Money stuck to her sweat-covered body as she breathed in heavily from their intense escapade. She collapsed on the bed, exhausted as she watched Zyir stand before her.
“Come lay with me,” she said as she rubbed the empty spot next to her. She saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was about to tell her no. She knew she had to turn up her game in order to get her way. He was constantly pulling away from her. Sex was her only weapon, the only thing that kept him near. “I’m not done with you yet,” she said as she reached up and grabbed his penis. It came back alive instantly from her touch, and she smiled as she crawled to the edge of the bed and took him into her mouth. She was an expert at keeping a man interested in the bedroom. All she had to do was figure out how to keep Zyir focused on her once the sun came up. She wanted him for herself, and was willing to go to any extreme to ensure that he belonged to her.
Chapter Twelve
“I’ve killed niggas for less than what you’ve done.”
– Carter
The Cartel had buried Breeze’s memory so long ago that Carter did not believe his eyes. This can’t be her, he thought as he rushed over to the bed and pulled the girl off of her knees.
“Hey! Wait your turn,” the john protested. Carter pulled his gun and trained his aim on the man, who bitched up quickly, raising his hands in defense. He scrambled to get his clothing before scurrying out of the room.
“Breeze?” Carter called out. Breeze heard her name being called, but her high had her in a nod too deep to come out of.
“Carter, what is this? This is my place of business, señor. You can’t just…”
The girl before him was a mere shell of the vibrant young woman he had come to know. His mind told him that this girl couldn’t be Breeze. They had left her for dead so long ago and he was skeptical, but the resemblance was too similar to miss. When he saw the small gold cross hanging from her neck, her identity was confirmed. Through all of the storms that life had thrown her way, the necklace was still there. It had been the only piece of home she had left.
Carter turned his attention on Felipe as he rushed him with his gun drawn. He wrapped his hand around Felipe’s throat as he put his gun directly to his forehead, forcing him against the wall of the bedroom. “Where’d you get her?” he barked as spit flew from his mouth.
Felipe could see that Carter was irrational. “I can see that you’re upset over this girl-”
“She’s my sister!” Carter shouted as he pulled back the hammer on his gun. “Where did you get her?” It would be his last time asking.
Carter knew that his actions were irrational and stupid, but he was acting out of emotion alone, disregarding the voice in the back of his mind telling him to calm down.
“Carter, this is not going to end well for you. I understand your reaction, and I can assure you that I had no idea of her affiliation to your family. Now that I know, something can be worked out,” Felipe stated calmly yet firmly.
Carter released Felipe and rushed back over to Breeze. She was delusional as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Come here, baby. Let me make you feel good,” she whispered, thinking that Carter was a john.
Pure emotion pulsed through him as he scooped her into his arms. Seeing her like this was breaking down the very essence of his manhood, making him feel weaker than he ever had before. He had failed her, Mecca had failed her, every man in her life who was supposed to keep her safe had failed.
“This ain’t for you, Breeze,” he stated sadly. “None of this was ever supposed to happen to you.” Carter carried her over to Felipe, her head resting upon his broad shoulders as she fell into a nod.
“I’ll buy her,” Carter said. “A half a million dollars.” There was no negotiating this bargain, and Felipe could see that bartering was not an option. Carter was a man who was protecting his family. That connection had no boundaries. Felipe knew this, because he would go against a thousand armies to ensure the safety of his own loved ones.
Felipe nodded and placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. He was not willing to give her away. To him, Breeze was just property, an expensive piece of real estate, but to maintain the business he was establishing with The Cartel, he was willing to sell her back. “If I could give her back to you for free, I would, but I paid a high price for her. A half a million dollars is not necessary. Just replace the seventy-five thousand dollars I spent in acquiring her and you can take her home,” Felipe said.
Felipe opened the bedroom door. As Carter stepped out, he was instantly surrounded by Mexican men who held automatic machine guns pointed his way. He had no idea that Felipe had so many soldiers throughout the brothel. They were his security, and every room was monitored.
Felipe knew that he had never been in danger. The only person whose life was at stake was Carter’s. Felipe lifted his hand to halt his army of loyal shooters, and shook his head from side to side.
“Let them pass,” he said. Felipe turned to Carter. “My driver will take you back to the airstrip. I know you are eager to get home. We will take care of the details later.”
The men lowered their weapons obediently, and Carter carried Breeze out of the brothel as she clung to him. He kissed the top of her head as he stepped into Felipe’s limousine. When he was inside of the tinted vehicle, he broke down over Breeze, cradling her closely and hugging her tightly as his tears fell relentlessly. There was no stopping them. This was his baby sister, the most innocent one of them all, and yet she had been through the worst hell imaginable. The rest of his family had played the game and accepted the risks, but it was Breeze who had been sucked in by association, only to be chewed up and spit out. He could only imagine the cold and lonely place that she had just come from.
As he looked down at her face, he noticed the change in her. Whatever she had been through, it had drained her spirit. Even through the high from the heroin, he could see the hopelessness in her eyes. He grimaced as he thought of all of the men who had invaded her body, and as she began to scratch herself in her sleep, he saw the tell-all signs of a junkie.
As they pulled up to the airstrip and boarded the private jet, Carter held onto her tightly, as if she would disappear.
Breeze opened her eyes slightly and looked drowsily up at her older brother. “I just want to go home. Please take me to my family. They don’t even know I’m alive,” she whispered, still disoriented and unaware of her surroundings.
“I’m taking you home, Breeze, and nobody will ever hurt you again.”
Zyir awoke to the sound of his cell phone vibrating against his wooden nightstand. He sat up and wiped the sleep out of his eyes as he reached over Illiana to answer it. Carter’s name appeared on the screen, and he answered it immediately.
“Yo, fam, it’s like seven in the morning. You know the streets don’t see me until noon,” Zyir stated with fatigue.
“I’m outside of your building. Buzz me in. We need to talk,” Carter stated. Zyir had known Carter long enough to know when something serious had gone down.
“I thought you weren’t due back from Tijuana until-”
“Open the door, Zy. I’ll explain when I see you,” Carter replied. His tone was demanding, but Zyir knew Carter too well not to pick up on the anxiety that was in his voice.
Zyir hung up his phone and then slid out of the bed to avoid waking Illiana. It was obvious that Carter wanted to discuss business, and he wanted the conversation to remain private. He shut his bedroom door as he exited and buzzed Carter in.
When Zyir opened the door and saw the stress lines on Carter’s forehead, he knew something had gone awry. His red, sorrow-filled eyes told a story all their own.