“I chose my own destiny. I’m an old man. An organization of my family’s magnitude leaves a lot of bodies in its path. Someone has to be held accountable for those. I took responsibility because I saw the bigger picture. I’m in here for twenty different counts of confessed murder. I have lived my life and done my part so that my family’s reign could go on. What I’m offering you is a deal too sweet for any man to refuse.”
Garza extended his hand, and Carter reluctantly accepted. “Nothing will be set in stone until a face to face is held. I’ll send my right hand, Zyir, to meet with your people,” Carter stated.
“I will phone home tomorrow to let my brother Felipe know to expect him. This will be a beautiful thing for everyone involved.”
“Only time will tell,” Carter responded. He knew that getting in bed with the Mexican drug cartel could prove very wise. He just had to ensure that everyone understood the terms of the agreement, because if something went wrong, Carter was almost certain that The Cartel would not be able to withstand another war.
Mecca could not take it anymore. Watching his back every second of every day was becoming too much to bear. He knew that there was only one way to dead his beef with Estes. He had to go see his grandfather. The same man who had sent the killers to his front door was the only one who could call them off. He hoped that he could reason with Estes and that he would remember that Monroe was not his only grandson.
He had made a mistake by killing Monroe, and it was a regret that he would live with for the rest of his life. Estes’ vengeance was not necessary. The burden was already heavy enough, sometimes too heavy for him to carry.
As Mecca ventured on his grandfather’s side of town, his instincts sharpened. He kept his eyes in his rearview and one hand on his pistol. He never wanted to be caught slipping again, so he stayed ready, safety off. It would be the wrong day to run up on him unannounced. He knew that he would never make it through his grandfather’s door with a gun, so he hoped that Estes did not have him killed on sight.
Mecca had love for no one besides family. He remembered the Christmas holidays and the many birthdays that had been spent in his grandfather’s presence. How long ago that seemed now. How easily they both had forgotten.
It seemed to Mecca that Estes placed more value on his relationship with Monroe. The little boy that respected his grandfather simply wanted to be loved, but the grown, cold man that Mecca had come to be wanted to place his grandfather in the dirt.
As he finally neared Estes’ home, he parked at the public beach and decided to walk along the sand behind his grandfather’s house. The fact that Estes’ house sat directly on the water helped Mecca go undetected. The many people that were enjoying the sun allowed him to blend in, and as he neared his grandfather’s home, he noticed that Estes was outside sitting on his patio. A few feet away from him, a woman stood in a sundress and large sunhat, holding a child in her arms. Estes seemed to be distracted by the woman’s presence as Mecca approached.
He wished that he had brought his pistol with him. It was the first time he had seen his grandfather so relaxed. There were no bodyguards in sight, and it would have been the perfect time to end their beef once and for all, but Mecca knew that he did not have time to go back to his car. He had to try to reason with Estes.
Mecca watched the woman go inside, and Estes’ eyes were so focused on the woman that he never saw Mecca walk up.
“Hello, Grandfather,” Mecca greeted in a low, steady tone.
Caught completely off guard, Estes turned around to find Mecca standing before him. He half expected to be shot instantly. Mecca lifted his arms and shirt and then said, “I’m not strapped.”
“Why not? I would not have extended you the same courtesy,” Estes replied as he pulled a.45 from underneath the table. It had been resting in his lap, but Estes immediately showed his cards to let Mecca know that he was constantly aware of the business he was in.
“You’re still alive,” Estes observed as his eyes roamed his grandson cautiously, surveying him to see if he was injured.
“Diamonds are forever,” Mecca replied.
“Tell that to your brother,” Estes shot back. He clicked off his safety as his finger gripped the trigger of his gun. “You’re a snake, Mecca. You’re a traitor. You killed my grandson.”
“Am I not your grandson, Estes?” Mecca asked.
Estes fixed his mouth to respond, but was interrupted when Leena emerged from the house with her son in one arm and a bowl of fruit in her hands. She was so busy trying to balance everything without dropping it that she didn’t look up. When she finally did, both she and Mecca got the surprise of their lives.
“Leena?”
Her name fell out of his mouth without him even knowing it, and the sound of his voice caused her to drop the glass bowl in her hands, causing tiny glass fragments to explode on the ground. Her heart beat in fear as she instinctively gripped her son in protection.
Mecca’s eyes widened as if he were seeing a ghost. He had shot her himself. For all this time, he had thought that she was dead. Now here she was, standing before him, as beautiful as he remembered. His gaze went from her to the child in her arms. He looked like a tiny replica of Mecca, but deep in his heart, Mecca knew that the little boy was not his seed. Mecca was sterile, and the child in Leena’s arm was his nephew. It was Money’s son, and that fact brought the betrayal that he had felt rushing back to him.
Tears came to Leena’s eyes as she saw Mecca’s expression go from sad to angry. She knew him, and felt as if he would explode at any moment. Estes didn’t hesitate to chamber a bullet in his gun. He, too, recognized the look in his grandson’s eyes.
“It’s that easy for you to shoot me, Estes? Your flesh and blood,” Mecca stated as he looked back and forth between Lena and Estes. Seeing her reminded him of his sins, and his bottom lip began to quiver uncontrollably. He held his arms out at his sides as Estes’ finger rested on the trigger. “Did Money mean that much more? Why is his life more valuable than mine? Huh, Estes? Why does everybody hate Mecca?”
Estes was silent but unflinching as he listened to Mecca break down. “Ever since we were little, everybody always favored Money. Mecca was the bad twin. I was the unwanted seed! My heart was cold before the streets ever got a hold of me. Everybody always loved Money… never me,” Mecca shouted, getting years of pent-up emotion off of his chest.
His words brought tears to Leena’s eyes, because even she had chosen Monroe over Mecca. She had contributed to his hurt, to his isolation.
“There is no excuse,” Estes spoke up, unaffected by Mecca’s outburst. “You murdered your brother. You knew what the consequences would be for your actions. Be a man and take what you deserve,” Estes said without the theatrics. He was calm and sure of his decision as he raised his gun, aiming it at Mecca’s heart. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Leena stopped him.
“Emilio, please don’t,” Leena whispered. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Mecca as her tears began to flow. “There has been enough bloodshed.” Her voice was pleading, and even though she hated Mecca, she did not want to see him dead. He looked so much like Monroe, like her son, and as she read the hurt in his stare, she began to think about Mecca’s pain for the first time since she had been shot.
“Leena?” Mecca repeated in disbelief as he stumbled backward a bit, completely in shock.
Estes stood to his feet and stepped close to Mecca. His gun hung threateningly in his palm. “She just saved your life, son. You are no grandson of mine. You will keep your distance,” Estes said. He did not raise his voice, but his tone was all the warning that Mecca needed.
“What do I have to do to get your forgiveness, Estes?” Mecca whispered so that only the two of them could hear his plea.
“Ask God for forgiveness. I have none to give,” Estes replied.
Mecca stepped back and wiped his face with one hand. “You’ll call off your dogs,” Mecca countered.
Estes looked back at Leena, who nodded her head as she wiped the tears away while holding her son tightly.
Estes replied dryly, “I will.”
Mecca extended his hand to his grandfather, but Estes walked away disgusted. He had no respect for Mecca, and did not want there to be any misunderstandings. Estes would never welcome Mecca back into his family.
Mecca walked away stunned. His mind was completely blown. The mixed emotions that Mecca felt threw him
