Gradually, as the night wore on and the beer continued to flow, Wayne was able to take control of the conversation. He traded information about the improvised security surrounding the icon for information about the Connection. But although Tiger readily admitted that he’d done considerable work for the mysterious middleman, it became clear to Bruce Wayne that Tiger merely did what he was told and had no notion of the Connection’s long-term plans. In his mind he’d never believed anything different, but in his heart he’d allowed a brief flicker of hope.
Tiger drank heavily. Bruce listened attentively to everything Tiger had to say; there was always a chance that something truly useful would slip in. And Tiger, thinking he’d finally found an audience that understood and appreciated his talents, began to speak recklessly of destiny and transformation.
“Today’s your lucky day,” he said, shaking his finger at Batman. “You’re gonna thank your lucky stars that you was standing beside that icon when I came in. You’re gonna be a rich man. Important. You just wait and see. You’re gonna say: thank you, Tiger.”
“I already have,” Bruce said admiringly. “You’ve got connections.”
“Yeah. Yeah I have.” Tiger sat up straighter. He looked at his watch and drained his stein. “Okay. We gotta go now. We gotta meet someone. You let me do all the talking, understand? Once I got you in, then you can talk, but you don’t know the boss, so you don’t do nothing when we see him, okay? You still got that napkin you drew on?”