Chapter 2 #2
“Loyalty in this business is currency, armor and life. You can run with the smartest, the richest, and the deadliest, but if they’re not loyal, they’re a fuckin' risk. A traitor can do more damage than a bullet, because they’ll smile in your face while feeding your name to the enemy.”
He tapped the ash off and narrowed his eyes.
“There are no halfway handshakes in this game. You either die for this family or you was never one of us.”
The silence hung thick until he added, cool as ice, “You slept with Iya, didn’t you?”
“I did, Boss,” I answered honestly and without any hesitation.
Alejandro was the type of man who challenged his men a lot, and most of the time, he did that shit simply because he could.
Being the underboss didn’t make me exempt.
Hell, if I’m being real, I think I got tested more than any other nigga around him.
He’d throw curveballs, set traps, and whisper lies just to see if we’d echo back.
He wanted to know who could be broken, who could be bought, and who could hold it down without flinching.
But unlike most of the niggas in our crew, I knew how Alejandro operated.
I studied his moves the same way he studied everybody else’s.
I stayed ten toes, ten steps, and ten triggers ahead…
always. So every time he tried that shit with me, I passed with flying colors, or blood, depending on how the test was set up. Hence, why I was in the position I was.
He smirked. “I figured. She’s muy bonita. Can’t say I blame you.”
“It wasn’t so much for pleasure, though,” I cleared up, adjusting my cuff. “But what better way to keep an eye on somebody than staying close enough to hear ‘em moan? Women drop secrets when they think you love ‘em.”
“Facts. I like the way you think.” He nodded, leaning back with the cigar resting between his fingers. “Love will make women do some strange ass shit, especially when it’s fake love dressed up in expensive lies.”
He trailed off for a second, like he was remembering something or someone.
I cleared my throat and leaned forward slightly. “Boss—”
He held up a finger. “From today forward, call me Alejandro. You’ve earned that privilege… but only you.”
My brows lifted in surprise. “You sure?”
His tone sharpened, carrying an edge I recognized all too well. “Damari.”
I held my palms up. “Just making sure." I grinned crookedly, then settled back into my seat, folding my arms across my chest. "Well, Alejandro, I wanna ask you something. And if I’m overstepping my line of work, just tell me none of my damn business or shoot me.”
We shared a laughter that was dry yet real.
“This doesn’t sound like business, but more personal,” he remarked, the laughter fading from his tone, replaced by something more serious.
“Kind of both.”
“Okay. Talk to me.”
I took a deep breath. “You ever regret it? This life?”
He didn’t answer right away. He took a long pull on the cigar, then, “I regret who I had to become, but I don’t regret what I had to do.
Survival ain't pretty, and power never is. You think I wanted to bury my own brother for stealing from me? I didn’t…
but I buried him with my own two hands. Why?
Because this kingdom doesn’t run on feelings; it runs on fear, respect, and discipline. ”
I nodded slowly, digesting the heavy truth of his words.
“You remind me of me when I was your age,” he added, eyes lowering to the cigar’s red tip. “Only difference is… you a bit colder.”
I smirked. “Maybe I’m just more honest about who I am.”
“Or maybe,” he said, pointing that cigar again, “you ain’t lived long enough to lie to yourself yet.”
That one landed.
“Is that why you ain’t never settled down?” I kept my tone casual, but my curiosity was real. “I know you love women. But you fifty-two, Alejandro. You ever thought about locking one down? A wife? Maybe even some kids?”
Alejandro flicked the ash off his cigar with precision, exhaling slowly through his nose, then fixed me with that sharp, unreadable expression.
It was quiet for a moment, then, “I’ve thought about it… more now than ever, actually. But wanting something and not knowing if it will survive in this world we’ve built? Two different things.”
He glanced at the smoke rising between us, then continued.
“In this life, family doesn’t make you soft; they make you vulnerable. You love someone enough, and that’s exactly where your enemies aim. Not at you… at them—your wife, your kids, your home. They’ll use what you love to make you fold, make you bleed, or make you beg.”
He looked at me with the weight of lived experience, as though he had stood at the crossroads of pain and loss.
“So nah, I never built a family. I never let myself get that far in. I’d rather be out here fucking random women whose names I don’t remember than sit up at night praying my little girl doesn’t get caught in a crossfire or my woman don’t end up buried ‘cause somebody wanted to hurt me.”
He paused and ashed the cigar again, more aggressively that time.
“Maybe that makes me selfish… or smart. I don’t know.
But it’s the price I chose to pay. I guess the protector in me decided it was better to be alone than to bring somebody I love into a storm I can’t always control.
” He leaned back in his chair. “One day, you might be in this same seat, and when that time comes, you’ll have to decide: Love or loyalty?
Peace or power? Family or legacy? And whatever choice you make, you better be ready to live with it… or die behind it.”
Damn.
I didn’t say much, but I felt every word.
Still… was that his way of offering me the throne?
I didn’t ask, but I logged it in the back of my mind and filed it under Shit to unpack later.
I gave him a tight nod. “I got you.”
Alejandro nodded, then let out a breath like he was done reminiscing.
“Anyway… on to more serious shit,” he said, shifting his posture and leaning forward with renewed intent.
“I’m not stepping down—not yet—but I’m starting to shift the weight.
That being said, I’ve decided to hand over all responsibilities tied to mule recruitment, route assignments, and runner management to you. ”
I straightened up slightly. That wasn’t no light offer.
“That’s why I’m here, sir.”
“I know that. But being present and being prepared isn’t the same.
Being an underboss is pressure, but being a boss is war.
You hear me? This ain’t just muscle and strategy; it’s chess, politics, blood, fear, betrayal, and respect.
” He leaned in, voice lower. “You fuck up with soldiers, they might talk. You fuck up with runners, you might lose a load. But you fuck up with mules? You bring the feds to my front door. And if you bring the feds to me?” He looked me dead in the eye.
“I kill everybody responsible. No exceptions… not even you.”
I nodded once, unflinching. I respected the seriousness of the stakes involved.
“Understood.”
He sank back into his chair, a mixture of relief and expectation flickering across his features.
“Good… because we need a replacement for Iya ASAP. I hated she turned rat; she was one of our best. But now I need someone who is loyal, untraceable, and committed. That entire route she was handling brings in the most revenue we have. One slip-up, and we’ll be bleeding from the neck.
So whoever you choose next, that’s on you.
You can even have Marcos help you out, if need be.
But let him know, if she folds…” He dragged his thumb across his neck in a swift, deadly gesture. “That’s on y’all heads.”
That weight didn’t scare me; it lit something in me.
“I won’t disappoint you. I’ll have a new girl in no time. She’ll be somebody smarter and hungrier than Iya. And if she ain’t?” I cracked my neck. “She won’t last long enough to become a problem.”
“I trust that you’ll find the perfect girl for the job.”
That trust? It wasn’t born from affection; it was rooted in the gritty reality of our lives. Expectation was thicker than blood in this unforgiving world we navigate. Out here, love could easily lead to betrayal or worse... death. But loyalty? Loyalty will make you a king.