Chapter 49: The Info on the Ground
Steph’s POV—Monday
I’m curious about Javier’s desire to get rid of Bonds Enforcement. It’s a money maker all over the company, a backbone to every other branch. I checked the figures; at every other branch, it accounts for a solid 20% of their revenue, if not more. Here in NYC it’s 10%. I’m wondering if that’s why NYC was having so many problems, but I’m also curious about the fact that neither Manny nor Diego mentioned this as a problem. I want to know more, so I tell Hector I want to shadow Mack, the head of Client Services, for a day to learn more. Hector is not happy.
“That’s field work, Angelita.”
I sigh. “I don’t want to chase skips, Hector …OK, well I do, but not today. I want to learn more, so I want to ride along. I promise I won’t chase the skip.”
Hector looks at me pityingly. “Does my face have ‘stupid’ written on it?” I scowl. “Angelita, one of your best and worst qualities is the fact that you will throw yourself into danger to protect another. It worries me. If anything goes wrong on this little ‘ride-a-long’, Ranger will have my balls mounted.”
This is the first time I’ve ever heard Hector express any fear of Ranger. I consider this.
“I promise. I won’t chase the skip. Besides, your shoulder is still healing. If I got into trouble, you’d injure yourself trying to save me.”
Hector scowled at my mention of his shoulder then sighed. “OK. I will trust my partner. I will hold you to your promise. You will not chase the skip.” He looked at me closely. “If I think, for one minute, that you will, I will handcuff you to the car door. Comprende?”
I nod. I know he doesn’t mean it. Hector’s still pissed Joe cuffed me to my shower rod (‘Did he even consider how long it might take for you to get free? That maybe you didn’t have a phone nearby? That it might put your life in danger?’ He shook his head. ‘And you continued to date that ass’. I gave Hector the silent treatment for a few hours for that statement.), so he would never do that. But I know that if he threatened that, he’s not joking.
I will not chase the skip.
Mack is the head of Bonds Enforcement and Client Services. It hasn’t been a problem before now, because of the constant bleeding in the branch, but he tells me that he’ll have to divide the work soon. Client Services is ready for its own head, and he hates being in front of clients.
“Yo, I mean, yo, I don’t sound like Javi or none of them, ya dig?” he says. We’re off to the Bronx to chase a skip he got the file on yesterday. “They sound all educated and shit. I sound like what I am, hood.”
I nod. What else can I say?
“So, yo, CO, what you wanna rap about, Boss Lady? I’m all ears.”
Hector told me to be prepared to ask him to translate ‘Brooklyn’ into standard English. I get the feeling he’s going to have to translate a lot. Mack’s speech is pure rap song.
“I want to know more about Javi. Who he is as a leader, how the men see him. What you tell me will not be repeated, so I want you to be open and frank. Tell me everything, good and bad.”
Mack is silent for a few minutes before he speaks.
“Yo, to understand Javi, man, I gotta tell you what it was like before and after. Ya dig? Before you sent Manny and Diego and after. Man, before you sent them, we couldn’t understand this man, ya feel me? He wouldn’t make moves. He wouldn’t do shit. You could give him a great idea and he’d sit and pick at it all fuckin’ day. Drove us insane. I thought about shankin’ him, just to get someone new in the branch.”
I hide a smile. I know that feeling. Now, what does ‘shankin” mean? Is that like stabbing?
“Man, it would be worse after Lester would visit. We look at Lester here like a fucking god, yo. He spoke the language, yo, could be street. We knew he wasn’t no street hustler, but he’s deadly and we understood and respected that shit. Javi, man, Javi was white bread. No street skills, couldn’t fight. All proper and shit. We used to joke he ironed and starched his boxers. Called him ‘Carlton’ behind his back.”
OK, that’s funny. I think he means Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Carlton. I laugh quietly.
“Exactly. So, yo, Les would come visit and he and Javi would be holed up for hours. Every fuckin’ time we thought Lester was finally gonna fire his ass. And every fuckin time, Les left him in place. We couldn’t understand that shit. Why?”
This is exactly the information I want to know. I think.
“Liam and Shane, they would go bat-shit crazy. Javi was so wrapped up in some shit in his office that he never heard that shit. Man, knowing what I know now, I wish I’d known Liam was settin’ him up for a fall. I’da shanked his ass. Liam would whine all over the branch about Javi, tore him down, busted his ass in front of the men. I couldn’t say shit to him because he’d take my ass to the mats and Imma tell you, that was always a draw. He couldn’t bust me but I couldn’t bust him, so we kinda had a nod thing going, yo. Don’t fuck wit me, I won’t fuck wit you.”
I nod. OK. I feel like I’m listening to a rap song. I need that rap cheat sheet. Worse? I know Mack’s attempting to clean it up for me.
“So anyway, I finally told Javi, like eight months ago, that Liam and Shane were dogging him. That they dropped mad disrespect on him. He needed to do something about that. And I understood and I knew he wasn’t gonna do shit. That was his leadership. If nothing else, in this branch, we did respect that Javi was mad loyal. He went to bat. He listened to us. But you wasn’t gonna bust his leadership team. That got an automatic ‘Fuck You’.”
That’s what Manny said. OK. We cross into the Bronx and Hector kicks back in the passenger seat. I can tell he’s listening closely.
“So when the news came out that Shane was headed to Miami and you was sending Manny and Diego here, we got hopeful. Maybe Javi was on his way out too. We started watching, peepin everyone’s moves. And what we saw shocked us.”
I lean forward, curious now. Hector frowns, so I lean back a little. Mack smiles.
“Yo, this is still New York, Boss Lady. Stay back in case I gotta slam brakes. I’ma speak where you can hear me.”
I laugh and sit back. “OK. Sorry. Go ahead.”
“So, we realized that Manny and Diego, they didn’t play the disrespect game when it came to Javi. Diego took my ass to the mats the first time I huffed and complained in a meeting cuz I was frustrated with Javi. First time I ever got my ass broke on the mats. That shit shamed me.”
Mack swallows hard and takes a drink of water. So do I.
“Afterwards, Manny comes to talk to me. Asks me to tell him what I know about Javi. I think about it and I realize for the first time I don’t know shit about the man who leads me. Manny sits back, tells me what he’s learned about Javi so far. And man, Imma tell you, I wasn’t ready to hear that shit.”
Mack shakes his head and smiles.
“Javi grew up in the Bronx, Tremont, and that area is grimy. As a kid, you couldn’t pay me to fuck with anyone from Tremont and even now, I go to Tremont with three guns. I stayed strapped ’round there and this is where that man grew up. So I’m shocked as shit to hear this but it also explains how Javi could always tip me to the vibe on the streets. If we had a Bronx skip, we took it to Javi. Then he tells me that Javi is dominicano, Dominican, from way back. And I’m dominicano. I never knew.
Javi was that boy your grandma would tell you about, that rare homie that made it out, made good, did something with his life and I realize that I’m embarrassed I don’t know this about the man. His folk kept him out the streets, made him study, made him go to college. Meanwhile, my peeps, I mean, mi Mami cared but she was working two jobs to raise us. So I did what you wasn’t supposed to do. I hooked up with street hustlers, repped my flag and started hustlin’ till I got locked up. When I got out, I didn’t want to go back in. Didn’t want my sons to have to try to touch me through bulletproof glass.
I didn’t know that Javi’s grandma and my grandma, they know each other. That’s how I got hired here. The homie never said nuthin’, just hired me on and I was so grateful to have a job that I was loyal to RangeMan. If I’d know Javi was responsible for getting me hired here, I don’t know. I don’t know that I’d ever have let him be dissed like that. But I didn’t know and when Manny told me that shit, man, I felt shamed again.”
I have tears in my eyes hearing this. Hector silently passes me his handkerchief. We’re passing the NYC Botanical Gardens. I make a quick note to beg Hector to take me back there.
“So Manny asks me to prove that we need an increase in men for Bonds Enforcement, the same shit I was huffing about in the meeting. So I pull the info and show him what I got and Manny tells me I ain’t got shit. I need to prove that we need more men and to prove it I need numbers. I need to show Javi how many skips we get, how long it takes to get them, how much money we make and how much money it takes to chase one down. And I’m looking at Manny like ‘what the fuck, man?’ and he’s like, anybody can talk that yak yak but you gotta prove it. Do the math, prove what you showin me.
So I take the weekend and I do the math. Manny and Diego are mad cool cuz they come to my apartment, show me how to take the information I got and turn it into info that Javi can move on. And what do I find? We breakin’ even in Bonds Enforcement. This shit don’t pay. We can’t grow it because all the bondsmen in NYC, they got bounty hunters. The moment you get a new man, he already got someone lined up.
So there’s no growth in this. Meanwhile, there’s an assload of bounty hunters in this city. Every time we get a skip, we racing against the clock to get him because it might be me and three other guys all searching for him. So far from proving I’m right, we prove I’m wrong as hell.”
I lean back. Bingo! That’s the info I need. This is why Javier wants to drop it. I want to see those numbers. And I’m proud I’m following his speech. Haven’t needed a translation yet but I will have to think about this stuff again tonight. If Mack had the right beat, this could be a rap song.
“And I’m looking at Manny and Diego and I’m asking, yo, why ya’ll do this? And they tell me that I’m the next layer of management under them. I need to understand how we do business because they depend on me and what I know, the info on the ground, to help Javi make decisions. When I was hustlin in the streets, I did ‘street math’ and that’s all well and good. Street math, corporate math, same damn thing. So I can take the ‘street math’ I know and use it to help Javi make decisions. They tell me that Javi is a man who likes his numbers. Show him numbers and proof and he’ll move. You just can’t talk that yak yak at him and expect him to do some shit.
So that’s what I do. I take the numbers for all our services and I run ’em. I go to Javi and I show him where we can make major bank in ‘Redecorating’ and armed security. Show him the numbers, the requests we’re getting, and the contracts I’m holding and for the first time, I watch this man make quick decisions. I put numbers and evidence in front of his face, he takes a look and he moves. Manny and Diego are nodding like yeah, that’s what up.”
We’ve reached the destination and Mack pulls over. He and Hector flip the visors down and take the RangeMan ‘surveillance’ position.
“So, I’m starting to feel this man, ya dig? If you can prove what you say, he supports you, he listens. Just don’t bring him some bullshit. Prove it. So I’m feeling good, feeling like OK, I can work with Javi. Then Bobby shows up for the ass whooping to end all ass whoopings.”
I laugh. I can see the guys smile.
“Man, watching that beat down? Mad respect for the Doc. That shit looked painful and I was happy as hell. Liam was finally getting his, but it’s what Bobby was saying while he beat the shit outta that man that turned the branch around.
We didn’t realize Javi took it to that level. That he made moves to make sure we could support our families. That that was what drove his decisions. It made every man in the branch feel like shit. I mean, we’d all joked on this man for years, called him ‘white bread’ and ‘Carlton’ and just dissed him and he’s working to ensure we got formula for the baby and money for the rent. That man respected us more than we respected him.
That shit was raw. It was real. And you got one of the big bosses here to say that shit. And, I don’t know? I guess because it was Bobby, we took it serious. Bobby is the big boss we know least about, right? Bobby is a mystery. We know Lester cuz he’s here enough. We know this is home base for him. We see Ranger, Tank sometimes, but we don’t see Bobby unless it’s time for physicals.
So to hear Bobby, the Doc, say that he stands behind Javi, that he’s feeling ready to dish out another few of them ass whoopings, every man understood immediately what he wasn’t saying. That Javier was trustworthy. He was loyal. He did what was right. The man was worthy of respect and we were gonna give it to him or Leadership Core might start handing out the ass whoopings on a regular. Fuck Manny and Diego. Bobby was not to be fucked with.”
Mack grins and turns around. “That was also the day you got mad respect, Boss Lady.”
I’m stunned. “Me? What did I do?”
Mack turns back around and laughs. “You mean aside from crushing Liam’s nuts?” We laugh. “I mean, you was already getting mad respect cuz you sent Manny and Diego here and got rid of Shane. But man, when you yelled at Liam to get his ass on the mats, every man was wondering what yo’ mat skills was like cuz you was hollering like you might take his ass down yourself.”
I’m laughing so hard I start crying. I was pissed about having to be there at 5 a.m. and leaving Hector in Trenton. Having to actually look at the reason I wasn’t by Hector’s side, forcing him to rest and relax, just pissed me off to no end. If not for Maria’s presence in Trenton, I might have sprayed Liam with mace. Hector is really working to hide his smile.
“Then you said you stood behind Javi. That you were there to make sure we understood that he did what was right. And that you wanted us to prove to the rest of the company that we was major. That NYC was not to be fucked with. I mean, we got so used to being ignored, to being last, that to hear management say go fuck ’em? Big shit. Every man went back to his desk thinking about what to do. I got assloads of ideas from the men that day about things we could do.”
I’m smiling hearing this. I’m also looking around out the window. Lots of five and six story buildings decorated in very colorful and interesting graffiti, dark alleys, and young men standing around in groups. This is a scary looking area and it’s daytime. I stand out here. I think I’ll stay in the car.
“So, when you and the Doc leave, I go speak to Javi. Me and him, one and one, we hit a restaurant and we rap honest. I tell him that I was sorry for not supporting him like I should have. I put word out in Client Services: disrespect the XO and Imma take yo ass to the mats right after he does and it will be major.”
Mack leans forward, stares intently, then shakes his head and leans back. He takes a sip of water and scans the area. I see him look at Hector then nod towards another car. After a moment, Hector nods too. I look. I don’t see anything.
“I ask him why he never told me I got my job on the grandma hook-up.” I giggle and Mack smiles. “He tells me that there was two reasons. One, I got hired because I wanted to make a change and I had skills he could use. I was done with street life and I was ready for something new. Two, I mean, I got my job through my grandma.” Mack shakes his head and grimaces. “He was like, could you have looked me in the face and felt like a man knowing that? That your granny hooked you up? And I realize he’s right. Again, that man let me have my pride and I’ve been dogging him.”
Men and their pride. Geez. Then again, I blackmailed my cousin with his kinky sex life. I’m still trying to figure out what they spotted.
“Yo, I can speak for Client Services. We see Javi different now. He’s gaining respect. I told ’em, don’t rap to him unless you can prove what you’re saying. Don’t go talking that yak yak to him. Take him numbers and proof. And now that the men know his standard, the frustration is gone, I think. Like, Jose went to him with the numbers for bodyguards cuz he don’t think we down and out in that and Javi looked at it and said he’d think about it. So Jose brought me the numbers and we looked at ’em and I said I agreed with Javi. It was looking like a 50-50 shot on that. If Jose could improve the odds, Javi might look at it again. It was that kind of stuff that we was missing before.”
“So, you guys didn’t understand how Javi made his decisions? You weren’t sure of his standards?” I still don’t get the thing with the car. Is the skip in the car?
Mack snorts. “Fuck not being sure. We simply didn’t know. It was a complete mystery. I told Javi that the single biggest thing that helped his rep was us finally getting an idea of how he made his decisions. He nodded and three days later, we have a little workshop. Management and anyone that wants to attend. He shows us how to do the math for this ‘pipeline’ stuff and we start understanding how he makes the decisions. It’s bold and upfront now. And, Imma tell you, Boss, street hustlers understand math.”
I frown. Huh? Mack smiles.
“When you spend your life converting pounds to kilos, dividing, multiplying, and marketing, you understand numbers. That was the funniest shit in that workshop.” He starts laughing hard, but I notice he still has his eye on the streets. “Javi would show us the numbers and every man would get confused. I’d put ‘crack’ numbers next to it and it made total sense.”
I laugh. That’s hilarious. I can see Hector hiding another smile.
“Yeah, exactly. Fucked up but that’s how Manny and Diego helped me make sense of it. Like I said, ‘street math’. A lot of us good in that. There are men in this branch that understand complex mathematical equations, and can do that shit in their heads, as long as you put ‘crack’ numbers next to it. So anyway, now we get it. It makes sense. And Javi’s open with us about it. He sends us a weekly report with the numbers, with the ‘pipeline’. We understand where we’re making bank and it’s started a competition within the branch. Every department is trying to make bank. Redecorating vs. Bonds Enforcement vs. Monitoring and so forth. Every man is hustling for those contracts.”
I nod. That’s exactly what I hoped would happen. So, that’s something else to note: Javi is open with his men about the situation and now that they understand, they’re trying to improve the numbers. Each man understands how he’s responsible for the bottom line. Mack’s still scanning the street.
“So yeah, I’d say the man’s reputation has improved and I don’t really see where he’s made big changes since you sent Manny and Diego here. He’s just being more open with us and showing us how we each make a difference to the bottom line.”
Mack looks forward intently and frowns. “OK, here’s our boy. Boss, please stay in the car. This skip is known for shankin’ and if you get hurt, that’s my ass with Hector here.”
Hector is pulling out his knives and preparing to move. I tap him lightly and point to his shoulder, frowning. He nods and points to Mack, who nods.
“He’s just acting as my backup, Boss. I shouldn’t need him but if I do, his job is to get you out of here. Fuck me.”
Hector and Mack exit the car and cross the street. Hector stands across the street parallel to the SUV while Mack circles around behind him and starts trailing the guy at a discreet distance back toward our car. At the same time, another man gets out of his car and heads toward the skip. Damn, that’s what Mack and Hector spotted, another BEA. How did they figure it out? The skip turns, sees the other guy trailing him and starts to run. Mack and the other guy give chase with Mack in the lead. The skip crosses the street through traffic at a dead run. He’s almost at the sidewalk when I fling the door open.
Crash!
Right into the door. I grin. I caught the skip without getting out of the car. Mack doubles over in laughter as he reaches me, and I get out of the car and stand over the skip, but well out of arm’s reach. The other BEA is still moving toward me so I pull the gun.
“Nice try, dude, but he’s mine.”
I have one foot on the skip’s leg and my gun at my side. The BEA looks at me and then behind me.
No need to ask. I’m sure Hector has both knives out.
Mack handcuffs the skip and secures him inside the SUV. He opens the passenger door for me and I hop in. Hector climbs in the back.
“Imma sue! Assault! That shit wasn’t cool!”
“Hey! It’s not my fault you ran into an open door,” I reply. “You should watch where you’re going.”
Mack slides his hand to me and I slap it.
Yeah, I’m still bad ass. Even if Hector won’t let me chase the skip.
Hector’s POV—Friday
I’m dying of laughter inside. Hal’s gonna have a fit.
It’s been another good trip. Angelita spent time with the men, listening to their concerns and letting them show off for her. As a result, like the Atlanta men, the NYC men love the CO. She listens to them. She does ride-alongs (which still make me nervous) to see what they do and she clearly supports the XO and the new strategist.
It’s clear that the strategist and the men are still trying to find their relationship, but with Mack easing the way, it’s happening pretty smoothly. Jorge agreed to take over as the head of Client Services and gave Mack a new title, Head of Security Administration. Jorge can sell high end services while Mack takes over the more ‘active’ street services. The men got quiet when they found out he was also from Tremont. Lester said he felt under armed there so I want to see this place. Les never feels under armed anywhere.
It’s also clear that Javi is in control of his branch again. Mack was right; now that they see that the XO is working on their behalf, the men support and back him. Every man considers it his duty to come up with new ideas for the XO to consider. They’re giving Javi tips on more active stuff and they make sure they approach him with facts and figures. Lester and Angelita gave Javi a baseline: if he’s been considering it for 5 days or it’s under $500K, he can move on the information he has. Anything higher and he’s free to call them for a judgment. He’s relieved to have a standard to move on and he’s made lots of decisions in the past two weeks.
Best thing Angelita did? Admitted she too was in training. The men wanted to take her to get a slice since she was in Brooklyn and she told them that she had to meet RangeMan standards first, temporarily forgetting the five she already put away. The men who are being hired now realize that there’s no shame in not already knowing this, as long as they’re willing to put in work, like the CO, to learn. So the new NYC men and the existing ones are supporting each other, helping the new men make the goals. To thank her, the men found lots of vegetarian restaurants to take her to. She’s still looking at falafels weird, but hummus went over OK. I told the men not to tell her it was beans.
Nate’s hiring blitz in Atlanta means that I can spare six men for the business investigations unit here in NYC. Angelita and Lester spent time looking for an apartment building they could rent to house the men. Thanks to the new Barclay Center, everything in this area is getting costly, but they found something nice. Lester will close the deal on a six month lease of 10 apartments close to the office next week.
This afternoon, before we left, the NYC RangeMen asked to speak to the CO before she left. They were all gathered in Conference 3, the biggest conference room, when she arrived.
Each man stood at attention as Angelita walked in. She grinned. “Stand down.”
The men laughed and Javier motioned to Mack. I stood next to Lester, whose lips were twitching.
“Yo, Boss Lady, we wanted to let you know that we appreciate you coming to see us these past two weeks. We know this ain’t our review, but still, we think you major. So,” he pulled a shopping bag from behind his chair. Angelita began to laugh, “we decided that you need to look major. You need to rep major. And since there’s no city in this country more major than the NYC—”
“BROOKLYN!” The men yelled. Les, Javi, Jorge and I turned red trying not to laugh. Angelita collapsed in a chair laughing. Mack grinned.
“You need swag. Basic black won’t do for someone as major as you. So, we got you major gear. RM-NYC, of course.” He started pulling items from the bag. “You need the hat, the Ray-bans, the T-Shirts, and the pants. You gotta rep major. So, we made sure that the next time you come visit us here in the NYC, for our review, you ballin’ just like us.”
The NYC RangeMen looked at me warily, but it didn’t stop them from hugging the CO. Mack fixed her hair into a ponytail, stuck the hat on her head and handed her the sunglasses.
“OK, that’s a good start. Now you starting to look like the shot caller.”
Angelita finally stopped laughing and looked at Mack. “Just so we’re clear, what’s major?”
“Fierce. Bad, awesome, the best. You told us to show the company that NYC is not to be fucked with and Javi had some good news for us this morning.”
Javier turned to Angelita. “Since you sent Manny and Diego to the branch, we’ve been able to show consistent growth week to week. In the past seven weeks, this branch has been able to stabilize itself and we’ve gone from being in the shitter to nearly breaking even. I’d say three more months and Mark might need to start worrying.”
I was glad my blank face was in place. Damn! They’re doing that well? Angelita looked completely astonished.
“Are you serious? We’re doing that well?”
“Yes ma’am, boss,” Mack replied. Angelita’s entire face scrunched at the word ma’am and he grinned. “Sorry. We heard that was one of your words. Anyway, yeah, we’re coming back and fast. Javi and Jorge are major, they got ideas and the big money contacts, and we floating up everything we can think of.” He grinned and leaned closer. “Look Boss Lady, don’t come back till the end of the year. We wanna blow the review out the water. You gave us what we needed to do it. Now give us some time to truly prove it.”
“HUA!” The men replied, grinning.
Angelita laughed, took the bags, and left the room. She returned wearing the T-Shirt, the sunglasses, and the hat.
Hal’s literally going to burst a blood vessel. The Trenton men will riot.
Hal’s POV
Sis has finally arrived, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Gone from my eyesight for two weeks and she returns in one piece.
Thank you, Lord. I can call Tank the moment she hits 7 and tell him she’s safely home again.
What is she wearing?
Oh, please don’t tell me she did it again?
AGAIN? Seriously? Again?
She came home in Javi’s swag! Traitor!
Clearly the monitor duty had no effect and she’s the CO. I can’t actually ‘punish’ her. Damn.
Steph walks toward me with a sheepish look on her face. Hector is openly grinning.
“Hi Hal.”
“Hi Sis.”
“How is everything? Nothing blew up in my absence, right?” She has this naughty look on her face now. Good. She knows she’s done wrong.
“Status normal. What are you wearing?”
She looks down at the T-shirt in fake surprise. “Oh, this? This is a RM-NYC T-shirt. The New York men gave it to me. They want me to rep the branch when I come back for the review.”
She’s not reviewing them for months. You mean I gotta let Javi’s swag occupy precious space anywhere in my building? Grrr…
The garage door behind me opens and I look. Ram, Junior, Woody, Zip, Zero, Binkie, Eddie, Caesar, and a bunch more men have joined us in the garage. All look as disgruntled as I feel. Manny and I will have words later. He should have stopped this.
Sis sighs. “OK, yes, I have on NYC swag.”
Silence. We are not happy men. Steph’s ours! Ours! We’ll share but you have to return her in the same condition we sent her out. Meaning, minus your swag!
I look at Hector. “I’m going on the next two trips.“
He grins. “Stopping the swag where it starts?“
I nod. Ram takes her bags and I take her hand.
“How much do I need to dispose of this time?” Not that I got to last time. It disappeared.
She looks over at me. “Ella’s holding it. I thought you might try something sneaky.”
Damn. I’ll never get to it. We get Sis situated on 7, I call Tank, and head back to 5. There’s a delegation in my office. A decision has been made. I pick up the phone.
“Ella? Feeling up to some embroidery?”
A/N: As a part of my job as a consultant, I’ve spent a lot of time in NJ (Newark/New Brunswick & the Trenton/Princeton area!) and NYC (Bronx, Manhattan, Queens). I also spent time in NYC as a child, so I know and understand the language, the ‘patois’ so to speak. The scene contains foul language and patois, but there’s no way I could write this scene and sound ‘real’ without it (actually, I cleaned it up as much as I could). Read at your own risk.
