Chapter 88 88

Chapter 88 88
Bennett's POV

"What time did the Sinclair boy say he would be here?" I asked, looking up from the papers on my desk.

"Ten," Razor replied from the shadows near the window, his voice low and steady. "He's late."

"Desperate people are rarely punctual," I murmured, leaning back into my chair. "Something you need to learn, Razor."

Razor merely grunted and remained stationed just to my left. His stillness was exactly why I paid him so well; he knew how to occupy a room without creating unnecessary noise.

The sound of the front door downstairs opening made me sit at alert. It was closely followed by the sound of boot heels as someone hurried down the hallway. In a matter of minutes, Benjamin Sinclair pushed past the office door without bothering to announce himself.

A smug grin plastered his face as he hoisted a bulging canvas duffel bag off his shoulder and slammed it down onto the center of my desk, nearly overturning the pen holder and scattering my neatly organized folders.

"Here. Count it up," Benji said, crossing his arms and looking much too proud of himself. "Every single dollar is accounted for. I cleared out the remaining inventory last night with the campus buyers, and I sold all the products."

I didn't answer immediately. I unzipped the bag with deliberate slowness, looking down at the stacks of rubber-banded cash. Taking one of the bundles, I flicked through the edges of the ten-dollar bills to verify the texture and the count. It wasn't that I expected a street-level runner like Benji to have the nerve to short me, but maintaining strict oversight was the reason I had managed to run this business undisputed for so long.

"This is not bad," I murmured, sliding the bag across the surface of my desk and dropping it into the open safe drawer beside my knee. I pushed the drawer closed, then turned back to Benji.... who was staring at me in indignation.

His expression instantly soured when he realized the money was gone. His arms dropped to his sides, his brow furrowing as he glared at me. "Wait a minute. Where is my cut? You're supposed to count out my fifteen percent."

"You don't have a cut coming to you today, Benjamin." I said smoothly, resting my hands flat on the desk. "First off, you're late. I gave you those drugs two to three weeks ago, and you were supposed to sell them off within a week. Second off, I don't feel very generous tonight."

"What the fuck?" Benji took a step forward, his chest puffing out. "Are you joking? We had a deal, Doctor. Fifteen percent of the gross street sales goes into my pocket the moment the supply is cleared. That was the agreement. I did the work and I want my money!"

"The agreement became void the moment you decided to skim from my warehouse," I told him, keeping my voice devoid of emotion. "You've been selling unauthorized batches to independent dealers on the side, haven't you? Did you think I wouldn't find out? I don't tolerate cunts like you who compromise my supply chain for their own private ventures."

A look of alarm flashed across his face, before he quickly hid it under rage.

"Skimming?" He scoffed. "I only gave a couple of buddies of mine to expand the network. I was broadening our reach, making sure the product moved faster amongst those athletes. You're still getting your money, so what's the issue?"

"The issue is that you do not dictate policy in my organization," I replied. "That is a very big liability for me. And because you created an unauthorized risk, your commission is being withheld to cover the cost of my oversight."

Benji’s face darkened, his hands clenching into fists as he pressed his weight against the edge of my desk. "That’s almost two grand you're taking from me! Two grand! I'm the one out there taking the heat on the streets while you sit up here in the dark. I have people looking for me, Bennett. I have bills to pay. You can't just rob me because I took some initiative."

"You did not take initiative, Benjamin. You stole," I said. "And you did it poorly enough that I found out within forty-eight hours. Be thankful I am only taking the cash."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to say thank you now?" Benji slammed his hand on the desk. "I’ve been loyal to your operation for months. I kept my mouth shut when the cops were crawling around my apartment, I kept my mouth shut when your campus buyers started getting paranoid. Do you think you can just fucking cast me aside and treat me like garbage? I made you tonight. That ten thousand wouldn't even be on your desk if it wasn't for me!"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. You are very easily replaced," I told him, folding my hands together. "You are a convicted felon with an expensive habit. And don't forget I know who your sister is. You have no standing to negotiate with me. You will take this loss and follow protocol, or you will have to answer to dear Razor over here."

Benji swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the floor. Before his tantrum could escalate any further, Razor shifted his stance by the bookshelf. The slight movement was enough to draw Benji's attention, and the sight of the larger man's massive frame instantly drained the last bit of courage from his posture. I could see it all.

"Consider this a lesson in corporate compliance," I added, looking up at him. "If you try to act the smart devil again, you'll pay me back with way more than your wages."

"This isn't finished," he muttered under his breath. "This is not over, Doctor."

"It is concluded for the evening," I said, gesturing toward the hallway. "Razor, bring her in."

Razor nodded once and exited the room. Benji remained hovering near the doorway, shifting nervously in the prolonged silence that settled over the office. I picked up my fountain pen, completely ignoring his presence.

A moment later, the door opened again.

Razor returned, dragging the girl roughly by the arm. Her wrists were bound tightly behind her back with plastic restraints, and a thick strip of cloth was tied securely over her mouth to muffle her cries. Razor shoved her forward into the center of the room, and without her hands to break the fall, Sasha Millman crashed heavily onto her knees against the bare floorboards.