The Cartel 3: The Last Chapter (24 page)

“Fuck The Cartel,” he mumbled as he pushed the button and heard the loud boom of the explosives go off. He began to drive away as the debris flew into the air and a massive fireball
formed fifty feet into the air. His mission was done and The Cartel was officially over.

“May they all burn in hell,” he said as he chuckled to himself, disappearing into the night.

“She probably is in hell, smoking a blunt. That’s a real bitch.”

—Unknown

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the lives of three of God’s children.”

The preacher stood before the many people who attended the funeral of street royalty. It was a sad day in Miami, and on this day, the streets were like a ghost town. It seemed as if the entire underworld had stopped to commemorate those they had lost. Everyone within the city limits felt this grief. The lives of three street legends had been destroyed, and grief overflowed in the ceremony as three silver-plated coffins sat side by side with an array of flower arrangements around them. It was a bright, sunny day, and it seemed as if God shone his light down from the heavens above to make that hard day seem a tad bit better for the mourning attendees. It was a triple funeral to bury the last of the Diamond family—Breeze, Carter, and Mecca.

The Cartel was no more, and it was the last chapter to what was to be named one of the biggest legacies in Miami’s underworld history. Their story was legendary, ruthless … and most of all, classic.

Many people were in attendance, but the most important guests were not there to pay their final respects, but to confirm
that the last of The Cartel was deceased and about to be buried into the ground.

Robin and Aries were in attendance, draped in all black dresses with big shades on to keep a low profile. Murder also sat beside them. The demise of The Cartel was bittersweet for him, and he gritted his teeth tightly as he thought about Mecca and the missed opportunity to personally kill him on Miamor’s behalf. Nevertheless, Mecca was dead, and that would have to be enough for him.

Emilio Estes, Leena, and Monroe Jr. were also in attendance, mourning the loss. They were the only people left alive who could sit in the front pew reserved for family. Although far removed from the Diamond legacy, they were the last of a dying bloodline.

There was an eerie feeling in the air and everyone there could sense it. As the preacher held the Holy Bible tightly in his hand and read from the book of Psalms, a stretch limo with tinted windows rolled up slowly about fifty yards away from the service. Many people didn’t notice it, but the trained eyes were glued to the approaching vehicle.

Emilio Estes looked back and saw the limo pull up, and he watched as it came to a slow stop. Estes knew exactly who it was; it was the crew responsible for the very funeral he was at. Emilio, being in his mid-sixties and not willing to step back into the streets, conceded defeat and pulled his white handkerchief from the top pocket of his suit.

To many, it looked as if Emilio was just removing a hanky, but veterans of the street game knew what that small gesture meant. Emilio wanted the bloodshed to stop, and signaled that he would not retaliate. The war was finally over and The Cartel was no more. Literally, he was waving a white flag. It was officially The Cartel’s last chapter.

*   *   *

Breeze, Zyir, Mecca, and Carter were behind the tint of the stretch limo, watching their own funeral service. They had faked their own deaths, knowing that the Garza Cartel was too much for them. Carter knew that his suspicions about Murder were correct, and he had one of his goons trail Murder. He eventually found out that Murder had placed bombs at the warehouse. Carter then used that to his advantage. It was a risky plan, but it worked. As far as the Mexican beef, it was a war that they could never win so they outsmarted their enemy, rather than outshooting them. Carter came up with the plan to fake their deaths, and it worked like a charm.

Carter knew that the Garza Cartel would be watching them when they went to the warehouse, so he orchestrated a plan to sneak out of the back just before he blew the place up. He paid a coroner for four dead bodies that matched closely to himself, Zyir, Mecca, and Breeze, and placed them at the scene to be found by the authorities.

His plan had worked perfectly. They all sat in the limo with champagne glasses, celebrating their victory.

“This is to new beginnings. The Cartel is no more,” Breeze said as she raised her glass. Everyone joined her as she began her toast. With the support of her family, she was doing so much better. She had vowed to never touch another drug in her life, and so far, she was beating her addiction. She was more than ready to leave everything behind.

“To The Car—” Mecca started. He forgot that The Cartel was news of the past. “My fault. That gangster shit still in me,” he said while smiling. “To family,” he said as he raised his glass a tad bit higher.

“To family,” everyone said in unison, repeating what Mecca had just said. Another limo pulled up behind them, and they all knew that it was Felipe and his people. They had come to confirm their deaths.

Carter laughed and signaled for the driver to pull off. They had to catch a flight to Brazil. The Cartel was officially dead to the world.

Zyir looked at Breeze as she approached him with a flowing white dress and a veil over her face. Breeze had never looked more beautiful to him than she did on that very day.

Mecca walked on her right side, where their father should have been, and he gripped her hand for support. It was her wedding day, a day that their mother and father had looked forward to since Breeze was a young girl. Although they could not be present, Mecca felt their spirits in the air.

“They’re looking down on you today, Breeze. They’re here,” Mecca whispered.

Breeze knew that he was speaking of their parents, and smiled as her eyes lifted to the sky to acknowledge them.

Carter was next to Zyir, acting as his best man for the ceremony. The only witness present outside of The Cartel family was the Catholic priest of the church they used.

Zyir smiled from ear to ear as he patiently waited to be joined by his bride. As they approached, Zyir looked at Breeze and promised himself that he would take care of her forever and a day. She made him happy, and he was determined to return that favor for a lifetime.

Zyir asked Breeze to marry him while they were on the jet coming to Brazil, and she graciously accepted. It didn’t take long for them to start planning for the small ceremony and make it happen.

Breeze approached Zyir, and they stood face to face, looking into each other’s eyes.

Breeze was full of tears because not only was she overwhelmed with happiness, but also great sadness. She wanted to share this special day with her family, but she only had a few people left. This day had brought about mixed emotions for her. She had never missed her parents and Monroe more than she had today, but the man who stood before her gave her strength. In his eyes, she saw her future, and it was filled with love. Her newfound joy with Zyir allowed her to push the sadness out of her mind, and she smiled from ear to ear.

The priest began the ceremony, and it was nothing but love in the room. They were a match made in heaven.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the priest said as he smiled and nodded his head at Zyir.

Zyir then slowly raised the veil that covered Breeze’s face and exposed her magnificence. He put both of his hands under her chin and kissed her.

Carter and Mecca clapped as Zyir kissed his wife. They both turned toward the door and started to walk down the aisle, but before Zyir took two steps, he turned back to Carter and whispered something that was one of the hardest things he ever had to ask him.

“Do you want me to take care of it?” Zyir asked.

Carter watched as Breeze hugged Mecca and looked at Zyir.

“Nah, I got it. Enjoy your wedding day. I will see you when you get back,” he said calmly and smoothly, all with a small smile on his face. “I love you, Zy, Carter said to his protégé that was now a man.

“I love you too, big homie,” Zyir replied.

*   *   *

Breeze approached Mecca as he held his arms out. He had tears in his eyes. Crying was something Breeze never saw Mecca do.

The tears in Mecca’s eyes were ones of joy rather than pain. It felt good to see his sister smiling for a change. He saw that Zyir made her happy, and that was what was important to him.

He glanced at Zyir, who was talking to Carter, and smirked, knowing that Zyir would take good care of his sister. Mecca then focused back on the approaching Breeze.

“I love you, sis,” Mecca said as she slid into his arms and into his warm embrace. Mecca was so happy to see his sister in the pretty white dress, and he knew that his mother and father would have been proud of her if they were still alive.

Their family had been through war and rain, but now it was time for sunshine. He was her only remaining full-blooded relative, and he knew that he symbolized more than himself. He was there on the behalf of Monroe, Taryn, and their father, Big Carter.

“I love you too, Mecca,” Breeze said as she rested her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. Her eyes were closed, but a tear managed to slip down her cheek. She enjoyed that moment like it would be her last. The drama and turmoil that she had been through over the years with the ills of the drug game and the family business had her jaded.

She thought about being in the basement of Ma’tee’s home and being hopeless and ready to die. She thought she would never escape his grasp, but to be married and starting a new chapter in her life brought joy to her heart.

Mecca wanted to confess to his sister and tell her all of the wrong he had done, just as he had done with the priest, but he could not bring himself to let Breeze know that he had
betrayed the family in such a heinous way. How was he supposed to tell her that he had murdered his own twin brother and reignited the beef with the Haitians? All of Mecca’s betrayals eventually led to the death of Taryn and Breeze’s own kidnapping. How could he tell her this? He couldn’t, because he feared that she would never forgive him, and he needed his sister to look at him with admiration as she had always done.

He needed her love like he needed the air in his lungs, so as he stood before her, the only words he could let slip out of his quivering lips were, “Sorry. I’m so sorry.” He gently grabbed her shoulders and looked into her beautiful eyes. He saw his father’s features in Breeze, and also their mother’s, and it tore Mecca’s insides apart.

Breeze looked into Mecca’s eyes and felt his pain through the windows to his soul. She didn’t understand fully what Mecca was sorry for, but something told her not to ask. Breeze just smiled and nodded her head.

“It’s okay, Mecca. I forgive you,” she whispered as she wiped the single tear that streamed down his clenched jawbone. She didn’t know what she was forgiving Mecca for, but she understood that he needed to experience forgiveness. She felt obligated to let him know that whatever he had done, it was in the past.

Zyir finished his brief conversation with Carter and headed over to Mecca and Breeze. He approached Mecca as Breeze stepped back and gave them room to converse.

“Congratulations,” Mecca whispered as he looked at his comrade, Zyir.

“Thanks, fam,” Zyir said with a smirk on his face. He embraced Mecca and hugged him tightly as he cherished the moment. He knew Mecca was a gangster, and real always recognized real. Needless to say, Zyir respected Mecca and vice versa.

Mecca noticed that Zyir hugged him tightly, and Mecca felt the genuine love coming from his new brother-in-law. The moment was almost enough to make Mecca cry again, but he held his composure and respected the authenticity of Zyir.

Zyir hugged Mecca like it would be the last time he would see him. “I love you bro,” Zyir said as he released his embrace.

“I love you too. Take care of my sister, a’ight,” Mecca said as he winked at Breeze.

“I got you,” Zyir said as he held out his arm for Breeze to latch on. Breeze did so, and they strolled down the aisle and out of the doors, where a cocaine white limo was waiting for them at the foot of the steps. The newlyweds were off to board a private jet to Rome for a weeklong honeymoon.

Carter and Mecca watched as they disappeared behind the large double doors of the sanctuary, both of them with smiles on their faces. Mecca looked to Carter and rested his hand on Carter’s shoulder.

“That’s our baby sister right there. I’m glad to see her happy,” Mecca said with deep sincerity.

“Yeah, Zyir’s a good dude. I raised that kid. I know that he’s one hundred percent … no cut. He is going to take care of his family no matter what,” Carter stated with a blank expression on his face.

Carter’s words were like a dagger straight to Mecca’s heart, as Mecca thought about his ultimate betrayal of his own family. He knew at that very moment that he wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Zyir or Carter. It was the hurtful truth that he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

“We all we got,” Mecca said as he looked into Carter’s eyes.

Carter noticed that Mecca’s eyes didn’t reflect that of a killer’s. Mecca looked as vulnerable as a lost young boy, and his words were heartfelt and without prejudice. Mecca truly meant what he had just said. He had made the transformation. Mecca was
ready to leave the gangster life alone and live life without regrets. He hoped that the new country of Brazil could give him peace of mind and rinse him of the blood that seemed to stain his hands back in Miami.

The priest walked up to them and prepared to exit the church. He shook Mecca’s hand and then Carter’s.

“Thank you, Father,” Carter said as he gripped the priest’s hand. The priest exited the church, leaving Mecca and Carter alone.

Mecca put both of his hands in his pockets and turned on his heels.

“Excuse me for a second, bro. I have to make a quick phone call,” Mecca said.

Carter nodded his head and watched as Mecca faded into the back of the church where the dressing room was located. Carter thought back to the day that he was in the confessional booth and Mecca told on himself. He thought about how Mecca had killed the only love of his life, Miamor. He also thought about how Mecca cold-bloodedly killed Monroe.