The waitress brings Julien his espresso and he touches her hand as he thanks her, and she blushes. He likes the effect he has onwomen.
I frown and take a sip of my coffee. "What do you mean bythat?"
He watches her as she goes behind the counter and then drags his attention back to me, shaking his headquickly.
"Just a little theory I'm working on. Check out his wallet," he says and sips hisespresso.
"Why?"
"There's something you might like tosee."
"Tellme!"
"Nope," he says. "If you want to know, you can check yourself. Better yet, ask him to show you. See if he'll tell you thetruth."
"He said you'd say things I might not like tohear."
"I'm trying not to. You must find some things out yourself. So," he says and leans even closer. "What do you think about my littlebrother?"
I shrug my shoulder. What can I say? That I want him more thananything?
"He's not really your little brother. You'retwins."
"You're in love," he says, smiling. "I can senseit."
I blush extremely hard atthat.
"Oh, that blush gives you away. You are in love. Just know this," he says and leans closer still. "My brother is fucked-up big time in the romancedepartment."
"Because ofDanielle?"
"No," Julien says, making a face. "Other than the fact he killed her, Danielle was good for him. Just like you'll be. No, I mean Marguerite," he says and takes a sip of his espresso. "She really did a number on him. Then he killed her. Gotta have a bad effect on a man's soul – his more thanothers."
I just look at him, amazed. He's so different from Michel. Polaropposites.
"What about your soul?" I say. "You were also enslaved byher."
"My soul was already a lost cause," he says and grins at me. "I was already a killer and seasoned lothario when she killed me so I wasn't scarred by Marguerite the way Michel was. I was tough, kicked and beaten so much by my old bastard of a father that I could shut it off. Michel couldn't, despite the act. His heart was too tender. He wasdamaged."
I try to change the subject, a sense of disquiet settling over me from hiswords.
"Why did you leave theChurch?"
He leans back. "I joined because he wanted to so I was never really committed to it. When I saw what was going on in political terms, I left. The whole Cathar bit did thetrick."
"What about the Cathars? Why were they so dangerous? What's in the manuscript Michel didn't want me toread?"
"You have it," he says. "Read it and find out. Your mother seemed to think it was important, but I expect the really good stuff is in her files, not in my melodramaticstory."
"Michel took out half thepages."
"You have her files. I'm sure it's in there because I told her the wholestory."
I glance at my watch. "I have to go," I say. "I'm due at the SCU infifteen."
"Can I give you aride?"
I hesitate. "Sure," I say and smile. We finish our drinks and he leads the way out of the café, holding the door for me, then opening the door to hiscar.