The Cartel 7--Illuminati--Roundtable of Bosses

by Ashley

  She continued, “I knew something was wrong when all of the targeted places had one thing in common: they were all areas with a high number of African Americans and impoverishment. They were using us to repeat what had happened in the Reagan era,” Anari continued to explain more in depth. Anari pressed Play and let the tape run. It was a lapsed time video showing the rats moving frantically for an extended amount of time. They even began to fight and snap at each other out of frustration over not being able to find the drug. They both watched as the rats began to fight and fight until eventually one of them killed the other. The second rat eventually died, not being able to recover from the fight with one of its own.

  “This is literally our community in a nutshell,” Anari added.

  “Reaganomics,” Carter said as chills went up his spine once again, thinking about how deep the elaborate scheme was.

  “Right. If you remember correctly, a few people from the communities got rich in a short period of time when crack hit the scene. But in return, the low-level dealers were all tossed in jail, getting more time than murderers and rapists. Mothers were forced to raise kids on their own and doing that with a crack addiction was detrimental. It tore down an entire generation and set us back years. We were merely pawns and were positioned to handicap our own people,” Anari said.

  “This is some heavy shit,” Carter said in disbelief as he folded his arms and leaned on the sink. His mind was completely blown.

  “If you remember correctly, they marked the suburban areas in the country as no-fly zones, making sure that it never touched white America. The writing is on the wall. They tried to play us. They even got that token nigga Ghost to lead us into our own demise,” Anari stated.

  “They set this play up beautifully. Who are ‘they’ though?” Carter asked as he rubbed the bottom of his chin and squinted his eyes, trying to fully understand.

  “The government. I did more research and look what I found,” Anari said just before she messed with the mouse and keyboard and opened another inbox. She then opened a link and showed Carter what was on the screen. A picture of a man popped up and the headline read, CORRUPTION IN POLITICS: POLITICIAN ARRESTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO USE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PERSONAL USE. “Look closer at the picture,” Anari instructed. Carter looked closely and thought the man looked familiar, but couldn’t really put a name to the face.

  “It’s Ghost. Look!” she said as she placed her hand over the laptop screen, covering half of the man’s face. “This is what he looked like before the plastic surgery,” Anari explained. Carter looked closely and saw that she was right. It was Ghost without the skinny nose and thin lips that he possessed at that moment.

  “He was being used as a pawn to recruit and persuade us. We all got played. They probably offered him a deal in return for him recruiting us,” Anari insisted.

  Carter shook his head and buried his face in his hands.

  “They probably were going to set us up to get nabbed as soon as we got the drugs into our community and it could begin to sell itself. At that point, they wouldn’t need us anymore. I have something else to show you,” Anari said as she walked over by the body and grabbed the envelope that was on the floor. “This is what else I’ve found,” she said.

  Carter sat up as she walked over and handed him the envelope. He looked inside and then pulled out the small stack of papers. As he turned the pages, he saw pictures of himself, Anari, Brick, and Millie with all their personal information listed. Age, height, weight, and a list of family members. He looked at his and they had listed everyone he had contact with over the last seven years. He then looked at the top heading and he read, FBI MOST WANTED.

  “Not all of the Most Wanted make it to the headlines. They keep stuff like this top secret to avoid alerting people that they are watching closely, waiting for them to slip. A simple phone call to the authorities and they would have been on us like white on rice. They were setting us up for our own downfall. They just needed us to penetrate the slums for them. This shit is crazy.”

  “Yeah, it’s inconceivable but you don’t know what this opportunity just cost me. It cost me everything,” Carter said as he shifted his focus back to his family.

  “There’s more than one way to skin a cat. No one knows Ghost is dead. Let’s go through his notes and study them closely. We have to use him as a pawn just like he attempted to use us. I know about your wife. I think I know how to help. I have his phone, so that means I have his connections. I don’t believe he truly knew that he was just a puppet as well. All his business was worked through his cell phone and he probably didn’t know exactly who he worked for. I’m going to continue to communicate with his ‘partners’ and see how we can work everything into our favor,” she said as she nodded confidently.

  CHAPTER 9

  “You might want to tuck in all that pretty hair, light skin.” Breeze felt someone tug her long ponytail as she sat on the bench during recreation hour. She turned to find two Hispanic women standing behind her. “You’re new booty in here. There’s plenty bitches in here that will chop that shit off and flex on you with your own shit. You might want to try a little harder not to look so pampered in this motherfucka. People might think you think you’re better than them. You know, one of them bourgeoisie hoes. Ain’t no room for that in here. We all on the same level,” the woman said.

  “I’m not … I don’t think … I’m just minding my business,” Breeze said, stumbling over her response as she tried to decide how to approach these women.

  “Hmm, hmm,” the woman said as she sat down. “That’s even worse. Nobody walks around here alone. You link up with your people. After a while family don’t visit no more. The people that look like you, talk like you, come from where you from, we become your new family.”

  “I’m not into the whole gang thing,” Breeze replied. “I don’t want no problems. I’m just doing my time.”

  “We all just doing our time and it’s not about gangs. It’s about heritage mami. The only color that matters is the color of your skin. You can walk around here and alienate yourself if you want, but that makes you an easy mark. What you in here for?”

  “Bullshit,” Breeze responded. She didn’t want to give more information about herself than what was needed.

  The woman smirked. “What’s your name?”

  “Breeze.”

  “You’re not Breeze in here. What’s your last name?” the woman shot back. “I’m Sanchez, this is Rezzie.”

  Breeze looked at the other woman. “Rezzie?” Breeze asked.

  “Short for Perez. We stick together in here,” Sanchez stated. “So, who the fuck are you?”

  “Diamond,” Breeze responded.

  “Well, Diamond. Tuck that hair and let me know if you need anything,” Sanchez said as she stood and walked across the yard with Rezzie right by her side.

  “What the hell was that?” Breeze whispered to herself as she watched them stroll away. Breeze looked around, noticing that all the inmates were cliqued up. Everyone belonged somewhere, except for Breeze. She was one of the only women sitting alone.

  If you weren’t cliqued up you were singled out and with this many women in one place, jealousy quickly surfaced. Breeze’s silence came off as arrogance and she was slowly becoming a target. Suddenly, it felt like malicious stares were aimed her way. She didn’t know if she had been too naïve and had missed them before but now that she was aware, an uneasiness settled in her stomach. She was like a sheep among wolves.

  Breeze stood and tucked her ponytail inside her shirt before making her way back to her cell. At least inside there she only had to battle her thoughts. Out in the yard she was exposed to danger. Anyone could get to her from any angle and the problem was she didn’t know exactly who her enemy was. In that moment, Breeze hated that she was so delicate. She hadn’t been in one single fight growing up. Her father’s army of goons always handled her problems. She had been the only kid throughout school to be escorted each morning by armed men for her prot
ection and those same armed men would pick her up afterward. She had gotten so used to it that she never thought the day would come when she would have to be her own protection. The thought scared her because she didn’t know if she had it in her. As she held her bulging belly she knew that she had more to fight for than just herself, but what could she do in her current state? I’m nine months pregnant and helpless in here.

  Breeze sauntered back to her bunk and as she passed the TV room, she paused. She noticed Sanchez and Rezzie sitting with four other Hispanic women inside. A part of her wanted to go to them and ask for protection. Life inside would be a lot less lonely with allies, but Breeze had been taught to live a certain way. Her blood had been her team for as long as she could remember. She wasn’t a girl who had friends, or ran in a crew of women that was placed together for superficial commonalities like looks or money. Her crew had been her family. Linking up with these women would feel different because she knew at the end of the day, none of them would hold her down like family. Besides, nothing in prison came at a fair price. She didn’t know how expensive the price may be. Accepting protection from the wrong people could cost her in the end, so she would hold herself down as long as possible to avoid owing a debt. She was learning slowly but surely that nothing was free on the inside. If you received something there was an expectation of repayment and the exchange wasn’t always equal. The most manipulative usually came out on top. It was like a prison stock market—deals were made every day. The last thing Breeze needed was to incur a debt with the wrong person inside. That could be deadlier than having nobody to watch her back at all.

  Sanchez looked up and Breeze briefly locked eyes with her. In the split second they stared at each other, a million things crossed Breeze’s mind. She lowered her gaze and hurried away, knowing that the day would come when she would cross Sanchez’s path again. She just didn’t know if she would be a friend or an enemy.

  CHAPTER 10

  Carter patiently waited in the bushes, crouched down out of sight. The sun was just rising and provided a faint light as he waited in stealth. He then heard the ruffling of the bushes as two people were having a conversation. The voices got clearer as they got closer. Carter looked down at the gun in his hand that once belonged to Ghost. He watched closely as Dr. Ishban and another scientist approached the door to the lab that was hidden in the woods. They had no idea that Carter was waiting in the cut for them. They never saw him rise from the bushes and creep up behind them. Carter pressed the gun directly to the back of Dr. Ishban’s head, making him cringe with fear. The other doctor yelled in terror. Almost immediately, Carter removed the gun from the back of Dr. Ishban’s head and pressed it to the forehead of the other man.

  “Quiet down, my man,” Carter said calmly as he winked at him. The man threw up his hands and his lips were zipped closed in sheer fear. He wouldn’t dare make another sound, especially staring down the barrel of a chrome .45-caliber pistol. Anari came from the side of the building, slowly clapping sarcastically.

  “Young nigga got some scrap in ’em,” she said, looking at Carter and smiling. She hadn’t done any gangster shit in years and she felt right at home during this ambush.

  “Punch in the code,” Carter said as he focused his attention back on Dr. Ishban. Carter nudged him with his free hand, pushing him toward the keypad. “Go ahead, put in the code or one of these bullets is going to park in the back of your head, playboy,” Carter said, still using a calm, even tone. Dr. Ishban was shaking like a leaf in autumn as he held his hands up and scooted to the keypad. His hand was shaking vigorously. He could barely punch in the correct numbers. After a failed first attempt, the low buzz sounded, signaling that the wrong code had been entered.

  “Calm down. Take your time and punch in the code. No one will be hurt if you do what I say. You have my word on that,” Carter said, giving the scientist a brief moment of optimism. Dr. Ishban pushed the numbers in and moments later the doors opened. Carter swiftly ushered the scientists in and knew that they had to get down to business before the other scientist came in for the day. They also had to get in and out before Ghost’s body was found.

  “Let’s go!” Carter said as they swiftly moved through the corridor, making their way to the back of the lab. Anari had instructed Carter that they would need the female and male seed of the flower and once they had possession of that they could take that back to the States and duplicate it and start their own harvest. They also needed all the notes and trial studies that had been done on the drug. This would give them everything they needed to re-create the drug and begin their takeover.

  “I need the male and female strand of the Rebe and I need it now,” Carter said as he continued to hold them at gunpoint. Anari brushed past, heading directly to the room where the files were held. She was looking for files to take back to her scientist. She disappeared to the back and Carter followed Dr. Ishban to the spot where they kept the seeds. He did exactly what was asked of him and after studying the labels on the small compact pouches, he gave Carter the seeds. Carter quickly snatched them and placed them into his pocket. At that moment Anari came from the back with a few files.

  “Got ’em!” she yelled as she came out of the back. Carter glanced at her and then focused back on the scientist. Carter then hog-tied the scientists with the ties they had gotten from Ghost’s villa. Carter secured the ties and left the two men squirming on the ground as they exited the lab with everything they needed to relocate the entire operation and start from scratch. However, this time it would be with their own scientist and their own game plan. They had devised this plan in the wee hours of the night and in the company of Ghost’s dead body.

  * * *

  They were on their way back home with the keys to the future. Anari and Carter exited the property without any problems and without anyone knowing what their plans were. They had a game plan to flood the streets with this new drug but instead of following the original plan that Ghost had presented, they decided to do the opposite and put it in the suburbs of America. Pills were the new crack and they had the best illegal pill known to humankind. It was a new day and the beginning of a new era. Anari set up transportation and then set up Carter with fake documents to get him back into the States undetected. Carter soon found out that Anari was shaping out to be most likely the most resourceful partner he had ever had. She was well connected and well respected.

  Carter’s main goal was to get back home and see what was the problem with his family. The fact that Breeze was unreachable had him worried. He still hadn’t heard from Breeze and was determined to get to his family, even if it cost him his freedom. He was a wanted man back in the States but he didn’t care at this point. He was prepared to go out swinging. However, he had to find out what was wrong. Breeze was his safety net and with her not responding, it sent his entire world into a frenzy. He was determined to get back home and get to the bottom of things. He also knew that to make power moves, he had to be in a position of power, which meant being financially ready for anything. He wasn’t as wealthy as he had been previous to the federal government being on his tail. He knew that this move with Anari would strengthen his financial health, which would enable him to do more. He was about to step back into the game, two feet in. All gas and no brakes.

  * * *

  Carter’s heart pumped furiously as he walked through customs with his phony paperwork. It was a week after they had killed Ghost and they were heading back into the United States. They had to stay in the country for a few days so that Anari’s connections could send Carter over his fake documents. In the meantime, Anari and Carter were making calls setting up a pipeline and setting up shop for their new drug. The plan was for them to be up and running within a month and the drug Rebe would make its street debut.

  The crowded customs terminal was hot, muggy, and loud from all the various conversations and movement going on. People hastily pulled their luggage and speed walked through the terminal, everyone having their own agenda. Police were sca
ttered throughout the place, some walking K-9s, letting them sniff their way around and about. They were obviously looking for drug traffickers or anything out of the norm. Little did they know they had two of the biggest ones in America’s history passing through. Carter casually looked around, trying to blend in as best he could. He wore cheap clothes and had a camera around his neck. The straw hat that sat on top of his head was far from his style; however, he needed to look as much like a tourist as possible. The passport said his name was Dean Griswold but little did they know he was one of the FBI’s Most Wanted. He watched as Anari slid through customs without a problem. She looked back at him and quickly moved her focus past him, not wanting to give any indication that they were together.

  Carter approached the officer who was checking people’s documentation and his heart began to pump faster and faster the closer he got. Carter grimaced as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his heart and stopped walking momentarily as he squinted his eyes, hoping that the pain would subside.

  “Are you okay, sir?” the police officer asked as he frowned in concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Too much spicy Indian food,” Carter said as he felt the pain going away. He smiled and passed the officer the fraudulent passport. The officer held it up and put it next to Carter’s face and his eyes went from the passport to Carter’s face, back and forth. He studied closely and Carter tried his best to look calm and unbothered, even though he was growing uncomfortable. After a few seconds of examining, the officer smiled and gave Carter his documents.

  “Come again,” the man said as he smiled. Carter quickly passed through and saw Anari waiting on the other side. They were scheduled to be on a commercial flight back to the States and it was the safest option. Anari explained that the border patrol had been very leery of private jets coming into the U.S., so she suggested that they try to blend in with the crowd and be as normal as possible. Within an hour they were on a steel bird in the sky headed back to their home—the streets.