The Cartel Deluxe Edition, Part 2

by Ashley

  Carter kissed her forehead but didn’t respond as he turned and walked out of the room.

  Chapter 19

  “What’s a ring without a wedding?”

  —Leena

  Leena walked softly on the plush carpet as she approached Monroe’s office. His door was wide open, and she stood there watching him nervously as she wrung her fingers in front of her body. He was intent, focused, powerful, and the most beautiful specimen of a man she had ever seen. Her heart thumped and she was overwhelmed with admiration every time she stood before him. He looked down at the paperwork before him, but was always aware of those around him. He sensed her presence the moment she had crept up.

  “Come in here, beautiful,” he said as he looked up from his busy work and sat back in his plush leather executive chair.

  Leena walked in and rounded his desk until she stood directly between his legs.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked her.

  “That’s what I’ve been wondering about you,” she replied.

  “Don’t mince words, Lee. Tell me what’s wrong, baby,” he said.

  “I miss Breeze and Carter and Zyir. Money, they’re our family and this beef, this war, it’s eating me up. It’s not supposed to be like this,” Leena said as she touched Monroe’s face gently, making sure that he was looking her in the eyes. She needed him to feel the sincerity in her words. “Monroe misses his uncles, baby. They’re all he knows.”

  Money’s jaw tensed, but his temper didn’t flare. Leena was his everything. He wished that his comeback could have been one big family reunion. He remembered the days of peace and unity within the Diamond clan, but it seemed that those times had died right along with his father, Carter Diamond. Maybe if Monroe had never gone away, then he could accept Zyir as family. He would have been around to see the love and loyalty that Zyir had proven time and time again. But as it stood, Monroe felt that Zyir was trying to take his place.

  Monroe refused to feel like an outsider in his own organization, so he had built his own. The Opa-locka Money Gang showed him all the loyalty that a king deserved. The streets were eating his product up and no one, not even Zyir with all of his Cartel affiliation, could compete. If you weren’t seated at Monroe’s table then you didn’t eat. He wasn’t saving any sea bass for niggas who didn’t rock with O.M.G.

  “I need you to be like a chameleon, Leena. You have to be able to adapt to your surroundings. There are no guarantees in this lifestyle, Lee. The only thing that I can promise is that I will love you. I will love you until my body hits the dirt, and I will provide for you. You will be safe and we’ll live life as long as God and the law lets me. The faces that surround us may change, and I need you to get used to that. Don’t get too attached to anyone, because at any moment disloyalty can make them replaceable.” Money pointed to his chest and then pointed to hers. “This is our family. You, me, and our son . . . we’re all we got, and that’s all you need.” He lifted her left finger and admired the flawless stone that he had placed on it. “That’s why I gave you this.”

  “What’s a ring without a wedding?” she asked sadly. “With everything that’s going on, when will we have time to get married?”

  “We’ll make time, Lee. We can do it whenever you want. In fact, planning a wedding will keep you occupied. We can do it tomorrow if you want,” Monroe said with a charming smile.

  Leena smiled. “I need a little more time than that,” she answered wistfully as she began to daydream about colors and floral arrangements.

  “There’s my girl,” Monroe said with a wink.

  “How about a month. I can get with a wedding planner and it can be small and intimate. Maybe I can invite Breeze?” Leena said.

  Monroe missed his sister, but in his attempt to keep the beef hidden from her, he had barely seen or reached out. She was a sensitive subject, and Leena could see the wheels in his head turning as he considered the possibility.

  “How about two weeks?” he suggested as he kissed her nose.

  Leena leaned back and wrinkled her brow. “What’s the rush? What aren’t you telling me?” she asked. It was unlike Monroe to jump so quickly into commitment, and she knew that there had to be an ulterior motive behind this sudden rush to matrimony.

  “I want you to be my wife, Leena. I want you and my son to be secure. We’re at war, and if something happens to me, I need to know that you’re entitled to everything I have,” Monroe said honestly. “It’s important that I leave you with the world at your feet.”

  “Seems like we’re planning your funeral, Money . . . not our wedding,” she whispered. Leena rose from his lap and walked toward the door.

  Monroe didn’t want to hurt her feelings or diminish her excitement, but he didn’t want to lie to her. She could have the romantic side of things. His love for her was very real, but he knew that with street fame came the possibility of death. He just wanted her to be prepared for it, and as his wife, she would be.

  Dear Carter,

  I’m writing you this letter to let you know that I’m safe. I staged an entire kidnapping to run away from you. It was all fake. I didn’t know how to tell you that I wanted out, and the entire setup just went too far. I hear that you’re looking for me, that you’ve killed trying to find me. I want you to stop. I chose to leave you, Carter. No one forced me to. I walked away. I was suffocating in your world, and I can’t go through life pretending that I am someone I’m not. I’m never coming back to you. Having your child would have been the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I got an abortion, Carter. We’re too different, and at the end of the day you’re my enemy and your people took my sister from me. I’ve disappeared before, but this time I promise I won’t return. Move on, because I have. We’re just not meant to be.

  Miamor

  The words on the paper knocked Carter off of his feet, and he slowly sat down on his couch and lowered his head. I trusted you, he thought as he felt his heart splitting painfully in half. The earth felt as if it had stopped spinning. He loosened his Gucci slim tie as if it would help him breathe, but he was still stifled. He couldn’t inhale. Miamor had just pulled the rug from beneath him, and he was falling into an emotional black hole. She had done it once before, and now he kicked himself for even giving her a second chance. He had supplied her with the hope to better herself, but instead she had slipped a noose around his neck and sent him flying off of a chair.

  “Magdalena!” he called as he stood to his feet.

  “Yes, Mr. Jones,” his housekeeper replied as she instantly appeared in front of him. The middle-aged woman stood before him in a maid’s uniform, awaiting his request.

  “Please box up all of Miamor’s things. Place them in storage. She won’t be coming back,” Carter instructed. The housekeeper frowned yet nodded in compliance.

  “And the baby’s things? Would you like for me to box his belongings as well?” she asked.

  It was at the mention of his seed that Carter’s resolve weakened. His eyes burned, but he willed his devastation away as he replied, “No, leave the nursery exactly as it is.”

  He knew that there was no more baby to plan for, but he didn’t have the strength to see the room return to a blank canvas with white walls.

  Magdalena looked at him with sympathy.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Jones,” she said. She didn’t know the full story, but she could see the sadness hanging from Carter’s shoulders like coats from a rack.

  “Me too,” he replied. He looked at the picture of Miamor that sat in a small frame on the mantle of his fireplace. He thought of the things that he had done for her, the people he had crossed for her, and wars that had started over her. It seemed as if he was always the one sacrificing to make them work, and still she was disloyal. He pulled the picture down and tossed it into the fire. “Me too.”

  * * *

  As the days passed Miamor grew resentful. She didn’t want to be with Murder. She didn’t need him in her life. His season had passed a long time ago, and he refused
to accept the fact that she had moved on. His attempts at conversation were blocked by her obvious disdain for him, but he was patient. He looked at Miamor like a drug addict. She had become dependent on Carter, and he was determined to be her morphine. He was weaning her off. After the letter he had forged to him on her behalf, Carter would no longer be looking for her anyway. Little did Miamor know Murder had destroyed their bond with one little Dear John.

  “You can’t just keep me here,” she said, her arms crossed as she sat across the room from him. “I’m pregnant. I need medical care. I need vitamins and checkups. I’m extremely high risk. I need to be home. Carter—”

  Murder was on her in a flash, across the room, and flipping over the coffee table, clearing his path to get to her. “Don’t mention the nigga name in my presence. You lucky I’m even letting you keep that fucking baby. I’m trying real hard to keep shit cool with you, Miamor. But you’re pushing me! Shut the fuck up about that nigga. You’re here until I say it’s time to go. You’re never going back to that nigga. When you stop being fucking stubborn you’ll realize that’s what’s best for you.”

  “What happened to you in there? I don’t even recognize you,” Miamor said with tears in her eyes. “Since when do you treat me like this? Since when do you talk to me like this?”

  “Since you started fucking the next nigga,” Murder spat. “When you act like the old you, I’ll become the old me.”

  Miamor shook her head, disgusted. It didn’t matter what Murder did. He couldn’t turn back the hands of time. She had outgrown him, plain and simple. “If I meant as much as you say I do, then you’d get me to a doctor.... You would let me go.”

  Chapter 20

  “One to the heart. No head shots, no torture.”

  —Carter

  “You’re beautiful,” Breeze said as she stood back and watched Leena try on the beautiful ivory wedding gown. It was Vera Wang, and although the popular wedding designer was booked clear through the next two seasons, Money had given her a bottomless budget to make his bride-to-be’s dreams come true. Leena spun around and rushed to Breeze.

  “You made it!” she squealed in joy as the two women embraced. “It’s so good to see you!” Leena was genuinely elated to be around Breeze. The two women were more than close, and it had been too long since they last spoke.

  “Of course I made it!” Breeze said. “You’re getting married tomorrow, and I’m honored that you want me to be the first person to see the dress. It’s amazing!”

  Breeze noticed the sad look in Leena’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy? This is what you want, right?”

  Leena shook off her poor mood and masked it with an insincere smile. “Yes, I’m fine. Sorry. I guess I’m just nervous.”

  Breeze wasn’t buying Leena’s excuse, however. She frowned and turned to the saleswoman. “Could you excuse us for a moment?” Breeze asked. The woman exited the fitting room and Breeze grabbed Leena’s hand. “This is not the face of a woman getting married tomorrow. Now spill.”

  “Things are complicated, Breeze. I love Money and he’s good to me, but this isn’t how I envisioned this day. It all feels a little rushed. You’re not even in the wedding.”

  “Yeah, well, considering you decided this two weeks ago, I’d say that it is rushed,” Breezed answered with a smile. “It doesn’t matter, Leena. You are meant for Money and he is meant for you. As long as the two of you are happy, no one else matters. Besides, I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss this day for the world.”

  “Does Zyir know you’re here?” Leena asked.

  “You asked me not to tell him so I didn’t. He’s been distant lately, focused on other things,” Breeze said, more to herself than to Leena.

  Leena knew that Breeze didn’t know what was going on between Zyir and Monroe. As much as she wanted to tell her, it wasn’t her place. Breeze was the baby of the family, and she had been through a lot. No one liked to add burdens to her delicate shoulders.

  “But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you.” Breeze turned Leena toward the mirror and stood behind her as they looked at the reflection. “Now where’s the veil?” Breeze asked. She spotted it in a box on the floor and pulled it out, admiring it briefly before clipping it in Leena’s hair.

  They both gasped in amazement.

  “Now that’s the smile of a bride,” Breeze said. “You’re perfection.”

  They embraced and Breeze checked her Burberry wrist piece. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow. You’re staying at Turnberry Isle tonight?” she asked.

  “Yeah, Money put me in a suite there. The entire glam squad is coming in the morning,” Leena said.

  “I’ll see you then, bright and early. I love you, Lee!” Breeze said as she headed for the door.

  “Love you too! Don’t be late!”

  * * *

  Breeze leaned back against Zyir’s chest as he held the book they were reading in front of him. It was a ritual that they had started when they first met, and to this very day they still read to one another every night that they were together.

  “Flip the page, B,” Zyir said.

  Breeze sighed and turned it to the next page, but Zyir could tell that she had stopped indulging in the juicy exploits of Six and Free long ago. He put down the book and she didn’t even protest. She was too distracted to notice.

  “You want to be with Leena right now, don’t you?” he whispered.

  Breeze turned toward him in shock. It was as if he had read her mind.

  “This is the first lie you’ve ever told me, baby girl, and I must say you’re not very good at it,” Zyir said. “I’ve known about the wedding since you found out. You’re very loud on the phone, ma. Where’d you learn to whisper, a helicopter?”

  Breeze laughed and cut her eyes as she exclaimed, “Why didn’t you say something? I’ve been trying to keep this a secret for two weeks!” Breeze exhaled, relieved that the secret was out. She hit him playfully with the book they had been reading. “I know you think that I’m naïve, but just because I follow your lead, Zyir, doesn’t mean I’m blind to the things happening around me.”

  “Why aren’t you invited to the wedding? Why isn’t Carter? Why haven’t I talked to Money since that dinner at Carter’s house?” Breeze asked. “I have a feeling; I’m just hoping that it’s wrong. I don’t want to have to choose between the men in my life.”

  Zyir kissed the top of her head and inhaled her angelic scent. Her Cashmere Mist perfume, her signature scent, enveloped him.

  “Things have been . . .” He paused to choose his words carefully. He didn’t want Breeze to know too much. How could he tell her that the first chance he got he was going to blow her brother’s head off his shoulders? Admitting such would be marital suicide. It would destroy their relationship forever.

  “Things have been what?” Breeze asked.

  “Tense,” he finished. “We’re all trying to figure out our place in The Cartel.” Before she could ask any more questions he added, “But that shouldn’t stop you from being with Leena and your nephew tonight. I’ll call a car for you.”

  “Promise me that you’ll work things out with Money,” she said.

  “I can promise to try,” Zyir replied honestly. She turned and kissed his lips.

  “I need you to try your hardest, Zyir. He’s my brother.” Her eyes told him that a storm would come if anything happened to Monroe; little did she know that Monroe had signed his own death certificate. He would fall, and soon Breeze would have to decide exactly where she stood. Zyir only hoped that their love would be strong enough to endure.

  He sent her with a driver to Leena’s suite and watched her drive away. As soon as the taillights could no longer be seen, he called Carter.

  “Zyir, is everything smooth, fam? It’s late,” Carter answered, seeing Zyir’s name on his caller ID.

  “The nigga Money is getting married tomorrow. This is the first time I’ve been able to pinpoint this nigga’s location. I’
m not invited, but I’ma be there, nah mean?” Zyir said.

  Carter was silent as he weighed the pros and cons in his head. “I don’t know, Zy. Shit could get messy. Leena and my nephew will be there,” Carter said. He was still trying to figure out a way to keep the peace and restore balance to the situation, but Monroe was making it very difficult.

  “I sent Breeze to Leena’s suite in Aventura. Li’l man is there with them. My driver will be on call in the morning to take them to the wedding, only I’ve already made sure that they never get there. By the time they realize something’s wrong, the nigga Money will be leaking at the altar,” Zyir stated.

  A lump formed in Carter’s throat, but he fought his conscience and said, “Make it quick, Zy. One to the heart. No head shots, no torture.”

  His voice was sad, and he felt nothing but regret as he gave the nod of approval.

  “We got to get him before he gets us,” Zyir said. “He sent bullets flying through your windows, fam. If the shoe was on the other foot and he had a clear shot, Money would pull the trigger.”

  “I know,” Carter answered. “What kind of brotherhood is this?” he asked. He sighed and finished, “Take care of it. That solves our beef problem, but we still need a new connect. I’ll hop on a flight in the A.M. to the West Coast. I’ve got a few connections out there that might be able to accommodate us.”

  “Sounds good, fam. I’ll hit you after that thing is taken care of,” Zyir said. Zyir hung up the phone and a crooked smile crossed his handsome, youthful face. Carter had just given him the green light, and it was all the permission he needed to make Monroe Diamond extinct.