The Art of Madness

by A. J. Mayall

  As if on cue, her phone rang.

  “For fuck’s sake. One second, I gotta take this.” She fished the phone from her pocket and checked the number. After groaning, she held it to her ear and answered.

  Jack nodded, sitting back and listening to her half of the conversation, getting a rise out of the quickness of Suzette’s fury.

  “I said it’s my day off. You will be seeing me in under twelve hours! What the damn hell is so important!? Uh huh. Yeah. No! No. Again, no! Then take your own notes! I’m here with the family. No, I won’t bring her by tonight. Because it’s my day off!”

  Her eyes darted to Jack as she put her face in her free hand.

  “Yes, I have company over, I just said that. Yes. No! Goodbye! What? Oh. Well, next time you see Justin, tell him I said hello too. Yes, we should all do lunch sometime. Listen, can we discuss this tomorrow? You know, when you’re paying me. Yes. Bye.”

  She ended the call and quickly tossed the phone on the counter. “Sorry about that.”

  “I figured. So you kinda deal with a bit for a secretary,” Jack said, smiling.

  “You have no idea. Between my job and dealing with those alley thugs, I’d take eight hours with the alley thugs any day.”

  Angelique looked over the couple, remarking to her eldest sister and parents, “This will end in tears, I tell you.”

  CHAPTER 10

  The sun was rising as Reginald Gemini entered his office, smiling to Ms. Levicia as he passed her desk. The average appearance of the man with the slight, short frame belied a business savant who knew what others thought of you mattered as much as what you were capable of.

  For the first months of the AGI merger, he was perceived as a junior executive, a milquetoast who hadn’t been willing to rock the boat enough to be noticed. He had been the butt of many jokes in the cafeteria. The ruse had been quite entertaining to him, not so much to those who played the rat race too aggressively, or didn’t care for a true career. He made a point of moving between departments, staying a few weeks at each. He looked for those he knew were best for the company, and those he could cut without guilt. No one paid him much mind, save for a few upstart bullies all prideful of their recent MBAs, who he gifted with walking papers at the holiday party. To the others who had been dealing with the toxic egos, it was the best gift ever.

  He was the shark in a school of fishes, taking in every detail of meetings, reading every twitch and tell, as though he were playing poker.

  He strode past his assistant, her blonde hair trimmed just over the ear, her right eye covered by a stylish angular fringe. She silently passed him a fliptop with the day’s agenda on it, notes she had taken, as well as research she had been tasked with. As always, the first item was a list of all requests and their status. Ms. Levicia never failed to please.

  His morning jasmine tea and hot chai awaited him, set side by side, at the right of his chair. A sip of the first helped bring calmness to his energetic mind, the second invigorated his senses.

  He swirled his tea, staring into the cup as he thought of the day’s agenda. Once the two had been consumed, he swiped a button on his desktop screen, summoning his assistant.

  Ms. Levicia entered and walked the distance to his desk. Her steps clicked on the cold wooden floor. She looked at the empty cups and then to her boss.

  “Just the mugs?”

  When she spoke, hints of her native Russian accent made themselves known in her vowels; the rest of her words could have been carved from ice. She had the reputation around the company as Gemini’s Ice Queen, and it was a nickname she was more than happy to have.

  Gemini shook his head. “No, actually. First, I need updates on the Eagle News project. Check current stock prices and see if they have rid themselves of that intolerable man. If not, I want a list of all companies still buying advertising. Between your daily tasks, consider that your main priority. Get whoever you need on it. Second, I need you to prioritize the incoming funding requests. City needs first with full comprehensive details, then local federal services, finally charitable organizations. I will also need a full list of all approved funding requests and records of their purchases.

  “I’ll get the boys downstairs on it. Everything on today’s agenda to your satisfaction?” she asked as she gathered the two mugs.

  “Five meetings before lunch? You have me busy.”

  “You like busy.” Her impassive expression was met with a weak smile.

  “That I do. Thank you again, Ms. Levicia. That will be all for now.”

  “I’ll leave you to your work, sir. I’ll give you notice when your next o’clock shows up at the front lobby and once again when they get to the office. One other thing, as well.”

  “Yes, Ms. Levicia?”

  “Mr. Ahkriman’s office informed me he requests a meeting with you soon.”

  “Thank you, I have his private line. Please inform them you have passed me the message, and not to bother you; I will set up the meeting,” he said, keeping his gaze on his paperwork.

  “Understood.” She turned and walked back out of the office, the clicks of her heels gradually softening until the closing of the door signaled she had left.

  Gemini knew she would soon be on the line with department heads to get the information he needed. He knew she would be using the best resources of the company. He knew she would be yelling shortly to ensure prompt results.

  “Do shit!” echoed from the front office, a signal to Gemini that he’d have his requested information by lunch.

  He spun in his chair as he looked out the window over Rouge Mal. It was time to give back. He stood and walked to the window, raising his right hand and pressing it against the cold glass.

  It was time to make this city a better place, time to make a real difference and fix what was broken at its heart.

  He paused there, taking in the sights of the city, when there was a knock at the door.

  “Ms. Levicia?” He looked over his left shoulder, as she entered, a frustrated look on her face that was met by a perplexed look on his own.

  “I passed your message onto Mr. Ahkriman’s office. They are being…”

  Someone moved in shadow behind her and she slammed her palm against the doorjamb, preventing that someone from entering.

  “Insistent,” she finished.

  “Thank you, Ms. Levicia, you may let him in.”

  Gemini seated himself as a dark-haired man stormed in. His suit was tailored, and he carried himself with the grace of a shark with the scent of blood in his nose. No matter how smooth and graceful the motions, primal urge washed out all semblance of sophistication.

  Gemini had met him a few times at board meetings, when Mr. Ahkriman needed a proxy. He never bothered to learn the man’s name. Mentally, he referred to him as “Mr. Grimace”, with his permanent scowl and clenched jaw.

  “Ah, hello, please sit,” Gemini said, gesturing to the chairs across from his desk.

  “That won’t be necessary, Reginald. I’m here to pass on a message.”

  Gemini cocked his head, naïveté on his face. He waved his arms wide and sat.

  “By all means, I’m listening.”

  Mr. Grimace looked down at Gemini, hands sliding into his pockets as he hissed out his words. “Mr. Ahkriman is not pleased by your recent actions on Eagle News, and would like to remind you he has been a staunch supporter of them and many of their associated companies for some time. You are to make a public retraction of your statements, understood?”

  Gemini paused in thought for a moment and then rose from his chair.

  “Please sit, so we can discuss this.”

  Mr. Grimace just curled his lips and stood his ground.

  “There is nothing to discuss, Reginald. Mr. Ahkriman has made it clear—”

  “I said. Sit! Now!” Gemini screamed, the fury behind the kindness coming out. He glared at Mr. Grimace who quickly weighed his options, calling the smaller man’s bluff.

  “If you think you can intimid
ate me like you did McMillan, Gemini, you’re mistaken. Ahkriman won’t like this outburst, either.”

  Gemini narrowed his eyes and stared the man down. With a sweep of his hand, he opened the channel to Ms. Levicia.

  “Sir?”

  “Lock the doors. If Mr. Ahkriman’s proxy attempts to leave without me giving you notice, you are to ensure he does not pass. Any means.”

  “Like the others?”

  “Oh, don’t be as gentle as you were with the others.”

  “Very well. Have a good meeting.”

  Gemini looked at Mr. Grimace, whose eyes darted from the now closed comm window and then to the man behind the desk. The heavy thunk of the door lock elicited a twitch from the proxy. He loosened his collar a bit and paused before choosing his next words lightly.

  “What did she mean, ‘like the others’?”

  “Sit.” It was the only response Gemini gave. After a moment’s hesitation, Mr. Grimace sat.

  Gemini’s body language shifted almost instantaneously to the kind, awkward man he usually presented himself as. “You see, with all due respect to Mr. Ahkriman and his half of our company, some of his practices are a bit…outdated. He comes from a time of corporate corruption. He believes politicians and the media are still bought and sold to achieve ends.”

  Mr. Grimace went to speak, only to see Gemini change his stance and glare through him. Seeing this change, he immediately fell silent and Gemini continued.

  “This is no longer the case. We live in glass houses. Our every move can be investigated, traced back and made public. The old methods only still work because the people involved are the remnants of that system. They are also dying off. The court of popular opinion is a powerful thing, and no one likes a bully, especially not me. The times have changed, and we must move with them. Frankly, I don’t care to play the old game, and the public appreciates AGI for that. If there is an agenda I feel like pressing, I lead by example. I do it and I succeed. I make it where doing any alternative reflects poorly. Do you understand? Don’t answer.”

  Mr. Grimace sat there, staring at Gemini, wanting very much to leave the room. He knew better.

  “So, this is what you tell Mr. Ahkriman. You tell him he brought me into this company for one reason: to move this operation into the future. You remind him we are equal partners in this. You remind him that when he sends a proxy, the proxy shows respect. You remind him I have his best interests in mind. Finally, you remind him our stocks rose 21% after the Eagle News broadcast.”

  Gemini faced the window. Mr. Grimace was made to bask in the uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

  “You should be leaving now.”

  Mr. Grimace stood and scowled, taking steps toward the door. He stared at his feet, knowing his boss was not going to be pleased with how this meeting went.

  “Mr. Gemini, if I may?”

  “Go on.”

  “You mentioned needing to message your assistant before I could leave. Would you be so kind?”

  Gemini paused and turned to look back, nodded silently, and swiped his hand over his desktop.

  “Ms. Levicia?”

  The voice of his assistant filled the quiet office.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Mr. Ahkriman’s proxy is on his way out.”

  “Very well, sir.”

  The comm window buzzed as it closed and Mr. Grimace took in a breath. “He’s not—”

  The sound of the door unlocking stopped the words in his throat.

  “He’s not what?”

  Grimace swallowed and continued, “He’s not going to like this, Gemini.”

  “That sounds like your issue and his, not mine. If you’ll excuse me, I’m busy today. I’m certain you’ll find some way of telling Mr. Ahkriman ‘no’ that won’t upset him too much. I’m done with the old ways, with his ways, with under-the-table politics, and I will pull this company kicking and screaming with me until we are a shining example of how to do things right.”

  Mr. Grimace left, slamming the door behind him. Gemini sat back at his desk, his mood soured slightly now from the interruption. A moment later, the comm buzzed.

  “Yes, Ms. Levicia?”

  “So, he fell for it? Really?”

  “Ms. Levicia, I know you haven’t yet met Mr. Ahkriman, due to his poor health, but know that anyone who works with him can only expect those whom he associates with plays the same tired old games he does. I’m perfectly fine with him seeing me as a monster if it means I can get back to work.”

  “Understood. Bit of a shame, really; I was hoping he’d call your bluff.”

  “Ms. Levicia, while we both know you are also my bodyguard, I do hope you would leave your actual training to punching bags and not employees.”

  “I can dream.”

  “Yes, yes, yes. Enough fun and excitement for one day though. Let us get back to work, and, when you can, bring me another set of my morning drinks.”

  “Very well, sir.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Levicia.”

  Gemini looked out the window. It was time to do good works. Time to give back. Time to move forward.

  Phoenix sat up in bed, having heard the door close a few minutes before. He stared at the door, rubbing his temples and fell back onto the bed, head resting on Bouncer. He looked at the ceiling, giving the raccoon a small hug and then sprang back out of bed, soon heading downstairs in an oversized shirt and baggy pajama bottoms. He stumbled a bit as he did so, his mind focused only on rushing to Gen’s for his morning decaf. When he saw the whirling dervish of leather and spikes hand him a cup, the shriek he emitted could have shattered glass.

  “Oh! Hi, Angelique,” Phoenix said in realization.

  “Did you just scream?” Angelique asked, the corner of her mouth curling up.

  He paused and looked to Angelique, then at Suzette, seated behind her desk, a look of awkward disbelief on her face.

  “Yes. Yes, I did,” he said calmly, trying to find some way to not look quite so foolish. “I was trying to…” he looked to Suzette before saying, “test…your…reactions?”

  “To you screaming like a little bitch?” Angelique mused before looking to her sister. “I’ll be in the back room, working on the shirts. You know…out of the way.” She gave another cursory look to Phoenix and made wide wavy motions with her hands. “WhoooooOOOOooo…”

  McGee slumped back against the wall and tipped the coffee into his mouth.

  “It’s too early for this.”

  “It’s 11 AM,” Suzette muttered back.

  “What? You let me sleep in?”

  “I needed to catch up on paperwork, Angelique needed to set up her workstation, and you irritate me in the mornings. I suspected you’d be getting up soon so I had Angel Face hit Gen’s for you. I surmise she woke you up when she slammed the door coming back?”

  Phoenix nodded.

  “So, what’s Angel Food doing with ya?” he asked as he peeked around to the back room, seeing her with fabric strewn about, and a portable sewing machine up on a table.

  “New hobby, my idea,” Suzette muttered as she looked over a spreadsheet on her desktop. “So, what did you need last night?”

  “Bentons are missing, got roughed up by an officer, paid your grandmother only to have Stevenson stick me with a lobster dinner bill afterwards.”

  “Fuck, you did have a bad day. How much do you have left?”

  Phoenix rubbed his face. “Not much until checks come in, seriously, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to swing my coffees for the week. Thanks for this.”

  “So, let me get this straight. You met with Stevenson, made a payment, and he stuck you with a bill. Dick move,” Suzette said as her gaze met his. “That’s just…mean.”

  “Yup.”

  “This isn’t going to affect paychecks, right?”

  Phoenix shook his head, smiling to her. “No, I made sure to budget you before everything else.”

  Suzette nodded, holding her boss’ gaze, before she pointed
at him and burst into laughter. “I need to remember that one. That’s just sick. He got you.”

  Phoenix slugged back the decaf. “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. I still need to figure out how I’m going to collect on the Bentons. They’re gone.”

  “You had said on the phone yesterday. What do you mean, gone?”

  “I mean they are gone, Suzette. I went to their place, completely gutted, new floor, looks like new paint, it’s like they packed everything up and vanished.”

  “Well, any clues, detective?”

  “Not yet, I’m going to return later. I tried to file a Missing Persons case; didn’t go over well.”

  “Missing Persons? That’s the department Jack works in.”

  “Missing persons is The Pack.”

  Suzette smacked Phoenix. “That’s not funny. Jack’s not in The Pack, he says he knows them, but…”

  “Wait, is he about so tall? Blond hair? Bit skinny?” Phoenix said as he held his hand out to about Jack’s height.

  Suzette turned red. “That son of a bitch!” she raged, reaching for her phone and dropping it onto the floor accidentally in anger. Phoenix grabbed her shoulder.

  “Hey, don’t know if it’s the same guy, but I left a member of The Pack out of the video. Poor guy was the Omega or something. They made him sit outside and play guard dog. From what I overheard, he didn’t know what he was getting into. Give the guy a break, okay?”

  Suzette closed her eyes and counted to ten. Realizing how angry she still was, she proceeded to thirty before returning the phone to her purse.

  “That’s my girl.”

  She sat back in her chair as Angelique walked in, wearing a patchwork dress that hung to her ankles. She did a spin and looked to Suzette for approval.

  “How does it look?”

  Phoenix gave an approving thumbs-up and Suzette waved her closer to inspect the hems.

  “Did a good job, kid,” Phoenix said as he turned back to Suzette and the paperwork.

  “Any idea what you want to make next, Ange?” Suzette asked her sister before looking back at Phoenix. “Make sure I got the paperwork done right, and thanks again.”