Array Ashley - The Cartel

Her eyes drifted down to the picture of her and her friends that sat on the dresser. She picked it up, and a smile slowly spread across her face as she looked at herself, Aries, Robyn, and, most importantly, Anisa. It had been taken over a year ago at a Fourth of July party. She reminisced how they used to step into the club. They were forever fly and were always led through the crowd by Anisa. Mad niggas lusted after their crew, and they got a lot of attention wherever they went. They were always the belles of the ball and the center of attention. Anisa had been the ringleader of their clique, the one to teach Miamor all of her murdering and hustling ways. Her big sister was truly her best friend, and now that she was gone, Miamor felt a strange hole in her heart.

A solitary tear leaked out of her eye, and she quickly brushed it off her face. She set the picture back on her dresser, turning it face down as she walked out of her bedroom. Every time she looked at something that reminded her of Anisa, she broke down. No matter how much Miamor’s girls tried to convince her otherwise, she continued to blame herself for her sister’s death.

She stopped in her hallway and looked down at her sister’s bedroom door. It was closed. She hadn’t stepped foot inside it since Anisa had been killed. She just couldn’t bring herself to look at her sister’s things. She quickly turned and made her way into her kitchen. She opened her cabinets and pulled out some pancake batter. Tears came to her eyes as she slammed the box of batter on the counter. She leaned onto the countertop and wept as she thought of her sister. Every Friday morning, she and Anisa would cook pancakes together. It was a silly tradition that they had shared since their pre-teen years, but it was something that she cherished. Miamor knew that she would never share another intimate moment with her sister, and it hurt her to the depths of her soul.

“Ughh!” she screamed in frustration. She hated feeling so weak. She had never been the emotional type, but her sister’s death brought out years of harbored emotions.

Miamor looked around her condominium, and everything about it reminded her of Anisa. Anisa picked out the furniture, the scent of the candles, even the food in the refrigerator, all of which served as a constant reminder of her failure to protect the ones around her.

She poured the pancake mix out of the box and turned on the faucet to rinse it down the sink. “I can’t stay here. This shit is gon’ drive me crazy,” she said out loud to herself. She opened up her kitchen drawers and searched until she found the card of the realtor that had sold her the condo. It was time for her to sell her place. I have to find a new spot. I can’t even breathe in here. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly punched in the numbers.

“Harper Spokes, please.”

Carter looked at all of the possessions he had brought back to Miami from Flint. There was no way he could continue to live out of a hotel. He had made the move South, now he needed to find his own spot. He picked up his cell and called Monroe.

“Money, this is Carter,” he stated when his younger brother answered the phone.

“What’s good, bro?”

“Aye, I just brought all of my stuff down here from Up Top. Now I need a place to put it,” he replied, laughter in his voice. “Do you have time to show me a few properties today?”

“My schedule’s pretty full today, fam, but I can get one of the board associates to take you around. You looking to rent or buy?”

Carter replied, “Come on, fam, do I look like one of these rent-a-center-ass niggas? You know I ain’t living up in no shit I don’t own.”

“Yeah, I hear you. Well, come on down to the office when you’re ready.”

“A’ight, I’ll be down there in about an hour.”

Carter dressed simply in an all-white, short-sleeve Sean John button-up with a crisp, white t-shirt underneath, his light jeans and Prada sneakers completing his hookup. Then he put on a 10-kt. necklace that had three tight rows of colorless diamonds.

After hanging his iPhone from his hip and tucking his.45 in his waistline, he was ready to go. Carter hopped in his Range, tucked his gun away in a hidden compartment behind his custom stereo, and then headed toward Diamond Realty.

When he walked into the office, he brought an instant smile to the face of the attractive receptionist sitting behind the desk.

“Hi, is there something that I can do for you?” Her eyes roamed suggestively over Carter’s muscular build.

Her come-on was obvious, and he gave her a polite smirk in response. “I’m here to see my brother, Monroe Diamond.”

The receptionist licked her lips and stated, “You can go right back to his office.”

Carter nodded and then headed down the hall.

Before he was out of sight, the receptionist called out, “And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Carter smiled but didn’t reply. He simply continued on his way until he came to an office that read Diamond on the door. He knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in,” Monroe called out.

Carter entered the office and slapped hands with Monroe. They pulled each other close for a brief second before sitting down.

“Carter, this is Harper Spokes. Harper, this is my older brother, Carter.”

Harper shook hands with the young man beside him and said, “You resemble your father.”

“So I’ve heard,” Carter answered.

“He was a good friend of mine. I’m sorry for your loss,” Harper said.

“Thank you.”

Money cleared his throat. “Harper tells me that we have a couple properties for you to view today.”

Harper pulled out a portfolio with available properties inside, and Carter chose three that he was interested in purchasing.

“How quickly are you looking to move in?” Harper asked.

“As soon as possible.”

“You are aware that Diamond Realty only deals in highend properties. Do you need financing? How do you plan on paying for the property?” Harper asked, causing Money to look up from the stack of papers on his desk.

Money, a bit offended at Harper’s question, replied bluntly before Carter could answer, “In cash.”

Carter, offended as well, said, “What other way is there?”

“Just like your father… you work in cash. That’s how I like it,” Harper stated.

“I bet you do,” said Carter in a sarcastic tone.

Although Miamor never kept a dirty house, she cleaned it from top to bottom to ensure that it was presentable for her prospective buyer. The only room that she hadn’t touched was Anisa’s.

She loved her realtor. As soon as she called him and told him she wanted to sell her place, he was on top of things. Within a few hours he had called her back and told her he had found a potential purchaser. The day slowly crept by as she waited for her realtor to arrive. It was five o’clock in the afternoon when she finally heard the knock on the door.

Miamor opened her door, and her jaw hit the floor when she saw Carter standing beside her realtor.

“Ms. Matthews, this is Carter Jones,” Harper stated. “Carter Jones, Miamor Matthews.”

Carter was just as surprised to see Miamor standing before him. She didn’t seem too happy to see him but, for business purposes, held out her hand for him to shake it.

“Mr. Jones,” she said.

Carter smirked at her act, but played along, giving off the perception that they had just met.

“Well, if you don’t mind, we’ll just take a look around,” Harper stated.

Miamor shook her head in protest. “Oh no, Harper. Please allow me to show him around. You can make yourself comfortable here in the living room,” she stated.

Miamor walked down the hallway, and Carter followed her into her bedroom. He closed the door behind him. Turning to face her, he noticed that she was standing with her arms folded across her chest. “Come here,” he stated in a low voice.