Chapter 21 #2
Then his expression shifted slightly.
“I would warn you not to wander outside the main courtyard, though.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Guard dogs,” he shrugged casually.
My eyes widened.
“Relax,” he chuckled. “They’re harmless to family. They’ll get used to you in no time.” Then he gave me a quick wink.
In my head, I scoffed.
If you call five days enough time for a pack of guard dogs to decide I’m family.
With that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
For a few seconds, I just stood there, taking in the quiet luxury and the way every single detail in the room seemed intentionally placed, like whoever designed it wanted the person staying here to feel important.
It was breathtaking, almost as if someone had gone out, but if I had to guess, someone had gone out of their way to make sure I felt comfortable—maybe a little too comfortable.
Maybe the head boss was trying to win me over to come back as one of the organizations mule. After seeing that the money was gone, I might not have a choice.
After another moment, I stepped back into the hallway and headed down to Lainey’s room.
When I pushed her door open, she was already on a mission with her phone out, camera facing her, going live.
“Y’all… my best friend done brought me to paradise!” she announced dramatically to her viewers, spinning in a slow circle so the room stayed in frame. “If I don’t come back, just know I’m somewhere being fed grapes on a balcony in a bikini.”
“Lainey!” I hissed.
She flinched and immediately ended the live.
“What?” she said defensively. “I was just giving them a quick tour.”
“Yeah, but we’re in an unknown house that could belong to a cartel boss or something,” I muttered, lowering my voice.
Lainey waved me off like I was being ridiculous. “Girl, I don’t care if this place belongs to Scarface himself,” she said, dropping onto the bed. “I’m about to enjoy every second of this vacation. If something happens, at least my last day will have been well spent.”
She pointed at me.
“And you better leave all them problems back in Charlotte. This is vacation mode.”
Even surrounded by all this beauty, I couldn’t shake it. The weight of Kyrin’s surgery still sat heavily in the back of my mind like a storm cloud that refused to move.
Maybe sensing it, Lainey lowered her phone and her voice.
“Look, Jo,” she said gently. “I know you’re stressed, and I know you’re probably thinking about what’s next and how you’re gonna make everything happen.
But you gotta chill, boo. God doesn’t need you to have the whole plan figured out before he moves.
Sometimes you just gotta be still and let him work. ”
My eyes softened. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Always is,” she shot back. “But maybe this right here is the moment he’s telling you to rest and trust him… even if it’s just for five days.”
I inhaled slowly, letting her words settle over me.
Before I could respond, Kyrin’s voice floated from the doorway. “She’s right, you know.”
Both of us turned.
Kyrin was leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, that calm little half-smile on his face.
“You think I don’t notice?” he said, walking into the room. “You do everything for me, Jo… and I mean everything. You work yourself to the bone, you make sure I’m straight, you even brought me to freakin’ Mexico.”
He nudged my shoulder gently.
“I’m good because of you. Like I always tell you… you’re the best sister in the world. And if you can’t relax here, when can you?”
My throat tightened, but that time it wasn’t from stress.
“I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I am okay,” he assured me. “So breathe. Enjoy this. You earned it.”
For the first time since we landed, I actually smiled.
Then Lainey’s smirk returned like it had never left. “Now that that’s settled…” she said, clapping her hands once, “where the hell is my bikini?!”
Four hours later, after an afternoon of splashing around in the pool, laughing harder than we had in months, and rinsing off under hot showers that felt like rain, we were all dressed and lounging in my room.
A knock sounded at the door.
A man in a crisp white shirt and dark slacks stepped in, his accent rich and warm. “Senorita Ajori… Senor Alejandro requests your presence for dinner. All of you, please.”
I glanced at Lainey. “Well… that didn’t sound optional.”
We followed him through a long hallway lined with oil paintings and soft golden lighting. When we stepped into the dining room, I was taken aback by the décor. It looked like a royal banquet.
The table stretched long enough to seat twenty people comfortably, draped in an ivory linen cloth that looked too expensive to even breathe on wrong.
Crystal goblets sparkled beneath a chandelier the size of a small car.
Platters of food covered nearly every inch of the table.
Roasted lamb glistened under a honey glaze.
Garlic butter shrimp rested on a silver tray beside grilled lobster tails.
Bowls of bright mango and pineapple were arranged like art pieces.
A massive dish of saffron rice steamed beside grilled vegetables, fresh tortillas, and slow-cooked carne asada.
There were trays of roasted chicken, plates of ceviche, warm bread baskets, and small crystal bowls filled with sauces and spices.
And that was just what I could see.
Silver domes covered several other dishes waiting to be revealed.
Kyrin’s eyes lit up like Christmas morning.
“Girl,” Lainey muttered, “I’m about to eat like somebody’s rich auntie at Thanksgiving.”
But none of us moved toward the table. It all looked too perfect… too expensive, like touching the wrong fork might get us escorted out. So we sat quietly, unsure of the rules.
A moment later, Marcos stepped into the room.
He was dressed in all black, carrying the same calm authority he always had.
Right behind him came a slightly older Mexican man. His face was weathered in a way that told you he’d lived through things most people only heard about in stories. Yet there was still charm in his smile, and the sharp suit he wore fit him like it had been stitched directly onto him.
Then came the third man. He didn’t rush; he walked in slowly, as if he knew the room would wait for him.
His skin carried the deep bronze of someone who spent time in the sun.
The dark shirt he wore was unbuttoned just enough to reveal ink curling along his chest. But it was his eyes that caught me.
They landed on me like he was studying me and undressing me all in the same breath.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me—that was Dom.
The same man whose voice had once crackled through a speaker and made my pulse stumble. And now here he was in the flesh.
Marcos moved to the head of the table, a faint smirk playing at his lips. “Ajori,” he said, “let me properly introduce everyone.”
He gestured first toward the older man beside him.
“This is Senor Alejandro Valdés.”
His tone shifted slightly with respect.
“He’s the man who built this entire operation from the ground up. Every major move, every shipment, every decision—it all runs through him. He’s the boss of bosses.”
Alejandro’s presence was heavy, not in a threatening way, but in the way of someone who knew he could walk into any room and own it without effort.
He gave me a warm nod, his gold cufflinks catching the light.
“Ajori,” he said smoothly, his voice deep and welcoming. “You have no idea how happy I am that you’re here.”
Happy?
The word echoed strangely in my head.
That felt… oddly personal for someone I’d never met.
Before I could process it, Marcos continued. “And this,” he spoke, gesturing toward the man who hadn’t taken his eyes off me yet, “is Domino. You may have heard me refer to him as Dom. And yeah… you’ve heard his voice before.”
A subtle grin tugged at his mouth.
Marcos continued. “He’s Alejandro’s right hand, and the man who keeps everything moving smoothly. If something goes wrong in the operation, Dom is the one who fixes it.”
My eyes stayed locked with Domino’s.
He didn’t smile, but something dangerous flickered behind his eyes.
“Well,” Domino said slowly, his voice deeper in person than it had sounded through the speaker, “it’s good to finally meet you.”
The words were simple, but the way he said them made my pulse skip anyway.
“Likewise,” I replied, trying not to appear too flustered under his stare.
Alejandro clapped his hands once, the sound echoing lightly against the high ceilings.
“Let’s eat and talk, shall we?”
After everyone had taken their seats, servants moved silently around us, filling glasses and uncovering dishes. The clink of silverware and soft scrape of chairs filled the room for the first few minutes.
I could feel Domino’s eyes on me—steady and unbothered by being caught staring. More than once, I found myself glancing back at him; that same magnetic pull tightening with each stolen look.
The spell broke when Alejandro set down his wine glass and cleared his throat. “I’ve been hearing about what you did,” he began, “but that conversation is better had… not in front of your brother.”
His eyes flicked briefly toward Kyrin.
Kyrin grinned and leaned forward like he was about to charm the room into his pocket. “Sir… I’m just here for the good vibes and good food. But if y’all wanna talk business, I got ideas.”
Alejandro raised an amused eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” Kyrin continued confidently. “First idea… that pool outside needs a slide.”
Alejandro’s lips curved into a chuckle, and even Domino’s smirk widened slightly.
“Well,” Alejandro said, leaning back in his chair, “we can make that happen.”
Kyrin’s eyes lit up instantly. “For real?”
“For real,” Alejandro confirmed. “And since we’re making improvements… do you have any other requests?”
Kyrin didn’t even hesitate.