Feeling as if Carter was about to put him on, the guy smiled as he took a seat across from the hood legend. Carter’s name indeed rang bells in and out of prison. Anyone in the game knew exactly who he was.
“You said my li’l man Zyir shut your shit down?” Carter asked.
The dude nodded and replied, “Yeah, he told me I was out of bounds. That those blocks were already spoken for.”
“And what did you do to handle that situation?” Carter asked.
“I didn’t mean no disrespect, fam. I moved my operation to a different block,” he replied.
“See, that’s where my problem lies, Ibrahim. Do you think I got where I am by letting other niggas run me off the block?” Carter asked. “Now, if you had blazed on my li’l nigga, maybe then we would have something to talk about. That would have showed me you had heart, but you didn’t. You let another man, who bleeds just like you bleed, stop you from getting money. I can’t afford to have any weak links in my chain, Ibrahim.”
With that said, Carter resumed his meal as he waited for Ibrahim to dismiss himself. The conversation was over, but Carter knew there would be more to come. Many men had approached him since he had been locked up, and it was always the same story. Everybody wanted to be put on, but Carter didn’t rock with new niggas. He knew that if he let too many people into his circle, it would not seem exclusive. Everybody in the hood wanted to be a part of something, but unfortunately, not many fit the bill to be a member of The Cartel. Carter definitely had no use for a scary nigga. He only wanted the elite.
The inmate nodded his head, his ego slightly bruised as he stood to his feet. He slowly slid the cigarette carton over to Carter.
“For your time,” he said respectfully.
Carter nodded his head and stood to his feet as he headed back to his cell. He handed the carton to Garza as soon as he entered. Carter didn’t smoke cigarettes, and although he never spoke to his cellmate, he always passed the unwanted gifts along to him.
“How did you end up in here?” Garza asked. Carter looked up in surprise. They had never engaged one another before, so the question was completely unexpected.
“An associate of mine found himself on the wrong side of the law. It was a person who I thought I could trust, someone who I grew up with. He was like family.”
“Even family will betray you,” Garza interrupted as he lit a smoke.
“So I learned,” Carter replied with a chuckle. The situation was comical to him. He had done nothing but show Ace love, but the first chance Ace got, he had stabbed him in the back-and plunged the blade deep. Carter knew that once Ace took the stand and testified against him, that it would be all the jury needed to hear to convict him.
“I’ve been watching you, observing how you move. I’ve seen how the men in here treat you,” Garza replied. “Even the guards march to the beat of your drum. It would be a shame to see a man of your talents end up in here because of a snake. It seems that your problem could be handled if you knew who to ask for help.”
“I don’t ask for help. Anything that I can’t do on my own is not worth doing. I’ve never owed anyone anything a day in my life,” Carter stated surely. He did not know what Garza was getting at, but already he did not like the sound of it.
“That is the problem with your kind.”
“There’s not another man like me. I don’t have a kind,” Carter interrupted sternly.
“I do not mean any disrespect, but the Blacks don’t know how to form alliances. Someone with your mentality could be very valuable. The way that you move product is a skill that not many people have. The power you have over others is rare as well. I’ve done my research on you and The Cartel. If you are willing to extend a hand of friendship, I know some people who can help you out of your predicament.”
Carter’s interest was piqued. “Nobody does anything for free.”
“A partnership between the Diamond Cartel and the Garza Cartel would be payment enough. We have the product that you need, and you have the influence that we need in the South. Together we would be unstoppable.”
“Until one party becomes envious of the other,” Carter protested.
The old man shook his head as he continued to smoke. “That will never become a problem for us. I can guarantee that my people are not in it for the limelight, only the money. As long as the money is correct, there will not be a problem. This could be a beautiful thing if you are willing to expand your horizons.”
“I don’t work underneath others,” Carter insisted.
“Not under others, Carter, with others. There is a difference Working with my people, your reach will be limitless. Mexico is not like the United States. In my country, we are above the law,” Garza explained.
“Why are you still in here? If it is so easy to make my case disappear, why not do the same for yourself?” Carter asked. Although the deal was appealing, he was skeptical to trust Garza’s word too quickly. He wanted to cover all of his bases.
“I chose my own destiny. I’m an old man. An organization of my family’s magnitude leaves a lot of bodies in its path. Someone has to be held accountable for those. I took responsibility because I saw the bigger picture. I’m in here for twenty different counts of confessed murder. I have lived my life and done my part so that my family’s reign could go on. What I’m offering you is a deal too sweet for any man to refuse.”
Garza extended his hand, and Carter reluctantly accepted. “Nothing will be set in stone until a face to face is held. I’ll send my right hand, Zyir, to meet with your people,” Carter stated.
“I will phone home tomorrow to let my brother Felipe know to expect him. This will be a beautiful thing for everyone involved.”
“Only time will tell,” Carter responded. He knew that getting in bed with the Mexican drug cartel could prove very wise. He just had to ensure that everyone understood the terms of the agreement, because if something went wrong, Carter was almost certain that The Cartel would not be able to withstand another war.
Mecca could not take it anymore. Watching his back every second of every day was becoming too much to bear. He knew that there was only one way to dead his beef with Estes. He had to go see his grandfather. The same man who had sent the killers to his front door was the only one who could call them off. He hoped that he could reason with Estes and that he would remember that Monroe was not his only grandson.
He had made a mistake by killing Monroe, and it was a regret that he would live with for the rest of his life. Estes’ vengeance was not necessary. The burden was already heavy enough, sometimes too heavy for him to carry.
As Mecca ventured on his grandfather’s side of town, his instincts sharpened. He kept his eyes in his rearview and one hand on his pistol. He never wanted to be caught slipping again, so he stayed ready, safety off. It would be the wrong day to run up on him unannounced. He knew that he would never make it through his grandfather’s door with a gun, so he hoped that Estes did not have him killed on sight.
Mecca had love for no one besides family. He remembered the Christmas holidays and the many birthdays that had been spent in his grandfather’s presence. How long ago that seemed now. How easily they both had forgotten.
It seemed to Mecca that Estes placed more value on his relationship with Monroe. The little boy that respected his grandfather simply wanted to be loved, but the grown, cold man that Mecca had come to be wanted to place his grandfather in the dirt.
As he finally neared Estes’ home, he parked at the public beach and decided to walk along the sand behind his grandfather’s house. The fact that Estes’ house sat directly on the water helped Mecca go undetected. The many people that were enjoying the sun allowed him to blend in, and as he neared his grandfather’s home, he noticed that Estes was outside sitting on his patio. A few feet away from him, a woman stood in a sundress and large sunhat, holding a child in her arms. Estes seemed to be distracted by the woman’s presence as Mecca approached.