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“Ok, it seems like we like these men,” I said, laying out the files.
Maverick looked over the files.
“Ok, but I think you should consider this guy.” She handed me a file. “He’s been in drugs for a while, and his references are great, plus he’s worked for the man the guys are delivering to now.”
I opened his file and read it over more thoroughly. Arthur Volt was a man in his late thirties that had been in the drug business for a while. Something told me to say no, but I nodded and put him in the yes pile, since she liked him. This still felt foreign to me, interviewing bad guys.
“Let these through,” I said and handed her the pile. “Come get me when the first one arrives.”
“You got it, boss,” she said as she left the room.
I sank back into my seat already tired. This was my least favorite part of the job.
“So how long did youwork for Blake?” I asked, looking over Arthur's file again.
“Blake and I worked together for about ten years,” Arthur said, leaning forward, smiling. “He’s a great man.”
I raised my eyebrow at him. Blake wasn’t a great man. I saw him shoot a man in the face after he spilled his beer. He was tolerable, he was a grumpy asshole and the only reason I dealtwith him is because he hated Kris. He was nice to me because I didn’t fuck with his shit, and he didn’t give me a hard time.
“That word isn’t what I would use to describe Blake,” I said.
“My sister was pregnant, and my deadbeat brother-in-law had left her. He let me take care of her until I could get her help,” he said, looking thoughtful. “I would do anything for my sister and my niece, and he gave me the freedom to do so.”
Arthur wasn’t my first choice, hell he wasn’t even my pick, but Maverick seemed to know what she was talking about. I liked that he took care of his family.
“How are your sister and niece?” I was curious.
His face lit up. “Great, my sister just became a nurse, and my niece is in first grade.”
“That’s great,” I said, studying him for a second.
He looked happy for his sister, and I loved that he was happy for her.
“And why aren’t you with Blake anymore?” I asked and set the folder down. “If you're good at your job, I can’t imagine he would want to let you go.”
“I was stupid enough to leave because I thought I could make more money with another dealer,” he said looking remorseful. “Blake wasn’t too happy, and I was an idiot. I needed more money to support my sister and her baby.”
“You didn’t ask Blake for more?” Arthur looked uncomfortable.
“I should have, I was panicking,” he sighed. “Babies are not cheap, and she didn’t take to breastfeeding so we were buying formula, and she was also sensitive to lactose so we had to buy a special kind. Doctor’s appointments, clothes, diapers and everything became overwhelming. After all she had sacrificed, I didn’t want to say no to my sister's dreams of becoming a nurse either.”
My kneejerk reaction was to tell him he was hired, but my instincts said I needed to wait.
“I appreciate your honesty,” I said, leaning forward. “I expect your honesty and communication if you work here. We can’t help each other if we don’t know what's going on.”
“I didn’t handle the stress well, and I regret not speaking to Blake about it," he said looking up at me, like he was owning up to his faults. “I left his crew and while I didn’t regret it at first, I did later.”
My phone vibrated and then pinged multiple times. I silenced it without looking at the messages.
“Who did you work with after Blake?”
“I worked with some smaller guys in Denver and moved around until we stayed in Las Vegas for a bit with Mario,” he said. “When he was busted by the feds a few months ago, I decided to come back since my sister was back this way and?—”
My phone rang, interrupting him. I sighed seeing Boogie's name pop up, but sent him to voicemail. King’s name immediately popped up after his, and something felt wrong.
“’Scuse me,” I said, before I answered the phone. “What?”
“A sensor in the woods and a window sensor have gone off,” King said quickly.
