“When don’t we?” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
Marcos exhaled into the phone. “Customs snatched one of the shipments coming through Tucson.”
I went still. “Which one?”
“The smaller run. Nothing tied to us directly, but the driver panicked and ditched the car.”
“Idiot.”
“Yeah, well, idiots exist.”
“And they get replaced,” I reminded him.
Marcos chuckled. “Already handled. She won’t be panicking about anything ever again, unless she’s down there arguing with the devil instead of walking through them pearly gates. As for the car, it was retrieved and wiped clean… no prints, no trace, nothing left behind but metal. Also, the stash house has been cleared out.”
I stayed quiet for a second, listening past his words.
I gotta replace another mule.
What the fuck is going on?
Of course this shit would happenrightafter Alejandro slid that responsibility my way.
I rolled my shoulders, forcing it off.
It was cool, though.
I wasn’t built to question pressure; I was built to apply it.
“Good work,” I finally responded, nodding. “But I want every route double-checked, every weak point tightened, and every driver reminded of what comes with losing their nerve. And keep eyes on customs. I don’t deal in coincidences.”
“You thinking a tip-off?”
“I’m thinking Alejandro doesn’t pay people to guess. He pays for answers, so find them.”
“Aight,” he said, tone sharpening. “I’ll do another rundown of customs, routes, everybody. If something slipped, I’ll find it.”
That’s what I like about Marcos—he never rushed a report, never overexplained, or tried to sound bigger than the work. He was the kind of man who understood that one mistake could cost more than money and moved like it every time. Men like that were rare. Most needed pressure to perform; Marcos applied it to himself. If I ever stepped higher in my position, he’d be the one standing to my right.
“Do that. Because if you don’t, I will, and I won’t be as patient about it.”
“Aight. But aye—I heard about Iya,” Marco said, shifting the conversation.
I shrugged even though he couldn’t see it. “Yeah.”
“That’s it? Justyeah?”
“She knew the rules.”
Marcos went quiet for a beat. “Damn, Domino.”
“What? You want me to cry about it?”
“I’m just saying, shorty was around for a minuteandy’all was fuckin’.”
“And now she ain’t, and now we ain’t. End of story.”
“You cold, bro. But what Alejandro planning to do about her route, including Nia’s, who is also no longer with us.”