“Heain’t planning nothing,” I replied calmly.
Marcos whistled low. “Meaning?”
“It’s on me now,” I said. “Mules fall under my watch. So I’m the one finding replacements.”
“Nah, now. When did all this shit happen?”
“The day I handled Iya,” I answered flatly. “But that ain’t the focus. I need two girls—fast.”
Marcos huffed a short laugh. “And how you plan on finding them if you’re somewhere laid back, chiefing on a fat blunt and sipping drinks with a view?”
“I said I’m over the mules, not the one out here scouting talent. That’s yo’ job. You shop; I just check out the final product,” I reminded him.
“Check out is crazy,” he said, laughing. “So I’m what? The personal shopper?”
I hunched my shoulders. “If that’s what you gotta call yourself to do it right.”
“Aight. I’ma bring you something worth swiping your card for then.”
I chuckled, then got back serious. “Actually, don’t worry about finding a replacement for Nia. She only had one route. That’s why I can’t understand how she fucked this up. But I’ll make a call to Hector. He’s usually understanding when things get disrupted out of our control, long as he hears it from me or Alejandro first. Iya’s route on the other hand? I need a girl lined up by the end of this week…Fridayto be exact.”
Marcos wheezed. “You really expect me to find aqualifiedmule in four days? Bro, you say that like I’m ordering one off Amazon.”
“You right… Amazon might actually take longer. But Marcos, people find crack in fifteen minutes, so I’m pretty sure you can find somebody who needs money by Friday. Scope out the desperate females, though, not the greedy ones. Greed makes people sloppy. They’ll risk the whole play trying to get extra. A desperate person, though? They’ll protect the opportunitybecause they need it… and they already know what it feels like to lose.”
“Yeah, yeah. Well, I’ll let you get back to your little ‘I’m not working but still running everything’ vacation. I’ll keep my eyes open and let you know what I find in the coming days.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Just know, though… if this goes left, I’m telling Boss it wasyouridea.”
“Andwhenthis goes right? You can thank me. Now, if something else pops off, call Alejandro. Otherwise, it can wait.”
I hung up, tossed my phone onto the bed and stretched out across it, staring at the ceiling.
Four days to find a mule.
Alejandro trusted me with that. And in our world, trust was heavier than anybody I’d ever had to bury. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but Alejandro was picky, and the wrong choice could get everybody killed.
I rubbed my chin, thinking.
Somewhere out there is somebody desperate enough, smart enough, and quiet enough, to move weight without asking questions… I just have to find her.