Page 21 of Broken Empire
I forced myself to return his smile. “No. Not at all.”
When I arrived at the Tarrytown mansion fifteen minutes ago, I expected an initiation ceremony with ritualistic elements similar to those we went through in the Hellfire Club—people in robes and masks, candles, strange music, mind-altering substances to imbibe.
Instead, it looked more like a business meeting than anything else. Everyone was dressed in regular clothing, the room was lit with large floor lamps placed in even intervals around the edges of the space, and the table was filled with paperwork, carafes of sparkling water, and crystal glasses. On the far end of the room, behind Murray, an enormous widescreen TV took up most of the wall. I was half-expecting a PowerPoint presentation with graphs and statistics to start playing at any second.
“We have no need for pomp or glamor when it comes to initiation,” Murray continued. “By the time a candidate reaches this stage, we already know we want them to join us, and they already know they want to join. So all that’s necessary to do is this: we discuss some details about membership and what it entails, you sign a contract, and then… that’s it. You’re one of us. It’s quite efficient, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I said.How convenient for me,I thought at the same time, though I had a feeling the other shoe was about to drop at any moment. Joining the Schöneberg Group couldn’t bethatsimple.
Murray gestured around the room again. “These are some of the most senior members of our Manhattan chapter,” he said. “Many of them are people you’ll recognize, including your very own father. They’re all here to witness your initiation.”
Dad inclined his head in a nod, but he still refused to meet my eyes.
“Anyway, without further ado, let’s begin.” Murray clapped his hands together and sat down. “Killian, you have an excellent background, and you’re a top student in your business and economics course at Bellingham. You’ve also been the leader of the Bellingham chapter of the Hellfire Club for the last year. By all accounts, you’ve done an excellent job with that. We’re also aware that you recently took down two crime families within our state with only a little outside help. That’s all very, very impressive. As a result, you’re the first member of this year’s senior class to be tapped by us for membership. We need movers and shakers like you within our ranks.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving him a tight smile.
“You’ve already been made aware of the benefits of joining, but let me briefly refresh your memory. Here in the Schöneberg Group, we build and maintain wealth, and we use that wealth to further our agenda in political, socioeconomic, and cultural arenas.”
I lifted a hand. “Just to be clear, what exactlyisyour agenda? How are you aligned, politically-speaking?”
Murray smiled. “We aren’t aligned with anyone or anything in the way you might assume. Our main focus is attaining power for ourselves and holding onto it by any means. Quietly, of course, because people who are openly known to be powerful often become targets for the public to focus their anger on,” he said. “So, we support any politicians who will help us with those goals, no matter what side they claim to stand on. For example, do you remember the recent state election in California?”
I nodded. “The lead candidate had to drop out because of those rumors about her husband, right?”
“Yes. We found out that she was no longer planning to enact a corporate tax cut scheme that would benefit our Californian members. So we made those rumors happen, and she was forced to drop out.” Murray clicked his fingers. “Just like that.”
“The person who won instead was more than willing to support the tax cut,” another man chimed in from the head of the table.
So you’re just a bunch of bullies in suits running your own twisted version of a protection racket,I thought grimly.
No wonder nothing in this world ever truly changed.
Progress was always hindered—and sometimes straight up crippled—because entire governments were secretly influenced and manipulated by rich people on power trips whose bottom line was enriching themselves even further. They would lie, extort, blackmail, and bribe their way into getting whatever they wanted, no matter the cost to everyone else. Politicians with real integrity didn’t stand a chance because they’d be steamrolled and destroyed for refusing to be bought and controlled by these filthy rich shadow masters.
“I see,” I said, being careful to maintain a neutral tone. “I guess that explains why so many politicians seem to change their minds about their own platforms as soon as they’re elected. People like you essentially buy and own them.”
“Exactly. Give them enough cash and they’ll act like a puppet.” Murray winked. “As a member, you’ll enjoy the same level of power. Anything you want… we’ll find a way to make it happen.”
“It almost sounds too good to be true,” I said, lifting a brow. “So what’s the catch?”
Murray laughed. “I was wondering when you’d ask that,” he replied. He paused and cocked his head slightly to one side. “You’ve probably heard of our unspoken rule—all Schöneberg members must have joined the Hellfire Club during their time in college.”
“Yes.”
“There’s a reason for that. Do you know what it is?”
“I was told that it’s to build trust,” I replied. “You know what we have to do to get into the Hellfire Club and the secrets we have to keep as a result, so you know we’re trustworthy enough to keep the Schöneberg Group’s secrets as well.”
“That’s partly true. But it’s not the whole truth.” Murray turned and fished a little black remote out of his pocket, aiming it at the huge screen on the wall. “Let’s watch this for a moment.”
He clicked a button on the remote, and the screen came to life with flickering images. At first I didn’t recognize the scene, but then I saw myself in the center, dressed in a red hooded robe. A large knife was dangling from my right hand.
It was the tape from my initiation into the Hellfire Club during my first year at Bellingham. Twenty seconds from now, the video would show me stabbing a man to death—a repeat offender who’d used his position as an elementary school principal to sexually abuse young boys.
I rose to my feet, incensed. “How the fuck did you get a copy of this?”
Murray smiled thinly. “You wouldn’t know this, but the Hellfire Club is like a subsidiary group for the Schöneberg Group,” he said. “They aren’t separate organizations at all. We just pretend they are.”
