by Kenneth Eade
It was a short ride that divided the two worlds; the one of the people by day and the other of the people by night. The day people worked, played, laughed and ate, and then they slept; rested to start the cycle all over again. The night people, on the other hand, lived only for thrills, and their object was to have as much fun and pleasure as they could before the sun rose.
As he neared the harbor, he could hear the sounds of partying in the bars and began to ache with impatience – like a dog salivating for a bone. He threw the fenders over the side, cut the motor and pulled alongside a concrete pier and a man came out, tossed him the mooring ropes and he quickly looped them over the cleats. He locked up the boat, hopped off and handed the man a fifty euro bill.
“I’ll probably be a few hours.”
The man slipped the bill into his pocket and smiled a checkerboard smile of half a mouthful of stained teeth. Robert had made his own price because it was late and the money would probably not be accounted for.
“No problem.”
“Make sure nothing happens to my boat and there’ll be another fifty in it for you.”
The man smiled again and nodded.
Robert followed the sounds of the action like the pack of rats followed the Pied Piper of Hamelin. His will was no longer his own; he had given it up to the beast, and it was the beast who would be calling the shots tonight. It didn’t take long to find the best party. He followed the pulsating beat of electronic music to Nikki Beach Resort. As he came nearer, he could see that what was a seaside patio for sun bathers by day had turned into a dance floor at night, illuminated by sparkling fountains of fire, which casted flickering shadows against the dancers, most of them female.
As Robert approached, he saw the bouncer, a big man with no neck, rustling a man out of the club. The guy he was handling was well dressed, but he was obviously drunk, so the bouncer had the right to evict him. But he didn’t stop after he had “bounced” the man. He went a step further – a step too far. He pushed him out onto the sidewalk, and the man fell. The man struggled to get up, and, when he did, the bouncer kicked him down.
This wasn’t Robert’s battle, so he decided to play it cool. Unfortunately, however, the bouncer wasn’t content to end the drama with one kick. Robert observed, quietly, while the bouncer continued to rough up the drunk man, pushing him around and slapping him down. Some people, of certain strength, take pleasure in pushing around others with none. The bouncer was probably a bully when he was a kid. Now, he was a big bully, and one with authority.
“Hey, man, you kicked him out. Why don’t you just let him go?”
The bouncer looked up at Robert as if he had thrown down a gauntlet. He had tasted blood and here was another fight.
“You want a piece of this?”
“No, man. I’m just saying this guy’s had enough.”
The big-necked man grabbed Robert by the collar and came nose to nose with him. Robert could his hot, bad breath against his face.
“You will take your hands off me and do it now.”
“Or what, big man? You gonna beat me up?”
The beef-neck began to laugh. Like a snake, Robert pushed him back, then slammed him in the nose with a loud crack.
“Nobody touches me.”
The man’s hand went to his nose, and then he looked at his bloody palms with anger. He sized Robert up, hurt now only in his pride. By that time, another bouncer had joined him. They looked like two lion statues; the kind rich people put to mark the entrance of their driveways. The beast had been awakened in Robert, who stared them down with cold, shark-like eyes.
“Now let’s try this again. I don’t want any trouble. I’d like to have a drink, maybe meet some girls and try to get laid tonight. Or I can beat the living shit out both of you. I’ll get an equal amount of a different kind of satisfaction out of either activity. It’s your move.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning and best-selling author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the thriller genre, has been described by critics as “one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene, and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit.” Critics have also said that “his novels will remind readers of John Grisham, proving that Kenneth Eade deserves to be on the same lists with the world's greatest thriller authors.”
Said Eade of the comparisons: "John Grisham is famous for saying that sometimes he likes to wrap a good story around an important issue. In all of my novels, the story and the important issues are always present.”
Eade is known to keep in touch with his readers, offering free gifts and discounts to all those who sign up at his website, www.kennetheade.com.
Copyright 2016 Queen City Trading Ltd
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persona, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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[1] Clinton’s comments (on the air) upon hearing of Muamar Gaddafi’s brutal torture and murder.
[2] Jacobson, Louis, Donald Trump mischaracterizes NATO change and his role in it, Politifact, August 16, 2016
[3] Weiss, Michael, when Donald Trump was more anti-NATO than Vladimir Putin, The Daily Beast, November 4, 2016
[4] Cartalucci, Tony, The Mystery of ISIS’ Toyota Army Solved, New Eastern Outlook, 2016
[5] Mishgea, Syrian Madness: US Backed Rebels Fight US Special Forces, June 25, 2016, Mishtalk
[6] Crooke, Alistair, U.S. Special Forces Officer: How the CIA armed and trained jihadists for war in Syria, Consortium News, September 29, 2016
[7] Bartlett, Eva, The Villages in Aleppo Ravaged by America’s “Moderate” Rebels, Global Research, September 29, 2016
[8] Sputnik, Militants detonated a tunnel under the western gate of the citadel, July 7, 2015, Sputnik International
[9] Lamb, Christina, The Australian, Rebels resisting Russian backed troops in Syria
