𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐊𝐇𝐈

19. | G O T T A GO, G O T T A LEAVE

"Now I'm giving you one last fuckin' chance ese, tell me who the fuck you work for or else you end up like your friend over there," he turned his face toward the dead man in the corner, "That what you want? You tell me and I'll let you live."

"Mateo!" The man cried out, "Mateo sent us to do the job - - we worked for Mateo," Carter licked his plump lips and looked over at Judas standing in the doorway.

"Mateo," Carter repeated, "Fucking Mateo."

"Please don't kill me - - please," Carter pushed the man's head away from him and turned his back, hearing him clamoring on the floor behind him.

He walked over to where Judas stood and looked at him, "This muhfucka Mateo wants war with me," he shook his head, "I'm not having anotha' incident like what happened at the fuckin' court."

"We wont," Judas said, "You know I got your back, bro," Carter grabbed the back of Judas's neck and nodded.

"I know," he said, "I know." Carter looked over his shoulder and let Judas go, "Do him."

"No! Please! Don't! I told you what you wanted to know!"

"You killed an innocent kid, you got my brother shot, and you could have killed me," Carter said with a stone face looking at the man in his graveling state, "And you honestly think I'm gonna let you live?"

"You told me if I told you who I worked for you would!"

"Yeah," Carter shrugged, "Life's a bitch and then you die muhfucka," his tongue swiped over his bottom lip and looked at Judas, "Do him. I'm done with this shit," Judas nodded and cocked his gun in the direction of the wounded man and like that he was gone. One shot straight through the head and he was just like his friend - - laid out dead in the kitchen.

"What you want me to do with the bodies?" Judas asked as they exited the kitchen.

"Burn the whole house," Carter said, "I'm going home," he dapped Judas up and opened the front door, trying to ignore Judas's looks but he couldn't for long, "Home, home, Ju."

"Make sure you do," said Judas as he rounded up the other men that would help him burn the evidence.

"Yeah - - tell ma I said I'm gonna come see her sometime next week, aight?" Judas nodded and dapped Carter up one last time before Carter was ushered into the Rolls Royce that was waiting for him.

He slid into the car's leather arms and the door was closed behind him, a million things running through his mind. His eyes watched as the city lights passed him and he began to think about the incident back at the court and about tonight. Somebody wanted him dead - - that much was obvious. Carter ran his hands over his face, trying to ignore the demons that haunted him for his past deeds and rested his head against the leather head-rest to close his eyes. The minute he closed them he felt his phone vibrate in his lap.

Message Received 12:23 A.M.
Sender: Stoni
Message: Papi come see me.

Message Sent 12:30 A.M.
Message: Working baby doll...

Part of him felt bad for lying to Stoni but he knew he needed to go home especially after taking that trip to Paris and being away for so long. Besides, he'd promised Judas that he would go home to Destini and he promised Destini he'd make it home for dinner which he didn't but he wanted it to count for something that he'd showed up anyway. He had a lot of shit on his mind that he just didn't feel like talking to Stoni or anybody else and for the first time in a long time, home was were he wanted to be most.