Crimson Duty

Chapter Nineteen - Race Against Time [ACT ONE]

Shingle: What do we do?

Tony: We can't just ignore it. We need to take it seriously.

Jack: Agreed. We need to step up our security and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

They spent the rest of the hour working, but their minds were preoccupied with the threat.

Shingle: We're gonna need to hire security.

Jack: Hows about that woodworking disguise we were on about?

Tony: I mean yeah that'll draw off any attention won't it?

Shingle: Okay, let's do it. We'll put up a fake sign outside our building that says "Gibet Joinery" and dress up like carpenters when we enter and leave the building.

Tony: That should throw off any unwanted attention.

Jack: But we need to make sure we're extra careful now. We don't know who this person is or what they're capable of.

Shingle: I'll get started on hiring security. Tony, can you work on setting up the woodworking disguise? Jack, maybe get some of your connections to pretend they're woodworkers?

J&T: We'll take care of it.

The three of them worked quickly and efficiently, determined to keep their business safe and secure. They knew that the drug world was a dangerous place, but they were willing to take the risk in order to succeed. Little did they know, however, that their decision to start Sapphire would lead them down a path of danger and violence, where their lives would be put on the line every day. For now, they were focused on taking care of the immediate threat and keeping their business running smoothly. As they continued to work, they couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that the threatening call had brought upon them. Tony and Jack finished setting up the woodworking disguise and even managed to convince some of their connections to pose as employees of Gibet Joinery to further throw off any suspicion.

Shingle was cooking meth right under his families nose. Nobody knew.

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5 HOURS LATER - 6PM

There was banging on the door again. Shingle quickly signalled for the security guards to be on high alert as Tony peeked through the peephole once again.

Tony: It's the supplier again.

Shingle: Alright, let him in.

The supplier entered the lab and handed over another set of ingredients, but as he was leaving, he turned around and spoke to them in a low voice.

Supplier: I don't know if this means anything, but I overheard some guys talking about Sapphire at the bar last night. They mentioned something about a guy named Rocco being interested in your meth. He wants to become a prominent figure in our operation.

Shingle: Rocco? Who the hell is Rocco?

Tony: Keep talking...

Supplier: I don't know much else, but they seemed serious. You guys should see what happens next. Let's just hope this Rocco guy ain't too bad.

Shingle, Tony, and Jack exchanged worried glances. They had already been threatened earlier that day, and now they had a potential new threat in the form of this Rocco character.

Shingle: Thanks for letting us know. We'll keep an eye out for him.

The supplier nodded and quickly left. The three of them gathered around the table to discuss their next steps.

Jack: We can't take any chances. We need to beef up security even more and keep a low profile.

Tony: And we need to find out who this Rocco guy is and what he wants.

Shingle: Yep. Let's focus on finding out more about him first. We'll have to be careful, though. We don't want to draw any more attention to ourselves.

The rest of the evening was spent in intense discussions about how to handle the situation. They agreed to hire more security and invest in better surveillance equipment to monitor their surroundings. They also decided to conduct background checks on all of their suppliers and employees to ensure that they were not working with anyone who could pose a threat. As they were leaving for the night, Shingle couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. They had only been in the drug business for a short time, but already they were facing multiple threats. He knew that the road ahead would be difficult, but he was determined to do whatever it takes to protect his business.