Chapter 20
“Sparkly diamonds and foreign cars are some of the pros.”
—Leena
“I’m so proud of you Carter. Tonight belongs to you,” Miamor said as she stood in the doorway, watching as the resort tailor hemmed Carter’s pants to his Gucci suit. He looked exactly the same. The five years away had done nothing to age him. The only change she could see was the scar that ran along the side of his face. Even still he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. If anything, the scar added character. The years apart had almost made her forget how much his presence filled the room. Carter Jones didn’t even have to speak. His aura was simply boss and Miamor felt a silky wetness building between her legs just from looking at him. Carter shook the Asian man off. “Thank you Xuan,” Carter said, calling the man by name. He was making it a point to learn each one of his employees and considering that Xuan did excellent work, he used him every day. He adjusted his steel grey jacket and twisted his cufflinks as he stared at his reflection. Retrieving his money clip from his inside breast pocket, he removed a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the elderly man.
“Thank you, Mr. Jones.”
Carter nodded and Xuan left the room. Miamor came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as they stared at the perfect image of their reflection in the full-length mirror.
“I couldn’t have come this far without you ma,” he said.
“Neither could I,” she replied. “Just because you missed the past few years doesn’t mean that anyone has forgotten the work that you’ve put in. You are the king Carter. It’s time that Vegas witnessed your crowning.”
“What’s the status on Zyir and Monroe?” Carter asked.
“Everything’s fine. They will be here. Tonight the Cartel will be whole again. There are no missing pieces. It will go perfectly . . . trust me,” she said. She kissed the back of his neck and then walked out of the room, leaving him to his thoughts. She had an entire glam squad waiting for her at home.
Breeze could barely breathe as she waited for Zyir’s plane to land on the private clear port. Loneliness didn’t quite describe the despair that had fallen over her while he had been locked away. She had fallen into a state of depression . . . one that she had hidden well but depression all the same. She didn’t have a child to look after or to substitute for the love that Zyir gave her daily. So without him, it was just her and it had been a struggle to get through every single day. Letters and phone calls did nothing for her soul. Over the past few years her heart had deflated but as she saw the lights from the incoming plane she knew that all of her pain was about to be erased.
She had driven herself. She didn’t want anyone to witness their first moments together. It was intimate . . . private . . . and she wanted Zyir all to herself. She got out of the car . . . too anxious to wait inside the captivity of her BMW X5. Why am I nervous? She thought. Butterflies danced in her stomach. As the plane gently touched its wheels to the ground it brought a forceful wind with it. Her expensive dress and flawlessly silked hair blew all over the place, but she didn’t care. She held her breath as the plane’s door slowly opened and a staircase was attached to its side.
He emerged, suave like a model out of GQ magazine. He was already dressed to escort her to the grand opening. A man in a suit had never looked so good. He stood at the top of the steps, mesmerized at her beauty. It had been so long since he had laid eyes on her that the image had become fuzzy in his head. He had forgotten how truly radiant she was. His memories had done her no justice and when he saw her kick off her red bottom heels and start running to him full speed, he smiled. He walked down the steps and she jumped into his arms, practically tackling him to the ground. His usually prissy princess didn’t seem to mind that her custom Alexander McQueen gown was covered in dirt from the unpaved landing strip. She cried a river as he fisted her hair, while kissing her passionately.
“Welcome home Zyir,” she whispered. “Never ever do that me to me again.”
“I won’t B. That is my word,” he replied. He stood to his feet, attempting to dust off his clothing. “I take it we’re not going to the grand opening?” He reached down to help her up and then scooped her into his arms as if she were a new bride.
“The last place I want to be is around a bunch of people. I want to go home and I want you to put a baby in me tonight,” she whispered. “I want a piece of you that I get to keep forever. It’s time to plant seeds Zyir. It’s time to grow our own family. I’m not comfortable in Las Vegas. The Cartel doesn’t feel the same. Aries is here and as long as she’s around I don’t want to be.” Breeze had held her tongue about Aries because she knew that her presence was necessary. Zyir was the only one she could speak openly with and she had no problem admitting, “she is not and will never be on my team. She scares me.”
“You telling me you want to leave?” Zyir asked. “Did she threaten you B?” It took quite a bit to get Zyir angry, but the thought of malicious intent against Breeze was all it took.
“It’s not what she says,” Breeze replied. “It’s what she doesn’t say. She has a vendetta against The Cartel. She tries to hide it, but I will never fully trust her and I don’t feel safe. She’s too close for comfort.”
“Don’t worry about that tonight. As a matter of fact I’m home. Don’t worry about that ever again B,” Zyir said as he placed a hand around her shoulder and pulled her in for a kiss. “Consider it handled.”
“Daddy! Daddy!” Monroe II was a replica of his father and as the eight year old came rushing to him with the speed of a young athlete, Monroe felt emotion burning his eyes. It wasn’t until this very moment did he realize how much time had gone by. Damn, I’ve missed too much, he thought sadly. When he had been locked up his son was a toddler . . . three years old to be exact. Now he was a big kid and Monroe was feeling conflicted about how he hadn’t been around to raise him. He remembered the lessons that Big Carter had drilled into him. There had never been a day that his father had not been there. He couldn’t remember one time that he had wondered, Where is papa?
As his son wrapped his hands around his waist Monroe held him tightly as he stared at Leena from across the room. She didn’t see him but he admired her as he spoke to his son. “I missed you man,” Monroe stated. “You been taking care of your mama, being the man of the house?”
“Uh huh,” Monroe answered.
“You held it down like a G, I’m proud of you son,” he said. “I know I’ve missed a lot, but I won’t miss another day. That’s my word and if a man don’t have his word he . . .”
“Don’t have nothing,” Monroe II finished. Monroe nodded. His son had a roughness about him that reminded him of his brother Mecca and it took everything in him not to drop a tear. There were cameras all around him. The media had covered his release as if it were a red carpet event, but his goons kept them at bay. He didn’t want anyone to get too close as he reunited with his family. This was a personal moment. “Ma will be glad that you’re back. She was sad while you were away,” Monroe II said.
Monroe frowned and looked his son in the eyes. “Why do you say that son?”
“She would cry every night when she thought I wasn’t listening. After she put me to bed, she would go in her room. She said your name in her prayers all the time,” his son informed.
Monroe pulled his son in for a hug and then straightened out the collar to his oxford shirt, making sure his son was put together well. “You will never hear your mother cry another tear over me.”
“Your word?” Monroe II asked.
“My word son,” Monroe responded.
He stood and watched as Leena talked to a group of people. The casino was impressive and he sat back admiring what their women had built as pride filled his chest. Leena had held up nicely under pressure. Ironically, the weakest link of them all had turned out to be a diamond after all. The grand opening was a success as the massive crowd slightly obstructed his view, but he maneuvered until he had come up on her from behind.
Leena smelled his signature perfume before she saw his face and she interrupted her conversation with the mayor to turn around to search for him. She was breathless when she spun and found him staring her directly in the eyes.
He caressed her face with both hands, cupping her cheeks as he gave her a single kiss on the forehead. “Hey you,” he greeted as if no time had passed.
“Hey you,” she responded.
He pulled her onto the dance floor.
She giggled slightly, feeling as if this were a dream. “Gangsters don’t dance,” she said.
“Yeah well this gangster has some making up to do, so dancing, holding hands, midnight strolls through the park, I’ma be doing all that sucker shit until I’ve made up for my absence,” he said with a charming smile. Happiness melted all over her face. “You like that cornball shit huh?” he laughed.
She shook her head, “No, but I love that you know that you have some ass kissing to do. The new G-series Benz truck will do just fine,” she replied.
“Oh really?” he asked, finding her incredibly sexy. She had changed . . . grown . . . come into her own during his time away. He loved this new version of her.
“Absolutely. A prison bid is one of the cons of being married to a kingpin. Sparkly diamonds and foreign cars are some of the pros,” she replied. She planted a seductive kiss on his lips and whispered in his ear. The cameras from the paparazzi flashed all around them but the couple was in their own little world. “I missed you Monroe Diamond. Welcome home daddy.” She pulled his hand and led him off of the dance floor. “Now let me show you around your new casino.”