Beans

The desert sun beat down mercilessly on the unregistered van—a ghost of a vehicle Bianca had liberated from her father’s company. Beside it, the air was thick with more than just heat; tension radiated between the two men standing in the sand.

"Are you insane, Henry?" Matt’s voice cracked like a whip, his anger barely contained.

"This girl is legit, I told you!" Henry shot back, defensive.

Matt stepped closer, his shadow falling over his partner. "How sure are you? She’s a girl you used to bully. How can you expect anything good to come from her? What if this is all a setup?"

Henry’s expression darkened. He was tired of the second-guessing. "So, what are we supposed to do, huh? Find you a five-star kitchen? This van is the only way to cook your mighty recipe without the cops breathing down our necks."

Matt paced a tight circle before stopping dead in front of Henry. "I want to meet that girl. First."

Meanwhile, at the James residence, the atmosphere was equally toxic. In the dining room, flies began to buzz around a plate of baking meat and a spilled soda—remnants of a meal Jane had violently swept off the table in a fit of rage.

Claire sat across from her, face streaked with tears, looking at the ruin on the floor.

"This is a win-win situation for both of you," Jane snapped, her voice cold and devoid of empathy.

"The insurance agents... they’re coming soon," Claire whispered, her voice trembling.

Jane let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "You or your cheap food won't change the situation, Claire. Go back to your rich family and make peace with them. You don't belong here."

With a final, contemptuous sneer, Jane ground her heel into the meat on the floor, ruining it further, and stormed out of the room. Claire remained behind, sobbing silently amidst the mess.

In a cavernous, dimly lit warehouse, the heavy doors groaned open. Jim and Sammy dragged a blindfolded Bianca into the center of the room. They dropped her there like a delivery and vanished back into the shadows without a word.

"Hello? Hello!" Bianca shouted, her voice echoing off the corrugated metal walls. She scrambled to her feet, heart hammering against her ribs.

"Hey," a voice called out.

Henry emerged from the gloom, followed by a figure clad in a low-hanging hat and dark sunglasses. Bianca’s eyes welled with tears the moment she recognized Henry. "You promised! You promised to let me go!"

"I know," Henry said, surprisingly soft. "And I won’t go back on that."

The man in the sunglasses stepped forward. He opened his mouth to speak, then paused, his eyes darting to a piece of graffiti on the warehouse wall—a crude drawing of the solar system.

"I am..." Matt began, his voice dropping into a forced, gravelly depth. "...Marcury."

Henry blinked, visibly confused by the alias, and Bianca just stared.

"It's about the van," Henry intervened, clearing his throat. "Tell us how you were able to get it out of the lot without any registration."

Bianca wiped her eyes, her survival instincts kicking in. "I bribed them. I told them I was a trust-fund brat and I was going to burn the car as an art piece during the New Year’s festival. They didn't ask questions after the cash hit the table."

Matt—or Marcury—tilted his head, genuinely impressed. Henry smirked.

"Thank you, Bianca," Henry said, nodding toward the exit. "You can go."

Bianca didn't wait for a second invitation. She nodded frantically and bolted for the door. Once she was gone, Matt turned to Henry, his stoic mask slipping. "She’s smart. Like, super smart."

"Yeah, whatever," Henry chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now, let’s start cooking."

Back in the heart of the desert, the van became a laboratory. Under the shimmering heat waves, they worked until the product was finished. It wasn't the usual powder or shards; Matt had processed the cocaine into small, organic-looking spheres.

"What are we supposed to call this?" Henry asked, holding one up to the light.

Matt looked at the pile of rounded pellets. "How about Beans?"

Henry smirked and pulled out his vape, ready to test the potency. He began to load a sample.

"What are you doing?" Matt snapped, his eyes wide.

"I’m going to try it. Right now."

Henry took a hit. For a second, he went perfectly still. Then, his eyes snapped open, pupils dilated to the rim. He let out a wild, happy scream that echoed across the empty dunes, his body vibrating with a sudden, massive surge of energy.

"What do you think?" Matt asked, leaning in.

Henry flashed a manic, wide-eyed grin. "I think we’re going to be rich, Marcury."

With the first kilo packed and ready, Henry headed back to the city to find Jim and Sammy. The instructions were simple: distribute it freely. Get the streets hooked. Let everyone know there was a new deal in town.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***