Sorry’s not enough. I’m leaving town tonight. Good luck with your life, ma, Carter typed back.
Within seconds, his phone was going off again with another message from Miamor.
Carter, please do not leave me like this. At least give me a chance to say good-bye. Meet with me, Carter. Please. I won’t take up too much of your time. I just want to see you.
“What’s up, fam?” Mecca inquired, trying to sound casual.
Carter looked up at him. “Oh, ain’t shit. Just a little something I forgot to take care of. What time does the private jet take off?”
“Six o’clock,” Mecca replied.
Carter looked at his watch. It was only 3 p.m. That left him with three hours to spare. He thought about never seeing Miamor again, and his stomach turned over. She was right. They did need to see each other face to face before he left. They needed closure.
There’s a warehouse in Opalocka on 27th Ave. Meet me there in an hour.
Carter instructed Mecca to meet him at the landing strip, and the two parted ways.
“It’s about fucking time!” Robyn yelled out as she flipped Miamor’s Sidekick closed. She looked at Aries and Murder. “He responded. He thinks he’s meeting her in Opalocka in an hour.”
Murder was about to put his game down like only he could do, and a devilish leer spread across his face. He went into the closet and put on black gloves and grabbed a black.45. He tucked it into his waistline.
“We should come with chu,” Aries stated as she stood.
Murder shook his head. “Aries, you stay here with Miamor. Robyn, you come with me. I’ma personally rock this nigga to sleep. When Miamor comes out of the shower, get her ready to go. Pack up all our shit and wipe the room down. We I get back, we’re out,” he explained.
Miamor closed her eyes as the stream of shower water licked her wounds. She was still not at full health, but was grateful for the little bit of strength that was returning to her limbs. At least I can stand up and walk around without passing out, she thought as she washed her body.
A part of her was happy to be getting out of Miami. She had too many bad memories here. It was where her sister had been killed, where she had almost been killed, and where she had lost the man she loved. Fuck Miami! she thought bitterly. She was trying to rebuild her callous attitude. Being tough had stopped her from being hurt in the past. She had built walls around herself that only Carter had been able to scale. Forget about him. He doesn’t want you. It’s over, she said to herself.
She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. Green bruises covered her everywhere, but her body was healing and she was grateful for that. If only her heart would heal as well.
She walked out into the room and saw Aries packing up their things. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Nothing, Mia. Get dressed. When Murder and Robyn come back, we’re leaving,” Aries stated.
“For New York?” Miamor asked.
“Yeah.” “Tonight?”
“Yeah, Mia, we are leaving tonight,” Aries said as she looked on in sympathy. She knew that Miamor was mourning over losing Carter.
When all of their bags were by the door, Aries turned and said, “Me will go fill up the tank at the station on the corner. Mia, chu need anything while I’m out?”
Miamor shook her head no as she stepped into a pair of Robyn’s Juicy Couture sweat pants and put on a wife beater and sneakers. “Nah, go ahead. I’m good.”
Aries shrugged. “Alright. Me will be right back. By the time they get back, we’ll be ready to dip.”
Aries left out, and Miamor locked the door behind her. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, when her phone began to ring. She walked over to the dresser where her phone lay. She hadn’t checked it since she had been there. She had forgotten that she even had it. The name “Carter Jones” appeared on her screen, and butterflies instantly appeared in her stomach. She flipped open her PDA and saw that she had an unread text message:
I’m on my way
She frowned when she read the message. “On your way where?” she asked aloud. Miamor searched the outbox of her phone, and her eyes widened in shock. I didn’t send these, she thought as she read through every one. They are going to set him up! Carter’s going to walk right into a trap! She put her hands over her mouth and speed dialed his number. Her anxious heart felt as if it would explode. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the desk as the phone rang in her ear. The voicemail popped on and she hung up to dial him again.
“Pick up the phone!” she urged nervously, knowing that Carter’s life rested in her hands. If Carter arrives at that warehouse, he’s dead, she thought. It wasn’t that she thought Carter was a punk, but she knew Murder would expire Carter on sight. When she received his voicemail again, she screamed in frustration. “Answer the fucking phone!” She tried to reach him once more, but to no avail. Either he wasn’t taking her calls, or Murder’s job was already complete.
She looked to see what time he had texted her last. I still have a half an hour, she thought. She was so overwhelmed that she wanted to cry, but now was not the time for her to bitch up. I have to get to him, she thought. I’m the only person who can stop Murder. I’m the only person who he won’t kill. It had been a long time since she had prayed, or since she had even believed in God, but for this, she raised her head to the sky and closed her eyes. Please don’t let Carter die. I need him.
She paced back and forth until finally Aries came back. Aries instantly recognized the fire in Miamor’s eyes. Miamor tossed the phone at Aries.
“How could you do this?” Miamor asked.
The look on Aries’ face established her guilt, but she responded, “We’ve done this a thousand times.”
“I love him!” Miamor yelled. “This time is different!” She took a deep breath, not wanting to overexert herself. She could feel the room start to spin. “Give me the keys,” she demanded.
Aries hesitated, but then handed them over without contest
She removed a chrome.45 from her waistline and passed it to Miamor as well.
Miamor brushed past her, and just before she exited the room, Aries called her name. “Mia!”
Miamor turned around and stared at her friend.
“I’m sorry.”
Miamor didn’t respond. She knew that if something happened to Carter, that her relationship with her girls would never be the same. She stormed out of the room, hopped into the rental car and sped off recklessly, praying that she was able to stop the madness before it was too late.
Carter pulled up to the vacant warehouse. It was one of the many stash spots that he had used to store guns and drugs. He sat in the car for a few minutes, trying to gain his composure. No matter what she says, it’s over. I can’t trust her, he told himself. He knew that once he saw her face, his emotions would try and override his intellect. He could not allow that to happen. A beautiful woman had been the downfall of many men. He refused to allow Miamor to lead him to a premature demise. She had showed shade. There was larceny in her heart, and because of that, he had to make a clean break.