Page 22 of Exit Strategy
The tuxedo guy stepped closer, put his hands on his hips, and bellowed, ‘Are you deaf? I said get out.’
Reacher pretended to suppress a yawn, then said, ‘Stop talking. Turn around. Fetch your boss.’
The guy began to raise his right hand and stretch forward but he froze when Reacher said, ‘Stop.’ Reacher’s voice was louder than before and had an added edge of steel. ‘Do not touch me. Turn around. Walk away while you still can. Bring your boss here.’
The guy didn’t move for a moment, then rocked slightly back and forth.
Reacher said, ‘What’s the problem? Too many thoughts to handle all at once? Want to try again, one word at a time?’
The guy roared and shot out his hand. His fingers were curled into a claw and he was aiming for Reacher’s throat. Reacher watched the fist coming. He matched its movement with his left hand. He matched its speed. Then at the last moment he grabbed the guy’s wrist. He wrapped his fingers underneath, planted his thumb on top, and whipped his arm all the way around so that his palm was facing up. He kept pulling, using the guy’s momentum against him to keep him off balance, and when he was close enough, he slammed the back of the guy’s hand down on the counter. Empty glasses rolled and fell. The guy roared louder. He struggled and heaved and tried to pull his hand back, but Reacher held it tight. He leaned over the counter, grabbed up the abandoned ice pick, and drove it down through the palm of the guy’s hand. It buried itself deep into the wooden surface. Blood spurted out around the shaft like a crown. The guy’s roar turned to a howl. He dropped to his knees. His howl turned to a whimper and he knelt there shaking, overwhelmed by the pain, not knowing whether to pull his hand free or hold it still to avoid further damage.
Reacher heard a crash behind him from the center of the room. The guy who had been playing blackjack had jumped up and knocked over his chair. Now he was standing almost on tiptoe, craning his neck to catch every detail. One of the other card players was grinninglike he’d just been dealt the hand of a lifetime. The other one looked like he was going to be sick. The dealers were both on their feet, fidgety and anxious. Behind them all, Amy was standing by the wall, to the side of the hidden door, mouth open, eyes wide.
Reacher looked at each card player in turn, then said, ‘Show’s over. Time to go home. You can settle up tomorrow. Right, Amy?’
Amy managed a strangled ‘I guess so. Sure. Why not?’
The card players headed for the stairs. The blackjack guy lingered and took a long last look at Reacher and the bouncer, then made his way down. A moment after the top of his head disappeared from view, the hidden door opened again and a man stepped through. He was tall. Maybe six feet six, with gray hair neatly trimmed, and a tidy goatee. He was wearing a black three-piece suit that was baggy and loose. It made him look like a small-town undertaker who was down on his luck. His eyes darted around the room, then settled on Reacher. He said, ‘I’m Horner. You want to talk to me?’
Reacher gestured to the next free barstool. ‘Come. Sit.’
Horner said, ‘Sit? No. Give me one reason I don’t have you dragged outside and beaten to death.’
Reacher said softly, ‘I’ll give you two. But I’m not going to yell across the room.’
The dealers glanced at each other then looked down at the floor. The bartender shuffled on the spot. Amy looked like she was trying to press herself into the wall. Horner stood quietly for a moment, then tipped his head to one side. He said, ‘Everyone, give us the room.’
Amy was first through the hidden door. The dealerswere hard on her heels. Reacher took hold of the ice pick and wrenched it free from the bar. The bouncer shrieked and fell backward. He rolled into a ball, clutching his hand, blood soaking his jacket. The bartender scuttled around him and hared after the dealers. The bouncer hauled himself upright and started to follow. Horner met him halfway and blocked his path. He shook his head and pointed to the stairs. He said, ‘You leave that way. You’re fired. And you’re paying for the damage.’
Horner waited until he heard the downstairs door slam shut, then strolled across to the bar and stood next to Reacher. He said, ‘So. Two reasons. These better be good.’
Reacher said, ‘You’re not going to drag me anywhere because one, you can’t.’ He gestured to the blood that was pooled on the bar and the spotty, erratic trail that led to the staircase. ‘Two, you’re not stupid. This is a successful operation. Well run, aside from your security staff. It takes brains to stay afloat in this world. So you figure, maybe whatever I’m here to talk about will have mutual benefit. You want to hear what I say before you do anything.’
‘I have other security guys. Raymond, for example, who you met when you came in. He’s very experienced. It would be a mistake to underestimate him.’
‘I’m sure it would. I’m sure he is. And I’m sure he knows his Sun Tzu. Which is why he didn’t come up here when he heard his buddy break a nail.’
Horner raised an eyebrow.
‘Sun Tzu. Never use force unless you’re certain you will win. Is Raymond certain? Shall we ask him?’
‘No need. Because you’re right about the second part. Your proposal. I do want to hear it.’
‘You give me a name. I solve a problem for you.’
‘I’m a fortunate man. I don’t have any problems for you to solve. Unless you’re volunteering to work the door.’
Reacher shook his head. He said, ‘You do have a problem. You just don’t know it yet.’
‘All right. I’ll bite. What name do you want? What problem do I have?’
‘I ran into a couple of guys not long ago. They were trying to fleece some seniors. I may have cooked that goose for them. Seems that their boss was upset. He sent some more guys after me, with bicycle chains. They won’t be making that mistake again, but that’s not the point. I object to that kind of behavior. I started asking around. People were cagey about putting a name to the guy, but I kept hearing one rumor. His next move is into cards. Your turf. So, you tell me who he is. Where I can find him. And I make sure that move never happens.’
‘I haven’t heard these rumors.’
Reacher shrugged. ‘I have. You know what they say. No smoke …’
‘Who’s saying this?’
