Page 46 of King of the Cage

“Yeah, so what? Z Juice is everywhere these days, if you know the right people.”

“Is that right? Who would the right people be to get my hands on this?” I asked.

Enrico coughed, the sound wet and nasty. Torture was so messy. I loved it.

“The kind of people you’d never meet.” He sneered at me.

I chuckled. “Are you trying to pull the superiority card now, at the hour of your death?” I demanded. “Get a fucking grip and answer my questions, if you want to drag yourself out of here alive.”

Enrico sighed. “Whatever. I got it from my brother, Aldo — he’s connected.”

“To what family?” I thought the Seprianos had moved away from their old mobster roots as they’d shifted into politics.

“Not Mafia scum… he’s connected higher up than that. He’s connected to the kind of people who play with people like you as if they’re toys in a dollhouse. People with real power. They don’t deal the drug… they make it, and they’re picky about who they deal to. O’Connors wouldn’t make the cut.”

I leaned forward, interested. Now we were getting somewhere. “And they are?”

“My brother’s investment group,” Enrico said.

I waited for the punch line to that particularly funny statement. None came.

“Are you shitting me?” I jerked my head toward Declan. “Get my hatchet.”

“I’m serious!” Enrico cried when Declan handed me my favorite weapon. It had my initials engraved on the hilt and everything.

“So, you’re telling me a bunch of old, upper-crust investment bankers are spreading Zombie Juice around the city?”

Enrico shook his head. “It’s not just old dudes. Aldo is a member, too. There are lots of young guys… young but with potential. Themembers list, it would put a White House fundraiser party to shame. Everyone who is anyone in this city is a member. They don’t just produce Z Juice, they created it, along with a whole slew of other experimental drugs.”

“Why?” I placed the tip of my hatchet against his knee and lightly tapped it.

“To make money? To provide the kind of experiences their members demand… Do you know how you attract high-net-worth individuals to your society? Offer them experiences no one else can,” Enrico muttered.

“If your brother is a member, why aren’t you?”

“It’s not like that. You have to pass the tests. Membership isn’t a given. Everyone has to pass the tests.”

“So, you failed? Not even having a brother inside could help? You really are a loser, aren’t you, Enrico,” I couldn’t help but goad.

Declan picked up the bottle and waved it in front of Enrico’s face. “Is that what this logo is?”

Enrico nodded.

“What’s it called?”

“The Enclave.”

“Who are the members? I want a list.”

“I’m not even a member! I don’t know anything else about it. The membership is top secret, only those on the inside know who else is a member, and even then, there are masks and shit.”

“Masks? Now I know you’re making up bedtime stories. No way powerful people in the city are running around playing with drugs, wearing masks. You’re telling me porky pies, Enrico, and I don’t understand why. Are you trying to protect your brother?”

Enrico shook his head. “No. I mean, he doesn’t need me to protect him. He’s not the one in charge.”

“Then you can’t really help me, Enrico… which means you’re not useful to me anymore, and I can only sentence you based on what Idoknow that you’ve done,” I said, getting up.

Declan messed around with a water bottle and handed it to me.

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