The nerd—who was American—finished off the last of his Crème Brûlée and stared at her like a drooling dog as though he’d never been on a date with a woman before. She knew that the right shade of eye-liner and glossy lipstick, paired with her black hair flowing onto a sexy red dress would’ve been a turn-on for him. Then again, based on the amount of dandruff that stood out on his worn burgundy-colored cardigan and his clip-on tie, Monique doubted that White had ventured beyond fast food restaurants. And he had a slight pot belly to show for it. For fun she flirted with him, even though he was way out of his league.
Old Montreal, Quebec “So what do you have for me?” Monique Beauvais said to Curtis White, speaking with a French-Canadian accent. He sat opposite her at the round table for two by the window in one of the most talked about gourmet restaurants in Old Montreal. She chose this spot for its romantic décor, impressive wine cellar, and its distinction of being in a building that dated back to the nineteenth century. Outside on Rue Saint Paul, a car or two crept by on its narrow cobblestone surface, followed by a horse-drawn cart—one of several that were popular among tourists—surrounded by buildings dating back as early as the 1600s. For that reason, Hollywood movie studios chose to film in this area when they wanted to mimic cities such as Paris, London, or Moscow.
“We already discussed this. I don’t want to take too much time,” White replied as the sound of screeching tires and a blasting car horn outside their window caught his attention. Monique glanced out the window in time to see someone pulling out of a tight parking spot and cutting off a taxi, whose driver still managed to miraculously hang onto his cell phone. White turned back towards her and straightened his thick glasses that sat crookedly on the bridge of his nose. “I don’t like the idea that we’re meeting out in the public like this. Everyone can see us.”
~~~
Unsavory Delicacies:
Revenge is Best Served...Unsavory
By Russell Brooks
Three short stories, quickly read, can still hold a punch--especially when Russell Brooks has written them. At least two of the stories carry through and give readers further background to bridge between Pandora's Succession and his latest The Demeter Code, which will be covered in my next article.
It is very clear that Ridley Fox will do anything and everything to defeat all those who were involved in killing his fiancee... He's gone uncover in Creme Brulee, as a man, Curtis White, who is selling secret documents Monique works for the Arms of Are and she has a back-up sniper scheduled to take White out as soon as she pretends to send his payment electronically to his account. So, finished with their meal, she heads for the restroom, but instead goes out the door to head home...
Hearing a shot before she gets to her car...
But readers who have already read the first book, know that Ridley Fox may go down once in a while, but he always finishes what he starts... Monique finds that out in a surprising and very cool ending when she meets the man with whom she really had dinner...
Ok, first off, the next story, To the Last Bite, is a bit creepy... And I wasn't quite sure whether Ridley was actually one of the characters... he does have a need for revenge so readers will be able to figure out which man could be Ridley... LOL...
Dennis Kirby is a food critic--you know, a reviewer of the food at restaurants. Kirby was a long-time newspaper writer and was well-known and believed by his readers. In fact, a bad review often resulted in the restaurant closing...and most of Kirby reviews were bad...
But he had just finished an excellent meal at a new French restaurant and was thrilled to be able to write a good review in a very long time.
It is very clear that Ridley Fox will do anything and everything to defeat all those who were involved in killing his fiancee... He's gone uncover in Creme Brulee, as a man, Curtis White, who is selling secret documents Monique works for the Arms of Are and she has a back-up sniper scheduled to take White out as soon as she pretends to send his payment electronically to his account. So, finished with their meal, she heads for the restroom, but instead goes out the door to head home...Hearing a shot before she gets to her car...
But readers who have already read the first book, know that Ridley Fox may go down once in a while, but he always finishes what he starts... Monique finds that out in a surprising and very cool ending when she meets the man with whom she really had dinner...Ok, first off, the next story, To the Last Bite, is a bit creepy... And I wasn't quite sure whether Ridley was actually one of the characters... he does have a need for revenge so readers will be able to figure out which man could be Ridley... LOL...
Dennis Kirby is a food critic--you know, a reviewer of the food at restaurants. Kirby was a long-time newspaper writer and was well-known and believed by his readers. In fact, a bad review often resulted in the restaurant closing...and most of Kirby reviews were bad...
But he had just finished an excellent meal at a new French restaurant and was thrilled to be able to write a good review in a very long time.
“I’m afraid to ask,” said the owner. “But how did you like your meal?”
“Words cannot describe how excellent the service was. As for the meal…Priceless.” Kirby smirked as he watched the owner collapse in the chair opposite him, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. The man fanned himself with his hand.
“Please excuse my shock and awe, sir. I…I…”
“Ought to be happy. I understand that the first international film festival will be coming to town next summer. Am I correct?”
The owner nodded. “Then I expect you’ll be seeing more famous celebrities dine in your restaurant in the months to come.” Kirby raised his wine glass. “To your continued success.”
“Merci,” said the proprietor...
~~~
“Anyhow,” Kirby said. “I just wanted to meet you in person and thank you for the excellent meal, Mister—”
"You can call me Oliver. Thanks. This means a lot coming from you.”
“You’re welcome. As you’ve probably noticed I had to unbuckle my belt. I simply had to enjoy every last bite.” He loved to quote the title of his column.“Which is much more than I can say about most restaurants I’ve critiqued.”
Oliver’s eyebrows widened. “Every last bite?”
“Every last bite,” Kirby repeated with a nod. “I’m embarrassed to ask you this, but what is the recipe? I mean, how did you prepare this meal? The veal and liver were… I cannot describe it.”
“Ah, I cannot tell you that, sir. I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. Chef’s secret recipe.”
“Precisely,” Oliver answered.
~~~
Oliver’s eyebrows widened. “Every last bite?”
“Every last bite,” Kirby repeated with a nod. “I’m embarrassed to ask you this, but what is the recipe? I mean, how did you prepare this meal? The veal and liver were… I cannot describe it.”
“Ah, I cannot tell you that, sir. I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. Chef’s secret recipe.”
“Precisely,” Oliver answered.
~~~
The Food Critic went back to his office to write his report before deadline, and also tried to call his girlfriend Stella to see if she wanted to join him for dinner. Finishing some odds and ends, he tried to reach Stella, but decided he'd have to go alone to dinner. A dinner which, in his opinion, was not worth eating... He left, dropping his napkin on top of the food... Guess that was a bad review coming up...
But when he got home, not knowing what he was going to eat, he was pleased to welcome the chef into his home. He explained that he was so glad that he'd enjoyed the meal at his restaurant that he fixed another special dinner for him... Kirby asked him to share, so the chef joined him in a glass of wine, enjoying the time he spent with the Critic...
St. Petersburg, Russia Ridley Fox and two other CIA operatives—all under the guise as government inspectors—drew stares from restaurant patrons on both sides of the aisle. Fox looked around among the crowd. He heard wine glasses clinking collectively followed by cheers in one area. Then there was applause for the band as they ended one of their renditions of an old Chuck Berry classic. But Fox didn’t see Maksim Antanov—the owner of the establishment and the son of St. Petersburg’s most powerful crime boss. He led his two colleagues towards the Maître D’raising a fat palm to Fox.
“Please state your business.” He said in Russian.
Fox recognized him as Efim Volsky, Maksim Antanov’s personal bodyguard who was clearly well versed at identifying people that had no intention of sitting down to eat. Fox already had the folded document in his hand. Being fluent in several languages, Fox answered him in Russian as he handed him the letter and flashed his fake inspector’s badge. “My name is Yuri Petrov, veterinary inspector for the Rosselkhoznadzor. We have a warrant to search the premises.”
“For what?” Volsky snapped, snatching the paper from Fox and holding it close to his face to examine it. Fox realized that the bodyguard needed reading glasses. He just chose not to wear them in front of him in order to appear tough.
But Fox knew that was all Volsky had going for him—the appearance. “Our department has reason to believe that meat was illegally purchased by this establishment,” said Fox.
“Ridiculous! How dare you make such accusations…”
“Sir, I strongly advise that you do not make a scene. I’m sure your patrons wouldn’t want to leave here and spread the news of our visit to the
whole neighbourhood. Word of mouth can be the best and the worst publicity. Wouldn’t you agree?” Volsky grunted. “Wait here.”
Fox watched Volsky storm away, catching the attention of the patrons, some who then stared back at Fox and his colleagues. Fox didn’t stare back at them; he just waited for Antanov to greet him. The restaurant, although a popular hangout for St. Petersburg’s elite—including criminals—was just a pastime for Antanov. His construction firm was the major front for his criminal activities.
~~~
Ridley was on an undercover case in Russia in Shashlyk and Morozhenoe, where he planned to meet with Maksim Antanov, who was an important member of the Mob...But before he was through, he had found out way more information than he'd ever thoughts... Good thing, because he'd need it in the future!
Each of these stories were uniquely told with interesting characters who know how to find and use unsavory actions to get what they want. Even though there is a touch of horror, I had more fun than fear...LOL Enjoy and prepare yourself a little for the next book! Review coming...
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