“I don’t.”
“Still doesn’t matter.”
His shoulders slumped.
“I’ve been trying.”
“Poorly.”
“Business has been slow.”
“Life’s hard.”
“My kid got sick.”
That one at least sounded genuine.
I shrugged.
“None of that changes the amount written on the paper.”
Spider rubbed both hands over his face.
“Nixx.”
The desperation in his voice finally surfaced.
“I literally don’t have the money.”
I stared at him for several seconds. Then I punched him in the stomach.
He folded instantly. The air rushed out of him in a strangled grunt.
I grabbed the back of his shirt before he hit the ground completely.
“See, now we’re communicating.”
“Ngh—”
“You disappeared.”
Another punch.
Not full force.
Didn’t need to be.
Spider doubled over.
“I don’t appreciate that.”
I drove a knee into his ri
