The Cartel 2: Tale of the Murda Mamas

by Ashley; JaQuavis

He stood to his feet and looked around at all of the Polaroid pictures he had taken of Breeze. They covered the walls, almost entirely constructing his very own wallpaper of lunacy. They were his masterpiece. “So beautiful!” he whispered. The photos chronicled her time in Haiti. Her smileless face and hateful expressions went unnoticed by him. He was delirious to think that he loved her. The misery and fear that he was causing her was evident on her face in every photograph. He went upstairs to retrieve his gun, rummaging through his kitchen drawers until he found bullets to load it with. He was unsure about taking her to town, but his hand was forced. He did not have a choice.

  Ma’tee returned to her side. “Me princess,” he said as he stroked her face with the nose of his gun.

  Breeze turned her head in disgust, causing her to vomit even more.

  “Me am going to take you to town to see de medical doctor, but chu have to promise not to run. Me run de entire city. If chu say one word to anybody, me will kill chu, young Breeze. Chu understand?”

  Breeze did not respond. Hot tears had dried on her ashen face.

  “Do chu understand?” Ma’tee asked again.

  Breeze nodded her head and felt Ma’tee lift her from the bed. The feel of his hands on her body made her cringe as he carried her to the back of his mansion and into the thick of the jungle. The average person would become lost in the jungle-filled mountain terrain, but Ma’tee had grown up here. He navigated the area well, and knew the dangers that lay underneath the deceiving appearance of the land. Even the most beautiful flower could be deadly.

  Breeze tried her hardest to remember the path that Ma’tee took, so that she would know the way to town, but she was so weak and everything looked the same.

  “Chu will never remember de way,” he said as if he was reading her mind. “So stop trying.”

  They came to a clearing where a green Hummer sat covered in a tarp that was disguised by brush and leaves. Ma’tee sat Breeze down on the ground and removed the large tarp, then placed her in the passenger seat.

  There’s a car here, she thought. I have to remember how to get back to this spot, she told herself.

  Ma’tee started the Hummer and rode the rough terrain the rest of the way down the mountain, navigating the deadly path like an expert, until he reached the town below.

  For the first time in months, Breeze saw other faces besides Ma’tee’s as they passed some of the townspeople, but her health was fading. Everything appeared blurry, and the pain radiating through her body was becoming unbearable.

  Ma’tee drove with one hand on his gun and the other on his steering wheel. “Remember what me told chu,” he instructed as the car finally stopped moving.

  He attempted to carry her out of the car, but she fought him, pushing him off of her. “Don’t touch me! I’ll walk!” she screamed in frustration. She shook like a leaf in a strong wind as she stepped out of the car, but she was determined to not have his hands on her in public. However, when she put weight onto her poisoned foot, her body came crashing down like a house of cards.

  “Stop fighting me and let me help chu,” Ma’tee whispered the words, but it sounded more like a demand as he bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

  She had lost a considerable amount of weight and was light as a feather. Against her will, her head fell onto his chest and she looked up at her captor. It was the first time

  she had ever looked directly at Ma’tee, and his heart melted into her grey eyes. “Please, let me go!” she pleaded.

  “I can never do that, my princess. Once you learn to love me, your life will be filled with riches,” he promised. He carried her into the doctor’s office and rushed over to the receptionist’s desk. “Please, help me! Me daughter was bitten by a black widow and is extremely sick!”

  The receptionist took one look at Breeze and stood to her feet in a panic. “Doctor!”

  The most beautiful woman Breeze had ever seen came rushing out of the back. “Oh my!” she exclaimed at Breeze’s condition. “Please, put her over here … hurry!” Ma’tee rushed and placed Breeze on a stretcher. The doctor began to wheel her to the back of the office while Ma’tee followed closely behind.

  “No, please sir, chu need to wait up front and let me do me job. Me will take care of she,” the doctor reassured. “Me receptionist has paperwork for chu to fill out. Me will keep chu updated.”

  Ma’tee’s eyes shifted from the doctor to Breeze as he became nervous. He had not planned on leaving Breeze’s side. He nodded and said, “Can I just speak to me daughter for one moment?”

  The doctor nodded and Ma’tee walked over to Breeze. “Me will kill chu!” he said as he wrapped his hands around her tiny neck. He applied pressure and leaned over her so that the doctor could not see what he was doing. He had killed many men in his lifetime, and he knew that there was a delicate balance between death and unconsciousness.

  Breeze felt her oxygen being cut off, and she wanted to struggle, but her body felt so heavy. The poison was rendering her helpless.

  “If chu say a word, me will kill chu.”

  Those were the last words she heard before she went un conscious.

  Ma’tee had cut off her air supply long enough to knock her out without killing her. He hoped she would stay that way until the doctor would allow him to be by her side again. He turned to the doctor in panic. “She’s passed out! Please help she!” he whispered as he wiped tears from his eyes.

  “It’s de poison. It’s shutting down her nervous system. Why didn’t chu get help sooner?” the doctor asked.

  Ma’tee played the grieving father well. He acted as if he was so choked up that he couldn’t respond.

  “Me will do all me can,” the doctor said before taking Breeze and disappearing behind two double doors.

  Ma’tee paced back and forth in the waiting area for two hours. He kept watching the clock, each minute taunting him and threatening to expose him. Finally, the doctor emerged through the double doors.

  “How is she?” Ma’tee asked.

  “She will be fine, with medicine and rest,” the doctor replied.

  “Can me see her?” he asked.

  The doctor shook her head. “Not right now. She is still asleep. We have her in a sterile recovery room. Me cannot allow chu back there and risk infection. When she awakens, me will come get chu.”

  Ma’tee sat down impatiently, his leg bouncing in anticipation as he watched the doctor disappear into the back once more.

  * * *

  Breeze’s eyes were so heavy that she could barely open them. Flashes of white light sneaked through her closed lids as she slowly came out of the anesthesia. Her head was groggy, and she could barely remember where she was, but when she closed her eyes, it all came rushing back to her like a bad dream: The jungle; the spider bite; the doctor. Every detail was fuzzy, but it was all slowly coming back to her. I’m at the doctor’s office. I have to get out of here before Ma’tee comes for me, she thought. It took all of her might to roll onto her side. Her neck felt as if she were a newborn baby. She couldn’t support her head and her vision was blurry. Get up! she urged herself. Get up! There was an IV in her arm. She snatched at it. She was so weak that she could barely get the needle out of her arm. Forcing herself to sit up, she stood on wobbly legs which caused excruciating pain to shoot up the right side of her body. She shook her head from side to side trying to clear her vision, and saw that she had an incision that ran down the length of her leg, and that her foot was bandaged. The anesthetic hadn’t completely worn, off and it was hard for her to stay focused. Her limbs were so lazy, every move she made exhausted her, but she fought the urge to lie back down.

  The ringing of a phone snapped her to attention. I have to get to that phone, she thought. Breeze was in a state of emergency. This was her only shot to reach out to her family. She knew that if she didn’t make it to that phone, she could kiss everything she ever knew goodbye.

  She forced herself to stand on her injured foot. She wanted to scream at the
pain that she felt when she was fully standing, but instead, she closed her eyes and took deep breaths until the blinding ache died down and she was able to move. The excruciation kept her alert as she used the objects in the room to help her toward the door. “Where is the phone?” she whispered to herself. She stuck her head into the hallway. She could see the double doors that led to the lobby. Behind them was Ma’tee, lurking, preying on her. Her heart rate increased from the fear of seeing his face again.

  Desperation and adrenaline filled her as she put her back against the wall and crept to the next room. She opened the door and frantically scanned for a phone. “Thank you, God!” she cried as she rushed toward it. Moving too quickly, she fell. “Aghh!” she accidentally cried out as her leg hit the floor. She covered her mouth to stop herself from making too much noise. Tears flooded her face as she reached for the phone. The dial tone she heard was like music to her ears. Her fingers trembled as she tried to dial out, causing her to call the wrong number, 810. Shit! What is his number? Her mind was so frantic that she could barely recall the correct sequence, 1-810-625-1816.

  She could hear footsteps coming down the hallway, and she cradled the phone for dear life. Please answer! Come on, please pick up!

  Ring! Ring!

  Answer! she begged as the footsteps drew closer.

  Please, I need you …

  * * *

  Ring! Ring!

  Zyir bobbed his head to the Rick Ross that was blaring from his speakers, when he felt his cell phone vibrate on his hip. He was on his way back from Opalocka, and he had a quarter million dollars in his trunk and rode with a pistol in his lap for extra security. He turned down the stereo and looked at the unknown call coming in on his BlackBerry. “Yo?” he answered.

  All he heard was crying in the phone, and he started to end the call thinking that someone had the wrong number.

  “Zy … Zyir!” the shaky voice said.

  He recognized her voice instantly. Emotions came rushing over him. “Breeze?” he whispered in disbelief as his heart sank into his stomach.

  * * *

  Breeze was so hysterical when she heard him answer the phone that she couldn’t get her words together. Every time she tried to speak, only sobs came out.

  “Breeze, talk to me, ma! Calm down! Where are you? You’ve got to tell me where you are!” she heard him yell.

  Just the sound of his voice caused her to fall apart. “Zyir!” she whispered frantically. “Zyir, please …” were the only words she was able to get out before the footsteps were at the door. She hurried and pushed the telephone underneath the bed, but didn’t disconnect the call.

  The door opened, and a confused doctor rushed inside. “What are chu doing in here? Chu should still be in recovery,” she said.

  “Please, Zyir … I have to talk to Zyir!” Breeze pleaded with the doctor, but she was quickly silenced when she heard Ma’tee demanding to see her. The heavy impact from his boots echoed against the hospital floor, announcing his presence. “Don’t let him take me!” Breeze cried as she looked the doctor in her eyes.

  The doctor could see the frightened look on Breeze’s face, and she instantly knew that something was not right.

  When Ma’tee appeared in the doorway, the doctor looked from Breeze to Ma’tee.

  “Is everything okay back here?” he asked.

  His voice was eerie and threatening. Breeze’s fear of him was so great that she felt like she was having a heart attack. She couldn’t stop herself from crying. Zyir was so close. She had heard his voice. I just needed a few more minutes to tell him where I am, she thought as she sobbed.

  “Everything is fine,” the doctor answered nervously. She helped Breeze into the bed and lifted her leg. “She is in a lot of pain, and I haven’t administered her any pain medications yet. This type of pain will make a grown man cry. It is not unusual.”

  “Me need to get her back home. She can recover there,” Ma’tee asserted. His tone did not leave room for protest, and he came into the room and sat next to Breeze who trembled timidly from his presence. Ma’tee examined her closely, intimidating her.

  The doctor could sense tension in the air. She rubbed

  Breeze’s shoulders. “The anesthesia has she temperature low,” the doctor said, covering for Breeze.

  Breeze wasn’t shaking because she was cold. She was angry. She was terrified. She was praying that Zyir had not hung up his phone and that he could somehow save her.

  The doctor looked Breeze directly in the eyes and said, “Everything will be fine. “I’m going to get discharge papers for you to sign, young lady. Me will be right back,” she said.

  The doctor disappeared, and Ma’tee sat down directly on the bed with her. The smell of him nauseated her and made her skin crawl. He didn’t say a word to her, but instead stared at her intensely, trying to determine whether or not she had told anyone anything.

  Breeze closed her eyes and thought of Zyir. She recalled his face in her mind, and forced herself to calm down.

  The doctor reentered the room. “Oh, please sir. You can wait in the hallway while she dresses. Me will help she, and then get chu de medicine she needs. She will be fine,” the doctor said.

  Ma’tee reluctantly left the room, but he made sure to watch through the peephole at the top of the door.

  The doctor handed Breeze a clipboard. Her hands shook, because something told her that this young girl was in grave danger. She knew who Ma’tee was. Everyone in Haiti knew who he was and what he was capable of. The doctor did not want to get involved out of fear of being hurt herself.

  Breeze cried as she took the pen. She wrote her first and last name on the clipboard, and then jotted a quick note.

  Please help me! Call this number, 1- 810-625-1816. Tell him I am alive. I’m trapped somewhere in the mountains. Please!

  Breeze dressed slowly, and then Ma’tee whisked her away from the doctor’s office and back up to captivity.

  Chapter Seven

  (The Cartel)

  “Breeze!” Zyir screamed into the phone as he strained to hear the conversation on the other end of the line. He could barely hear what was going on, but he knew that it was her. He felt it in his gut. She had only said his name, but she was the only person who had the ability to say it so sweetly. “Breeze! Pick up the phone!” he yelled. Tears came to his eyes when the call was disconnected. His heart was beating so rapidly that he had to pull the car over. He hit his steering wheel in frustration. She had called him. He didn’t know where she was or why it had taken her so long to reach out to him, but she was alive, and he had to find her. He picked up his phone and speed-dialed Young Carter.

  “Zy, how that money looking out in—” Carter started to speak, but Zyir interrupted him.

  “She’s alive, fam! Breeze is alive, man!” Zyir stated, getting choked up. After months of her death haunting him, his faith was restored. Breeze had been the only chick who had been able to steal Zyir’s focus away from his hustle. He had nightmares about her death every night. He felt responsible for what had happened to her, but now he was sure that she was out there somewhere, and out of all the people she could have called, she chose him.

  His statement took Carter by surprise. “Zyir, fam, Breeze is …”

  “Carter, she called me! She called my fucking phone! She’s alive! I’m on my way to you!” he screamed urgently.

  “I’m not at home. I’m leaving my barber now. We don’t need to meet at the house. Feds are crawling all over the place. Meet me at Mecca’s money house. I’ll give him a call,” Carter answered.

  Zyir’s stomach was hollow as he raced toward Liberty City where Mecca stashed the drugs and money that he distributed and collected from the Lib City hustlers. He beat both Mecca and Carter there. He scoped the entire block, removed the money he was transporting, and with the duffel bag in one hand and his pistol in the other, he entered the home. He quickly opened the safe and stuffed the money inside. Carter’s rule was to count the cash before putting
it away, but Zyir’s head was all over the place. He didn’t give a fuck about anything or anyone but Breeze.

  He paced the living room floor, trying to play back the pieces of conversation he had heard on the phone. “Where is she?” he mumbled to himself. “Think. What did you hear?” he said over and over.

  Zyir was driving himself crazy. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even hear Carter come in. Mecca walked in directly behind Carter and they watched as Zyir talked to himself. Carter noticed the worried look on Zyir’s face. He had seen Zyir sell crack to his own mother and not bat an eye. He knew his lil’ nigga through and through. The look of concern that Zyir held was the same one that Carter felt inside for Miamor. It was then that he knew Zyir’s love for Breeze ran deeper than anyone knew.

  “Zyir,” Carter called out, startling him.

  “Fuck is up with you, fam?” Mecca asked.

  “Breeze … she’s still alive,” Zyir stated.

  A look of anger flickered in Mecca’s eyes, and he pointed his finger sternly toward Zyir. “Don’t speak her name, nigga. You didn’t even know her like that. After eight months, you talking about she’s alive!” Mecca said, becoming emotional over his baby sister.

  “Fuck you! Bitch-ass nigga!” Zyir yelled back. He didn’t give a fuck. He knew Mecca was a killer, but Zyir had been taught to only fear a nigga who didn’t bleed. “I just told you your sister is alive! Whether you want to believe it or not, she’s out there, and I’m gon’ find her!”

  Mecca’s hands automatically rested on his waistline for easy access to his burner, but he had to remember that Zyir was family now. That fact alone kept Zyir breathing after disrespecting Mecca, but he was skeptical, and his doubt showed on his face. “She’s been gone eight months,” Mecca stated sadly.

  “She called me!” Zyir yelled.

  “She called you?” Mecca answered. “How the fuck you know it ain’t one of these lurking-ass mu’fuckas trying to throw you off and set you up? Huh? Why the fuck would she call you?”

  Carter watched the exchange back and forth as he attempted to figure out where Zyir’s logic was coming from. Zyir had never given him a reason to doubt him before, and he was slowly beginning to recall all the time that Zyir and Breeze had spent together.