Cartier Cartel--Part 4

by Nisa Santiago

  The driver eyed his well-dressed female passenger. “Do you know where this is? It’s not a good part of town.”

  “I won’t be there long, but if you’re worrying about getting paid, I can pay up front.”

  He didn’t want her to pay up front because he planned on driving her in circles to run up her bill.

  “First time in Michigan?”

  “It is. But if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to be rude, but I got calls to make and don’t want to chitchat. I’m not in the mood.”

  “You’re not being rude at all.” The cabbie clicked on the meter and chuckled inside. He was only asking so he could determine how hard he could play her.

  Cartier pulled out her cell and called Majestic, who answered on the first ring. Whispering, she told him what had happened and instructed that he find someone to bail Roddy and Lil Foe out. Majestic was uncomfortable with her going alone, but she convinced him this would be a quick trip.

  She sat back and gazed out the window while the cab drove through the city. To Cartier, the place looked bleak—cold, unfriendly, and poor. How can anyone live out here? As the driver drove through the town, Cartier also wondered what would make Head start a business out here—in particular, a car wash. To her, it seemed like there was no money to be made in Flint, except maybe in drug dealing. Now that seemed profitable in such a town. She closed her eyes and fretted about what she was walking into.

  Over an hour later, Cartier was awakened by the cab driver. All the stress and traveling had exhausted her. And she was starving. Right now she was craving Krispy Kreme glazed donuts and a slice of New York pizza.

  She looked around and saw what looked like an apocalypse. Most of the buildings looked abandoned, but she could clearly see that they were occupied. She wished that she already had a burner on her instead of going to buy one.

  “I’ll only be a moment,” she said.

  He tapped the meter. “You see what you already owe. It’s your dime.”

  Cartier eyed the nearly three-hundred-dollar tab. “It’s not an issue.”

  When she tried to grab her duffel, which had the money for the guns inside, and her Prada bag, the alert cabbie thought he was about to get hustled.

  “You can’t take both. Why are you leaving with your luggage and purse if you’re coming right back?”

  “Didn’t I offer to pay you up front?”

  “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

  Cartier rolled her eyes. She looked again at the dilapidated building and a wave of fear came over her. She didn’t want to be left alone in the middle of nowhere in a state and town that she didn’t know. She wanted to compromise. She peeled off six hundred from her stash and handed it to the driver and took out another fifteen hundred and stuffed it in her jacket pocket.

  “That’s what I owe and more. I’m going to leave my purse so that you won’t be tempted to take off and leave me for another fare. I promise that I will give you a fifty percent tip if you wait for me, but I’m going to need your ID.”

  “My ID?”

  She pointed toward his cab driver credentials. It was a no-brainer. Quickly he handed it to her and told her to take her time. He had already turned a sixty-dollar fare into three hundred and counting plus a hefty tip.

  Cartier stepped out of the cab and the cold air woke her up. As she walked up the rickety porch steps and looked at the broken windows patched with cardboard and duct tape, she thought maybe she hadn’t dressed appropriately for the occasion. She was wearing her most expensive mink coat, Rolex watch, engagement ring, and diamonds. Cartier wanted to look her best when she came face-to-face with Head’s Michigan mistress, and she also thought she would have her two goons by her side.

  You know when you have a feeling that your whole day is about to be fucked and you should just turn around and go back inside your house? Cartier had that feeling. Her intuition told her to get back inside the cab and make a beeline back to the airport. But her pride and stubbornness superseded all logic, and she forged on.

  As she knocked her stomach was doing somersaults and she didn’t know if it was her nerves or morning sickness. She heard heavy footsteps coming and she felt like a punk bitch. Damn, maybe I should have left my jewels and the additional cash in my Prada. She didn’t know why she was having such reservations; Majestic had vouched for them. But instinctively she pulled off her ring and watch and stuffed them in her pockets.

  A dirty looking dude with a dead eye opened the door smoking a blunt. He looked her up and down and then smiled wide. Instantly, she relaxed.

  “You Cartier?”

  She nodded.

  “Come in. We gotchu.”

  Cartier was led inside the condemned building. It was just as cold indoors as it was out. She had to literally watch her step or she would fall through the floor. It was sparsely furnished—a chair here, a loveseat there. Two huge rats came running past her feet, nearly aging her ten years. She wanted to yelp but bit her tongue.

  Inside the living room were two other men smoking blunts as well. No one introduced themselves and they got right down to business.

  “Where the others?” one asked.

  Cartier didn’t miss a beat. “Waiting for me outside.”

  “Outside?” he continued. “They too good to come in and meet us?”

  “This isn’t a family reunion. I came to do business. Let’s get this over with.”

  He smirked and then flicked his finished blunt directly toward Cartier. He lifted up his shirt to reveal three guns tucked in his waistband. “You got the money?”

  “Yeah, fifteen hundred, right?” Of course she no longer needed three guns, but she didn’t want them to know that Lil Foe and Roddy weren’t waiting for her outside. Cartier unzipped the duffel so she could quickly toss the guns inside and be gone.

  “I said five!” the man unnecessarily yelled, his voice echoing through the almost empty home. “Five K a piece.”

  Cartier chuckled. “What I look like?”

  The guy who opened the door came up behind her and placed a .45 to the back of her head and replied, “You look like a meal ticket. Now run ya shit, bitch, ’fore I park one in your dome!”

  “Really? Y’all gonna do this shit to me!”

  They were already on her, snatching off her mink coat and ripping the duffel from her hand. They patiently waited as they had her unscrew her diamond earrings from her ears. They tossed her items into a black trash bag in silence. Cartier had stopped talking, and they had no need to keep speaking. They spoke with their eyes, each exchanging hateful looks.

  The trio backpedaled toward the back door with three guns trained on Cartier and then took off running through a back alleyway. Cartier had to hold back tears. There wasn’t any reason for them to take flight. No one would be chasing them.

  Humiliated, Cartier got back into the cab. It was evident that she no longer had her coat.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Just drive. Please!”

  When they were far enough away she finally gave the cabbie the address that was on the letter that had been sent to her.

  “How far is it from here?” she asked the driver.

  “About two hours,” he replied.

  “Okay.”

  The cab traveled north toward the rural part of town. A couple hours later, they turned onto a dirt road and arrived at a huge estate. Cartier didn’t know what to expect. There was land and trees and several vehicles were parked on the property. She wondered who owned the place. Where was Head? Why did she receive a letter from this place?

  Cartier’s options were slim. She had traveled so far and just wanted to see what was what. She couldn’t turn around now, and she had no money left and owed a hefty bill.

  “Listen, this is gonna sound like game, but that tip I told you about was stolen at our last stop along with
your ID.”

  “Are you kidding me!”

  “Calm down. I’m going to call a friend and have the money wired to me. If you wait here for me we can go together to a Western Union. I’ll bless you with twenty-five hundred for your troubles and also my fare. But I’m going to need a huge favor. If I’m not out in ten minutes call the police. Do we have a deal?”

  “Sure. Sounds good to me.”

  Cartier called Majestic before getting out of the cab and quickly told him what had happened. He was furious and began screaming about murder and revenge and she had to quiet his rage. She instructed him to wire her the money and get on the next flight out there. She was going to text him an address just in case. Majestic said he didn’t like that just in case precaution and for her to wait on him, but she refused. She hung up and quickly texted Majestic the address from the envelope and removed herself from the backseat with her purse. Stepping onto strange grounds, Cartier felt naked and vulnerable without her gun. There was no telling what kind of threat awaited her inside the cabin or beyond. It was foolish to come alone, but she had made the choice and she wasn’t about to turn back now.

  With awareness, she approached the front door and knocked a few times. She felt a bit of apprehension, but she put on her game face to show whoever was on the other side of the door that she meant business. Head had to be somewhere on the property, and she wasn’t leaving until she confronted him.

  The front door opened and Cartier found herself face-to-face with a pretty, pregnant white girl.

  “Hello,” the young girl greeted politely. “Welcome. Are you new to our family?”

  Cartier didn’t know how to respond to the question. Family? she thought. What family?

  “I’m Mandy. Come inside,” the girl said.

  Cartier slowly and cautiously entered the cabin. From her prompt observation, she saw that it was a homey place, and it was spotless. Standing in the main room, Cartier noticed three children running around the place, ages two through six. Clearly she could see they weren’t Head’s. From the window she saw the cab driver peel out, and she knew she should have done the same.

  “You’re pretty,” one of the children complimented Cartier.

  She smiled but kept her eyes sharp and open and she searched for that one anomaly. She had no idea what was going on. Moving farther into the place, there were three other women in different stages of pregnancy. One of them was Mandy’s twin, Kandy, and then there was Melissa and Jacki. The women were all smiles and so far showed nothing but hospitality toward Cartier as they ushered her into their home, referring to her as their new sister.

  “Our daddy, Malachi Muhammad, will be home soon to greet you,” said Melissa.

  Malachi Muhammad? Cartier wondered. Who the hell is he?

  “Here, we’re all one big family and we share everything,” said Jacki warmly, an odd smile plastered across her face.

  What kind of cult shit is this? Cartier asked herself.

  Soon, they heard a vehicle arriving. The girls became excited, exclaiming, “He’s back.”

  Finally, Cartier was about to meet this Malachi Muhammad.

  The young girls became animated, as did the children. It felt like they were brainwashed by this one individual, and Cartier grew concerned. Had she made a mistake coming here? She had no idea who or what was about to come through that front door.

  She stood there firmly and waited, feeling a tinge of apprehension. She attached her eyes to that front door. If needed, she would fight for her life and her baby’s.

  She heard someone coming up the steps and onto the porch, and then the front door opened and he entered the cabin—and he wasn’t alone. Cartier’s eyes grew wide with immediate shock. Her mouth gaped. This is Malachi Muhammad? It was Head, and standing next to him with her pregnant stomach was Harlem.

  “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” Cartier shrieked. “What the fuck is going on here?!”

  Head was shocked to see his wife. Harlem smirked at Cartier and rubbed her stomach. She couldn’t wait to explain to Cartier that it was Head’s baby that she was carrying and not Sincere’s. The entire time, she and Head had been fucking right under Cartier’s nose.

  “Cartier, how did you find out about this place?” Head asked her.

  She ignored his question and continued to glare at Harlem with her protruding stomach and wild smirk.

  “Is Head the father?” she asked her.

  “Yes. He is,” Harlem replied smugly.

  Cartier was devastated. It was all too much to take in at once. One thought that Cartier would react violently and tear Harlem apart, but shockingly, the opposite happened. She fainted.

  29

  Cartier opened her eyes and hoped it was all a nightmare. It had to be. There was no way Harlem was pregnant by Head. There was no way Harlem could have betrayed her like that, after everything she did for her. But lifting herself up and looking around, she wasn’t in her bedroom and it wasn’t all a nightmare. Everything was for real.

  “You fainted,” Mandy said to her.

  She was trying to nurse Cartier, but Cartier rudely pushed her away. She didn’t want anything to do with anybody inside the cuckoo’s nest. She hurriedly removed herself from the bed and found herself dressed in a long white gown. They had the audacity to undress her and put her in some weird shit.

  “Get the fuck away from me!” Cartier cursed at the young woman.

  “We’re only here to help you through this transition. There’s no need to be afraid. Malachi has welcomed you into his home as one of our sister wives,” Mandy replied.

  “Please stop talking!”

  Mandy was still trying to aid her, but Cartier was five seconds away from knocking the bitch out. She wanted to leave. She wanted to confront Head and Harlem. She had overcome the shock, and now she was mad.

  “Where is he? Where the hell is my husband? And where is that fuckin’ bitch? And why the fuck am I dressed in this fuckin’ ridiculous gown?” Cartier screamed out.

  “Please, there is no reason for you to be upset!”

  “Don’t tell me how to feel! Bitch, if you don’t find my husband and that bitch in three seconds, I’m gonna fuck you up,” Cartier threatened.

  Mandy was taken aback by Cartier’s hostility and aggressiveness. This was a peaceful family home.

  “Sister, please, no violence. I only want to love on you until you feel the energy from Yah’s restorative angels. He will fix you just as He’s fixed us. You’re broken.”

  “Bitch, don’t be saying that dumb shit!”

  “Cartier, please calm down,” she heard Head say.

  She craned her neck and saw Head standing in the doorway. He stared at her intently with his arms composedly folded in front of him, looking like management.

  “What is this fuckin’ place, Head?” she asked with attitude.

  “It’s home, Cartier.”

  His response went left field with her. Home? She wanted to charge at him and fuck him up, but she restrained herself. She wasn’t in Kansas anymore, and she had no idea what the place was, yet.

  “Although your arrival is unexpected, I’m glad you’re here. It’s time you know the truth,” he said.

  “Truth? The truth is that you’re a lying nigga and I hate you. And where’s that bitch Harlem? That lying, cunt bitch.”

  He stepped closer to her and said, “Cartier, lower your voice. I will not have that type of hostility and attitude in this place. If you give me a minute of your time, then I will explain things to you.”

  No matter the explanation he gave, Cartier felt that she wasn’t going to accept it. She was tired of his lies, his cheating ways, and his deceitfulness.

  “I’m a different man here, Cartier,” he started.

  “Are you fuckin’ serious?”

  He glared at her and uttered, “Let me finish.”
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  She didn’t have a choice. She was alone and hundreds of miles away from home.

  “Society set about making rules—laws—that we as citizens have to follow or there will be consequences. I understand if there is no structure then the world could turn into lawless chaos, and we would begin to live like animals instead of humans. But a lot of the laws are outdated—these morality clauses need to be abolished. Nobody is going to tell me that it is for the greater good of the people that we can only love one person at a time,” he stated. “Love transcends all understanding. Love makes you wanna do better, be better. When I’m here with my queens, I feel unstoppable. They make me feel like I can conquer anything I put my mind to. And as a unit, one unit, we’re going to build things, create a legacy, and birth children that will pick up where we leave off.”

  He was losing her.

  He continued with, “I love you, Cartier. I’m in love with you. And I know that what you can contribute to our family is priceless, but you gotta stop thinking basic. We’re brainwashed as kids that we can only have one mom, one pops, and most times we see no pops. You know why? Because mommy done chased him out the house when she found him doing what he was naturally born to do, which is love more than one woman. It’s no different than telling a bird to resist its urge to fly or commanding the lion to not roar.”

  Cartier was convinced that Head had officially lost his mind. He continued to preach to her about how he planned to build a black-owned empire on the backbone of his new family, but she stopped listening. Her only concern was leaving. But then something dawned on her. Was he behind the bizarre and threatening cards that were being sent to her?

  “Have you been sending me threatening cards for months?”

  “Cards? What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t play stupid with me, Head. For months, I’ve been receiving these cardstocks with skulls, daggers, and blood and a single letter written on them. Is it you?”

  “Cartier, no. What are you talking about?”

  She didn’t believe him.