The Cartel - Ashley Antoinette Snell [65]
“He was my brother, man. My baby,” Mecca sobbed.
Carter and Mecca released one another. They stood there face to face, and for the first time there wasn’t even the slightest bit of animosity between them.
When Polo cleared his throat, they turned around to face him. “We need to talk. In the kitchen,” he said.
They followed Polo to the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
Carter stared at Polo. “How the fuck did this happen?”
“It’s my fault, man. Money took Leena home because of me. We had a fight, and he was doing me a favor. Once I cooled down, I decided to go over there to check on her. When I got there, I saw two dread mu’fuckas running out of her crib. I rushed in to see about Leena, and they both were laid out in there, fam.” Mecca dropped his head, unable to hold his brother’s stare. He couldn’t tell them what he had done. It was something that he would take to his grave.
“We’ve got to get a handle on this,” Polo stated.
“What the fuck happened to the truce? We kept our end up. What triggered this?” Carter asked.
“We don’t know, but we’ve got to retaliate,” Polo replied.
“Right now we just need to make it through today. I don’t think it’s too smart for us to keep fanning the flames. It’s obvious that we’re touchable right now. They’ve killed two of our soldiers, our leaders, and we’ve only knocked out their henchmen. We need to think before we attack,” Carter said.
“I agree,” Polo stated.
Taryn walked into the room. “The limo is here,” she announced, her voice barely audible.
Carter arose from his seat and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry,” he told her as they embraced.
“You have to fix this, Carter,” Taryn told him. “I need you to save my family . . . our family. Keep Breeze and Mecca safe. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
Carter nodded. “I will, I promise.”
Polo escorted Taryn to the car, and Breeze held onto Carter’s arm for dear life as they followed behind. She cried softly. It was almost time for the funeral to begin.
“Look, when we walk in this mu’fucka, we go straight to the front of the church. Mecca will be sitting on the front pew, so that’s the easiest way to hit him. Act like we’re going to view the body and then start blazing on ’em. There will be members of their entourage all over the church, so make sure you spray anybody that’s standing in the way. There are three of us going in here, so I want there to be three of us leaving out,” Miamor stated.
The girls wore knee-length H & M raincoats with kneehigh boots. Inside their coats they held “street sweepers.” They weren’t fools. They knew that they were outnumbered in bodies, but in bullets and ammunition, they were equal to anything that The Cartel could throw at them.
They exited their vehicle and walked into the church. There were hundreds of people inside the place as the girls made their way down the aisle, but they noticed that security was on point.
Miamor’s hand gripped the steel inside her coat, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She could see the backs of the family’s heads as she walked. Mecca sat on the end. She knew it was him because of his long braids, and a slight smirk crossed her face. She could already taste his blood in her mouth as she bit down on the inside of her cheek, something she always did when she saw her unsuspecting prey. She was indeed a calculating killer.
Miamor stepped to the casket and looked down at Monroe. Robyn and Aries stood by her side. They all waited for her signal.
Miamor stood silently, and a single tear slid down her cheek. Monroe looked so peaceful, so gentle. He looked to be the exact opposite of his murderous twin brother Mecca. She exhaled and jumped slightly when she felt someone grip her arm. She turned around, ready to bust off on the first face she saw, but the man before her caused her to take a step back.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Her girls looked at her in confusion.
“What are you doing here?” Carter asked her.
Miamor’s eyes gazed over at Mecca. His face was in his hands. She scanned the entire pew