Chapter 10
“Domino”
Ileaned back in my chair, one hand wrapped around my glass of bourbon while the other rested lazily on my thigh, watching the last moments of the conversation between Ajori and Marcos through the monitor.
As I mentioned, I initially wanted to join in on the “interview” to get a feel for Ajori myself.
I just wanted to assess her, study her, to decide if she was worth the risk.
Me tuning in was supposed to be strictly business, nothing more.
But her beauty caught me, and the more she talked about her brother’s struggles, something in me cracked—part anger, part lust, part instinct—and I hated it, because I don’t crack for anybody.
“Damn, she’s fine as hell,” Marcos noted, watching her leave.
Fine didn’t even cover it.
Those hazel eyes? Witchcraft.
That light-brown skin with that glow and long luxurious hair? Definitely mixed with something.
And that ass? It was so damn perfect, like God sculpted it on a slow day. If ever got my hands on Ajori and bent her over anything with a pulse, she’d forget what the hell she came to the warehouse for.
“Focus, Marcos,” I said, a hint of jealousy slicing through my tone.
He probably took it as my normal mood—most people did.
“Facts, though,” he laughed. “But aight. She’s a go?”
“Yeah. I think she’ll work out just fine.”
For now. I added that part in my head.
Ajori was desperate—exactly the type we were looking for—but she wasn’t the girl I wanted doing that shit, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why it bothered me.
It could’ve been because she didn’t fit the profile, or maybe because every part of me kept whispering, She’s mine, and my lady should be home, feet kicked up, eating good, laughing loud, not running heat or risking her life for scraps.
And if Ajori didn’t wanna be a housewife? Fine. She could be out there chasing whatever dream lit her up inside. But breaking her back for pennies or getting mixed up in cartel runs? Not on my watch.
“Cool. Well, if you don’t need nothing else, I’m shutting down for the night.”
I need Ajori. The thought hit fast, uninvited.
I’d seen a lot of beautiful women in my thirty-four years of living.
Most of them, I only wanted to fuck and forget their names before sunrise.
But something about Ajori made me want to own the softness she tried to hide, destroy everything that ever made her desperate, protect the parts life kept beating up, and break her open and put her back together how I wanted.
I dragged a hand over my jaw, forcing my expression back to stone. “Nah. We good over here.” Then I added, almost as an afterthought. “And you handled that well tonight.”
Marcos snorted. “Coming from you? That’s basically a standing ovation. Then his tone shifted. “But before I go, I’m curious about something.”
I already know where this was going.
He’s about to ask me something about Ajori.
“Why did you tell me to give her that money? We’ve never given a mule a “welcome package.”
I looked off to the side, watching the replay in my head of Ajori staring at the money in disbelief with shaky hands and her eyes watering, before she caught herself.
Yup… that was my doing.
That story about Ajori’s brother made me want to give her double—hell, triple. If I had been there in person, I might’ve dropped the whole safe in her lap just to see her breathe easier.
My tone stayed calm. “She needed it. Consider it an investment.”
Marcos scoffed. “Since when do we ‘invest’ in mules? Since when do you give a damn about ‘need’?”
We don’t… and I don’t. But I damn near slipped and told him she was different.
I ignored his jab.
“Then there’s the scheduling thing… which is another first,” Marcos continued. “Nobody gets a schedule; they get a call and show up. She gets exceptions now?”
I gave her that exception.
Not for business.
Not for the operation.
Just because I didn’t want her life collapsing around her before we even tested her.
“Let it go, Marcos. Handle it the way I told you,” I ordered. “She got responsibilities, and I’m not having her fall apart before she starts.”
Marcos paused. “You sure this is just business?”
I exhaled through my nose, slowly. “It’s strictly business,” I lied. “If it was personal, you’d know.”
Marcos hummed. “Uh-huh. If you say so. Hell, you barely tell me when you hungry. I ain’t got no problem following orders. I’m just saying… you’ve never done any of this for anyone.”
Marcos waited for an explanation… he didn’t get one.
“Call me if something changes,” I said, ending the call without waiting for his response.
I sat there for a long moment, jaw tight.
Ajori’s face wouldn’t leave my mind.
Those eyes… that voice… that damn walk.
I exhaled sharply and forced the thoughts away.
Business first… always business first.
Yeah, Ajori was fine, but beauty alone wasn’t enough for me to risk the operation.
But that story about her brother? I needed to know if it was real, and not because I thought she was lying.
If it was true, that meant she had a reason strong enough to survive in our world.
Still, until I knew who she really was, she was a risk, a distraction, and maybe even a problem.
And I didn’t fuck problems, I solved them.
I finished my drink and stared at the dark screen.
One thing was already clear:
Bringing Ajori into this life is either going to break her or boss her up.
Change is good, though. Right?
Even if I end up being the one who changes her.