I squinted at him. “So that was safety protocol survival tips mixed with bowel counseling? Beautiful work... truly. Thanks for the poetry,” I stated, sarcastically.
He smirked.
“So… what’s the payout?” I asked.
Because hello… the important part.
“One-fifty.”
“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” I blurted out, my voice rising in disbelief.
He chuckled. Yes.”
Then another thought struck me. “So, if this is a new route, I’m assuming this is a new client. Or did one of your other mules get fired?”
Marcos’s mouth curved, but it wasn’t a friendly smile.
“Fired?” He scoffed. “See… no one really gets fired in this line of work. A mule can quit in good standing, sure. But fired?” Hetapped the steering wheel lightly. “If we gotta fire you, you’re not walking away to complain about it. Getting fired usually means you have already made a mistake big enough to get wiped off the board. It’s like being erased from existence.”
A slow ripple of unease crept through me. “So this guy—this client—is new then?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Brand new. And from what Dom told me, he ain’t exactly the easiest man to please.”
The warning was clear.
I reared my head back. “And you thinkIcan handle him?”
Marcos snorted. “Maybe nothimspecifically. But that’s the beauty of it—you’re not going there to negotiate or sit down with him. You’re just the mule. You hand over the product. That’s it.”
“Okay… but mules get killed on runs.” My voice dropped, tinged with the reality of the risks involved.
He gave me a look that somehow managed to be annoyed and proud at the same time.
“Ajori, you’ve handled six weeks of drops cleaner than people who’ve been doing this shit for years. Yeah, you got sick and so did your brother… life hit you, but even with that, you haven’t had a single major hiccup.”
I fell silent, not because I doubted his assessment but because hearing someone else acknowledge my grind was different.
He continued, voice lower. “I wouldn’t give you this if I thought you couldn’t handle it. The only reason I’m stressing the details is because this isn’t local. Once you cross that line, you’ll be out of my reach if something happens… although we’ll be watching. We usually put older mules on long-distance runs like this—people who got years under their belt. But I pushed for you because I think this could be a break for you. So let me know how you’re feeling.”
His fingers drummed once on the door.
I exhaled slowly. “I can handle it,” I assured.
His mouth curved slightly. “I know you can. But say no more. Be ready tomorrow morning at six sharp.”
I gave a short nod. “Got it.” Then exited the car.
As I crossed the lot toward my own car, one thought pressed itself into the center of my mind and refused to budge.
If tomorrow goes right, my whole life changes… and if it goes wrong, my whole life ends.