Zyir loosened up a little and chuckled a bit before replying, “Just don’t feel right, nah mean? Looking at you through this glass. We working on that as we speak. Got your legal peoples working around the clock on your case.”
Carter respected Zyir for his loyalty and support. Carter wasn’t an optimist, however. He was a realist, and he wanted to prepare his little nigga for his potential conviction.
“Zy… Carter cleared his throat and rubbed his growing goatee as he stared intently at his protege. You know there’s a possibility that this could all end badly for me.
Zyir shook his head in denial and replied, “Nah, fam. Shit is going to work itself out. Before you know it, you’ll be home.”
Carter nodded his head and didn’t press the issue further. He just wanted to put it out there. He knew Zyir like the back of his hand. He had planted the seed in Zyir’s head, and knew that Zyir would make the necessary plans just in case.
“Why hasn’t Miamor been to see me? I can’t reach her by phone. Have you heard from her?” Carter inquired.
Zyir shook his head. He hated to be the one to tell him the news, but thought he deserved to know. “Mecca heard she skipped town right after your arrest,” Zyir stated.
Carter frowned and replied, “Skipped town?” The news was disturbing to hear. Nothing about it resonated as true in his heart. His case had nothing to do with her, and he knew that the only time a bitch was leaving town was if she was running away with a bag full of money. Miamor never had access to his paper, and he had never involved her in his illegal dealings, so she had no reason to run. It didn’t make sense to him, but he knew that he was in no position to worry about her whereabouts. If and when he got out of prison, he would handle the situation; until then, he stored the information in his mental Rolodex.
After Zyir informed him of the state of The Cartel, their visit was cut short. He had a lot to think about. He had played the game for many years, and now it seemed that it had finally caught up to him. His judgment day had arrived.
Mecca emerged from the family mansion cautiously as he looked around him in paranoia. He knew that his grandfather, Emilio Estes, would not stop until his head was on a platter, and that his power was far reaching. Mecca had no idea who Estes was going to send at him, so he watched his back wherever he went. He slid into his Lamborghini and left rubber in his path as he sped off toward the lawyer’s office.
Alton Beckham was a defense attorney who had been on retainer from the very beginning. A friend to his father, Mecca knew that Beckham was Young Carter’s best chance of getting off. His unscrupulous morals and greed for money were the main reasons why he was so beneficial to his clients.
Mecca walked into his office, where Beckham’s receptionist greeted him. She stood to greet Mecca.
“Hello, Mr. Diamond. If you’ll have a seat, Mr. Beckham has another client in his office, but-”
Before she could even finish her sentence, Mecca bypassed the secretary as if she were invisible and walked directly into Beckham’s office.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Beckham,” the secretary stated as she rushed inside behind Mecca. “I told him he had to wait.”
“I don’t wait,” Mecca stated simply as he took a seat next to the client that was already sitting, with no regard for the meeting that he was interrupting.
Beckham stood up from behind his desk. “It’s okay, Tracy. Mr. Diamond is always welcome.” He then turned to his client and extended his hand. “I apologize, but I’m going to have to cut our meeting short. You can reschedule out front.” Knowing exactly who Mecca Diamond was, the other client didn’t protest before walking out of the room.
Once the office was clear, Beckham got down to business. He loosened his tie and sat back in his plush leather chair as he reached underneath his desk, pulling out a bottle of cognac. He poured two glasses and then held one out to Mecca.
Mecca smirked at the Jewish lawyer before him. “Every time I accept a drink from you, bad news follows.” Mecca was only half joking. He knew that Beckham was a beast in the courtroom, but he was a snake outside of it. He offered his expertise, but it came at a hefty price.
“Carter’s case requires more time than I previously anticipated. The federal prosecutor really has a hard-on for your brother. He’s doing everything he can in order to send Carter away. They don’t just want a conviction; they want a life sentence, and they want to make an example out of The Cartel. In order for me to prepare the best defense, I’m going to have to go up on my price.”
“Don’t beat around the bush, Beckham. The bottom line is money. How much do you want?” Mecca asked. “I brought a payment here for you today.” Mecca placed a money-filled manila envelope in front of the lawyer. “Fifty thousand dollars.”
Trusting his long working relationship with the Diamond family, Beckham did not feel the need to count it. He put it in his desk drawer and replied, “That’s a start.”
“What price will finish it?” Mecca questioned.
“Double,” Beckham responded.
Mecca did not have a problem paying the fee. It was worth Carter’s freedom, but he wanted to make it clear that if he was going to spare no expense, then Carter’s freedom better be guaranteed.
“You know, with that type of paper, you’ll have new responsibilities. I will personally expect more from you. You accepting that type of money tells me that my brother will walk. Things could turn out real bad for you if you don’t live up to these expectations. You understand?” Mecca asked boldly.
Beckham was well aware of who he was dealing with, and he knew that by charging The Cartel double for their leader’s defense, he was playing with his own life. If he lost, the consequences would be devastating for him, but greed outweighed his reason. “I understand,” he replied as he extended his hand.
Once Mecca accepted it, the new deal was done. Getting Carter out of prison would not be cheap, but it was worth it, because only Carter had the foresight it took to get The Cartel out of its slump. He could re-establish their cocaine connection. Once Carter was out, everyone would eat again, and the balance of power would be restored.
Mecca emerged from the attorney’s office and removed his car keys from his back pocket. When he was halfway across the street, he hit the remote starter on his keychain.
BOOM!
Glass and metal flew everywhere as Mecca’s car exploded, knocking him from his feet and sending him flying backward onto the pavement.
“Oh shit!” he yelled out in panicked alarm as he scrambled to his feet and backpedaled away from the blaze. He looked around in bewilderment as flames engulfed his five-figure car and a crowd began to draw around him. “Fuck!” he yelled as he put his hands on the side of his head. He knew that only one person would have the balls to come after him-Emilio Estes-and as he looked on in pure rage, he knew that this was far from being over. His grandfather would not stop until he put Mecca in a grave-right next to his twin brother.
Leena sat in the opulence of the oceanside villa that was now her home. She could not believe that her life had come to this point. She had played a dangerous game by falling in love with two brothers, and the end result had proven deadly. She could still feel the ache where Mecca’s bullet had penetrated her, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the fact that she had sparked a beef between two brothers.
She had created a divide between two men who should have been inseparable… impenetrable… invincible, but because of her, everything had been torn apart.
She smiled as she looked at her child, Monroe’s only son, as he sat playing quietly on the floor beneath her feet. The only living seed of the late Monroe Diamond sat so innocently, so unaware of his status. He was the heir to so much power and money. Her son was a Diamond, and it was that fact that kept her safe. It kept her alive. It had made her untouchable.
She had been whisked away from the hospital to this world of luxury. She had been there for over a year, and now she sat eating nervously, silently, across from Emilio Estes, the man who had made it all possible. Her child had given her access to the throne, a throne so much bigger than she had ever been appointed.
The Dominican born Estes was more powerful than anyone she had ever met, including the Diamond brothers.
