Not a Criminal, Just a Collector Part 2

He entered the Talyhato Corner. He leaned on the counter of the bar, "You know where Felix is?"

"You are, sir?"

"One of Egor Valdez's friends."

"Name?"

"Eddie Holt, ring a bell?"

"Oh, I beg your pardon, I didn't recognize you, sir, I will call Mr. Veltur right away," She left in a hurry and a minute later the large Felix Veltur walked towards the bar counter.

"Please excuse the lady, she is new."

"No problem, this is the Out, no need to be so polite, I got Egor his possessions."

"Please, come with me, you can give it to Egor directly," Felix said as he lead Eddie into the office in the club where Egor sat with a bot girl on his lap, "Sir, Eddie has returned," He smiled and the bot girl put his cigar down.

"Thank you, Felix, Eddie, take a seat," Eddie dumped the bag on the desk and sat down, "What did you do to him?"

"Fingers."

"Ah, of course, that is a little more than 20,000."

"I know, but it is about the message, not the price," The girl got up and pulled the bag towards Egor.

"Thanks, sweetheart, so this is the 2,980,000?"

"Yeah, I counted it quickly," He pointed at his eye, "This is useful for that."

"Here, let me pay you," He took out four stacks of bills and quickly counted them, "Here is your 500,000," Eddie pulled the money towards him and placed the bills in his coat's inner pockets, "Mmm, all my cash coming back into my hand, thank you for your services, Eddie, once more."

"I am the Collector, you pay, I collect, easy as that, I don't do many favors."

"I know, you aren't that moral type, unlike an enhanced man I knew in the past, he helped me a lot as well, but in different ways than you have."

"I am an Out man, nothing else," He got up and adjusted his jacket, "Well, I'll be going," He got up and walked to the door.

"If you need me, just ask."

"If our roles ever switch, no?"

"I guess."

"Yes, I would like to deposit this, yeah," He said, talking to the service robot at the teller, "It is 500,000 zepals."

"Very well, sir, it will be deposited, thank you for using Gallbatonia National."

"Only bank here," He mumbled and rolled his eyes before leaving. He lived in a slightly wealthier part of the Outer Ring but despite a massive amount on his bank account, he didn't live the luxurious life and instead lived with what he needed and slightly more, getting kicks from his job and other activities.

He hopped onto a bus and quickly paid the driver before sitting down, making sure to have a seat in a bus that got crowded at this time. He sighed as he saw a low-level thug walk in with two others, they had tattooed necks, thugs that were enforcers for a gang below Egor Valdez. The driver asked them to pay and Eddie got up instantly, knowing what would happen, "Oie, leave him alone, you thugs can't do what you want, just follow the rules a little."

"Who the fuck are you?"

"One of EV's friends, punk, so back off a little."

"A friend of EV?" He pulled down on the skin below his eye slightly, "Yeah right."

"Just pay your fucking 4,000 and fuck right off."

"Whoah, whoah, you don't talk to us like that," They tried intimidating him by the fact they were three.

"I'll blow a hole through your forehead and then paint your fucking house with that blood before writing a fucking letter to your families telling them how you crossed the wrong fucking line because your tiny-ass brains were too useless to understand the danger you put yourself in."

"Is that a threat?"

"How about this?" He pulled down the sleeve of his right arm and revealed three tattoos, "Pay double and fuck right off of this bus, now," The three thugs looked at each other and then back at Eddie before doing what he told them to, "Fuck off."

"Sir, how did you do that?"

"I know them, even if I look like some type of brute, I am a brute that doesn't like people like them, think they can get everything without working for it."

"What did you show them?"

"Nothing, small tattoos that told them who I was, friend of the man that they call boss," He said showing the tattoos, "Two feathers and a fist, angel of death and the crossed N."

"So you are a thug too?"

"No, I am friends with them, so it grants me some pretty good advantages in the Out," He shrugged and smiled, "But when things like that happen, best let it pass, even if gangs are gone mostly, boneheads are still a thing, 4,000 zepals is nothing, so you know, your boss won't care."

"I work for the government, like all public workers."

"4,000 won't hurt them, good people naturally pay, no need to ask them, the ones that don't pay are probably willing to crack your skull to get out of paying anything."

"Thank you, it is my first year really," He said shyly, "Never had this before."

"Good that it happened today, huh?"

"Yeah, well, thanks, have a good day, sir," Eddie hopped off of the bus and continued walking towards his home. His phone began ringing and he placed it near his ear.

"Hello, who is this?"

"AoD."

"Ah, Julie, how are you?"

"I am not all that good, Eddie, I need to ask for your services again."

"What for?"

"A collection, you idiot."

"Oh, I thought it was for-"

"No, fuck off, just get to my place and I'll tell you the details."

"Okay, will do, just give me an hour."

"Fine, whatever, whatever," She hung up the phone. He laughed and then pulled key out of his coat.

"Same old girl, same old," He placed the key against the keypad and his door unlocked. His house was very different on the inside compared to the outside. Outside was poor with the minimal structure but on the inside, it was much more comfortable.