The Cartel Deluxe Edition, Part 2

by Ashley

  “I have built a power circle. Everyone at this table is family. I trust each one of you with my life. So in turn, you should trust each other with your lives. There can be no treachery among us, so today we are going to air everything out. We’re going to lay all of our sins on the table. Today we are each other’s judge, jury, and executioner,” Carter spoke seriously.

  Silver platters lay in front of each person and were covered with a silver top. It appeared as though the table was set for a feast, and Carter nodded his head toward the display. “Lift the tops,” he instructed.

  Miamor lifted the top that lay in front of her, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the pistol lying in front of her. Instinctively she reached on top of the table and checked the clip. It was full. Carter smirked, somewhat attracted as he watched her put one in the head and click off the safety before placing it back on the table.

  “What is this, Carter? What’s going on?” Breeze asked as she looked around the table in confusion.

  “Breeze, in order to trust one another, we have to admit the things that we’ve done. Let the person without sin cast the first stone,” Carter said.

  “Or bullet,” Zyir added as he stood to his feet. “I’m thorough. Admission of our sins, right?” he asked rhetorically. “I’ll go first. This has been on my chest for a long time.” He looked down at Breeze and she smiled at him reassuringly, confident that no matter what came out of his mouth she would still love him. Zyir was like the sun to Breeze. Her world revolved around him. She gave him a wink, and Zyir turned to his captive audience and spoke. “The day that Breeze was kidnapped was my fault. I got caught slipping. Carter told me to look after her, and instead of protecting her I . . . entertained her. We entertained each other. I was distracted and we were about to have sex when she was taken.”

  Monroe’s jaw clenched as he stared at Zyir and watched his beautiful sister stand up by her man’s side. The sight made his stomach turn. Their father would have rolled over in his grave if he knew Breeze was dating a man like Zyir. Big Carter always wanted the best for his children, and Zyir wasn’t it.

  “I don’t blame him for what happened to me, so for any of you to would be wrong. We were young. We moved sloppy, but I’m here and I’m breathing and Ma’tee is dead,” Breeze said, defending Zyir with conviction. “Those are skeletons that I buried a long time ago. That experience made me stronger. Nobody was to blame except for Ma’tee and the bitches that helped him take me . . .”

  “And me,” Miamor spoke up. Her voice shook as she stood to her feet. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked around the room. Her bottom lip quivered as she reached for the gun. “What I’m about to tell you will not be easy to swallow, and I’ve never let bullets fly my way without busting back, so you can either take what I’m about to say peacefully or this can get very ugly.”

  She looked unsurely at Carter, and he nodded his head for her to continue. The more she exposed her true self, the more infatuated with her he became. She was a gangster. Her only fault was that she had been commissioned by his enemy to take down his family. That he could forgive, because now she was by his side and the way she moved he knew that if needed she would be an asset. He hoped she never had to come off the bench, but if she had to, she could and would. That alone endeared her to Carter. As his eyes scanned the room, he realized that he would let no judgment come her way. If he could look past her flaws, everyone else would have to as well.

  She looked at Breeze sincerely and took a deep breath. “The women who helped snatch you the night you were kidnapped were my friends. We were a part of a group called The Murder Mamas. Ma’tee paid us to kill the leaders of The Cartel,” she said.

  As soon as the words left her mouth, she had two weapons aimed directly at her. Zyir and Monroe both held their positions, standing, arms extended, guns ready to pop off in her direction.

  Miamor had anticipated their anger, and her own gun was pointed back at them, going back and forth between Monroe and Zyir.

  “Let her finish,” Breeze said as she stood to her feet, pressing her hands firmly against the table as she stared across at Miamor. “I want to know why!”

  Miamor swallowed the lump in her throat as she continued. “Because he paid us to. I wasn’t there that night, but I did know that they were determined to get to The Cartel. By that time I had already fallen in love with your brother. I told them I was out, but they took it upon themselves to still work with Ma’tee.”

  “You’ve got this bitch around us like she’s family after what she did?” Zyir asked as he looked at Carter.

  “Lower your pistols,” Carter said.

  “Let her finish. That’s not all, is it? There’s more to the fucking story, right, ma?” Monroe asked. “You were hired to take out our family, ruin The Cartel. I’ve heard about The Murder Mamas, so I know that you didn’t fail. So who else did you get at? Which one of my family members is in a shallow grave because of you?” Monroe grilled.

  “It’s more complicated than that. I didn’t just point and shoot your family. Your brother Mecca. We tried to set him up. He sniffed us out and killed my sister in a hotel. After that it became personal. I got caught up in a game with him. I wanted him dead. I hated him for taking her away from me. So I gunned for his head, but I never got the opportunity to catch him until I saw him at the memorial that was thrown for Breeze when you all thought she was dead. I was a guest of Carter’s, and he slipped me a drink that I gave to your mother. Mecca tried to poison me, but ended up watching his own mother drink what was intended for me,” she admitted. Tears of regret flowed down her face. “Your mother was the only innocent life I have ever taken.”

  Breeze picked up her gun as Monroe pulled back the hammer of his.

  “Lower your pistols,” Carter said, trying to intervene.

  “We can’t just shoot her,” Leena said as she stood to her feet, holding her son in her arms. “Monroe, our son is here!” she protested as she looked around the room in distress. “Carter, stop this. Do something!”

  Carter came off his hip with a chrome .45 automatic. “I said lower your fucking guns,” Carter shouted angrily. “If you judge her, you judge yourselves. You judge me! Hold up a mirror and think about the things that you’ve done. What betrayal have you brought to the table? What about Leena, Money? Huh? You fucked Mecca’s bitch. He was your brother and he loved her! He loved her so much that he shot you over her! That entire situation started a war between us and Ma’tee! A war that almost crippled us! And what about that play you just put down in Rio?”

  Carter’s tone lowered as he stared intently at Monroe. He saw a glint of recognition in Monroe’s eyes, and that was all it took to confirm that Monroe had plotted against his own team. He stepped so close to Monroe that he was whispering in his ear. What he was about to say no one else in the room needed to hear. “Fuck was you thinking?” he grilled through clenched teeth, unable to contain his anger. He kept it moving, but both men knew that it was a conversation that they would have soon.

  “Zy! What about you? You want to add up bodies? Huh? I know what your murder count look like, fam! Even I’m not without guilt. I killed our brother. I shot Mecca while he was praying at an altar for forgiveness.”

  Carter’s emotion was written all over his tortured face as he advocated for Miamor, and upon his confession Monroe broke down as well. He turned his gun on Carter, forgetting all about Miamor. Breeze and Zyir dropped their weapons.

  “He was my brother!” Monroe shouted.

  “And you were mine!” Carter yelled back. “I thought he killed you! I thought he went against the family. If he could draw on you and lie about it, I knew that he would eventually betray me. I made a choice! In your honor, Monroe! I took a life! For my brother! The same way she took lives for her sister! The same way you are ready to take my life for Mecca! Forgiveness, brother,” Carter said, heaving from the adrenaline that was racing through him. “That is what we are here for. This is the only family we have left
. Let’s solidify it. Let’s expand.”

  Miamor stood, holding her belly as she thought of the child that grew inside of her. She was carrying Carter’s seed, and as long as it had a small part of him, she knew that it would be special. Carter was the greatest man she had ever met, and as she looked at him she felt pride in being his woman.

  As Miamor admired Carter, Breeze studied her. She saw the undeniable connection that Miamor had with her brother. There was a glow about her that Breeze recognized.

  “You’re pregnant,” Breeze whispered, her own tears building in her eyes.

  Miamor’s neck snapped to the right to look at Breeze, and Carter looked down at Miamor in shock. Miamor had not even told him yet and somehow Breeze knew. Miamor nodded her head as the gun she now held at her side slipped from her fingers and clattered loudly as it hit the floor. “I am,” she admitted emotionally as she held up her hands. “And now I’m defenseless. No gun, no weapons, no motives. You can kill me now if you want, but I want you to know that I am so sorry for the role I played in harming your family. I can’t take it back, but it is one of my life’s biggest regrets. I love your brother, Breeze. I love him with every part of me and I want this baby... this life with him. I hurt you and your family, but I would want nothing more than to be a part of it now.”

  Breeze stared Miamor in the eyes and wished that they had met under different circumstances. “I’m sorry for the things that Mecca did to hurt you. I can still see the loss in your eyes. I know how that feels. We all know how that feels. You are carrying my bloodline inside of you. No one at this table will do harm to you, Miamor. It’s time to let bygones be bygones,” Breeze said. She took her seat at the table and slid her gun to the center of the table, out of arm’s reach.

  “There’s been enough loss in this family,” Zyir said.

  “You don’t speak on this family,” Monroe stated harshly.

  “I am this family, homeboy,” Zyir shot back. “I’m the family that took care of wifey and your seed while you were gone. So whether you like it or not, I’m here. I was here when you couldn’t be.”

  Zyir took his seat and slid his gun to the center as well. Leena followed suit, pushing the weapon in front of her away in disgust. She was in over her head. She had never been more than arm candy for one of the Diamond men. She didn’t know anything about this side of their lives. She just wanted to restore normalcy and peace into their lives, and if it meant accepting Miamor, she was all for it.

  “Forgiveness, Monroe,” Carter stated. He put his gun on the table and walked toward his brother, hands up, until he was directly in front of Monroe. He was so close that Money’s gun was pressed into his chest, directly over his heart. He felt Money’s hand begin to tremble. “If you sit down at this table, then we let go of the past and work toward building our future. If not, then pull the trigger now and let it be known where you stand.”

  Monroe lowered his head in turmoil. The entire room was an emotional mess. Everyone except Zyir was a wreck. He kept his composure, his hand near his hip where his extra pistol rested. He anticipated Monroe’s every move. If his finger moved an inch, Zyir was prepared to pop off. There was no way he was letting a nigga take Carter’s life, brother or not.

  Monroe’s resolve melted as Carter wrapped his hand around Monroe’s gun and removed it from his hand. Carter grabbed the back of Money’s neck and pulled him in close as they both bowed their heads in silence.

  “I love you, brother, and I’m sorry. Extend me your forgiveness, Money,” Carter whispered in his ear. The way Carter spoke to him reminded Monroe so much of his father, taking him to an emotional place.

  Monroe nodded his head and wiped his face with his hand while composing himself. “Forgiveness,” he repeated. Carter could see the reluctance written all over Monroe.

  Miamor breathed a sigh of relief as Carter returned to her side and everyone took their seats. A knock at the door sounded off, and Carter summoned in his chef.

  “Now we break bread together as family,” Carter said as his kitchen staff brought in a feast fit for a king. Wine was poured around the table, and Carter raised his glass.

  “To The Cartel,” he toasted.

  Although tension still filled the room, everyone knew that this brought them one step closer to unity. They all raised their glasses in salute. “To The Cartel!”

  Chapter 13

  “Light that mu’fucka up.”

  – Monroe Diamond

  Monroe sat through the dinner and was reserved as his thoughts worked overtime. He wasn’t feeling the direction that The Cartel was being taken in. There was no honor among thieves. Carter had stolen Mecca’s life and Zyir had stolen Monroe’s identity. He wasn’t feeling either of them too much at the moment. Carter would forever get a pass because he was family, but Zyir . . .

  The only reason Monroe even conceded to the notion of forgiveness was because he was outnumbered at a table full of armed individuals. He had no wins in that circumstance. He wanted no part of any empire as long as Zyir was its leader. So he ate and drank, but rarely spoke as he readied his own troops for battle.

  The clock struck midnight, and Leena leaned into him. “It’s late. The baby is tired,” she said.

  He nodded toward the door. “You go ahead and let the driver take you home. I’ll be there shortly. There are a few things I need to run by Carter and I don’t want you waiting around,” Monroe instructed. “My driver can drop you at your house, too, Breeze. I figure me, Carter, and Zyir have a lot to discuss.”

  Breeze turned to Zyir for confirmation. He nodded. “I guess that is good night then.” Leena gathered her son’s things as Breeze approached Miamor. “I want to sit down and talk with you whenever you have time for me,” Breeze said.

  Miamor nodded and Breeze gave her hand a gentle squeeze before walking out of the house. Leena followed suit.

  Miamor kissed Carter’s cheek and whispered in his ear, “I’ll start clearing the table. I know we have a lot to talk about. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the baby. You handle your business and we can talk as soon as everyone leaves.”

  She stood and removed his plate from in front of him.

  “Let’s take this to the sitting room,” Carter said as he stood and led the way. The three men entered the room and an awkward silence fell among them.

  “Now that we have all pulled down our skirts, can we get back to getting this money?” Zyir asked.

  “I’m thinking along those same lines, but one thing has to change in order for me to be onboard with this,” Monroe said.

  “What’s that?” Carter responded.

  “Zyir is no longer head of my father’s empire. Clearly his ties aren’t strong enough to hold us down,” Monroe said, speaking as if Zyir wasn’t even in the room.

  “I realize that you don’t like me, Monroe, but don’t speak about me like I’m a little-ass boy. I see through you, Money,” Zyir said with a sarcastic chuckle. “You’re like one of those little rich kids who thinks they’re entitled to everything. You didn’t even earn the spot you’re begging for. You weren’t in the thick of the war. You were off hiding somewhere, healing somewhere while we were here taking the shit to the streets. So miss me with the family speech. You hide behind that Diamond name like it’s supposed to mean something to me. Miami has belonged to me for the past four years.”

  “Now isn’t the time for change, Money,” Carter said.

  “There is never a good time for change,” Monroe answered, his jaw tight. “We’re blood. You and I both know that we should keep the power inside the family. It’s how Papa would have wanted it.”

  “Look at this shit, Carter,” Zyir scoffed as he shook his head disgracefully. “I can’t get money with this nigga. You may let shit slide with him, but I’m not going to wait until the nigga put a bullet in me before I cut him off.”

  “Li’l nigga, I’ll cut you off. You married into the power. Breeze is your only connection to this here. You don’t got a bid in this circle,
” Monroe roared. He turned to Carter. “Your man either steps out of my father’s seat or I’ll make him. Ain’t no compromising.”

  “Monroe, this is the snake shit that is putting holes in our ship. Think about what you’re saying. Think about how you’re moving. You thought I wouldn’t find out that you were the one froze our connect with Buttons?” Carter asked. “I’m asking you, Monroe, to come on board. We need you, and there is a role to be played by each of us, equally important.”

  “As long as he’s in then I’m out,” Monroe said truthfully. “And you’re without a connect. Meanwhile I’m plugged with Estes.”

  Carter knew that with Monroe’s connection to his grandfather he couldn’t be stopped. He was getting the bricks straight off the boat for next to nothing.

  “The nigga’s a snake, Carter. Fuck him. We don’t need him,” Zyir spat.

  Monroe shook his head. He really didn’t want to lose another brother. “You should have let this nigga go to Rio and it would have been taken care of. He would be a memory right now,” Monroe finished.

  Zyir shifted his stance and frowned. “What the fuck you say?” He approached Monroe.

  Carter stepped out of the way, knowing that there was no point in standing between the two men. This confrontation had been brewing ever since Monroe’s return. Carter leaned against the arm of his leather couch as he wiped his face with his hands, exasperated, as Zyir addressed Monroe.

  “Fuck you say?” Zyir asked. Before he knew it his gun was out and he had Monroe yoked up with a pistol to his head.

  “You might as well pull the trigger now because either way I’m going to put you in a grave for the disrespect,” Monroe threatened as no fear passed through his eyes.