Cartier Cartel (38 page)

"Pop open the compartments," Ryan said to Shanine. With trembling
hands, she opened the glove compartment and hit a switch. The trunk
popped open and the secret compartment slowly opened.

Chopper, who was now standing over the trunk, smiled. He then walked
toward the driver's side and approached Ryan.

"Damn, that shit look pretty," Chopper smiled and revealed a row of
rotten gold teeth. "It looks like Christmas back there. They brought more
than you ordered."

"It's all good, motherfucker," Ryan said. "Start loading that shit in our car."

"Yeah, no doubt," Chopper stated and began transferring the cocaine
into their stash car.

Shanine sat wringing her hands together. She was crying so hard she
couldn't see past her tears. Snot had oozed down her nose and she didn't
bother cleaning herself up. She knew her life was in someone else's hands
and she didn't know whether Ryan had already decided their fate. When
Chopper slammed the trunk closed, both women yelped.

"You gonna let us go, right, Ryan?" Monya asked again.

Ryan got out of the car and Mikey, the other passenger, did the same.

Ryan leaned over into the car, "Close your eyes!" he commanded.

"Ryan, no!" Shanine yelled, but the bullet piercing through her head had
silenced her. Monya didn't have a chance to react before she was slumped
over in the back passenger seat with a bullet lodged in her head.

"Yo, let's be out!"

he news hit Cartier like a Mack truck. Her whole body went limp as
she collapsed into Jason's arms. He too was hurting inside. No matter
what he and Monya went through, she didn't deserve to be done dirty that
way. She was the mother of his only son.

"What happened?" Cartier asked between tears.

"Cartier, I don't know," Jason replied. "Her and Shanine were found both
shot in the head in North Carolina. That's all I know. You gotta call your
mother."

Cartier was distraught, but managed to call Trina. "Ma," Cartier cried,
"who could have done such a thing?"

"The police don't know shit, but you better meet us at the airport. Janet
and I are on the first plane flying out."

"OK, I'm there"

Cartier grabbed her family, and she and Jason drove to LaGuardia Airport,
where they met Trina, Prada, Fendi, Janet, and Jason Junior. They all had a
two hour wait until they boarded the next plane to Raleigh-Durham.

Janet was a nervous wreck. "They tried to kill my baby," she kept
repeating.

"She's strong," Trina soothed. "She's gonna make it. She would have
already let go. You know that chile is a fighter."

Monya was shot in the head, but she didn't die on the scene. Shanine
wasn't as lucky. Her body was being transported from North Carolina to New
York, so her mother could give her a proper burial.

As they sat in the airport, everyone had conspiracy theories on who
murdered and tried to murder the girls. It wasn't a secret they'd gone to
North Carolina on a drug transaction. Everyone up north knew that, but
Janet didn't disclose that information to the police. She didn't want them
writing Monya off. She wanted the perpetrators caught. When they finally
arrived at the hospital in Raleigh, the news was grave.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid your daughter's brain dead," the doctor stated. "Critical
levels of oxygen have stopped reaching her brain, rendering it useless. I'm
recommending you let her go to be at peace"

"You mean pull the plug?" Janet screamed frantically. "You want me to
murder my baby?"

"Ma'am, calm down, please," the doctor said in a soothing tone. "She's
already dead."

"No-o-o-ooooo!" Janet cried and all the children burst into tears. They
were frightened at the loud commotion taking place. "I can't do it."

Trina ran and embraced Janet, and rocked her back and forth in her arms
as Jason cradled Cartier. Everyone was devastated. They all felt that they were
in a bad dream.

The police stood to the side, waiting to speak to the frazzled mother. The
crime was so abhorrent that they wanted to see if the New Yorkers had any
clues where they were going or who they were meeting.

Unfortunately, no one knew a thing. They were clueless.

n the morning of Shanine's funeral, Cartier couldn't pull herself out
of bed. She didn't know if she could see her friend in a casket.

"Ma, you gotta get up," Jason soothed as he rubbed her back. "You gotta
be strong. Shanine is counting on you."

When they pulled up in front of Baptista Funeral Home, Cartier could
barely see the front entrance. It was jam-packed with family and friends. She
was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn't hold it in. Monya was still
laying brain dead in a hospital with tubes running in and out of her nose and
mouth, with a respirator breathing for her. Monya's skin was pasty and her
hands were clammy. Cartier knew her friend wasn't inside that empty shell.
She wished Janet would allow her friend to rest in peace, yet, she didn't know
how she'd be able to she her in a grave.

Jason was the strong one, giving Cartier all the support she needed. He
helped her climb the stately steps of the funeral parlor and even helped her
dress that dreaded morning.

When it came time for family and friends to speak, Jason nudged Cartier.
He knew she needed to say her piece. Cartier exhaled and stood up. She
looked over at Barn and Lil Momma and gave them both a nod. Her legs
wobbled as she approached the podium and cleared her throat. There was a sea of faces, some she knew, others she didn't.

She began, "I've known Shanine almost all my life ... I can still remember
the white and blue Pro-Ked sneakers she wore that were always untied when
we were in the third grade." Cartier laughed slightly as tears streamed down
her cheeks. "When we were little girls you couldn't see one of us without
seeing the other four: Me, Monya, Bam, and Lil Momma. We were all once
close as sisters and then something went wrong."

Cartier shook her head wildly and began to sob uncontrollably. Someone
called out, "Take your time...'

Soon
she
regained
her
composure and
continued.
"I went
wrong.
Back
then, I thought it all made sense ... I thought that together we could conquer
the world. Most of y'all know us as the Cartier Cartel." Cartier snorted her
disgust. "That was my first mistake. Back then, I thought the only important
thing in life were labels. I had us running in and out of department stores,
stealing their merchandise and actually thinking that society owed us
something. When that didn't quench my thirst, I exposed my best friends to
selling drugs."

Cartier watched as a few people squirmed in their seats. They weren't
ready to handle the truth.

"It was all my idea," she stated. "Every negative action the Cartel did was
all mines. These were good girls ... we were good girls and I don't know what
turned me. And then, I turned them, and Shanine would be alive and Monya
would be here too if it weren't for me," Cartier choked up and began to sob
uncontrollably.

Jason ran to the podium and walked her down. She collapsed in his hands
and for a while was inconsolable.

When the service was over, Barn and Lil Momma approached Cartier.
They wanted Cartier to know that Shanine's death wasn't her burden to carry.

"This ain't your fault," Barn said. "We all made our own decisions. You
can't take the blame all by yourself."

"We all wanted the same things you did," Lil Momma encouraged.
"Shanine and Monya knew what they were getting themselves into. You
didn't have anything to do with that."

"Excuse me, Cartier."

Cartier turned around as she heard a familiar voice and looked into eyes
from the past.

"Ryan ... what a surprise," Cartier stated.

Ryan cleared his throat, leaned down, and gave Cartier a quick peck on
her cheek. The last time she'd seen him, he'd promised to do her bid with her.
Time had taken any animosity she might have had.

"You're looking good," Ryan began. "I just came through to show my
support.-

"How nice ... I'm surprised you remembered Shanine