Maluck looked at Jamal and Mike. “Well, now you know what both of you can do.”

  Jamal was still visibly sweaty, thinking about all the potential jail time and fines he’d accidentally racked up. Mike, meanwhile, looked a little tense, now realizing that by simply standing next to Jamal through that whole thing, he was technically an accomplice.

  Maluck grinned. “Let me tell you a little bit about myself, and the organization that wants to hire you.” He leaned back, casually swirling his coffee like he wasn’t recruiting them into something very much not listed on Indeed. “Lucky Star Ventures started… under a month ago.”

  Jamal blinked. “That can’t be right. Cars 4 a Better Future had me on the waiting list for years.”

  “Same,” Mike said, frowning.

  “That’s right,” Maluck said, sipping his coffee. “Cars 4 a Better Future did have you on that list for years. I, however, took it over in under a month.”

  Jamal’s eyes widened. “Wait. What?!”

  Mike squinted. “You took over a multimillion-dollar enterprise in a month?”

  Maluck smirked. “Yep. And do you know why you were waiting years for that car?”

  “Why?” Mike asked.

  “Because this charity is shady as hell.”

  Jamal leaned back, frowning. “But… you just gave me a car.”

  Maluck nodded. “Yeah. Because that’s the actual point of the charity—to give people who deserve a shot a car. And on paper? It’s a pretty damn good charity. But. Before I took over? Ninety out of every hundred dollars in donations wasn’t going to people like you.”

  Jamal whistled. “Damn.”

  Mike folded his arms. “So where was it going?”

  Maluck smirked. “Consulting fees. Administrative costs. A bunch of very official-sounding nonsense that basically meant the rich people running it were stuffing their pockets. That’s why that waitlist you were on lasted years.”

  Mike let out a low whistle. “Not illegal… but holy shit.”

  “Yet,” Maluck corrected, tapping the table. “You said not illegal, but I guarantee there’s some laws being broken. We just haven’t found them yet.” He grinned. “Which leads me to your first job, Jamal.”

  Jamal sat up straighter. “Me?”

  “Yep.” Maluck pointed at him. “I know you’ve got a talent for getting information that’s not exactly easy to find. And right now? We need information.”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Jamal scratched his head. “On what?”

  Maluck steepled his fingers. “We want to completely take over this charity. Right now, we’ve got control of one branch, but there’s still a big boss running the entire network of fake charities.”

  Mike groaned. “There’s always a big boss.”

  Maluck nodded. “Yeah. And we could just burn the whole thing down—but then the money disappears, and the people who actually need help get nothing. Instead? We’re going to take this one over fully. Which means we need leverage. Blackmail. Dirt. Whatever gets them to back off.”

  Jamal hesitated. His mom’s voice echoed in his head. ‘Ain’t no son of mine gonna be a wannabe gangbanger.’

  Maluck watched his expression carefully, then leaned back, giving him space. “Look, I get it. It’s a lot to process. So here’s what we’ll do—head down to the coffee shop, get whatever you want, on my bill.”

  Jamal and Mike exchanged glances.

  Maluck continued. “Talk it over. Think about what you want in life. Because here’s the deal—if you work for us, you’re starting at $60,000 a year. And I guarantee you, that’s just the beginning. We may bend the law, but we’re always the good guys.”

  Jamal exhaled. “Like… Robin Hood shit?”

  Maluck smirked. “Exactly like you said before—Robin Hood shit.”

  Mike shook his head, still skeptical. “And if we don’t take the job?”

  Maluck shrugged. “Then keep the $10,000 signing bonus and walk away. No problem.”

  Jamal and Mike looked at each other. They had a lot to think about.

  ***

  Jamal and Mike sat across from each other in the hotel coffee shop, sipping their overpriced drinks. Jamal had gone with some complicated caramel-mocha-latte situation, while Mike stuck with a black coffee like a man who had seen too much in life.

  For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Jamal finally exhaled and said, “Bro, what the hell did we just get offered?”

  Mike tapped his fingers against his cup. “A job. Probably a very legally complicated one.”

  Jamal took a slow sip of his drink, processing. “Alright, but like… $60,000. A year. Just for using my skills?”

  “Your questionably legal skills,” Mike corrected.

  Jamal raised an eyebrow. “Bro, you take the bar exam for rich people under fake names. Do not act like I’m the sketchy one here.”

  Mike sighed. “I’m just saying, there’s a difference between avoiding legal trouble and inviting it.”

  Jamal leaned back in his chair. “Man, I just got a car. I finally have a way to get a real job, and now Maluck’s handing me a better one. Ain’t no way the universe just gives out freebies like that. What’s the catch?”

  Mike smirked. “Oh, there’s definitely a catch. But here’s the thing—I can’t find it. Maluck’s been upfront about everything. He told us it’s shady. That’s actually less sketchy than half the ‘real jobs’ I’ve seen.”

  Jamal whistled. “Damn. That’s true. I once worked at a sneaker shop that had a backroom full of counterfeit Jordans. When I asked about it, they just told me, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”

  Mike sipped his coffee. “I once got hired for a ‘consulting’ gig. Turns out, the guy just wanted me to argue with his landlord for him.”

  Jamal snorted. “Did you win?”

  “Of course I won. But he paid me in vintage wine, and I don’t even drink.”

  Jamal laughed. “Damn. See, that’s why we need this job. We’ve been working for idiots. Maluck? He knows what he’s doing.”

  Mike nodded slowly. “Yeah. And that’s what worries me.”

  Jamal raised an eyebrow. “How?”

  Mike leaned forward. “Because if he’s that smart, then he’s not making a mistake by hiring us. He wants us for something specific. We just don’t know what it is yet.”

  Jamal exhaled. “So, what do we do?”

  Mike smirked. “You already made up your mind, didn’t you?”

  Jamal grinned. “Damn right I did. I don’t know where this ride is going, but it’s gotta be better than being broke.”

  Mike chuckled. “Guess I’ll have to keep you out of trouble, then.”

  Jamal pointed at him. “You? Keeping me out of trouble?”

  Mike shrugged. “I mean, someone’s gotta do it.”

  Jamal shook his head, laughing. “This is gonna be interesting.”

  They clinked their cups together. Whatever they were getting into, they were getting into it together.

  ***