Page 111 of Lau Ahi
“Ori, it ain’t like you don’t have a knack for being a hard-nosed motherfucker.”
Alec stopped code-switching almost immediately after we started working together. Our families had done business for years, his using our ports and mine being paid handsomely for it, and meeting up in the agency was purely coincidental. It was funny how they’d paired us together because we were too much for our previous partners to handle but since we’d been partners we had the highest case closure rate versus our former partners whose success had dipped dramatically.
I cut my eyes to him since it seemed he’d forgotten himself. “Hard-nosed? Aren’t you the one who assaulted a commanding officer at one point?”
“Damn right. Muthafucka wasn’t about to call me a fucking slur and get away with that shit. Hell, he went for the double slur since I’m Afro-Cubano. He’s lucky I didn’t shoot his ass.”
I laughed at the way he was scowling hard as fuck at the memory like he was pissed all over again.
“Didn’t stop your cousins from handling shit though did it?”
He grinned as I saw him looking at me from the corner of his eye. “What can I say? They appreciate the way I protect the family and they don’t like racists. It’s a family trait.”
“To answer your question, yes, I’m going through with it.”
“I mean she’s fucking stunning so I can’t blame you. If her sister were down—”
“You trying to turn my future sister-in-law into a jump-off?”
Since we’d been working together so much, Asha had naturally discussed her sister. Alec felt like he was blind not to notice that her sister was the Sasha Avery when he first met her but I understood. He stopped looking at her with any interest besides platonic and professional the second he knew who she was to me. And those big ass glasses really obscured some of her features. I wasn’t even sure if she actually needed them.
“I mean if we both using each other for mutual gratification she’s not a jump off. We just linking.”
I sighed knowing what I was about to say was going to open me up for teasing but I didn’t care. “I might have to slit your throat and deal with the wrath of your people later.”
“Damn we love our wife like that already? She gotta be magical for you to be okay with murder.”
“I protect what’s mine and if your fucking with her sister would give her a second of displeasure I gotta choose her. Her happiness is mine.” The car was silent as I continued to head toward the suspect’s house but I could feel him staring at the side of my head.
“Bruh, how deeply do you feel about this girl that you’re arranged to marry?” He did the sarcastic air quotes around that last part pissing me off.
“It’s not like she hasn’t been vetted. Besides, I told you I already met her.”
“Right. So we blaming one night atExplicitfor the reason you’re getting married?”
I glanced at him giving him a look like he had me fucked up. “You know that I wouldn’t do something I didn’t want to no matter who was asking.”
Alec smirked not believing anything I said. “I’ve seen yourabuelo. He looks like he could still beat your ass, Nakoa.”
“He could damn well try. I’d end up with some bruising for sure. I can’t lie and say that he isn’t a formidable opponent. But the choice was between not helping an entire country of people or ruining my brother’s happiness to save myself. Neither of those options was viable for me. So the choice was simple.”
“Especially since you already knew who she was.”
“That part was something the others didn’t know.”
Alec smirked and shook his head. “Trying to look like a hero and shit.”
“My motives weren’t purely selfish. I didn’t want my brother to give up on someone he clearly loves simply because of adeclaration I made years ago.” And I’d be damned if Xerxes slept with Asha.
“But I know you well enough to know that big-ass brain of yours would’ve found an alternative if you didn’t truly want to do it.”
I glared at him quickly as I turned into the driveway. “You think they didn’t know that? As soon as I agreed, the old man started with his shit.”
Alec cackled in his seat as I put the car in park. The only reason I even bothered with government vehicles was because Dom had the ability to scan this bitch before I stepped foot into it. That way I could speak freely and my people had access to my location at all times.
“You think they’re going to tell us anything?” Alec nodded toward the house that we’d parked in front of to see about gathering additional information on our victim.
“Hell no. They’re more worried about their reputation in the community and people thinking that they let a murderer in their club. Which they might have. Luckily, the police have already gotten all the surrounding footage and the techs are reviewing it.”
