His abrupt tone was irritating, but at least there was no preamble. “Your name was given to me by an acquaintance. Hector Delarosa said that if he was in the market for someone to act as his carrier, you’d be his first choice. He’s having some trouble right now, so we’ll pick up the slack until he’s back to full production.” It was all a lie—there was no way this guy did business with Delarosa. The cartels who kept him busy would prohibit him from talking to anyone else, but with the promise of enough money he’d take transporting product off his to-do list. “If we can come to an agreement, I give you my word it’ll be mutually beneficial.”

“And you’d do business with someone you’ve never heard of? I’m sorry, Rhodes, but what you’re talking about comes with some stiff penalties if you get caught working with the wrong people.” Colin leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees. “And if you’re legit, you might want to think about having someone introduce you. Cold calls aren’t going to go over well with anyone, and if you ask the wrong person, it can get you killed.”

“Are you threatening me?” He thought about what consequences there would be for shooting this asshole for his disrespect.

“Not at all. Call it free advice. This is a private club, so you’re going to need a reference.” Colin laughed and it only made him madder.

“I just gave you a reference. Considering it’s the head of the cartel, that should carry some weight.”

“Hector is bleeding to death, and we’ve never done business. He doesn’t know my name. If you’re a cop, go ahead and write that down, so you don’t forget it.” Colin leaned farther in.

“Why’d you come if you weren’t interested? This has been a waste of time.”

This was going to put a nail in his plan, but Mead was the only one he remembered from his FBI days. He was just getting into the business when he’d left, and he didn’t have the whole story on him. Mead was out of their jurisdiction since the guy was in California. There wasn’t much known about him back then, but from what he understood, he’d carved out a niche of the market because he was good.

“I was curious, that’s all. You’re getting into a dangerous business at a volatile time, Mr. Rhodes. If you’re starting like this, you aren’t going to last long enough to finish one of your fine cigars.” Colin stood and buttoned his jacket.