The Cartel - Ashley Antoinette Snell [96]
Ma’tee stared at Breeze with a shotgun in his hand. He hated that he had to kill someone so beautiful, but they didn’t play the game fair. He would settle the score with The Cartel forever. As Breeze cried and pleaded for her life, he blocked the remorse in his heart. He pointed the shotgun at her head and whispered, “Say good night.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“You my lady forever.”
—Carter Jones
Six Months Later
Agiant projector screen covered the back wall as old home-videos of Breeze as a little girl played, while people held wine glasses and mingled amongst each other, and the ballroom was decorated with balloons of Breeze’s favorite colors, turquoise and cream. A live band serenaded the small crowd and created a soothing ambience.
Of course, Taryn, personal friends of the family, and “The New Cartel” were in attendance. One hour before, they’d held a memorial service in honor of Breeze’s life. They’d all put personal notes and gifts from Breeze in a casket before it was buried.
Mecca didn’t even show up. In fact, no one had seen him since the day they were supposed to drop off the ransom money for Breeze, and he hadn’t surfaced since. After hearing the man say that his sister was dead, something inside of him snapped.
Taryn sat at the front table along with Carter, Miamor, and Polo, trying her best to keep from breaking down and crying.
Carter noticed her agony and placed his hand on top of hers and gently gave it a squeeze. He leaned over and whispered to Taryn, “Are you sure that you can do this?”
A tear slid down Taryn’s face as she returned the squeeze and looked into Carter’s eyes. She was grateful for his presence. Even though he was her husband’s illegitimate child, she loved him for being there in such trying times. She had planned a celebration for Breeze after grasping the fact that her only daughter was dead.
Taryn waited every day for Breeze to walk through the front door. False hopes and worry were driving her insane. It hurt her every day, knowing that Breeze’s body was somewhere in a river or rotting somewhere. As a matter of fact, it took months before Taryn was willing to accept Breeze’s fate, and for the family to come to the realization that the youngest member of the Diamond family wasn’t coming home.
Taryn had lost a husband, a son, and now a daughter to drug wars and revenge. She was done. She had decided to move West with Polo to start a new life. She hadn’t seen Mecca, her only living son, since everything had gone down, which was months ago, and she missed him tremendously. She knew it was time to leave Miami for good.
“Yes, I’m sure. I can’t have any more funerals. I’m tired of burying the people I love. That’s why I wanted to celebrate Breeze’s life,” she said as she broke down crying. She looked at the video of her husband pushing a five-year-old Breeze. She would trade anything to go back to that time.
“I understand.” Carter nodded his head slowly. He looked at the video along with her and felt the pain of losing Breeze. He felt that he was partially to blame for her getting kidnapped.
He looked across the room and noticed Zyir in the middle, being very solitaire and observant. Carter could tell Zyir was taking it hard also and wondered why he was feeling so much grief when he barely knew Breeze. Little did Carter know that Zyir knew Breeze very well and was the last one to be with her before she was abducted.
Zyir felt so guilty and felt it was his fault that Breeze was dead. He’d never told Carter that he was about to have sex with her and left her side to pick up condoms, which was how she got kidnapped.
Carter looked over at Miamor, who sat beside him, and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “Hey, baby. I have something very important to tell you later on.” He grinned slightly.
Miamor smiled back and nodded her head.