The Cartel 4: Diamonds Are Forever Read Free Page A

placed her on her feet.
    “Look at me,” he said, his voice steely and despondent, yet commanding.
    Miamor could barely look Carter in the eyes, but upon hearing his request she lifted her head.
    “Take a shower and meet me downstairs. We have a lot to talk about,” he said.
    Miamor nodded her head and then retreated inside the room as he walked away from the door.
    Carter’s head was so clouded that he didn’t know if the choice he was making was right or wrong. He wasn’t a man of indecision, but when it came to Miamor he was stuck. He wanted her in the worst way, but with a ruthless history like the one she possessed, how could he ever trust that he wouldn’t fall into her crosshairs? Love hadn’t stopped her from betraying him before. He couldn’t trust her, but it didn’t stop him from wanting her by his side all the same.

    Tears stung the lids of Miamor’s eyes as she stood under the steaming hot water with her head hung low. She wept, biting her bottom lip to stop her cries from being audible. Her chest heaved and her mind spun. The slightest sound caused her to jump as she pulled back the shower curtain in paranoia. She half expected for her brains to be blown out while she washed her body. A seasoned killer, Miamor knew that the most convenient place to murder someone was in a bathtub. That way all the blood and evidence could be easily washed down the drain. To her surprise no Grim Reaper stood waiting to deliver her fate.
    Miamor quickly stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. Wiping the condensation from the mirror she stared at herself. Miamor silently condemned the woman who stared back at her. She didn’t deserve Carter’s forgiveness. Anything less than a bullet to the head would be generous of him.
    Her sixth sense told her to run, but her heart kept her still. Miamor was tired of running in the opposite direction of the love of her life. She wanted to run toward Carter—more importantly, beside him.
    She wiped the tears from her red and swollen eyes, then exited the bathroom.
    Warm colors decorated the large master bedroom. This was home to Carter, and she had never thought she would be welcomed into his life again. Just being in his proximity made her feel lightheaded, grateful, and terrified all at the same time. She quickly dressed, throwing on one of Carter’s button-up shirts, then hesitantly made her way down the stairs to meet her fate.
    Carter stood in the dining room staring into the flickering fireplace as the amber flames danced and crackled before his eyes. Although his back was to the entryway he immediately felt Miamor’s presence when she entered the room. He sucked in a breath and held it for a brief second before releasing it along with the tension that burdened his shoulders. Turning toward her he stared, coldly, in confusion. Carter had been through a lot, had seen a lot, had lived a lot, and no one had ever affected him the way that she had. Her disappearance from his life had cut him deeply, but her reemergence was like salt to a bleeding wound. It burned.
    “Carter,” she said with a hint of desperation in her tone, and in an instant he was across the room, standing in front of her. His hand wrapped around her fragile neck, and his body weight pushed her against the wall. His powerful presence humbled her, and standing before him she felt small, like a chastised child who was awaiting punishment for a bad deed.
    Miamor breathed erratically. He could snap her neck easily, take her life in a split second and get his revenge for the things that she had done. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t, or rather, he couldn’t.
    “Carter,” she repeated. She had thought of him often over the years, but had never dared to speak his name. The syllables felt odd falling from her lips. He had been a memory for so long, someone she was supposed to let go of and forget, but he was such a prevalent force in her life that she couldn’t. His face haunted her dreams every