees before him.

«Please, Romain, I beg you, please, don't take me to the police! Please, I beg you, please!»

Drakkar pulls him to his feet.

«Shh, I won't, Nathan. Calm down now.» he whispers gently.

The boy lowers his head trying not to cry. Drakkar can feel his shame. Now the boy is sobbing while his shoulders tremble. He looks at Drakkar with his face wet with tears.

«Thanks», says in a sob, «I attacked you and
—
», he looks at Drakkar's massive body, at those muscular arms, feeling a chill in the back, «you could crush me like a grape! Thank you for not crushing me.»

Drakkar smiles and puts a hand to the base of his neck before to hug him tight. The boy cries incessantly now, releasing all the emotions he held for long, for too long. Drakkar lets him all the time he needs, stroking his back and saying in a soft voice:

«It's all right, Nathan, calm down. Come, lets have breakfast, then I'll take you home.»

~

That afternoon on the streets of Paris, Drakkar is driving his grandfather's original post war jeep, his beloved Hotchkiss M
201
. It's an army green jeep completely open with neither doors nor roof. Nathan is sitting beside him looking out, lost in a thousand thoughts. In the back seats there are the two younger dogs of Drakkar: Danton and Marat. They are sitting, happily enjoying the air with their tongue hanging out.
That afternoon there is a pleasant temperature due to the warm Spring sun. Drakkar is wearing a tight T-shirt of the same color of the jeep, and a pair of khaki cargo shorts and white running shoes. He drives moving gently the steering wheel, enjoying the pleasure of that relaxed driving. Nathan turns to look at him and Drakkar smiles, touching his heart. It's clear that the boy is not used to those little kindnesses, even just a spontaneous smile.

«You love this jeep, don't you? I feel it, is palpable.» says the boy.

Drakkar nods looking ahead shifting gears on the manual transmission.

«The gear stick is a bit hard to move but apart that it's in perfect condition for its age. It was the car of my grandfather Romain. He was in the French Resistance during the Second World War. He was just a boy but he had the courage and spirit of sacrifice of a mature man. At the end of the war he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to this jeep, which was created for the French army. When he retired he wanted to keep the “lady” who accompanied him as a loyal friend. He was very jealous of her, he never let his son
—
my father
—
to drive it. But before he died he wanted to see me to give me the keys of this beauty.» Drakkar tightens his jaw trying to contain the emotions he feels inside. «He gave the keys and said: “You are the only one who can treat her as she deserves, Romain. She will never disappoint you. Sing to her the
Chant des Partisans
, she loves that song, I've sang that song to her for decades. You will inherit not only my name but also a part of me, of my life, forever”.»

Nathan swallows, trembling with emotion in hearing those words.

«Wow, must be nice to have such deep roots, to have fond memories of your grandfather.» he murmurs, looking out again.

After a few minutes the boy turns to look at Drakkar again, now more relaxed, almost smiling. He then does something that amazes Drakkar: he begins to sing the
Chant des Partisans
.
Drakkar lets him sing the first verses, looking admired at him, then joins and sing along loudly, passionately, making the pedestrians turn. They look like a boy and his elder brother that together remind a beloved grandfather. And it really seems that the sound of the jeep's engine joins their voices, as if it wants to remember Romain grandfather too. Nathan doesn't know all the verses so he stops and remains to look at Drakkar with adoring eyes. But suddenly the man stops the car by the roadside while his expression suddenly changes. He pulls the handbrake and get off the car, going straight in the opposite lane. Nathan understands where he's going when he sees an old homeless man screaming against three young boys. The three took something from him and now they're mocking him. The dog with the old man barks incessantly against them, and they are threatening to kick it. When the three boys notice the imposing man heading to them like a raging bull, they step back. Then they take the stupidest decision: they attack him.

Nathan holds his breath when he sees the three about to assault Drakkar, but thrilled in watching the man moving in such fast and destructive way.