The Face That Launched A Thousand Bullets (The Cartel Publications Presents) (17 page)

“Is everything okay?” Tara asked, limping into the kitchen after seeing him hang up the phone.

“Not really, baby,” Kavon said. “I need to know if you could take care of yourself if somethin’ happened to me.”

“What?” she said as if the thought alone was unimaginable.

“Can you take care of you and our baby if somethin’ happened to me?” he repeated with more clarification. “I need to know.”

Tara walked a few feet away. It was as if she wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I need you to prepare for the worse.”

“Why?” she said, hobbling over to him hugging him closely. “You can’t leave me, baby. I’ll die without you.”

His question was answered.

“Tara,” he said, picking her up and walking her to the couch. “You have to be strong. I just talked to Candy and I’m not sure what she’s gonna do right now. There’s a good possibility she’ll tell the cops.”

“No!” Tara sobbed heavily. “Kill her! Kill her now.”

“I know what I have to do Tara. But I’m more concerned with you and our unborn child. This baby means more to me than anything and I haven’t even met her yet. So I’m askin’…can you be strong for me? For the three of us?”

“I don’t know, Kavon…I’ll try.”

It was as good as it was going to get.

Kavon

District Of Columbia Court House

Minutes Before The Verdict

K
avon Cartier sat in a crowded courtroom six months after the murder, wearing a three thousand dollar suit. The heat seemed unbearable and he adjusted his tie several times trying to get comfortable. But how could he? His future, his life and everything he wanted to keep rode on the verdict.

His beautiful wife sat behind him and her fear of losing him weighed so heavily on his shoulders, that they drooped. Although they didn’t get a chance to have the dream wedding Tara wanted, he was able to make her his wife by marrying her at the Justice of the Peace a few days after Candy’s call.

He felt stupid! How could he have a conversation about something so important on the phone? And above everything, on a phone that was tapped. It angered him that Candy had gained immunity for her testimony, while he sat on trial for his life. And as she ranted off her testimony against Kavon, she never mentioned Kurtis, for fear he would come after her later. Kavon wanted it that way. Murdering Shy was his call and Kurtis shouldn’t take the blame. So he didn’t mention him either.

“All rise! The honorable Elizabeth Jamison presiding.”

The middle aged white judge walked into the courtroom slowly. Her presence put Kavon on edge. What was even more eerie was that she looked familiar. Where had he seen her before? Paper rustled throughout the courtroom and eventually everything was deafly silent. For a second, he saw his future in her eyes and got a glimpse of his fate. Guilty.

“You may be seated.” She said as she stole a few stares at Kavon who sat in the defendant’s section looking as handsome as ever. “Jury, have you reached a verdict?”

Kavon turned around and smiled at Tara, their beautiful baby girl Tiara, in her arms. He was hopeful. Hopeful that he would be able to remain with his family. He knew Tara wasn’t strong enough to take care of them on her own. He prayed that the high priced lawyer he hired was worth his weight in dough.

Phillip Croones was the best defense attorney in the business. His clients got off, and it was as simple as that. Out of one hundred cases he tried, he lost ten.

“Yes, your Honor. We the people find Mr. Kavon Cartier guilty in first degree murder.”

The courtroom erupted in loud babble and the prosecutor smiled slamming his briefcase shut.

“Great, we’ll reconvene for sentencing in two weeks.” she continued.

Kavon’s shoulders collapsed and his head fell. How could this be? His lawyer assured him he could beat this case. All he was doing was protecting his wife! Didn’t they understand that? Nothing about his core was violent and nothing about the man he was wanted to hurt another human being, except when the lives of his family was endangered. And Shy’s carless act could’ve taken the lives of both his wife and daughter.

The judge smirked but Kavon didn’t care. He couldn’t put Tara through more than she’d already endured. He couldn’t get over not being able to make love to his wife or of being able to hold his baby girl. His mind wandered to the last quality time he spent with Tara when they hung a wooden sign on their daughter’s bedroom door which read, Tiara.

“Noooooo!!!!” Tara cried out, thinking she failed to explain the brutality of the rape properly.

Perhaps if she did a better job, their decision could’ve been different.

The courtroom erupted into
Oooohs
, and
Awwsss
.

“Quiet in the courtroom!” the Judge ordered, pounding her gavel again. “Mrs. Cartier, one more outburst like that and you’re out of here!”

Tara’s on and off again friend, Brook White, rubbed her arms and tried to console her.

“Mr. Cartier, there’s no mistaking the brutality that the victim experienced in this murder. It was of a vicious and heinous nature. You were cruel, calculating and thoughtless. Therefore, I sentence you to 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Court is adjourned.”

It was over. His life was gone. He turned around and looked at his fiancé who was emotionally beat. Her eyes and nose red and her spirit broken.

“Be strong, baby!” he yelled as the bailiffs handcuffed him. “I need you strong Tara.”

“I will!” she sobbed still holding their child. “I’ma be strong for us.”

“I love you Tara, and if I could’ve murdered that mothafucka again I would.”

There was love in his words despite the seriousness. The Bailiff hearing him got rough by squeezing his arm. Kavon didn’t care. He meant every word.

“I love you, Tara! You and Tiara are my life!” The officers pushed him toward the back.

He struggled desperately to say one last word to her. He was unsuccessful.

And just like that…he was gone.

Six Months Later

Tara was nervous about what Kavon wanted to talk to her about as she sat in the waiting area in DC prison. Lately he forbid her to bring his child, not wanting her to have any memories of him behind bars. It didn’t matter that she was just a baby and probably wouldn’t remember anyway. The decision was made.

The first month in prison was the worse he’d endured in his entire life. He stayed to himself and thought often of Tara and his baby girl Tiara. The second month he stopped being a loaner, and kicked it with a few dudes he knew from back home.

But it was a conversation that he had with a prisoner named White Boy that changed both he and Tara’s life.

“Let me spot you.” The muscular light skin man said as he lifted the barbell off of the hook and handed it to Kavon.

He looked like Kid from the group Kid and Play.

Kavon accepted.

“So how you holdin’ up?” he asked as Kavon exerted energy to lift his third one.

“Hold up…you ain’t no faggy, are you?” Kavon placed the barbell back on the hook. “Cuz I don’t play that bullshit!”

He waited for his answer.

“It’s a good think you got up cause I was bout to drop that shit on yo head, nigga. Don’t insult my fuckin’ intelligence.”

Kavon liked him immediately.

“Just checkin’.” Kavon lay back on the bench. “What’s your name?”

“They call me White Boy,” he said, giving him back the weights.

“I can see why.” Kavon joked.

“Most people do.” He laughed. “My man Kurtis told me to look out for you.”

“I’m good.” Kavon advised as he worked on his second set. “I can handle my own.”

“Out there that may be true, but everybody needs somebody watchin’ their back in here.”

“Yeah…they’re my reason for breathin’.”

“It’s a shame you got to get over em if you wanna make it.” He said as he placed the barbell back on the rack.

Kavon sat up straight.

“What you talkin’ bout get over em?” he asked. “That’s my wife and kid.”

“There’s no way you can make it in here thinkin’ about them. Every little thing she do you gonna analyze. It’s gonna drive you crazy.”

“That’s not true!” he said breaths still heavy from lifting.

“Yeah okay.” He laughed. “Every one of us made a phone call home and wondered why it wasn’t answered. You gonna start thinkin’ bout who she fuckin…who she wit…and all that otha shit. It’s life.”

Kavon didn’t want to tell him it happened already. He’d called home and couldn’t reach her one afternoon. The messed up part was that he told her that he would be calling home at that exact hour. When he finally got a hold of her, she claimed she was out with Brook, a friend of hers he couldn’t stand who snorted coke. They supposedly took the baby to the park. It killed him not having her so accessible. Hell, it was her fault he was in there to begin with.

“Well, I ain’t forgettin’ my family.” Kavon wiped his face with the towel in his lap.

“Well get ready to do HARD time.” He said giving him dap. “Cuz if you really loved em, you’d let her move on. I’ll get up wit you lada, partna.”

Ever since he had that conversation he thought about Tara. As much as he hated to admit it, White Boy was right. Tara was beautiful and she deserved to have a good man. A free man. He decided to break it off from her once and for all.

“Hey, baby!” Tara said, touching the glass. She had just gotten her hair done and it was extra bouncy. A few dudes who should’ve been looking at their own visitors couldn’t help but stare at her. “I miss you.”

Kavon was being transferred to Lorton in a month.

“I miss you, too.” He smiled, mad grillin’ the dudes who were captivated by Tara’s beauty before looking back at her. “Your hair is nice.”

“Thank you.” She ran her fingers through it. “You like it?”

“I love it, beautiful.”

“I love you more, honey.” She touched the glass.

She couldn’t get over how handsome he was in his prison uniform. His muscles had become more defined and although he was in prison, he looked better than ever.

“Not as much as I love you.”

She blushed.

“I got the money from Kurtis. He’s really good about looking out for us.”

He didn’t doubt that Kurtis would be down for business. He had given him access to his stash and still had dough put up that know body knew about. In total he had 3 million at his disposal.

“That’s good.” Kavon prepared to break the bad news.

“Is something wrong?” Tara asked, seeing his mood. “Did I do something?”

“No…you didn’t do anything.”

“Okay.” She smiled. “Cause I’m trying to be strong for you, baby. I really am. Like you asked me to.”

“I know.” He affirmed. “I know. How’s Tiara?”

“She’s so pretty!” Tara lit up. “She looks just like you. It’s funny. I never saw a baby with chocolate skin and golden hair.”

“Yeah…she’s gonna have me kill somebody one day,” he responded, grinning. His expression changed when he remembered he would be in for 40 years of her life.

“What’s up, K? Talk to me.”

“It’s over, Tara.” he said looking at her through the smudged glass.

“What?”

“I said it’s over,” he said seriously. “Don’t come here anymore.”

“Why, baby? Why?”

“Cause I can’t see you like this! This shit is killin’ me.” He said hitting his hand on the counter. The officer approached him and he took his anger down a notch. “I’m sorry, man,” he told the officer.

“Kavon…please don’t do this to me! Do you want me to die out here? Is that what you want? Cause if you leave me, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do!” she cried, large tear drops leaving her eyes and falling on the counter.

He hated seeing her cry especially when he knew he was to blame. But he wanted her to move on, and land one of them doctor or lawyer types. She deserved happiness not a man behind bars.

“Tara, stop saying that!” he said. “You know I want you alive to care for our child.”

“So all you care about is her? And not me?” Tara wiped some of her tears.

“I care about both of you. You know that.”