“And how exactly does it depend on me?”
Reaching down to the floor on his right Dempsey retrieved a briefcase and laid it on the table between us. “Why I’m going to offer you a job, Marcus.”
I was so stunned I had to remind myself to breathe. I stared into Dempsey’s eyes and studied them. I knew he was being completely serious. After a couple more moments of trying to process Dempsey’s surprising offer I realized that my jaw was hanging open, which must have amused Dempsey because a genuine smirk crossed his face. With that smirk fear flooded through me, which was just the jolt I needed to think clearly. I closed my mouth and waited a second before asking the obvious question. “What kind of a job?
“A man who gets right to the point, I like that, but before I answer it let me ask you a question of my own. Are you a parent?” The radical change of topic made my head swim, but I eventually shook my head and Dempsey continued on, indifferent to my confusion. “I thought as much. Well I am a father, and let me tell you, raising children is not easy. A parent has to shield them from all the wrong influences, guide them to make all the right choices. But after all the work, if you manage to guide them to a better life than your own, you’ve done something wonderful.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
Dempsey’s face immediately soured at my interruption. “Your impatience is something we will have to work on I see. No matter, that’s not all that will require some attention I’m sure. You see Marcus, I am going to more or less adopt you. You are still young enough to learn the error of your ways. You can still be guided down the right path.”
I probably should have kept my mouth shut; nothing I said was going to improve my situation. “You mean I get to be a slave.”
“That’s a vulgar way to think about it, Marcus.” Dempsey retorted, visibly angered that I dared to compare his beloved idea to slavery. “I’m sure the two gentlemen behind you would object to such a description as well.” Dempsey then pointed towards a couple of spots behind me and I assumed that he was motioning towards my bodyguards. “They were among my first employees; they are not mindless, nor are they automatons. I find them to be perfect examples of what I expect from my perspective employees, thus they are always present during interviews such as this.”
I saw the threat before me, I would have had to be blind, deaf, and mute to not have seen it. I also knew that I didn’t have much of an option, at least not at the moment. I could either accept the job or let Dempsey pull the figurative trigger to the figurative gun that he held against my temple. On principle, I was just unwilling to agree to Dempsey’s proposal, I just needed more time, so I went fishing for more information about the job. “And what exactly would I be doing for you?” Again I must have let my fury and contempt flow through the words, because Dempsey’s legendary patience was thinning slightly.
“Why, whatever is asked of you of course.” He replied with a smooth voice. “You don’t need to worry about the details right now. All that you need to know is that my employees are all well taken care of.”
“And just what will happen to me if I were to refuse your, oh so generous, offer?” As with all of my earlier questions I had a pretty good idea what his answer was going to be. When you dealt with men like Dempsey there were only two choices, the option they gave you and permanent retirement. But, I still had to ask.
Rather than answering verbally, he reached into his coat and removed a simple black case. It was about eight inches long, three inches wide. As soon as he placed it down upon the table he deftly undid the single latch. Slowly, he opened it, taking care not to let me see the contents. “You can always say no, I can’t force you to take the job. That’s one of the reasons this country is so great. You have that choice. And if that is your choice, then my associates will untie you and escort you out of here.” He stopped talking when he saw that I was about to interrupt. The look he leveled at me froze my blood, making me wish I was already dead. Once he ensured he had my full attention, he removed something from the case, still managing to keep it hidden from me. “But for every decision there is a consequence and your cheating has brought you to this crossroad. Therefore, this is your other option.” As he spoke he placed a rather large bullet on the table and simply let the silence emphasize his threat.
As I looked at the projectile my breathing grew more labored. He was showing me the exact bullet he would use to have me killed. “And your choice couldn’t be simpler. You can come work for me or embrace the fact that this bullet will end your life. Now Marcus please do not take this personally, after all it’s just business.”
Chapter 16
This time I was simply unable to contain my fury. “You’re threatening to end my life, how is that anything but personal!”
To his credit the man actually looked wounded by my outburst. But, he casually replied. “It’s not personal. I don’t know you as a person, not yet anyway. This decision has nothing to do with you as a person for all I know you are someone I could call a friend. You cheated. And as a result of that, you now have a choice to make.”