Free The Cartel 3: The Last Chapter by Ashley and JaQuavis Page A

you, and I just wanted to personally introduce myself. I’m from Opa-Locka, and when I was on the outside, I was doing my thing thing, you know?” he stated as he clapped his hands together. “I know that’s your territory and all, ‘cause you sent the young goon Zyir through to shut my shit down. I wanted to let you know ain’t no hard feelings or nothing on my end, but I am trying to get on board with your movement. I’m outta here in a few months, and I don’t got nothing to go home to. Like, nothing, fam. So when I say I’m hungry, I mean it. I don’t want to make the mistakeof stepping on your toes again, so I wanted to know what I have to do to get down. I’ll put in work any way you need me to,” the guy finished.
    Carter continued to eat and didn’t even look up as he said, “What did you say your name was?”
    “Ibrahim,” the guy replied.
    Carter took his time and gathered his thoughts before he spoke. The uncomfortable silence between the two men made the inmate shift nervously from side to side.
    Finally, Carter looked up at the dude. “Sit down, my man. Everybody don’t need to hear what I’m about to say.”
    Feeling as if Carter was about to put him on, the guy smiled as he took a seat across from the hood legend. Carter’s name indeed rang bells in and out of prison. Anyone in the game knew exactly who he was.
    “You said my li’l man Zyir shut your shit down?” Carter asked.
    The dude nodded and replied, “Yeah, he told me I was out of bounds. That those blocks were already spoken for.”
    “And what did you do to handle that situation?” Carter asked.
    “I didn’t mean no disrespect, fam. I moved my operation to a different block,” he replied.
    “See, that’s where my problem lies, Ibrahim. Do you think I got where I am by letting other niggas run me off the block?” Carter asked. “Now, if you had blazed on my li’l nigga, maybe then we would have something to talk about. That would have showed me you had heart, but you didn’t. You let another man, who bleeds just like you bleed, stop you from getting money. I can’t afford to have any weak links in my chain, Ibrahim.”
    With that said, Carter resumed his meal as he waited for Ibrahim to dismiss himself. The conversation was over, but Carter knew there would be more to come. Many men had approached him since he had been locked up, and it wasalways the same story. Everybody wanted to be put on, but Carter didn’t rock with new niggas. He knew that if he let too many people into his circle, it would not seem exclusive. Everybody in the hood wanted to be a part of something, but unfortunately, not many fit the bill to be a member of The Cartel. Carter definitely had no use for a scary nigga. He only wanted the elite.
    The inmate nodded his head, his ego slightly bruised as he stood to his feet. He slowly slid the cigarette carton over to Carter.
    “For your time,” he said respectfully.
    Carter nodded his head and stood to his feet as he headed back to his cell. He handed the carton to Garza as soon as he entered. Carter didn’t smoke cigarettes, and although he never spoke to his cellmate, he always passed the unwanted gifts along to him.
    “How did you end up in here?” Garza asked. Carter looked up in surprise. They had never engaged one another before, so the question was completely unexpected.
    “An associate of mine found himself on the wrong side of the law. It was a person who I thought I could trust, someone who I grew up with. He was like family.”
    “Even family will betray you,” Garza interrupted as he lit a smoke.
    “So I learned,” Carter replied with a chuckle. The situation was comical to him. He had done nothing but show Ace love, but the first chance Ace got, he had stabbed him in the back—and plunged the blade deep. Carter knew that once Ace took the stand and testified against him, that it would be all the jury needed to hear to convict him.
    “I’ve been watching you, observing how you