Page 40 of Rich Forever: Zo & Remy

The room quieted the moment I walked in, not out of fear, though, but out of respect. I didn’t demand silence, but I carried it with me. Though we all had a mutual respect for each other, Icould feel the moment it shifted once I was promoted. Now, they respect me as their underboss.

“Let’s get started.”

I grabbed the reports and the agenda that the receptionist had prepared for me and skimmed through them. There wasn’t much to be said today. I knew firsthand that the counts had been correct, that the drops were still on time, and that the streets were still quiet. I reviewed them quickly, flipping pages, making sure that all the numbers had checked out. Everything seemed normal until I reached the perimeter log. I scanned the security report and realized that we had a major problem.

The slight crease in my eyebrows made the niggas sitting on that side of the table straighten up.

I tapped the page with two fingers. “Whose block is this in the orange?”

Darius cleared his throat. “Mine.”

Each guard had to scan in with their thumbprint, and their activity was color-coded on the report. So, either way, I would know, but I respect that he manned up, and I didn’t have to go investigate.

I nodded. “So, walk me through why I’m seeing thirty-six minutes of no perimeter feed.”

His eyes dropped. “Boss, I… might’ve dozed off. I was up late doing the drops for the south side and I-”

I held up my hand to silence him. I wasn’t being aggressive; I just wanted to see if I had the right understanding.

“So, you were tired?” I questioned.

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you tell anybody you were tired?”

“No.” He admitted.

He shifted in his chair as I closed the folder, probably expecting a harsher reaction.

“You know my issue?” I said, voice even. “It’s not the mistake. It’s the fact that you didn’t stop it from happening.”

Darius swallowed. “You’re right.”

“You were put there to watch the building while Remy worked late last night. She was walking those same hallways that you weren’t securing. You weren’t just sleeping on a job; you were sleeping onmy responsibility.”

Darius swallowed hard and watched me with wide eyes.

I sat in silence to see how I was going to handle him. Darius was new; I don’t know when he started, but it couldn’t have been more than a couple of months since I had been seeing him around. Hollow replaced me once I was promoted, so I wasn’t really familiar with his guys.

“Here’s what we’re doing. You’re off for the next two nights. Get some rest. After that, you shadow Hollow for a week. He’ll tighten your routines and show you how to handle your workload.”

Darius let out a deep breath, grateful to still have access to air. “Yes, sir. I won’t slip again.”

I stared at him, and my gaze didn’t budge.

“Good. Because I give one correction,” I said. “Only one.”

The room went still. The air changed. Everyone knew how I was coming. I didn’t need to bark or throw my weight. Still, I was fair. I’d been dragged down by this life once, too. Since it was still fresh for him, I knew it took time to adjust.

Darius nodded. “Thank you. I won’t-”

I cut him off quickly, eyes never leaving him. “I need you to understand something before you thank me. If you ever fall asleep on Remy’s perimeter again, I’ll make sure you don’t wake up.”

He froze; breath caught in his throat. I didn’t raise my voice, just delivered him a simple promise.

The room was so quiet that you could hear some of their thoughts. But I took this time to address them as a whole, “Anyone else stretched thin, speak up now. Nobody here is bulletproof. But if your pride gets someone hurt, I’ll treat it as intentional and handle you accordingly. We can handle ourselves. But we have you here for the safety of our families in places that we can’t be. I’m not letting you slip on anyone’s wife or children. Especially mine. In this life, naps will get you killed. If not by them, by me.”

A few murmured in acknowledgment and nodded respectfully, but no one accepted the vacation I offered.