"Glad to hear it." The Joker waved a hand and the thugs began silently patting Remy down, searching for weapons of any sort. In doing so, they took the playing cards in his pocket. It was impossible to know if they'd been warned in advance of his talents or if they just felt like robbing him for what little he had. One of the men took the cigarettes in his other pocket, lighting up and smoking right through the mask he was wearing. There were four of them in the back with him, bracing themselves against the walls and kneeling on the floor beside unmarked crates that blocked the back doors. Aside from the windshield the van was windowless and dim.
The Joker spun the wheel in another direction. The man who'd been smoking dropped the lit cigarette on his exposed wrist and hissed in pain. The Joker glanced at the rear view mirror, realized what had happened, and giggled to himself, spinning the wheel again. Two of the men lost their footing and rolled into one another, slamming against the van's side.
This was fun. "It's like an amusement park ride!" he squealed, the makeup around his mouth making his grin a garish gash of delight in the mirror. "So, Mr. Gambit, down to business. You've offered yourself up--good for you! Well, good for your family and friends. Maybe not so good for you. But I'm sure they all warned you. We're not so well-acquainted yet, but I can 100 percent guarantee that by the end of the next few days, we're going to know each other intimately."
The van swung around another corner, then continued to turn as it burst through the open gates of a chain link fence. The van began to slow, finally rolling to a stop a few feet inside a dingy warehouse in an even dingier part of town.
The Joker climbed out, gesturing to his men again. They threw the doors open, dragging Remy outside.
The door to the warehouse slammed down and the lights began to flicker on. It was clear that the place had been unused until recently. A door a few feet away led deeper into the building, away from the garage. That was where the Joker headed with Remy towed behind him by henchmen, into a narrow hallway that had probably once led to offices and workmen's lounges. The Joker talked as he walked.
"This is the real reason I got into this business," he declared, his purple tailcoat flapping at his ankles. "The...ritzy accommodations. The guest room's not this nice, though. Sorry, we didn't really have enough time to clean up. You announced you were coming over so suddenly!"
He began to giggle again, eternally amused at his own sense of humor. He'd not yet faced Remy or really looked him over through this whole thing, but he had time. Lots and lots, if he could help it.