The Demise Read online

  Monroe had never been so happy to see Aries’s murderous face in his life. “I could kiss you right now,” he muttered as he followed her down the hall.

  “Please don’t,” she shot back with a smirk.

  She rounded the corner only to halt at the sight of Baraka’s men entering the building. There was nothing incognito about them. They came in, guns drawn, as if they made the laws themselves. “This way,” she said, turning around and running in the opposite direction. The lights suddenly went out, and chaos erupted. Gunfire exploded, and bullets flew their way. The Arabs were reckless in their assault. It didn’t matter that they were in public, or that there were innocent bystanders all around. They had declared war on The Cartel. Aries ran as Monroe tried to maneuver Carter through the hospital while people ran for cover.

  Monroe suddenly stopped running. “Fuck it. If it’s gonna happen, I won’t get clipped with a bullet to the back. Get him out of here. I’ll cover you,” he stated.

  “Money, no,” Carter whispered weakly as his head hung low, his chin touching his chest.

  Aries knew if she had to make a choice, she would have to save Carter. Miamor would never forgive her if she let him die.

  “Ain’t no time for thinking. Go!” Money stated. He reached down and grabbed the gun out of Carter’s lap and then quickly unholstered his own. With a pistol in each hand he rounded the corner and popped off, firing bullets as he diverted the Arabs’ attention. Monroe went left, going in the opposite direction as Aries hustled her ass out of there, pushing Carter swiftly down the hall. She burst through the emergency room doors. The ambulance they had hijacked was waiting there, engine running.

  “Miamor!” she yelled. “Help me!” Aries rushed to the back of the vehicle and pulled the doors open. Her heart dropped when she found Miamor sitting at gunpoint at the hands of a hired Arabian goon.

  “Shoot him!” Miamor shouted.

  The man shouted something in Arabic as he pointed his gun at Miamor’s temple while holding her in a choke hold.

  “Kill him, Aries! Shoot him! Now!” Miamor shouted.

  the man barked his orders, and although Aries didn’t understand them, she clearly read the look of malice in his eyes. He was ready to commit murder. She had already lost so many of her friends. She didn’t want to see Miamor get her brains blown out in front of her. She straightened her trigger finger and let the gun dangle from it as she raised both arms.

  “Aries!” Miamor shouted. The man pointed his gun at Aries, and just as his finger curled on the trigger, Carter pulled the gun out of Aries’s back waistline. He was weak, but he was always accurate. He fired.

  BOOM!

  The man’s body jerked violently as a bullet to the forehead sent him flying onto his back. Miamor rushed to Carter’s side, kneeling before him as she cupped his face, kissing him repeatedly. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Carter.” The way that they nuzzled into each other’s space reminded Aries of two lions. Each of them was powerful in their own right, but they were each other’s weakness.

  “Feels like I’m dying, ma,” he whispered. His words sent a chill down her spine, and a tear fell down her cheek.

  “I won’t let that happen, baby, I swear,” she said.

  “Let’s get him up here,” Aries said, interrupting the moment, as the sounds of gunshots and police sirens broke through the air.

  Miamor and Aries struggled to lift Carter into the ambulance without hurting him. “Agh! Fuck! Take it easy!” he shouted in pain as they managed to get him inside. Miamor climbed into the back of the ambulance as Aries rushed to the driver’s seat.

  “Money’s still inside,” Carter said as they pulled away from the curb. “Don’t move this fucking ambulance without my brother!”

  “We have to, Carter,” Miamor whispered. “There are too many of them. If we go back in…”

  Miamor stopped talking because they both knew what was happening. They were about to lose another Diamond. She gripped Carter’s hand, and it didn’t go unnoticed when he didn’t squeeze hers back. Miamor was the cause of all of this. She knew it. So did he. Their entire empire was in jeopardy. This war was her fault.

  * * *

  Carter struggled to breathe as he attempted to stand up out of the wheelchair.

  “No, Carter, you have to sit,” Miamor urged as she steadied him just in the nick of time. He couldn’t make it from the wheelchair to his desk. He was hurt bad and sweating profusely. “You’re trying to do too much. Just tell me what you need.”

  “Call Monroe,” he ordered.

  “Okay, okay,” Miamor replied as she immediately dialed the number.

  Carter took three deep breaths and then managed to pull himself to his feet as he walked through the penthouse suite toward his office. It felt like he was running a marathon. His heart and lungs burned as if he were in full sprint.

  “Carter! No!” Miamor said as she brought the wheelchair up behind him and he eased back into it. He was so weak; it was humbling and frustrating all at the same time. He wasn’t running anything, not in his current state.

  “Money isn’t answering,” Miamor said, her voice solemn, assuming his death.

  Carter closed his eyes. Her words were like knives stabbing him as he thought of his brother’s fate. Monroe was the only blood brother he had left. It had taken a lot for them to put their differences aside and band together as family. If anyone was supposed to sacrifice himself for the other, it was supposed to be Carter. He was the oldest. He was the strongest. It was his wife who had started this war. Monroe wasn’t supposed to succumb to it. He didn’t deserve to. Carter wanted to place blame, but it wouldn’t help. They both knew the deaths to come in the days ahead were on Miamor’s conscience.

  Suddenly a rapid knock at the door interrupted them. Silence fell over them as they shot each other a paranoid glance. Carter put his fingers to his lips and then used his fingers like a gun, telling her to strap up. Baraka owned half the casino. Surely he knew where to find them. They would have to lock down the entire property in order to keep Baraka and his goons out. It would be damn near impossible to do that, so they needed to gather everyone, take what they needed, and find somewhere inconspicuous to gather their thoughts. Miamor grabbed her gun and headed toward the door.

  “Mia, put down de’ fucking gun and open de’ door!” Aries hissed. She already knew the routine. Miamor was on edge, which meant she had an itchy trigger finger. It was only a matter of time before she popped off. It was what she did when her back was against the wall.

  Miamor breathed a sigh of relief and snatched open the door. When she saw Monroe standing next to Aries, she couldn’t stop the tears from welling in her eyes. They weren’t necessarily the closest, but she had never been so happy to see him. She placed a hand over her heart in relief. If Money had been killed, Carter would have never forgiven her.

  “Look who popped up,” Aries said as Monroe walked inside.

  “Good to see you, Money,” Miamor stated.

  “Good to be seen. There are fucking Arabs all over the place. I barely got out of that hospital. We’ve got to disappear for a while. Regroup,” he stated as he rushed over to Carter.

  Carter was hanging on by a thread as pain doubled him over in his chair. “Get Zyir on the line. I want to make sure he and Breeze are safe,” he managed.

  He was sweating profusely and grimacing in excruciation.

  “Is he okay?” Aries asked.

  Carter couldn’t breathe, not deeply, not enough for him to think clearly. The room began to spin as a burning sensation seared through him, and he fell from the wheelchair.

  “Carter!” Miamor whispered desperately as she knelt in front of him, holding his face in her hands. She looked up at Monroe, feeling empty as if she were watching the love of her life slip away. “Money, this is bad. We need a doctor here now!” She sat on the floor and laid Carter’s head in her lap.

  They had never seen Carter so incapacitated. They were in the middle of a war, and i
f they were going to survive, they needed their general. He had to pull through—not only for his sake, but for Miamor’s as well.

  CHAPTER 3

  It was quiet; so quiet that thoughts of fear, of chaos, and of destruction thundered loudly inside her head. Ever since the men had disappeared to Saudi Arabia, Leena had questioned her loyalty to the street life. When they had returned, she had pushed her fears to the back of her mind, but she knew one day she would have to address them. Today was that day. Leena wasn’t built for the warfare that came with the game. There was an uncertainty of survival every day that she woke up. She never knew what could happen, and the imminent danger that lurked in the shadows of her life terrified her. Although their hands were in the casino business now, she knew The Cartel would never truly be legit. They lived by the rules of the underworld, and Monroe would always be a part of the life. He had been born into it, and the moment she fell in love with him, she had committed to his lifestyle as well. It had its perks, but it was times like these that she remembered the flip side of things—the dangerous side. And now the tables had turned and they were cloaked in darkness from the storm Baraka was about to rain upon them. Leena had wanted to stay by Monroe’s side, but instead he had her whisked away to safety. They all had responsibilities. She wasn’t a shooter, she wasn’t fearless, and she certainly wasn’t a gangster, but she was a nurturer at heart. Therefore her job was to make sure that C.J. and Lil’ Money knew nothing about the circumstances of duress. One of The Cartel’s most trusted goons had been assigned to the task of keeping her and the boys out of harm’s way. It wasn’t enough to get them away from the casino. Monroe wanted them out of Nevada.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she looked out her window. They had been driving for almost two hours. The boys were asleep in the backseat, but she knew when they awoke they would have questions, and she needed to know what to say.

  “Somewhere safe,” he replied shortly. “You might want to get some sleep. Relax a bit. We have a little ways to go.”

  Leena settled into her seat, but her mind wouldn’t rest. In the last war they had lost so much … so many of their loved ones. She couldn’t help but wonder who would fall victim to Baraka. He was twice as deadly as Ma’tee. That fact scared her. The desert blurred outside her window as they drove top speed, heading west. She didn’t sleep. She couldn’t. Not with the knot twisting in her gut. She wondered: Is Carter okay? What is Monroe going to do?

  There were too many unknowns, and they were filling her with anxiety. She was grateful the boys were asleep the entire drive.

  They pulled up to a house in Pasadena, California. “Whose house is this?” she asked, noticing a Cadillac sitting in the driveway.

  “A friend’s,” he said as he exited the car.

  Leena turned around and stirred C.J. and Lil’ Money out of their sleep. “C.J., Mo, wake up,” she said, putting on a fake smile. She didn’t want them to sniff out her worries. “We’re here.”

  She exited the car and ushered the boys out of the backseat as the goon got their bags from the trunk. When she turned toward the house and saw who had stepped onto the porch, she sighed in relief. “Polo,” she whispered. She smiled as she placed her hands around the boys’ shoulders.

  He walked over to her and the boys. “It’s like I stepped into a time machine right now. Aw, man,” he said as he admired C.J. and Lil’ Money.

  “Mo. C.J. This is your uncle Polo,” Leena introduced them.

  Polo held out his hand, giving both boys a firm shake. “There’s an Xbox in there. Why don’t you go make yourselves comfortable,” he said. The boys took off, racing inside.

  Polo turned toward Leena. “Everything you need is inside. Groceries, clothes, whatever…”

  Leena nodded. “Thank you,” she replied sincerely. “From all of us.”

  Leena didn’t want to say too much because she really didn’t know Polo well. She knew he had been Big Carter’s right-hand man, but she had also heard rumors that he had cooperated with the feds. She knew Polo wasn’t a threat to them. The fact that she was even in his presence meant Monroe trusted him. Still, she made sure not to say more than what was necessary.

  Polo turned to the goon. “Keep your eyes open. Keep them inside. Keep a low profile.”

  Her newfound protection nodded, and Polo walked to his car. “Take care of yourself,” he said. “And those boys. If Big Carter and I had done a better job, you all wouldn’t be reliving the life that destroyed us. It’s history repeating itself.”

  She saw emotion in his eyes. “Those boys inside will have a different story. I promise,” she replied.

  Polo nodded and sniffed away the emotion before getting in the car and driving away.

  “We’d better get inside,” the goon said as he carried her bags toward the door. Leena followed closely behind, feeling like she was walking into a cage.

  Seeing Polo made her realize he had a lifetime of regret. She didn’t want her son or her nephew to know this life.

  As soon as Leena stepped inside, the boys came racing toward her.

  “Ma! There’s a hoop in the driveway. Can we get a game in?” Mo asked.

  The goon stepped up. “Nah, that’s not a good idea, lil’ man.”

  “If we’re going to be here, we aren’t going to be cooped up in this house. No one knows we’re here. They should be fine in the driveway. Let them be kids,” Leena interrupted.

  “So we can go?” C.J. asked.

  “Yeah, your ball is in the trunk,” Leena said. The goon wanted to protest. She could see him getting ready to buck against her decision, but the piercing look she shot him silenced him instantly. “I’ll go out and keep an eye on them,” she said. “Let’s get one thing clear. I know you’re here to do a job and I appreciate your loyalty to my husband. Those boys don’t need to know we’re running. So don’t lurk and you follow my orders, not the other way around.” She grabbed a crossword puzzle and a pen off the table, then stepped out onto the porch. She took a seat on the swing as she watched the boys play a game of one-on-one. The goon kept his distance as he sat at the other end of the large porch and kept a keen eye on things.

  A competitive spirit filled the air as Leena watched the cousins play. For a moment, no matter how brief, she felt peace. The gentle breeze hit her face, and she smiled at the boisterous nature of the boys. This was as close to normal as she would get. She yearned for a carefree existence such as this one.

  “Foul!” C.J. called as Mo pushed him hard while powering toward the driveway hoop. C.J. fell hard to the ground. Easily tempered, he stood up and ran over to Monroe. “Foul, man!” he shouted as he pushed his big cousin back.

  “Quit crying, pussy!” Mo barked back as he threw the ball at C.J.

  Both boys were bred to be thorough, so neither backed down. It didn’t matter that Lil’ Money was older and stronger; C.J. had heart. He charged his cousin, and the two began to tussle.

  “Hey!” Leena shouted as she stood to her feet. The goon moved when she moved, but Leena motioned for him to stop. “I’ve got it.”

  Leena descended the porch steps and approached the fighting cousins. “Stop!” she said harshly as she pulled them apart. “You’re family, and family don’t lay hands on one another.” The look on Mo’s face reminded her of Mecca. Mo’s temper was starting to become apparent, and the anger that brewed in his eyes was so familiar that it sent a chill up her spine. If she didn’t know any better she would have thought that Lil’ Monroe had come from Mecca’s seed. “Monroe Diamond the second,” she chastised. “Fix your face. You guys are cousins. You save the tough-guy act for the enemy. Don’t ever fight one another, and watch your mouth.” The musical sounds of an ice-cream truck distracted her. “Go cool off, hotheads,” she said as she shook her head. “Get some ice cream.” She looked up to the porch. “Can you grab my handbag from inside?” she asked the goon. He nodded, and she turned to follow the boys to the ice-cream truck. Just as quickly as the two had fought, they made u
p as they raced down the driveway, joking and clowning on one another. She smiled. They were thick as thieves, and she loved their bond. “These two are going to drive me nuts,” she whispered to herself. She walked up to the truck and rubbed the back of their heads lovingly. “What do y’all want?” she asked. When she looked up at the driver, her heart sank. She could see the malice in his eyes without him ever having to say a word. Call it a mother’s intuition. Butterflies fluttered as anxiety took ahold of her. Without thinking twice, she gripped the pen she had been using on her puzzle and jammed it into the man’s eye. “Run!” she shouted to the boys.

  “You stupid bitch!” the man shouted. Leena turned to flee, but before she could take one step, the back of the truck flew open as three men burst out. They grabbed C.J. first and then Leena. Mo was quicker and had made it out of arm’s reach, but when he turned and saw one of the men placing a chloroform rag over his mother’s mouth, he went back. He tried to fight the men, but he was no match. They grabbed him, too, and pulled him into the truck kicking and screaming. By the time their hired goon came back on the porch, they were speeding down the street.

  “Oh, shit!” he yelled as he came up off his hip with a pistol. He dumped bullets in the direction of the truck, but he hit nothing. The truck bent the corner wildly, and the goon threw his hands up in the air as neighbors began to pour out of their homes. “Fuck!” he shouted as he swung at the air. He knew there would be hell to pay. He had one job and he had failed. Now he had to make the call to Monroe and tell him that his most prized possessions had been lost. Baraka had struck back.

  * * *

  “We have to get him to a hospital,” the doctor said as he re-dressed Carter’s chest wound.

  “We’ve been to the hospital, Doc. We can’t go back. I need you to fix my brother up right here,” Monroe said.

  “There is a lot of trauma from the gunshot. You should have never brought him here. He needs an IV. He needs medicine. Rest. Round-the-clock care. One doesn’t simply walk away from a wound like this. There will be permanent damage. He can’t catch his breath because one of his lungs has collapsed. He’s lucky to even be alive,” the doctor said.