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“No, no, no, I don’t care what kind of slick shit he pulled. He’s not getting away with this.”
“He’s not getting away with anything.” Zee grimaced. “You have to take him off your list because he’s Marco’s to take care of. Zaki gave Hayes to him to torture as he pleased.”
“Zaki, huh? Always doing your dirty work.” I chuckled.
She shrugged. “Marco wanted to negotiate with Zaki, not me. Anyway, Hayes was the one who actually contracted the hit, and Hayes had lied about Alvarez’s organization extracting money from the clinic and blocking them from getting supplies. Marco didn’t appreciate his character being assassinated like that. He actually cares a lot about the region and has been wanting to clean up his family’s reputation.”
“Marco Alvarez?”
“Yes.”
“How do we know he’ll actually kill Hayes?”
“It’s already confirmed. Marco and I found we have an enemy in common, one who Hayes apparently had been working with and had some intel on.”
“Hayes is a highly trained agent. Why would he share anything if he knew he would be killed either way?”
“An operating room table and surgical tools can be very persuasive. Marco was not very nice to Hayes.”
“Shit. But wait, I still don’t understand. How was fucking Hayes an even trade for me?”
I had to laugh. “Don’t worry, Sharky, Alvarez thought you were worth more too. Zaki reminded him that you’d be pissed you didn’t get to kill Hayes yourself, which made him feel slightly better. But Marco still felt he was due extra since the men you killed were also his cousins, and then there was still the matter of his father. So to sweeten the deal, Zaki negotiated for Marco to wipe the slate with you as well as step away from the drug trafficking, if Beryl bought this clinic for him and set him up with a charity bundler specializing in the kind of donors who could bring in big contributions. He can make a shit ton more money than with illegal drugs, while providing a great service to his people. It’s not a perfect setup, but Beryl retains controlling interest to ensure it is run to our standards, while Alvarez will keep the Amazon region clear of major trafficking of any kind.”
“What? That can’t be right. Are you sure my brain is really still intact? I’m not understanding any of this. Alvarez is going straight? Marco?”
“I imagine he’ll always be a bit bent, and we’ll certainly have our hands full working this closely with him. But, yeah, he was eager to break free from the family tradition. He wants to be legitimately respected at a higher level. Zaki reminded him that he already has an exceptional portfolio of legal investments and that the worst of his organization’s endeavors actually came from his cousins. Since you took them out, the housecleaning he needed to go straight was practically done for him.”
“You seriously got Alvarez to go straight? You really are a wizard.”
“Well, Zaki is.”
I tilted my head at her. “You are Miss Zaki, aren’t you?”
Her lips wrenched, turning down.
“No, Miss Zaki isn’t really you at all, is it, Presh? In fact, I don’t want you to carry the name of that man anymore, even if I’m the only one who knows. Shit, I wasn’t planning to do this now. A hospital room isn’t romantic and I don’t have the ring on me. But now that my brain is fine, medically speaking, I don’t want to waste another second living this life without you.” I took her hand in mine. “Aziza, you are my best friend, my ride or die, my deepest love, and my best fuc—”
“Sharky!” Her eyes, pearling with tears, popped as she swatted my shoulder.
“Fine, I won’t drop an f-bomb in my proposal.” I grinned, flashing my dimples. “But I’m just being honest, because from here on out, between us, it’s always going to be the truth.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it. “And the truth is, I love you more than I ever imagined was possible. Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Cooper?”
Zee pushed her tears away and kissed me hard. “Of course, yes! I love you more than anything.” She pulled back and grimaced. “But I do have one more secret before I can accept a ring.”
Oh boy. “Let’s hear it, Presh. Lay it on me.”
She leaned in close to whisper in my ear. “I’ve never been a fan of the color green. So, please, don’t you dare get me an emerald.”
