Beating the Odds

by Sherrod Tunstall

  Master Ian looked down at Carter as blood and some of his teeth dangled from his mouth. Master Ian tried not to cry, because he loved Carter like son, but stealing from the family was a big no to him.

  “Carter, how could you do this to me? I loved you like a son. I welcomed you into my family, and this is how you pay me back? Stealing from me, your father?” He wanted to shoot Carter right then and there, but he couldn’t.

  Carter looked up at Master Ian. “What are you talking about? I would never steal from you.”

  “Oh, really?” Master said, snapping his finger.

  Ian came over, revealing black and white photographs of Carter stealing money from the family vault and photos of him at different phone booths in Miami and Tampa, making his famous calls to the FBI.

  “Any more questions?” Ian spat in his face. “Stupid ass. You was my brother. Why?”

  Carter was so ashamed. He looked over at his family and back at Master Ian and Ian. “Please just kill me, but let my wife and daughter go. They had nothing to do with this. Please let them go.”

  Armand looked over at Lily and Carter Marie. He had another bright idea. “Wait, brother, don’t kill him.”

  Master Ian looked at Armand as he walked over to Carter Marie, who was in so much confusion. She moved her head around so Armand wouldn’t touch her. Armand roughly grabbed her face. Carter Marie was so scared as she looked into Armand’s eyes, knowing that he was evil.

  “Brother, what are you doing to that child?”

  Armand smiled at Master Ian. “Big brother, don’t you see that the girl should be the price that Carter owes the family?”

  Lily held onto Carter Marie tightly.

  “What do you mean, Armand?” Master Ian asked, looking at his brother and knowing he was a sick bastard because he was attracted to young flesh.

  “The child is worth more than money. She is our repayment. Look at her. She will be a true beauty one day.”

  “Nooo! Not my baby! Not my child!” Lily yelled, hugging Carter Marie tightly and not wanting anyone to take her child. She looked over at Armand. “Take me instead.”

  Armand went over to Lily, pulling her away from her child. He was gripping her arm tightly, and then he slapped the taste out her mouth. “Bitch, no one wants your old ass. Boys, get the child!”

  “Carter Marie, run!” Lily yelled.

  Carter Marie did as she was told, but with no hope, she was caught by Armand’s thugs and tied up. She was screaming for her mom and dad to help her.

  Armand smiled at Lily then looked at Carter Marie. “Say good-bye to Mommy, little one.”

  Lily’s eyes widened as she saw Armand pull out his gun and point it in her face. He fired, causing Carter Marie to scream for dear life. “Mommy!” Tears came from her eyes as she looked at her mother’s lifeless body.

  “Noooo!” Carter yelled. “Not my Lily.”

  Ian kicked him in the face. “Shut the hell up!”

  One of the soldiers used his hands to cover Carter Marie’s mouth. Armand looked back at Carter Marie and the soldier with his hand over her mouth. “Take the girl to the car. All of you leave, except Sandino, Master Ian, Ian, and myself.”

  All the soldiers exited, leaving the heads of the Castro Family looking at a half dead Carter, who was now in a daze from seeing his true love murdered in front of his eyes.

  Master Ian said, “Any last words, my son?”

  Carter looked up at Master Ian. “I’m not your son!” Carter yelled, trying to get up.

  Armand shot him in his head, smiling at his lifeless body.

  A stunned Master Ian asked, “Are you stupid? I didn’t want to kill the boy. He was family. Why, Armand?”

  Armand laughed. “You asshole. I don’t know why our father put you in charge of this operation.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You are the reason this family is so weak, and everyone else thinks so as well. Maybe it’s time for a new leader and a new era. But”—Armand turned to look at Ian—“before I can claim my throne, I must take care of the future heir of the throne first.”

  “What?” Master Ian yelled.

  Armand nodded his head at Sandino.Another gunshot went off, and a lifeless Ian fell to the ground after being shot in the head by Armand’s main man.

  “Why? What did you just do?” Master Ian ran to his son, kneeling down to hold his bloody body. “My son, my only son.” Master Ian cried.

  The plan was to finish what he’d started, and Armand had done just that.

  Smoke came from his gun as he looked at his now lifeless brother. “All hail the new head of the Castro Family, new and improved.”

  Both he and Sandino walked out of the house and got into the limousine. As the limo took off, Carter Marie was kicking, screaming, and crying her eyes out.

  “Mommy! Daddy! Help me! Help!” Her screams continued until one of the soldiers pulled out a needle, injecting a tranquilizer in her arm. It calmed her down, forcing her into a deep, dark sleep.

  * * *

  In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, twelve hours later, Carter Marie woke up thinking that what had happened to her parents was all a bad dream. She got up from the bed, only to be caught by a fat, olive-skinned Brazilian woman in a maid’s uniform, spotless white nurse’s shoes, and her black hair in a bun.

  “Let me go! Let me go!” Carter Marie tried to get away from the maid, but she was too strong for her. “I want my mommy and daddy!”

  “Shut up, you little whiny bitch!” The maid shook her. “You don’t have a mother and father anymore! This is your home now. Now, come on!”

  Too afraid to fight her, Carter Marie went along with the woman, who was ordered to give her a bath and a good scrub down.

  “That hurts. The water is too hot, and you’re scrubbing too hard,” Carter Marie complained.

  “Sorry, dear. Orders from Armand. He wants me to scrub every last bit of Belizean dirt from your body. You are worth a lot to him now, so fight through the pain of the hot water and my scrubbing. Oh, and forget you came from Belize, and never think of your family again.”

  Carter Marie cried and cried.

  “Let it all out, sweetheart. Let it out. I cried just like you when I was your age. My family sold me to the Castro Family years ago, and I cried just like you. It’s just best to forget everything.” The woman bathed her, easing up on the scrubbing.

  Carter Marie looked at the woman. “What’s your name?”

  “Olga.”

  Carter Marie started to shake and continued to cry.

  * * *

  For weeks, Carter Marie worked in Armand’s house, cleaning the mansion from top to bottom. She was never allowed to go outside, and as soon as her chores were done, she slept in the attic, where the windows were completely cemented. Carter Marie was determined to break away from Armand’s jail, one way or another. What kept her sane was Olga, who talked to her, gave her advice, and filled her up with courage that her Prince Charming would one day save her.

  Carter Marie tried to escape so many times, but she was always caught and punished badly. One time, Armand locked her in the attic for a month with no food or water.

  By the time Carter Marie was fifteen, she blossomed into a true beauty, and soon Armand took notice. On her fifteenth birthday, Armand bought her a Versace dress and Dior pumps. He had Olga bathe her with the best oils, put makeup on her face and perfume on her body. He took her to a suite in São Paulo, and that was the night when he took her virginity. She tried to fight him off, but he was too strong.

  The whole night, while he was raping her, she prayed and asked God to get her out of that hellhole and away from Armand, who was Satan himself. That was also the night that Armand gave Carter Marie her new name, Diamond, because he hated the name Carter. It brought back old memories of the man who betrayed the family. It also reflected that she was worth a lot to him.

  After that day, the more she was around Armand, the more she hated him. She had even gotten pregnant
by him twice. He made her get an abortion both times, which suited her just fine. He had a doctor give her birth control shots so she wouldn’t get pregnant for the next three years.

  When Diamond tried to escape one more time from the house and failed, Armand made it official to move her out of the mansion, believing that she was more trouble than she was worth. He put her in an apartment in downtown Rio, where she was heavily guarded. If she left, they would kill her.

  Since she liked to be outside and Armand wanted her to pay her debt for her father’s crimes, he formed Diamond’s Bakery Boutique, where she worked 365 days of the year with no pay. She wanted to escape so many times, since the bakery was always so packed, but Armand had eyes everywhere. Diamond feared for her life every day in the bakery. She waited for the day when someone wasn’t watching her every move.

  Throughout the years, Diamond continued to pray and remembered what Olga had said: “Your Prince Charming will come to save you soon.”

  In her eyes, he was finally here.

  Chapter 31

  Rebirth

  Brad was so amazed by Diamond’s story. It was powerful and sad. The main thing was that it was going to have a happy ending—well, that was if they survived it. The thing was she was safe now. So many women were not blessed to have a man like Brad who would save them.

  Brad held her tightly. “It’s okay. I’m here now. Honestly, after that story, I will always be here, and no one will ever hurt you again. I promise.”

  Diamond looked up to give him a kiss. “Thank you.”

  He smiled.

  “Brad?”

  “Yes, bae?”

  “Go in the house and get those clippers please?”

  “Sure.” Brad got up and ran into the house.

  Diamond looked at the fire, feeling so free because she had told her story to someone who cared for her. She was going to make one of the biggest changes in her life.

  “Here.” Brad gave her the clippers and sat beside her.

  “Brad?”

  “Yes.”

  She gave him the clippers back. “Cut all of this hair off. Please.”

  Brad cocked his head back, looking at her like she was crazy. She had the most beautiful long black hair he’d ever seen. “You sure, ma?”

  “I’m sure. This is my rebirth. I’m saying good-bye to Diamond and resurrecting Carter Marie Lily Levy.”

  Brad smiled, knowing that the haircut was a way for her to release all of the pain and sexual abuse of the past. “Okay, I’ll do it under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  He got down on bended knee. “Look, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I feel something in my heart that I ain’t never felt before. I can’t give back your innocence, but I know I can give all of the love you missed out on and fill that hole in your heart. If we make it out of this alive, will you, Carter Marie Lily Levy, be my wife?”

  Tears filled Diamond’s eyes. “Yes!” She nodded. “Yes!” She hugged him. “I would love to be your wife.”

  Brad had tears in his eyes too. He couldn’t help but to think about his boys, wondering how they would feel if they knew he had asked a woman to marry him. He thought about their journey, hoping that they had found some success like him. For now, though, it was all about him and Diamond.

  “Stop thinking so much and cut my hair,” she said.

  Brad laughed. “Okay.” He got up, turned on the clippers, and cut his fiancée’s long hair off.

  Diamond felt reborn as she watched her hair fall down. Good-bye, Diamond. Carter Marie, I got you now, and I’m not ever letting you go again.

  Chapter 32

  New York

  Even though it wasn’t officially Christmas yet, it was truly a Merry Christmas for Ramon Lopez. In New York, even before Christmas, he was going up and down Fifth Avenue, Times Square, and Fashion Avenue between West 26th Street and 42nd Street, buying in every last store in Manhattan from Versace to Gucci and Fendi. He went to the theater to see The Lion King three times in a row, and then to different modeling agencies, from Ford Models to Wilhelmina Models to IMG Models, in hopes of a new shot at modeling again. He damn sure didn’t want to work for Taylor for the rest of his days. He’d rather go back to porn than work for her.

  He thought no one would remember the reputation that got him blackballed from the fashion world, but all he heard every modeling recruiter say once they gave him back his portfolio was, “Don’t call us; we’ll call you,” or “You’re not for us right now,” and “I don’t think we can sell your look to the public. Sorry.” This surely devastated Ramon, and if he could turn back the hands of time, he would. Hell, he thought he should have been on the same level as Tyson Beckford or Antonio Sabato, not some ex-porn actor and editor-in-chief at some low-rate, trashy fashion magazine with a has-been, super-gold-digging, pushing-forty model whom he despised seeing on an everyday basis. He was only working there because she was married to the one man he ever loved, his Armand Castro, who was making his trip to New York an excellent one.

  Armand was so open with him in the streets of Manhattan, from kissing him in public, holding his hand, and having romantic evenings in fancy restaurants and in between the sheets. Ramon wished it could last like that forever, wishing Armand would just divorce Taylor for good. They could move to New York and live happily ever after. Still, he knew in his mind that was all a fantasy, but he hoped for the new year that Armand would have a change of heart, come out of the closet, and be his one and only.

  That evening, the two men spent the night in their penthouse suite at the Plaza Hotel, where Armand, but mainly Ramon, enjoyed opening up their gifts the day before Christmas. They’d had a lovely stroll down Central Park, looking at the beautiful snow covering the city of New York. Now they were having a romantic dinner in their suite. The real dessert was in their huge bedroom fit for a king and a queen. Ramon rocked Armand’s world. He thought a man like Armand was feared in the streets of Brazil and South America, but he was the total package when it came to being a bottom bitch. Ramon’s motto was: Don’t judge a book by its cover. Check that bank account first.

  After their third round of sweaty, hot, and steamy sex, Ramon rolled off of Armand, who was in complete sexual ecstasy after he was done jacking himself off. He was breathing heavy from getting pleasure from his lover and himself. Ramon went over to his side of the bed, got a cigarette, and lit it. He took a puff and gave it to Armand. Ramon got another one for himself.

  Ramon looked over at Armand, who was taking puffs of the cigarette, trying to get his breathing under control. “How you feel, baby?”

  Armand looked over at Ramon, smiling, “Good. How are you enjoying New York so far?”

  “I finally got you all to myself.” He laughed as he took two more drags from the cigarette that was clenched between his fingers.

  * * *

  “You know, nothing means more to me than being here with you. I wish it could be like this all year long, or forever. I want you to myself. I’m tired of sharing you with that witch and everyone else in Brazil. I want to make us official at the beginning of the new year.”

  Armand felt Ramon’s words, and he could see the hurt and determination in his face, but he really didn’t give a shit about anyone but himself. Hell, in his mind, he was still a young man who could screw and bust a nut into anything he pleased, whether it was a woman, a man, or a sheep, if he was into sleeping with animals. All he cared about was himself, the drugs, the business, and making even more money. He didn’t want Ramon catching feelings for him, but he thought since he was so fine, naïve, and had a good dick game, he’d string him along for the ride. Before long, he’d have to get rid of him before his ass got too obsessed and possessive. Sooner or later he was going to put a bullet right through Ramon’s temple. The last thing Armand wanted was a gay version of Fatal Attraction, because that would be bad for business. But, until that time, he just played his little mind games with Ramon to keep him in line.


  “You want to be with me forever, darling?”

  Ramon deeply kissed Armand. “You know I do, baby.”

  Armand smiled. I got him. Sucker.

  “Listen, when the new year comes in, I promise no more drugs, no more killing, no more sexing strangers, no more being in the family business, and definitely no more Taylor. From now on, it’ll be just you and me. No in between, okay?” he said to Ramon.

  * * *

  Ramon was hyped while looking into Armand’s eyes, believing that every word he was saying was genuine and true this time around.

  “You promise?”

  How stupid can this guy be? thought Armand.

  “I promise this time around it’ll be me and you only. Our happily ever after is coming true, darling.”

  Ramon smiled even harder, but it went away. “But what about Taylor? With the divorce, she is destined to get everything. That includes the magazine, the house, and of course, half of your money. You better get a very good attorney for that shit.”

  “Well, my love, I already have that planned out. I promised you no more killings, but in this case, I have to kill Taylor. Once she is out of the picture, I will officially make you Publisher & CEO of Brazilian Kouture. What do you say to that?”

  Ramon was ecstatic. He hated Taylor anyway. “Baby, if it makes you feel good to kill her, do it as long as we are together forever.”

  In his mind, all Armand could say was, Idiot, idiot, and idiot.

  He laughed. “Anything for my baby.”

  “Yay!” Ramon clapped his hands and got out of bed. He was overjoyed and excited that Armand Castro was going to finally be his and only his. “Baby, we gotta celebrate.” He thought for a second, with a big grin on his face. “Champagne. Let’s celebrate this moment with a toast. I’ll get the champagne.” He ran out of the room like a little butt-naked fairy.

  Armand wiped his smile off real quick as he sat up in the bed. Now, this is going to be one bullet I’m going to be glad to put in someone’s head. Damn. But I did promise him one thing, though. I’m going to kill Taylor’s ass soon enough. This marriage shit ain’t for me. Why did I marry that bitch anyway? Oh, yeah. My weakness for beautiful women. All I need is my sex drive, my money, and business to keep me going. And also Diamond’s little quickies here and there.