The Tower by Craig Martelle

Author:Craig Martelle [Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” –Lao Tzu

We drove straight to the Club, where we received a hero’s welcome—although not for the business at Gladys’s house, but for showing up with bonuses for all staff.

I should say promises of bonuses. We’d deliver the particulars once Jenny and I had the financials in front of us.

It made me smile. Look at me! A business guy. The fact that we’d killed seven people earlier in the day was ancient history. The Club was our business, a place for members to socialize, network, play a game of cards, get a drink, play tennis or golf, and simply escape from the rat race. People who made the kind of money needed for membership were either sporting family money or neck deep in the business world.

We walked through, shaking hands and sharing kind words with members and staff alike.

I didn’t know why we were so popular. We were poor people from the other side of the tracks who had stumbled into leadership of the Club. Pure dumb luck.

It wasn’t how you got in the door that mattered, but what you did once there. We did our best. We wanted nothing from the members, but they sought us out for our special services, and that’s where we flourished.

The Club also served a mean fettucine alfredo, and pretty much every other dish on the menu was great.

The best bartender I’d ever met worked for us. He knew everything. We extricated ourselves from the good people in the central area of the building to make our way to the sitting room bar where Mark was happily working. His real name was Prince Markle.

It wasn’t anything to joke about, but I always had something on the tip of my tongue. I resisted on most days.

I shook his hand and looked around to make sure we were alone. “What are you hearing from the community?”

He smiled and nodded. “I wondered when you’d be in. Word on the street is that you’ve angered the wrong people by being too good at what you do.”

Jenny and I made faces at each other.

I snort-laughed, and then rotated my neck to loosen my muscles. “The race to mediocrity far exceeds the race for superior service. Punish those in the lead rather than improve your pace.”

“That’s it,” Mark agreed. He pulled a half-pint of the current dark beer on tap for me.

Jenny called for her usual—a grasshopper. It was an ice cream drink with mint and alcohol. She’d grown fond of them, but only at this bar and only made by Mark. He went heavy on the ice cream and light on the crème de menthe.

“Any names of competitors that we should be concerned about?”

“All the names. I suspect you know who they are. New York, Chicago, LA, and Houston.”

“We do.” I studied the woodwork on the bar while sipping my beer. It was cold and smooth with a hint of chocolate and a cream head. I saluted Mark with my glass.

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