Date: June 1, 2440 — 4:30 PM CST
“Can I help you?” Linda White asked, stepping off her stool behind the counter with the well-practiced calm of small-town retail.
“I’m here to pick up an order,” Robert said, holding up his phone to the scanner.
Linda glanced at the ticket and total, her eyebrows lifting slightly. “We’ll have that right out. Want that taken to your car?”
“I’ll pull around back,” Robert replied, pocketing his phone. “But I also need to speak to your manager.”
“That would be me,” Linda said with a smile.
Robert gave a single nod, then laid a business card on the counter like a quiet gauntlet. “Earlier today, one of Matt Marmaduke’s staff called your shop. She asked—politely—for a priority delivery. You told her she was a nobody and refused. Her name is Oxana Melnikova. Maybe you didn’t recognize it. Maybe you thought she was bluffing.”
Linda hesitated. “I—I’m sure it was just—”
“You told her she didn’t deserve priority,” Robert said, voice pleasant but unyielding. “That staffer works directly for Angelina Reyes. You know who that is, right?”
Linda nodded quickly. She’d never liked the so-called Freehold Queen, not since junior high, and she saw no reason to pretend otherwise. But Angelina was Matt’s top manager—and, like it or not, a major customer who kept the shop busy.
“Well, Angelina asked me to remind you—gently—that Marmaduke Logistics controls your inbound shipping from Memphis and Ames. And the lease on this building?” Robert tapped the counter. “That’s held by a local trust. One of Matt’s. He’s not just a customer who spends a lot here every month.”
Linda’s smile vanished. “I—I wasn’t aware.”
“Now you are.” Robert slid the card back into her hand. “If you ever dismiss one of Matt’s people again, there won’t be a second reminder. That’s just friendly advice.”
He let the pause hang before adding, “And one more thing—tell Mister Russel directly that Matt sends his greetings and thanks him for the prompt attention on this order. Also tell him—and him alone—that he and his family are welcome to come meet the V’ren when things settle down a bit. The aliens someone here didn’t think deserved to have jeans and shirts delivered.”
He smiled, polite as ever. “I’ll pull around back.”
As he left, Robert made three more stops—every store on Angelina’s list. She rarely lost her temper, but today had clearly tested her patience. He would have run the deliveries himself if not for other obligations. Instead, the job would go to Eddie—freshly seventeen as of May 23, and more than capable. He’d still check the truck’s speed-limit lockout before texting her a key.
