CHAPTER EIGHT

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Shutdown

Isabelle woke up to find her house raided

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Isabelle woke up to find her house raided.
She then went out to meet Rio for breakfast.

"Why did you take my money?" She questioned.

"Mmm-mmm. My money. Mine. We're shutting things down for a while." Rio told her.

"What does that mean?"

"One of my associates got picked up. When I feel heat, I don't mess around. My bad. Do you want some?" Rio asked.

"No."

"You sure? They put the hash browns on the inside of this thing."

"I don't understand." Isabelle said.

"Me neither. Like, it is still so crispy."

"No, I'm talking about the shutdown."

"Mmm. Yeah... Yeah, you're closed for business." Rio told her.

"But you took all of it." Isabelle said.

"So?"

"So part of that was our cut. We worked our asses off for that money."

"What do you want me to say? It's a company wide shutdown. And if I got closing costs, everybody feels the pain." Rio replied.

"You can't just mess with people's lives like that." Isabelle told him.

"You wanna know what I can't do? I can't do five to fifteen in FCI Milan cause some bitches need their pocket money." Rio said and stood up.

"How long?" Isabelle asked.

"Excuse me?"

"How long are we shut down?"

"Till further notice." Rio replied and put money on the table and put his hand on her shoulder before walking out the door.

***

The next day, they met at the same place.

"I need you to think of this as an opportunity to grow during the downtime, a chance to really flip your game in a way that... if it's not completely legal, it is absolutely FDA approved." Isabelle explained.

"Mmm-hmm." Rio nodded.

"This is essentially liquid money. I mean, it's literally liquid money, but-"

"It's garbage. This stuff's poison."

"Not anymore so than the substances your guys deal." Isabelle replied.

"Who would I even sell it to?" Rio asked.

"Don't you know someone?"

"That rolls with a bunch of young ladies? Nah, man, not so much." He chuckled. "How's your rotten egg?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said you handled it."

"I did."

"Then why are you trying to play me with this side hustle stuff? I told you we're shut down." Rio said.

"And I told you I need that money. I have a little brother to look after, a mortgage. I can't just shut down." Isabelle told him.

"Bull. She got you on the hook now, right?"

"I said I'm dealing with it."

"Okay." Rio chuckled. "You think you're a boss now, huh? Your lily ass does two jobs, and all of a sudden you think you run the whole game? Let me tell you something. You ain't no boss. And you ain't gonna be nothin until you get your house in order. And you'd best not put that stuff in your face. You don't need it." Rio said before he walked out.

***

Ruby bursted into the house.

"He's down at the FBI right now talking to them." She informed.

"We have to tell Rio." Isabelle said.

"You don't think he knows?" Beth asked.

"That his boy's talking to the FBI? There's no way."

"If we tell him, he'll kill him. I mean, right? That's how they do." Ruby said.

"Okay, so we don't tell Rio." Annie said.

"No, we do. We have to. It's that kid or us." Isabelle said.

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