La Bella Mafia (16 page)

“You grew balls,” Aries stated with a smirk.

Breeze flew across the table and slapped Aries across the face with all her might.

Aries temper flared as they faced off.

“Jump bitch,” Breeze instigated.

Aries' trigger finger itched uncontrollably as she bit her inner cheek. “Guess you not de' weak one anymore. If you brought me here t' kill me I would be dead already. I'm not your enemy girl.”

“You aren't my friend either,” Breeze replied. She rolled her eyes and continued, “The only reason why I haven't had my men kill you is because of Miamor. Sit down.”

The two women eyed each other harshly as they both took a seat. Aries used the white linen napkin to wipe the blood from her lip. “This is the thanks I get for saving your ass from the Feds.”

“Oh come on! You kidnapped me and tried to kill my entire family. I think we're even,” Breeze stated. She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. “I don't trust you. You're Miamor's people but you're not like her. You can't be saved.”

Aries laughed incredulously. “I'm just like Miamor. That's what you don't get. Mia and me. We're built exactly the same. She just happens to be on your team now.”

“I had nightmares every night for a year. Ma'tee . . . he . . .”

Breeze paused and closed her eyes as the horrible memories came flooding back. She hadn't thought of it in years, but in the blink of an eye terror gripped her as if it had happened just yesterday.

“Ma'tee was a psychopath,” Aries whispered. “Not everything dat I've done I'm proud of.” Aries noticed how Breeze had seemed to fall into a daze as she thought of her torment and she immediately felt sympathy for the role she had played in her kidnapping. She had contributed to her fear. “Look Breeze. You might never like me. I get it but it wasn't personal. You may not relate to me but your father, your brothers, Miamor . . . dey all can. We are killers, Breeze. We live the street life. We live by de gun, we die by de gun. We don't think about de target. We just do de job. It was about de money, not about you.”

“Why did you help set up the prosecuting attorney?” Breeze asked, slightly rattled as her hands shook. These old memories haunted her. She had forgotten the impact that they had over her until now.

“Because Miamor loves your brother and I love her. She is my sister. She needed my help. I was out of de life. I have a son. I had moved on and prayed for forgiveness for all de lives I helped destroy. But loyalty ties me to Miamor. I'm a Murder Mama and you don't walk away from that. She is aligned with you now. I don't like it. Your family took from me . . . from Mia too. We lost someone we loved from a bullet dat your brother fired. A war has two sides Breeze. Your family is far from innocent. You just happened to be the only good one caught in de middle,” Aries schooled.

“I don't trust you,” Breeze said clearly, not mincing words.

“Trust is earned. De feeling is mutual,” Aries replied, frankly.

Breeze stood up from the table and leaned over Aries. “How do I know you won't cross my family as soon as we let you on the inside?”

“Miamor may be your family now, but she was my family first. I would never hurt her. Some loyalty you just don't break,” Aries said.

Breeze grabbed her Louis Vuitton and turned on her heels. “Bring your son by the house. If you're family of Miamor's he may as well meet his cousins. Monroe has a young son he can play with.” She began to walk away but stopped again. “I still don't like your ass though and I don't trust you as far as I can throw you. If I even feel like you're plotting on anyone I love, I'll have you put down the rabid beast you are.”

“Touche',” Aries responded. “We all have dat one family member dat we can't stand, guess I'm the black sheep.”

A truce had just been called. Aries was just the experienced gun that Miamor would need to help her conquer a new city. Las Vegas wasn't ready for the type of tyranny that The Cartel was about to bring.

 

 

The abandoned warehouse was eerily silent as Miamor stood, staring out over the fifty men she had assembled. It had taken a bit of time to weed through the massive following that their organization had. From runners, to shooters, to the cook-up crew, Miamor had observed them closely and cut the fat from the bone. Only the most thorough, the most gangster, the most loyal had been chosen. Now they stood before her for one specific reason . . . to witness her gangster so that they would never test it. This was a ‘town hall' meeting in a sense. With a change of leadership, new laws needed to be laid down and she wanted to make sure there was no confusion. She could see the skepticism in their eyes as they looked at the women who stood before them. Breeze and Leena were at her side. They were aesthetically gorgeous and the men were distracted. They were too busy ogling over them. Yes they were beautiful, but to cross them would be deadly. Miamor needed that point to be made here and now.

“The Cartel is transitioning out of Miami. Las Vegas is the next move gentleman and there is a place for each of you if you choose to accompany us as we expand out West. Carter, Zyir, and Monroe are still very much the heads of this organization. Consider us their mouthpieces. If you had loyalty to them, we have now inherited that. If that is a problem, leave now because treachery will not be tolerated. There is a punishment for going against the grain,” Miamor said. The doors behind her audience clanged open as four, hooded-figures, were escorted in at Aries' gunpoint. The sniffling cries underneath revealed that there were women underneath. Miamor pointed up to the sky, where four men stood on rafters, a noose hanging around each of their necks.

The women were lined up in front of Miamor and as she walked past each of them she snatched the hoods off of their heads.

“These women have done nothing wrong. Their only crime is marrying snitch ass niggas who folded under pressure instead of standing tall. The case that was brought against us, was held up on the backs of those men,” Miamor stated as she pointed up to the sky where Fly Boogie was waiting for her signal. “Their testimonies helped the D.E.A. to gather evidence against us. I don't show mercy. Anyone that professes loyalty to the Cartel and then betrays us in any way will pay. I don't give a fuck about your wife, your kids . . . they will either suffer or be rewarded depending on your allegiance.”

She looked up at the sniffling men. “Jump,” she ordered.

Breeze turned her head and Leena just stared off into space as the men plunged from the rafters. The sound of them struggling to breathe as their bodies fought against the inevitable was sickening and it took everything in them not to flinch. This was the part of the game that they had not been exposed to. This is how the money was made. Order had to be established or anarchy would occur. The gruesome details had always been hidden from them, but Miamor knew the real. She knew that the necessary had to occur, but since becoming a mother something in her had changed. She had no sympathy for the men who had chosen their fates, but the women in front of her had done no wrong. Their only offense had been falling in love with the wrong type of man. They were probably mothers, just like she was. Her heart silently ached for them, but her face showed no emotion as she turned to Aries too and gave her the nod.

Aries went down the line. One bullet each, to the back of the heads of the women. The men shifted uncomfortably in their seats as they watched the cold-hearted sight. “Your family can either eat with us or die at our hands. It's all up to you.”

Out of nowhere Breeze stepped up and began to speak. “We do not enjoy murder,” she said, her voice a bit shaky. She paused to stifle her fear before she continued. “But it is a part of the game that we all know exists. My father, Carter Diamond, ruled with love and because of that he found himself in an early grave. My brother Mecca ruled with fear and he too met the same fate. So we will rule with both. Our reactions depend on your actions. Act accordingly and you can all avoid putting on those black suits. There is no need for flower bringing. Loyalty is all we ask.” Breeze looked over at Aries. “Choose a few men and clean this mess up. We will cover the funeral expenses.”

Miamor smirked as Breeze walked out of the room. She was like a proud mama because although Breeze didn't like it, she had finally come into her own.
Maybe she can help me run this thing after all,
Miamor thought. “We depart for Vegas at the end of the month. We'll be in touch.”

She walked out and Leena followed suit as their stilettos clicked on the concrete floor as they made their exit.

 

 

Miamor's conscience had never played tricks on her but she couldn't get the faces of the women she had ordered killed out of her mind. As she sat in her son's nursery, watching over him as he slept, she wondered how many kids were now motherless because of her. Miamor was evolving. Ever since she had given birth and Carter went away she had been experiencing a vulnerability that was so foreign to her. She heard the ringing of her phone and she quickly answered it, to stop the sound from waking up her son.

“Fly Boogie?” she said in surprise as she checked the time. It was nearly three a.m. “Did something go wrong?” she asked.

“Nah, nothing like that. I'm at your door. I didn't want to ring the bell. Last time I did that you stuck a gun in my face,” he said. “I kind of like my face.” She could hear his smile and she shook her head as one melted across her face too. He had a way with her . . . he reminded her of what it was like to be young . . . reckless. . . brave. “I'll be down.”

She eased out of her son's room and hustled to the front door. She checked the peephole to make sure that Fly Boogie was alone. She paused because a part of her knew that she should send him away. Whatever he wanted could wait until morning, but she didn't want to. The big house and the noises it made

“Remind me again why you're at my door this late again?” she asked, placing a hand on her hip as she leaned her head against the doorframe.

“The bodies were taken care of,” Fly stated.

She wagged a finger as she raised an eyebrow. “You talk reckless,” she replied. “Take off your jacket and lift your shirt.”

“You think I'm police ma?” he asked. I just put eight people in the ground for you for turning state's evidence and you think I'd turn around and set you up.”

She didn't respond. She just looked at him as he sucked his teeth and lifted his shirt, revealing his toned abdomen. She eyed the V-cuts in his pelvis and the .45 he had tucked in his waist as she pursed her lips. Fly Boogie was young and thugging it. She remembered the good old days and she found his carefree attitude appealing.

“Satisfied?” he asked.

She nodded. “You have blood on you,” she said.

“That's cuz I put in work. Don't insult me ma, I'd never switch up on you,” Fly Boogie stated seriously.

She pinched the bridge of her nose feeling conflicted. “Sorry. I'm tripping. I don't know what's wrong with me. I've never felt remorse after murking anybody, but tonight it made me sick to my stomach.” She didn't know why she was telling him this. Perhaps she needed to vent. Carter was usually her listening ear, the one person that she could express her true feelings to. With him gone, she had so much pent up emotion that it felt like she would burst.

“You're human. It can't be easy being a woman and in your position,” he said. “I know you're official and everything, but you don't got to be tough all the time.”

“Come on,” she said as she started down the hall.

“Let's clean you up.” They walked into the bathroom and she wet a towel with hot water and wiped it across his strong chest, cleaning the blood spatter and dirt off of him.

“You're beautiful,” he whispered, causing her to tense up and stop. “Everything about you Miamor. You're dope as fuck.”

“Fly you shouldn't . . .”

Before she could even finish her sentence he covered her lips with his. It had been so long since she had felt a man against her that she fell into the rhythm. She knew that she should have stopped him, but she didn't. She melted into this young tenderoni, allowing him to pick her up and place her on the sink as he cupped her face with both hands. It felt so good . . . too good. It was reminiscent of the way that Carter used to touch her.
Carter . . .
as soon as his name appeared in her thoughts she froze, pulling back. “We can't. I can't,” she whispered. “This is a mistake. You can't look at me like that.”

“Any man would look at you like that,” he answered.

Miamor picked up the towel and wet it once more as she sighed. “Fly you're young. You need a young girl. I'm pushing thirty,” she chuckled. “There's nothing fresh about me. You need to get you a good girl.” She dismissed.

He went to speak and she placed a finger over his lips. “Don't Fly. You got one kiss. Let's just leave it at that. I like you. I don't want you to go down that road. It wouldn't end well for you. Carter is away, but he'll be back and when he gets here I don't want your loyalty to be tainted. Just forget it ever happened okay?”

He nodded, but still stared intently. “Yeah, okay,” he replied.

“Here let me clean you up,” she said, starting again. She stopped when she felt the temptation of his hard body. She passed him the towel. “I'll wait in the living room.”

When he came back out she stood against the wall with her arms folded “There was so much blood. You were covered in dirt. What did you do with the bodies? Dig a grave?”

“I dug four,” Fly Boogie replied. She looked up at him in shock as he continued to explain. “I threw the bitch niggas who ratted in with the sharks. I buried the women in an old field. Nobody's going to find them don't worry and if they do they won't be tied to us. Tossing them in the ocean didn't feel right to me.” Miamor looked up at him completely understanding where he was coming from. His compassion made him even more attractive. In her younger days she would have made him hers, but what she didn't know was that she had ruined love for him. Fly Boogie would never give too much of himself to any other woman all because of Miamor. She had him mesmerized without even trying and if he couldn't be her man, he would be her illest soldier. No questions asked.