Page 166 of Embriagado

“I’ll be out of your hair, boss.”

I walked over to the door, where Ariyan joined me.

“By the way, you smell real good, boss.”

He rolled his eyes. “Please, what you’re smelling is your greasy burger.”

Leaning closer to him, I ducked my head down and held still. “Nah,” I whispered, my breath hot on his neck. “All you, boss.”

“I need to muzzle that mouth of yours,” he hissed when I pulled back.

“Be my guest.”

He opened the door, and we both stopped when a man stood in the doorway. I took a second to check him out when Ariyan spoke.

“Oh, Chief, I was just about to go out and meet you.”

Chief?

I glanced back at the tall man who seemed familiar for some reason, but not enough for me to linger.

“See you later, boss,” I told Ariyan, then went on my way, already counting the minutes until I’d see him tonight.

ARIYAN

“It’s all there, sir,” I said, eyeing the chief of police as he counted the gold bars in the suitcase. “I counted them myself.”

He looked up, his thick brows furrowing. “That’s why I’m counting.”

I huffed. “I’m offended.”

He didn’t bother replying and instead took one bar out and tossed it from one hand to the other. Unlike the old chief of police, this one was much easier to buy. However, his price was significantly higher. But that was a small price for a man like Eduardo Flores to pay in exchange for running his business in Miami like it was his own playground.

He put the bar back inside the black suitcase and looked at me.

“Satisfied?” I asked.

He gave me a half nod. “Tell your boss everything is set for Saturday night. None of my men will be in his way.”

A big, fake smile spread on my lips. “Perfect.”

He pointed at the suitcase placed on the desk. “You’ll have it sent to me?”

“Of course.”

“You’re sure it’s safe?”

Pulling the suitcase closer to me, I zipped it back.

“I assure you, Chief, that no one will ever be able to track this gold. Not to me, and most certainly not to you.”

At last, he turned around to leave, and the second he did, I wiped the smile off my face, my jaw hurting. I was fed up with sucking up to the likes of him, who sold their morals to the highest bidder. For some men, it was sex, for others, money, but in the end, everyone had a price.

Once Mr. Policeman was out of my office, I sat back in my chair and opened the desk drawer. Taking out the phone I kept there, I dialed Eduardo’s number. While waiting for him to pick up, my eyes went over the other things I kept there: my gun, my lip balm, a flash drive I needed to put in my safe, and⁠—

I hovered my fingers over the cheap fox keychain I’d kept there ever since Christmas Eve. It was so silly, but somehow, it brought a smile to my lips, one that hardly even hurt.

“Hello?”