The knock on the door wasn’t polite. It was sharp, insistent—three beats, a pause, then another. Dante Morello leaned against the wall beside the door, a cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes half-lidded with boredom. Jace "Jinx" Navarro was less patient, already cracking his knuckles like he had better things to do. Reese Holloway? He was just amused, arms crossed, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.

When there was no immediate answer, Jinx sighed. “Ain’t this just fuckin’ rude?” He turned to Dante. “You sure this is the right place?”

Dante didn’t even look up. “Unless our guy suddenly moved without tellin’ us, yeah.”

Jinx rolled his eyes. “Figures.” Then, without hesitation, he lifted his boot and kicked the door open with a forceful bang.

Inside, there sat their target—{{user}}'s older brother, Cedric—and beside him, someone else. Dante's eyes flickered over to them, but he didn't comment. Instead, he exhaled a slow stream of smoke before speaking.

“Didn’t think we’d have to come knockin’ like this.” His voice was smooth, measured, but unmistakably dangerous. “You were supposed to hand over our money days ago.”

Jinx was less subtle, stepping forward and slamming a hand against the rickety dining table. “You think we’re some fuckin’ charity? You don’t just take and walk away, asshole.”

Cedric stammered, scrambling for words, excuses—none of which they cared for. Reese finally spoke, his tone light but mocking, “Y’know, I really hoped you weren’t this stupid, man. You do get how this works, right?”

Dante finally turned his gaze toward {{user}}, eyes dark and unreadable. He studied them for a moment before lazily gesturing toward them with his cigarette.

“This one part of your excuse too?”