“Yo! Boss! You want that special machine installed at the country club today?”
Danny looked up from paperwork on his desk, “Yeah. Make sure the special options are installed before leaving the shop, then stock the Cokes after you deliver and set it up.”

“Got it.”

“Take ’em cold, though. Don’t want anyone at the country club getting a warm Coke in the middle of the golf course.”

“Right.” X started to leave, stopped, and stepped back in the office. “By the way, the South route is coming up a little short every now and then. We need to keep an eye on what’s happening with Da Boyz.”

X got Danny’s attention with that comment. “No tolerance for that shit. Get it straightened out. Quick.”

“Consider it done, Boss.”

X left, and Danny waited until the door closed indicating X had left before slamming the desk with his fist. He hated when someone in his organization ripped him off. That X mentioned it to him for his own homeboys meant he had someone he didn’t trust in his gang that he wanted to get rid of. Then he smiled. The next week would be interesting. Somebody was going down. But it also meant he’d need to be hiring soon. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the folder of job applications. Laying it on top of his other paperwork, he opened the folder and ordered the papers in order of preference for hiring when the time came. Slipping the folder back in the drawer, he resumed working on the paperwork he needed to get to his daughter-in-law, Carolyn. She was his bookkeeper, and she kept him on the right side of the IRS. He had to make sure she got the right information. Dickie would kill him if he got Carolyn in trouble. He’d made Dickie’s life tough enough, so he was careful to keep the screwed up aspects of his life away from Dickie and his family. He usually succeeded.

Finishing the financial paperwork, he shoved it in an envelope and sealed it. Standing, he stretched. Grabbing another cigarette, he lit up and went out the the shop to check on his machines. He had a mechanic just about ready for certification. This guy was a straight mechanic. Danny didn’t trust him with the special setup, so when he finished with the machines, they went to what he called the final prep shop where his experienced and trusted technicians performed final configuration. The prep pros had alerted him to a refinement the new mechanic needed to make in his work. Danny was going to observe and provide the corrective training.

He sauntered onto the shop floor and pulled up a stool. “Hey, Doug. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. Got about four more to go for today.” He glanced at the clock, “I should be able to get them all done and to the prep shop.”

Danny nodded. “Good. How’s that baby of yours doing?”

Doug grinned, “Aw, she’s gonna be a heart-breaker, Boss. Got her first tooth last week though, so the wife didn’t get much sleep.”

“My mom always used ice chips to help dull their pain.”

“I’ll tell Christy. Anything will help. We both hate seeing her in pain.”

“I know what you mean.” Danny handed Doug the the wrench he was going to need for the next adjustment he needed to make.

As Doug made his next adjustment, Danny said, “Wait a second.” When he had Doug’s attention, he continued, “There’s a tolerance on that adjustment. We find it works better for us if you set it on the loosest setting.”

Doug raised his eyebrows, “Really? Usually the tighter is better.”

Danny agreed, “Usually, but in this case, our final prep has told me they prefer the looser setting for better performance in our environment.”

“Okay, Boss. You got it.” Doug made the adjustment and tested it before buttoning up the machine and moving on the next one.