I slid into the seat and shut the door. “Was that your boss?” I wasted no time asking.
He smirked, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes. “I guess you could say that. He’s also my nigga. But he’s got a boss, too.”
The way he said it, I couldn't help but sense the layers of their relationship—both professional and personal.
My brows knitted together in confusion. “How many bosses are there?”
His answer was short, almost amused. “Enough to know you don’t want to meet the top one unless you have to.”
I filed that away, then caught the scent of something skunky as he reached into the console and pulled out a blunt. He lit it slow, took a drag, then held it toward me.
“You smoke?”
I hastily shook my head.
“Good girl all around, huh?” he replied, nodding as if he respected my choice. He leaned back slightly, exhaling smoke toward the cracked window.
“So… why am I here, Marcos?” I asked, cutting to the chase,
Marcos shifted, turning so I could feel the weight of his attention. “So, you probably caught enough of that to know that your next run won’t be a typical one like your others."
“I caught enough to know your boy is a little intimidating, and he slyly threatened to kill me.”
He let out a soft laugh under his breath, shaking his head. “That’s how he talks on agoodday.”
“Well, ifthat’sa good day, I definitely don’t want to see him on a bad one,” I muttered, my heart racing at the thought. “And if he’s the boss? Yeah… I don’t ever need to meet him. On another note, you could’ve just texted me the details like always.”
Marcos shook his head, a serious expression crossing his face. “He wanted this conversation face-to-face. Which, I’m not gon’ lie, I agree with. Ajori, you’ve been solid these past six weeks, but tomorrow is a whole different game.”
My pulse kicked up, but I kept my expression neutral. “Different how?”
Marcos tapped ash into the tray, eyes still on me, “You’ll be driving ten hours, one way.”
“Whew… ten hours,” I breathed, my eyebrows shooting up with disbelief. The shock slipped out before I could reel it in.
In my head, I ran the calculations. The longest I had ever driven for a run was four hours, and that was only once. Still, it wasn’t the drive I was mostly concerned about; it was Kyrin.
Always Kyrin.
I wasn’t stressed about a sitter either. Surprisingly, Vanessa had kept her word and had been staying at home more. She was even more helpful when it came to the bills and Kyrin. It was as if she were genuinely trying to mend the years of damage she’d caused. If she couldn't come through, I knew Lainey would step up without hesitation.
“Yeah,” Marcos went on. “You’ll have to pick up from one end of the state and run it across the line without touching a main highway the whole way.”
“Why no highways?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Because state patrols have been extra nosy lately. They’re running stings. You take a main road, you risk a checkpoint. That’s jail time, Ajori, not ‘oops, my bad’ time. You feel me?”
I nodded slowly, my hands tightening on my knees.
“You’ll be driving through back roads,” Marcos continued, “They'll be two rendezvous points for check-ins. The first one is just to confirm you’re on schedule. The second is where they’ll switch the car.”
My eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Switch the car?”
“Yup. Remember me mentioning that it would eventually happen? Well… yeah. Tomorrow’s the day.” He shrugged. “You start in one car, finish in another. It keeps the trail cold. The second car will have the package hidden somewhere, evenyouwon’t find it unless you tear the thing apart.”
Great… surprises inside surprises.
“Other than the car exchange,” he went on, “you arenotto make any other stops unless the car catches fire or you’re dying. No calls, no texts, no music loud enough to miss a tail. Get a good night’s rest, limit what you drink in the morning so you don’t need to stop, and don’t eat anything that’ll put you on the toilet. If you can, take a good shit before leaving.”