33

William's POV

The merchant cleared her throat and began, "I have heard great things about you from a mutual contact of ours in Morocco. You see, they mentioned that you were a trusted business partner and someone I could rely on for advice. Is it safe to discuss this in front of Mia?"

I was taken aback by her question.

“Who could our mutual contact be?” My mind raced as I wondered. “It’s clear that she’s interested in more than just my spices. I wonder what kind of information she had heard about me.”

With a deep breath, I nodded, "Of course. Mia is a trusted partner of mine and can be present in any business discussions we'll have."

The merchant took a sip of wine and spoke in a low, serious voice, "I understand that you have moved a lot of illicit cargo for Mallam Abu, including humans."

She looked at Mia, who was in shock.

"Yes," I replied as I poured myself some wine. "But let me assure you, I hate people who talk too much, whatever we discuss dies in our meetings."

"I unde