by Ashley
“Yeah, it’s been a bumpy ride. Can you really help me?” Carter asked with skepticism.
“I believe I can. There are ways we can make things disappear. The law is much more lenient to our establishment and the people who are in business with us. You see, you have a unique situation because Miamor is already convicted. However, there is more than one way to skin a cat,” Ghost said just before he downed the remainder of his scotch and walked over to the kitchen counter. He sat the glass in the sink and reached into a kitchen drawer, pulling out a legal-sized manila folder. He walked back over to Carter and handed him the envelope.
“What’s this?” Carter asked as he accepted the envelope and looked down at it in confusion.
“Go ahead. Take a look,” Ghost answered as he once again folded his arms in front of his chest. Carter opened the envelope and reached into it, pulling out a stack of photos. He began to look through the pictures and frowned in perplexity. He didn’t recognize anybody in the pictures. He did notice that each picture had a similar character, a thirty-something white man.
“I don’t get it. I don’t recognize anyone. What am I looking at and what does this have to do with my family?” Carter asked.
“You’re looking at the DA that prosecuted your wife. Also, that’s him taking bribes from various criminals over the past two years,” Ghost said with no emotion. Carter instantly began to realize why the pictures were so important.
“Oh, yeah?” Carter said under his breath as he continued to flip through.
“That’s right. This changes everything and turns the odds in your wife’s favor. If we can prove that the DA was soliciting illegal funds during your wife’s trial, it’s a big chance that we can get a retrial and from that point, we have the resources to sway any juror that’s in that courtroom. We have our ways to make people see things our way, if you know what I mean: a random audit, pressure from local police, or monetary compensation for their cooperation. Whatever needs to be done to get her free, we will handle it.” Ghost slowly paced the floor. Carter watched closely and studied his calm demeanor and looked into his eyes, trying to find an inkling of him lying—but he couldn’t. Ghost was the real thing.
“So, you think you can really get Miamor released?” Carter asked with blatant skepticism in his tone.
“I don’t think … I know we can. Like I said, if you help us with our goal we can help you with yours,” Ghost said as he stopped right in front of Carter, while confidently looking into his eyes.
“This is unbelievable,” Carter said as he shook his head.
“Well, believe it. This isn’t what you are used to. This is what white America calls nepotism and political power. This is foreign to people with brown or black skin. People like us can’t make calls to the higher-ups to make things go away or use a political connection to our benefit. This is what you call absolute power, my friend.”
“Well, I’m all in,” Carter said as his heart began to beat rapidly. He held his chest feeling his heart being tender. He knew that after his previous injuries he would never be the same, so he tried his best to deal with it without exposing it. He smiled and downed the rest of his scotch, ready to do whatever to free the only woman he had ever truly loved.
* * *
Anari was still playing chess with herself, trying to make sense of it all. She leaned forward and studied each move as if it was her last. Her index finger rested on her temple as she squinted and looked at the chessboard. Something was bothering her and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She hated the fact that they were cut off from the world and stuck with people she didn’t know from Adam. She began to question the real reason she was handpicked by this secret organization. “What is the motive, Anari?” she whispered to herself as she made her next move. She then spun the board around, so she could see the game from the imaginary opponent’s view. She realized that was exactly what she was trying to do in real life at that moment.
Carter entered back into the house and saw Anari from afar as she sat and played chess. He wasn’t tired so decided to walk over and join her. As he approached her, her eyes never lifted from the chessboard and she was laser focused as she whispered to herself.
“Mind if I join?” Carter said as he stood over her.
“You can do what you want to do, sir. This isn’t my house,” she said, not even giving him the respect of looking at him when she talked. Anari was a gangster effortlessly and it oozed off her. She was feminine without exploiting her sexuality but well aware of the power only a woman could possess.
“I will take that as a yes,” Carter answered with a smile. He sat across from her and watched as she continued to analyze the board. “So where are you from?” he asked as he placed his hand on the knight and made a move. This made Anari break her concentration, sit up, and look at him. He snickered and her brow furrowed at the arrogant smirk that crossed his face. She would have to concentrate to win this battle. She sensed genius behind his smooth, dark skin as she studied Carter, who was now focusing on the board, thinking about his next move.
“I’m a citizen of the world,” Anari finally answered vaguely as she made a move on the chessboard.
He peered up, meeting her gaze. It had to be more than irony, the fact that they were bred the same. They were predators, which meant they were more alike than different. Carter wasn’t sure if it was a bad or good thing but he respected the fact that she was guarded with her information. Letting the wrong person in could lead to self-destruction and he knew that like himself her trust was earned. She reminded him of his wife, only more calculating. Miamor may have been deadly, but Anari was bossed up. She reveled in her queendom. Carter recognized royalty when in its presence.
“This shit crazy, right?” Carter whispered as he leaned in closer and looked around.
“Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out their angle. It has to be an angle,” Anari said, sharing her thoughts.
“That’s what I’ve been thinking,” Carter agreed as he nodded his head in confirmation.
Just then a short man with all white on came from the rear of the place, wearing a tall white chef’s hat. He approached them with a big smile. His fat cheeks seemed to be greased as they shined in the light.
“Good evening, my name is Victor and I am the resident chef. May I prepare something for you or bring you a beverage?” he asked while maintaining his larger-than-life smile.
“Hello Victor. I’m good for now,” Anari responded as she looked at him and gave a fake grin. Carter just simply shook his head no. Victor nodded his head in understanding and disappeared back to the rear of the house. Just like that, he was gone.
“You see that shit?” Carter whispered.
“See what?”
“This shit is unreal. It’s like some real secret society shit. This big-ass house, chefs popping out of nowhere to serve us. A meeting at the Vatican. This doesn’t seem real.”
“Man, tell me about it,” Anari said, finally letting her guard down and looking Carter in the eye. They shared a smile and the ice was finally broken.
“So, what’s your story? Where did they get you from?” Anari inquired.
“I’m from the States but I was over in Barcelona when everything went black.”
“Barcelona, Spain?” Anari asked in confusion.
“Yeah, I had to lay low over there. The feds were on me back home so I had to go into hiding. I was doing my thing in Miami and then I tried to go legit in Vegas. You know how that goes, though,” Carter said as he moved a piece on the board.
“You’re Carter’s son, right?” Anari asked as she looked closely at his facial features. Also, she knew that anything that moved in Miami was under the umbrella of the Cartel. Their reputation rang bells throughout the country as the biggest and most organized crime syndicate in the South. If drug dealing was an art they would be the Picassos of it. They simply were the best to ever do it.
“Yeah, that’s my father. Never met him though,” Carter admitted as he dr
opped his head and focused on the chessboard.
“Oh, I see,” Anari said, not wanting to ask any more questions. She had heard nothing but good things about his father during her time on the streets. Her husband, Von, used to do business with him and he held Carter in high regard.
“I heard you used to make it snow in the Midwest. I grew up hearing your name for years. Tony, right?” Carter said as he called her by her street alias.
“Yeah, I did my thing back in the day,” Anari confirmed as she moved a chess piece. “Check,” she added just before looking at Carter.
“If this is anything like Ghost says it is, we are set for life. This is what them privileged conglomerates have been doing for years. They sell legal drugs and we never seem to get a piece of the pie. They only leave us with the product that comes with a life sentence if sold,” Carter explained.
“It’s too good to be true. However, I’m thinking that we didn’t have much of a choice. Ghost made it seem like the option was ours, but I truly beg to differ. You see what happened to ol’ girl once she declined? I’m pretty sure I would have been right there with her if I chose to decline. They put it in front of us like they are presenting us an opportunity but did we really have a choice?” Anari said just before she stood up. “Checkmate,” she added as she trapped his king and walked away.
Her words lingered in Carter’s thoughts as he began to digest the situation at hand. It was a new world order and he was a part of it. Frankly, he felt as if he was in a dream but the stakes were high, especially for him. He had no choice but to play the game, hoping that he didn’t let it play him in the end. Carter could do nothing but smile and shake his head in disbelief and admiration. He knew there was something special about Anari.
CHAPTER 2
What is time? It’s a concept of measuring one’s day, measuring one’s steps, measuring one’s life. It’s man-made. An idea made up to hold one accountable for the way they fill their day. At least that was what Miamor tried to tell herself to cope with the fifteen years she had been sentenced with. Miamor stood behind the wooden defense table as the man in the black robe stared down at her. He was perched up so smugly on his judicial throne as he condemned her for the next decade and a half. Even in this moment, fear didn’t exist within her. Rage, yes, but fear, never. She would be lying if she said there were no feelings of regret. Miamor was being taken from her son, from her husband, from her family. Remorse for the choices that had led her to this moment was a natural feeling, but still she refused to let it weaken her.
So, she erased the concept of time from her mind. In that moment, it did not exist. She would not count the times that the sun rose and set in the sky, she wouldn’t acknowledge the years that would age her against her will. She would just be. She would just exist. She would just survive, until the day came when she would be a free woman again. Miamor held out her hands as steel clasped around her wrists, binding her. She looked behind her in the crowd. Not one familiar face was present. They couldn’t be. Everyone affiliated with the infamous Cartel was a target. Carter was on the run. Aries had gone back underground where Miamor hoped her dear friend would stay. Breeze was taking care of the children and Monroe was dead. They were weak. The era of supremacy that they brought to the streets was no longer. The day that they had all tried to avoid for years had finally come. The Cartel had been brought to its knees at the hands of the federal government and the media was out to document the fall from grace. No amount of money could get Miamor out of this predicament. She did not cower or cry as the cameras flashed in her face.
Her heart beat rapidly as she was escorted by two federal agents to the awaiting transport vehicle outside. They held semiautomatic weapons and were dressed in full protective gear in anticipation of a getaway attempt. All their efforts were for naught, however. There was no grand escape plan. She would take those years on the head. They had offered her a deal to flip on Carter, but she never flinched. Miamor was too solid. She would do every single day they had given her without complaint because she was serving them for the man she loved. She would do a lifetime for Carter Jones.
Miamor eyed the other women that sat solemnly on the bus. They each shared the same fate. They were being shipped away and most of them would be forgotten, but Miamor knew that if no one ever spoke her name again, there was one person who would always remember her. As long as they both breathed, the universe would connect them. Carter and Miamor. Their love story was epic and to separate them was to go against the very fabric of God’s plan. Neither time nor space could dilute what they shared. She sat down in the back and stared straight ahead to avoid being caught by the cameramen lurking outside the window.
Day one of fifteen years, she thought as the bus pulled away from the courthouse. Staring at the bleak, dark journey ahead of her would only make life seem unbearable. She had to block everything out and keep her mind strong to survive. This was the first day and the last day she would count, until they let her go. She promised herself that.
* * *
“You’re going to have to do some time. Our best bet is to enter a plea agreement with the government.”
The words were spoken, but they couldn’t be true. Breeze was the most innocent of them all. Her father had kept her that way; her brothers had kept her that way; even Zyir had understood the value in keeping Breeze away from the flame. Still here she was, burnt by the game, just like the rest of them. As she sat at the cold, metal desk, handcuffed to her chair, she sighed deeply. Einstein was the best lawyer on the East Coast and had defended the Diamond family for years. If he was admitting defeat, she knew she stood no chance.
“How much time?” she asked.
“I can get it down to three years for tax evasion. They don’t have anything drug related to hold over your head, but the money … the money is very dirty and well, since you’re the last one standing, the burden is yours to carry. I’m sorry,” Einstein said sincerely. “With good behavior, you will be out in eighteen months.” A year and a half was nothing to the common criminal, but to a pampered princess like Breeze, it seemed like an eternity. She was paying for sins that were not her own.
“This is bullshit,” Breeze whispered. Tears stung her eyes, but Breeze choked them down. There was no room for weakness in this moment. “I’m pregnant. My nephews need me. This baby needs me. What’s going to happen to them? There is no one left! Where are they?”
“Right now, they are at your home with the housekeeper. If you can’t make arrangements for their care, Social Services will take the boys and your daughter after she is born.…”
“No,” Breeze replied as she pulled against the handcuffs in frustration. She was shackled like an animal, being arrested for a crime that was not hers to pay for. It all seemed so unfair. There had always been someone in line before her to take responsibility for her family’s dirty deeds. How had blame fallen on her? “No! They can’t do this. You have to get me out of here.”
Breeze could see the sympathy in her attorney’s eyes. She wasn’t getting out of this unscathed. The pretty Diamond princess would be held accountable for every dirty dollar she spent. “They didn’t choose this life,” she pleaded.
“Neither did you, but this is where we are,” Einstein replied.
“I need time to turn myself in. I need time to say goodbye to them. I don’t want to have my daughter in prison. Can we work out some type of arrangement with the government that gives me more time? My baby is due in four weeks. That’s all I need.”
“I don’t know if—”
“We’ve paid you millions over the years. I don’t want to hear anything except yes, I will make it happen,” Breeze demanded. Einstein nodded and then stood to leave the room. “Oh and Einstein,” she added. He paused in his tracks and turned to face her. Breeze’s normally demure demeanor was extinguished and replaced with a rage he had never seen from her. “I need an attorney from your firm to expedite my divorce. If I’m going to prison, I’m going wearing my father’s last na
me, not the name of a snitch.”
Einstein nodded and left the holding cell. When she was alone, Breeze’s chest heaved in distress. The world felt like it was caving in. She was alone and her back was against the wall. She had become so accustomed to her family handling things. Even when the men were exiled in Saudi Arabia, Miamor had taken the lead. Now it was all on her. Everything, every responsibility had fallen into her lap by default. She now owned every burden and for the first time she realized how heavy the crown truly was.
Breeze wished that her parents were alive to help her. She wished her brothers were alive to help her. Being the last one standing wasn’t a privilege at all. Breeze was sickened. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of going away and leaving the children without protection.
Hours passed. Federal agents came and went. They didn’t want Breeze, they wanted Carter, but she lived by a code that even Zyir had not been strong enough to uphold. She wasn’t telling, not even to save the future generation of Diamonds. The federal agents used every tactic within the law to get her to break but she held firm. Hours passed before Einstein came to her rescue.
Breeze sat chained like an animal, her head resting on the table. She was disheveled and if she didn’t get out of the small room fast she was going to go crazy. Einstein entered the room with Agent Rivard. “We are giving you seventy-two hours to get your affairs in order. You will surrender your passport. Do not try to run, do not try to skip town. I will have eyes on you. We will be kicking in your door at hour seventy-three so don’t try anything. This is a courtesy, Mrs. Rich—”
“Diamond,” Breeze corrected.
“Well, Ms. Diamond, this is a courtesy. If I feel at any time that you are attempting to evade the law, I will arrest you and the three-year plea will be out the window. I’ll have the prosecutor go for maximum sentencing,” the agent said. “Am I clear?”
“I’m not running,” Breeze answered.
The agent removed the handcuffs and Einstein wrapped his suit jacket around Breeze’s shoulders as he whisked her away.
