People, places, anything.
I guess I inherited that. Whether I wanted to or not.
I pull into the alley behind a dusty little auto shop. Routine stuff. I leave the bike running. No need to turn it off.
I’m not planning on staying long. The metal door’s open a crack, so I walk right in. The guy behind the desk jumps.
Matteo. Mid-forties, always pretending he didn’t see me walk in. His office always smells like death, something rotten, I swear. Yuck.
"Gio," he says, fake smile already on. "Didn’t know you were coming by today."
"That’s the point," I say, closing the door behind me. I don’t sit. Because I don’t trust him and his stinky place. I stay standing, because that usually makes them more uncomfortable, too.
Keeps things… tilted in my favor.
He clears his throat. "Everything good?"
"You tell me." I pull out my phone, tap once, show him the screen. "Invoice. Due last Friday. It’s Monday now. You see the problem?"
Matteo scratches the back of his neck, stalling. "Yeah, yeah, I just…things’ve been a little tight, you know how it is—"
"I don’t."
He looks up, confused.
"I don’t know how it is to be late. I don’t know how it is to promise something and not deliver. That’s not how my father built this business. That’s not how I run it now."
His lips press together. I can see the nerves building behind his eyes. Good.
"Look, Gio, I just need a few more days—"
I take a step forward. "You’ve already had a few more days. Now I need to explain to the other guys why you get extra time and they don’t. You think that makes me look fair?"
He shakes his head. "You think it makes me look weak?"
He hesitates. That’s enough of an answer.
I smile. "Didn’t think so." I slide a folded envelope onto his desk. "Here. New agreement. Interest included. You pay this by Friday, no more extensions. You’re lucky I’m not charging for the insult."
He opens it with shaky fingers, and his eyes scan the number. I see him swallow it down. "Understood," he mumbles.
I turn to leave, then pause with my hand on the door.
"Oh. And Matteo?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time you ignore my call, I come here with someone who doesn’t do talk." I walk out before he can answer.
One down. Three more today.
Maybe four, if I’m in the mood.
I also have to stop by Rava’s, for that presentation that we have to prepare, because otherwise he will start twitching again. After last night?
Rava kinda stresses me the fuck out.
I don’t know why. Okay, maybe I do know why, it was hot. The whole thing. I just don’t wanna say it out loud because I’m not fucking insane.
