“I’m the only fucking professional out of the bunch.”
– Robyn
Carter sat at his dining table as he stared in disbelief at the information in front of him. After hiring a private investigator, he had found out Miamor’s true profession. The truth was staring him in the face, and he finally understood why Mecca’s hatred for Miamor ran so deep. A part of him wondered if what they had was even real.
He refused to believe that she was playing him just to get to The Cartel. He had gotten inside her head, he had explored the space between her legs, and had learned to control her heart. The way he had loved her was rare. He had never given himself to a woman the way he had with Miamor. To think that it was all a lie was unfathomable.
Before him were pictures of the Murder Mamas, newspaper clippings from the crimes they committed, and an address where they could be found now. Carter’s P.I. had tracked them down in California. As the evidence of Miamor’s ruthlessness haunted him, he felt an overwhelming urge to speak with the members of her crew who were still standing. He remembered meeting them once at the club, but had no idea how dangerous the ladies were at the time. As he found out about Miamor’s life as a murderer for hire, he developed a newfound attraction to her. She was the best at what she did.
She could’ve trusted me with this secret, he thought.
The Murder Mamas’ track record was so brutal that he knew he was lucky to be alive. Even none of his own young gunners had the body count that Miamor and her crew had attained.
If I had known, I would have put her down with The Cartel, he thought, impressed and intrigued all at the same time. Miamor had truly been one of a kind, and he did not know how much so until now.
Through all the anger and confusion he felt, the love he had for her was still present. Despite the fact that she had played a vital part in the demise of his family, the spell she had cast on him was still too potent for him to shake her loose. Her spirit was with him. He was in love with a killer-a Murder Mama.
They could have been the power couple sitting at the top if she had just been honest with him. Her hatred for his family could have been resolved, her ongoing beef with Mecca settled, if only she had told him the truth.
She was ruthless, but she had bitten off more than she could chew when she became Mecca’s opposition, and as much as he wanted to, he could not blame Mecca for the decision he had made to put her down.
Carter finally understood that he was not the only one involved in a love affair with Miamor. Mecca had had his own relationship with her as well, but instead of exchanging whispers and kisses in the night, Mecca and Miamor exchanged hollow points and warfare. They had been enemies of the worst kind.
Mecca was right. Would she have killed me next? He had to know the answer, and the only way to find out was to talk to the people who had known her best.
He looked at the California address once more and hopped up. He had to see Robyn and Aries. They were the ones who could give him the answers he so desperately sought.
Carter cocked his gun to load a single bullet in his semi-automatic and removed the safety as he placed it on his hip before getting out of the car. He carefully approached the front door to Robyn and Aries’ place. Their good looks concealed their malicious intent, but now that Carter knew how they got down, he would not be caught slipping. He didn’t come to play games; he simply wanted answers. A conversation was all he wanted, and he hoped that they could put aside their hatred for him for the moment.
He placed his hand near his waistline as he knocked on the door. When Aries pulled it open, she gasped in surprise. A mix of emotions filled her as she pulled her baby.380 without hesitation and pointed it directly in Carter’s face.
“Aries, who is it?” Robyn shouted from the kitchen.
As tears filled Aries’ eyes, she couldn’t move her mouth to answer.
Carter didn’t flinch as he stared at Aries sincerely. “I’m not here for all that. I come in peace. I just want to talk.”
Aries’ lip quivered as she thought of pulling the trigger on the man that Miamor had loved. “You let she die,” Aries whispered.
“Aries! Who is it?” Robyn asked as she walked up and pulled the door open fully. She stopped and stared Carter in the eyes. “Shoot him,” she said.
“Me friend is dead because of you,” Aries said again.
“I know. Please, I just need to know more. I know about everything, about her affiliation with the Murder Mamas, and I just really need to speak with the two of you. I have to know if anything she said to me was ever real. Was I just a target?” Carter asked.
Both Aries and Robyn could see the pain in his eyes. Aries lowered her gun and stepped to the side as Robyn relieved him of his weapon.
“Are you alone?” Robyn asked reluctantly.
“Nobody knows that I’m here,” he replied.
“Come in,” she said as she led him to the kitchen table, while Aries walked behind him with her gun still in her hand.
Carter took a seat across from Aries as Robyn went back into the kitchen.
She emerged with two plates of food. “We were about to eat. You might as well join us.” She placed the food in front of Aries and Carter before going to fix her own.
Once they were all comfortable at the table, Aries asked, “How did you find us?”
“If your money is long enough, anybody can be found,” he replied.
“Well, you didn’t come all the way out here for nothing, so what do you want to know?” Robyn asked.
“Was I just another target to Miamor?” Carter asked.
“Miamor wasn’t a dumb girl. She stayed in Miami to be with you, not get at you. She loved you even though we told her she was crossing the line,” Robyn admitted.
“Our target was The Cartel. Mia did not know chu were a part of it until she saw you at your brother’s funeral. We came to shoot up the entire front row, but she called it off when she saw chu. We tried to get she to stop seeing you, Carter, but she wouldn’t,” Aries revealed.
His relief could be felt around the table as he sighed deeply. He had flown three thousand miles just to hear those words.
“She’s dead because of you. If she had come here with us, she would still be alive. Her death is on you. I hope you know that,” Robyn stated sadly.
“I think about it every day,” he admitted.
“Thinking about it don’t bring she back, Carter. What are chu going to do about it?” Aries asked. “We know who did this to she. Chu didn’t know before, but now you can’t play dumb. Chu know everything. Something has to be done.”
Carter sat back in his chair. “He’s my brother,” Carter whispered in turmoil.
“Well, he isn’t ours,” Robyn stated harshly.
“No matter what happens from this point, she isn’t coming back,” Carter stated, heartbroken. “I loved Miamor. I had plans to have her in my life for a long time. I just want the two of you to know that. Nothing about what I felt for her was fake.” Carter stood and Robyn handed him his gun back. “Thank you for telling me what I needed to know,” he said.
“Chu are welcome,” Aries stated.
Robyn walked him to the door and came back to find Aries reaching for Carter’s plate of food.
Out of nowhere, she slapped the fork out of her hand, sending it flying clear across the room.
“Ow, bitch! What the fuck did chu do that for?” Aries asked, looking at Robyn as if she had lost her mind.
“Okay, go ahead and eat it. You know how I get down. I don’t give a fuck if the nigga came over here to pour out his love for Miamor. You know what I put in that. The nigga was just too smart for his own damn good. He didn’t even touch his plate,” Robyn replied with a smirk.
Aries burst out laughing as she pushed the plate away. “Thanks for the heads up.”
Robyn cracked up too and playfully answered, “With your friendly ass. I don’t know what it is about that pretty-ass nigga. All my girls turn to mush around his ass. First Mia, now you! I swear I’m the only fucking professional out of the bunch.”