Even if she found him, the risk was doubled for...
Even if she found
him, the risk was doubled for both of them, and that she had to understand completelyFigures and
projections were her professionSo why?
There was only one conceivable answer, and it infuriated himShe thought he might slip back
over the edge as he had done in Hong Kong, where she alone had brought him to his senses, to the
reality that was uniquely his own, a reality of frightening half truths and only partial remembrances,
episodic moments she lived with every day of their lives togetherGod, how he adored her; he
loved her so! And the fact that she had made this foolish, stupid, untenable decision only fueled
that love because it was so—so giving, so outrageously unselfishThere were moments in the Far
East when he had craved his own death, if only to expunge the guilt he felt at putting her in such
dangerous—untenable?—positionsThe guilt was still there, always there, but the aging man in
him recognized another realityThe cancer of the Jackal had to be ripped out of all
their livesCouldn’t she realize that and leave him alone?
NoFor she was not flying to Paris to save his life—she had too much confidence in Jason
Bourne for thatShe was coming to Paris to save his mindI’ll handle it, MarieI can and will
handle it!
BernardineThe Deuxième could find her at Orly or De GaulleFind her and
take her, put her under guard at a hotel and claim no one knew where he wasJason ran from the
Pont de Solferino omega mens seamaster watch on sale to the Quai des Tuileries and to the first telephone he could find
“Can you do it?” asked Bourne“She’s only got one updated passport and it’s American, not
Canadian
“I can try on my own,” answered Bernardine, “but not with any help from the DeuxièmeI don’t
know how much Saint Alex told you, but at the moment my consultant status has been canceled
and I think my desk has been thrown out the window
“Shit!”
“Merde to the triple, mon amiThe Quai d’Orsay wants my underwear burned with me in it, and
were it not for certain information I possess regarding several members of the Assembly, they
would no doubt revive the guillotine
“Can you pass around some money at immigration?”
“It would be better if I acted in my former official capacity on the assumption that the Deuxième
does not so swiftly advertise its embarrassmentsHer full name, pleaseJacques Webb—”
“Ah, yes, I recall now, at least the StJacques,” broke in Bernardine“The celebrated Canadian
economistThe newspapers were filled with her photographLa belle mademoiselle
“It was exposure she could have done without
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
220
“I’m certain it was
“Did Alex say anything about Mo Panov?”
“Your doctor friend?”
“Yes
“Goddamn it!”
“If I may suggest, you must think of yourself now
“Will you pick up the car?”
“Should I?”
“Frankly, I wouldn’t if I were youIt’s unlikely, but the invoice might be traced back to me
There’s risk, however louis vuitton, imitation minor
“That’s what I thoughtWhen can I call you?”
“Give me four, perhaps five hours to get back here from the airportsAs our saint explained,
your wife could be leaving from several different points of embarkationTo get all those passenger
manifests will take time
“Concentrate on the flights arriving early tomorrow morningShe can’t fake a passport, she
wouldn’t know how to do it
“According to Alex, one does not underestimate Marie Elise St
He said she was formidable
“She can come at you from the outer limits, I’ll tell you that
“Qu’est-ce que c’est?”
“She’s an original, let’s leave it there
“And you?”
“I’m taking the subwayI’ll call you after midnight
Bourne left the booth knowing his next move as he limped down the Quai, the bandage around
his knee forcing him to assume a damaged legThere was a métro station by the Tuileries where he
would catch a train to Havre-Caumartin and switch to the Regional Express north line past St
Denis-Basilique to ArgenteuilArgenteuil, a town of the Dark Ages founded by Charlemagne in
honor of a nunnery fourteen centuries ago, now fifteen hundred years later a city that housed the
message center of a killer as brutal as any man who roamed the bloody fields with a broadsword in
Charlemagne’s barbaric days, then as now celebrating and sanctifying brutality in the shadows of
religiosity
Le Coeur du Soldat was not on a street or a boulevard or an avenueInstead, it was in a balenciaga giant brief bag dead-end
alleyway around the corner and across from a long-since-closed factory whose faded signs
indicated a once flourishing metallurgical refining plant in what had to be the ugliest part of the
cityNor was the Soldat listed in the telephone directory; it was found by innocently asking
strangers where it was, as the inquirer was to meet une grosse secousse at this undiscoverable
pissoirThe more dilapidated the buildings and the filthier the streets, the more cogent were the
directions
Bourne stood in the dark narrow alley leaning against the aged rough brick of the opposing
structure across from the bistro’s entranceAbove the thick massive door in square block letters,
several missing, was a dull red sign: L C eur d SoldatAs the door was sporadically opened for
entering or departing clientele, metallic martial music blared forth into the alley; and the clientele
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
221
were not candidates for an haute couture cotillionHis appearance was in keeping, thought Jason,
as he struck a wooden match against the brick, lighting a thin black cigar as he limped toward the
door
Except for the language and the deafening music, it might have been a waterfront bar in Sicily’s
Palermo, reflected Bourne as he made his way to the crowded bar, his squinting eyes roam ing,
absorbing everything he could observe—briefly confused, wondering when he had been in
Palermo, Sicily
A heavyset man in a tank shirt got off fine jewelry tiffany a stool; Jason slid on top of itThe clawlike hand gripped
his shoulder; Bourne slapped his right hand up, grabbing the wrist and twisting it clockwise,
pushing the barstool away and rising to his full height“What’s your problem?” he asked calmly in
French but loud enough to be heard
“That’s my seat, pig! I’m just taking a piss!”
“So maybe when you’re finished, I’ll take one,” said Jason, his gaze boring into the man’s eyes,
the strength of his grip unmistakable—emphasized by pressing a nerve with his thumb, which had
nothing to do with strength
“Ah, you’re a fucking cripple !” cried the man, trying not to wince“I don’t pick on invalids
“I’ll tell you what,” said Bourne, releasing his thumb“You come back, we’ll take turns, and I’ll
buy you a drink each time you let me get off this bum leg of mine, okay?”
Looking up at Jason, the heavyset man slowly grinned“Hey, you’re all right
“I’m not all right, but I’m certainly not looking for a fight,’ eitherShit, you’d hammer me to the
floor Bourne released the muscular Tank Shirt’s arm
“I’m not so sure of that,” said the man, now laughing and holding his wrist“Sit, sit! I’ll take a
piss and come back and buy you a drinkYou don’t look like you’re loaded with francs
“Well, like they say, appearances are deceiving,” replied Jason, sitting down“I’ve got different,
better clothes and an old friend told me to meet him here but not to wear themI just got back
from good money in buy replica louis vuitton Afri