“Good.”
I hang up. Tick another line.
Someone knocks on my door. Once. Then it opens without waiting.
Oxy.
“You skipping weight room?” he asks, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
“Handled my workout.”
He glances at the laptop, sees the spreadsheet still open. “Still cleaning house?”
“Promises need proof.”
He leans against the wall, arms crossed. “You like that kid’s sister that much, huh?”
I don’t look at him. Just keep scrolling through my contacts. “None of your business.”
I like what she can offer me that much.
Oxy shrugs. “Alright, man. Off to the weight room. Call if you need me.”
He leaves, and I lock the door behind him. No more witnesses.
Second round of calls.
Rico, a runner in county two, tries to argue.
“Come on, man. He pays on time. Why cut him off?”
“Not anymore.”
“You can’t blacklist everyone he knows—”
“Watch me.”
I hang up before he can keep whining.
Next is Tad. County three. He’s always been a pain in the ass, thinks humor will get him out of anything.
“If I cut him off, I lose profit,” Tad says, laughing.
“And if you don’t, you lose teeth.”
He keeps laughing—until I read his mother’s nail salon address off a sticky note I pulled from one of his previous drops.
Silence.
“You understand me now?” I ask.
“Yeah.” His voice is small. Obedient. “I understand.”
Good.
I end the call, cross him off the list.
By late afternoon, I’m done with the calls. But there’s one more thing I need to handle.
