“I’m sorry to hear about that.”
“Yeah, me too.” She stared off into space, and the tears returned to her eyes. She willed them away and shook her head as she looked back at Carter. “I’m Miamor,” she said, offering her hand to him.
“Oh, I’m worthy of a name this time?”
Carter chuckled as he took her hand into his and shook it gently. Her name, exotic enough to complement her around-the-way features, fit her perfectly. Her brown shoulder-length layers were curled loosely and shaped her almond-colored skin. Her white teeth composed the perfect smile, and her MAC cosmetics were applied just right, not too much, but enough to make her skin glow.
“I told you, if you were worth my time, I’d see you again.” She tiptoed and peeked at the tattoo that displayed his name. “Carter,” she said aloud.
He noticed how she never let go of his hand as she intertwined her fingers with his own. The sound of his name rolling off her pouty lips was enticing, and he couldn’t help but to be intrigued by her.
“It was nice to meet you,” she stated as she walked away. She didn’t let go of his hand, until she was forced to, because of the widening distance between them.
As he watched her strut away, she waved one last time and got into a silver Nissan Maxima and pulled away. Carter shook his head from side to side, grateful for her departure. He knew that if he ever got to know Miamor, she would be his weakness. He smiled to himself as he watched her car disappear around the corner and then hopped into his own vehicle and departed. In the middle of a war, there’s no room for weakness. Love will get you killed, he thought as he made his way back to the Diamond mansion.
Breeze stood in the dining room over the kitchen table and argued as her mother, uncle, and twin brothers ate breakfast. “Uncle Polo, I’m not going out with this big, ugly bodyguard attached to my hip! How am I supposed to chill with my girls with him following me everywhere?”
Polo told her, “It’s not negotiable, Breeze. You are not to leave this house alone. One of our men will escort you wherever you need to go. If you don’t like that arrangement, you better ask one of your brothers to accompany you?”
“I got plans.” Mecca stated quickly.
Breeze rolled her eyes at Mecca and hoped that her other brother would come to her rescue. “Money, please?” she begged.
“Sorry B, no can do. Uncle Polo and Young Carter set up a meeting between me and the board of advisors at Diamond Realty. I’m going to be taking that over, and I need to sit down with the board to make sure that they understand that this is still a family business-”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
“Who said you were going to be the one to take over the real estate company?” Mecca inquired.
“Young Carter and I discussed it,” Money replied. “We think it’s best.”
“And I didn’t have a say in this decision?” Mecca asked in irritation.
Young Carter overheard the conversation as he walked into the room. “No, you didn’t, Mecca.” He gave both Breeze and Taryn kisses on the cheek, and then patted Polo on the back. “There is enough responsibility for all of us to get in on some part of the business. The real estate company is where Monroe needs to be. We need to keep one of us clean and legal, now that we are at war with the Haitians. We never know where this might lead, and the less Monroe is involved, the better.” Carter slapped hands with Monroe and then sat down at the table.
Polo smiled at Young Carter’s authoritative approach when dealing with his younger brothers. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the young man assumed a leadership position in The Cartel.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Mecca responded hesitantly as he slapped hands with his older brother. Mecca still didn’t like the fact that Carter had appeared out of the blue claiming to be his father’s son, but the more he got to know Young Carter, the more he respected him. There wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind regarding his bloodline, and he was slowly beginning to warm up to the idea.
“Have you eaten, Carter?” Taryn asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
Taryn stood to fixed him a plate and put it in front of him.
“Thank you.”
Breeze whined as if she were still a child. “Uncle Polo?”
Polo sighed and pointed his fork at Young Carter. “Will you tell your sister that she doesn’t need to leave the house without one of the men?”
Carter asked, “Where you need to go, Breeze? I’ll take you,” “Thank you. At least one of my brothers is willing to do something for me,” she stated in playful exasperation. She grabbed Carter by the hand. “Come on, let’s go. We’ll get something to eat later.”
Carter grabbed one last forkful of eggs and put it in his mouth before Breeze pulled him out of the kitchen.
Taryn laughed out loud at the sight. “Looks like Breeze has found one more man to spoil her. That child is rotten,” she stated with a smile on her face.
Carter maneuvered the Range Rover in and out of the Miami traffic as his sister sat in the passenger side, the huge Ralph Lauren sunglasses covering most of her face.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to kick it with you much, with everything that’s going on.” Carter wanted to know how his presence in Miami affected Breeze.
“I know it seems like the only thing everyone has been worried about is The Cartel. It feels like I’m living out some old gangster movie or something. I just want things to be normal again,” she replied, looking out of the window.
“So what’s your take on everything that’s happened?”
“You really wanna know?” Breeze pulled her glasses from her face and rested them on top of her head.
Carter nodded his head and waited for her to answer the question.
“I feel cheated because I only got to know my father for nineteen years. I loved him, and I wanted him to be there when I got married, and when I had my first child. I wanted him to be here for me. I feel like, now that he’s gone, everything is going downhill. My mom is afraid every single day that the Haitians are going to harm us. Since meeting you, Mecca has become extra hard. It’s almost like he’s trying to prove himself to you. It’s like he wants to make sure that everyone knows he is Carter Diamond’s son. Monroe is the same, Uncle Po is the same-”
“And what about you?”
“Me, I’m dealing with everything the best way I know how. I cry every morning when I think of my Poppa. It’s like one minute I’m upset with God for Him taking my father away, and then the next minute, I’m thanking Him for bringing you into our lives when He did. You are my brother, and I am glad that you’re here, Carter. I don’t know how, but you make things seem like they’ll be okay.”
“I’m just here to help, Breeze. At first, I wanted to say, ‘Fuck Miami,’ and move on with my life as if none of you ever existed, but that would be selfish. And I’ve never had a family, so I want to get to know you, Mecca, and Monroe.”
“Well, I can tell you the way to win my heart,” she said with a smile as bright as the summer Miami sun.
“How’s that?”
“Everything today is on you.” “I got you, sis.”
Breeze found out that she and Carter shared the same love for fashion. She took him from store to store as she shopped, picking up every designer she could find. He didn’t complain or rush her in the same way her other brothers did, and he even gave honest opinions when she asked about an outfit she tried on.
“How’s this?” she asked as she walked out of the dressing room in Saks Fifth with a skintight Seven jeans that fit low on her hips, almost revealing the crack of her ass, and a Fendi blouse that barely covered her breasts.