Phule wrinkled his nose in disgust. While he had borrowed seed money from his munitions-baron father, he had long since paid it all back, with interest, and considered his wealth to be self-made. As such, he had little tolerance for those who inherited their wealth, and none at all for those who were foolish with what money they had.
“Oh well,” he said, “it takes all kinds … I guess. At least now we know what we’re up against with this assignment.”
“A know-nothing kid trying to run a casino on book theories and hired expertise,” Beeker recited grimly. “Not exactly the cushy guard duty in paradise that General Blitzkrieg was trying to paint it as, is it, sir? Oh yes … and let us not forget the possibility of an attempted criminal takeover.”
“You know, that’s the part that bothers me the most.” The commander scowled. “Check me on this, Beek … you stay more abreast of current events than I do. These days, when crime, organized or otherwise, wants to take over a business, do they do it with guns blazing?”
The butler made a soft but rude noise before answering.
“Not to my knowledge, sir. It’s my understanding that the usual tactic is to force them into financial difficulty, then buy them out cheap-or, at least, a controlling interest.”
Phule nodded. “That’s what I thought. More like a hostile stock takeover. Well, I’ve handled those before.”
The butler looked at him sharply.
“If I might point out, sir, the methods the criminal element utilizes to put financial pressure on a business are well outside civilized law. I would suggest it would be prudent not to underestimate your opponents.”