From the Cartel with Love

Chapter 1

Raven lay snuggled underneath her comforter watching her boyfriend, Xander do his morning pushups.

Every morning, as soon as his feet hit the floor, he would pee, brush his teeth, wash his face, then do one hundred pushups.

That had been his morning routine for the past year.

Raven and Xander had been together for four years.

In her eyes, the only things missing from their relationship were a ring and a baby.

After two miscarriages, it didn’t seem that the baby was meant to be anytime soon, but Raven was twenty-six.

She wondered how much longer she would have to play house before Xander became serious enough to take their relationship to the next level.

Xander smiled at his cocoa-colored shorty. “You like watching daddy work out?”

“I do, and if I didn’t have to go to work, I’d give you some mean ass head right now just for you looking how you look.” The seductive way she bit her bottom lip while her eyes roamed his frame made his manhood stiffen.

Xander groaned at the thought of being denied such pleasure. “You can do it. You own the place. You can go in whenever you want to. You know just how I like it. You know I’m gon’ bust quick,” he attempted to plead his case.

Raven pushed the comforter back and sat up.

“Most days yes, but today I need to be there on time. I’m interviewing a massage therapist, and I’m doing a check-in.

Business is booming, and I’m taking advantage of it because I never know when it’s going to slow down.

I gotta ride this wave, baby,” she replied unapologetically.

Opening a recovery house for women that had just undergone cosmetic surgery was a genius idea.

At a time when cosmetic surgery was so popular, the five rooms that she had stayed full, and there was always a waiting list. Women could stay there anywhere from overnight up to two weeks.

Raven had staff that did massages, changed bandages, administered medication, she even provided meals.

It amazed her how there were so many women that didn’t hesitate to shell out the money to get their bodies done and to be taken care of after.

Raven didn’t cut any corners. She hired qualified professionals, and the recovery house was always super clean and running like a well oiled machine.

When Raven first met Xander, she had two jobs.

Her full-time job was at the airport, and she also did lashes on the side.

Xander was just coming up in the game when they met, so it took about a year for him to start giving her large amounts of money.

Some days, he would give her $1,000 and there were times he’d give her $4,000.

Once they moved in together, she was able to save a great deal of money and once she accumulated a certain amount, Raven felt comfortable enough to quit the job she had at the airport.

After a year of saving and working on her credit, she got the idea to open the recovery house, and it was the best thing that she’d ever done.

Business had been booming, and she loved it.

Raven woke up every day excited to go to work, and she still did lashes.

Slowly but surely, she was moving into another tax bracket, and she was elated about it.

Finally, she was living the life she’d been dreaming of since the age of fifteen.

Raven had always wanted to be a boss ass chick that had her own and a man that loved her and didn’t mind spoiling her.

“I’ll catch you tonight then,” Xander accepted defeat and winked at her.

Raven collected her clothes for the day and headed into the master bathroom to take a shower while Xander showered in the other bathroom. “My period has to be coming,” Raven mumbled as she peered at her pimple ridden face in the mirror.

She hated the breakouts, but she was still a pretty woman pimples or not.

She completed her skincare routine and chose not to wear make-up.

Her lashes stayed on fleek, and they gave her almond shaped eyes an exotic appeal.

Raven had just gone through the big chop, so she moisturized the super short curls that were dyed fire engine red.

After putting on lotion, getting dressed, and brushing her teeth, she was ready for the day.

Raven peeped her phone going crazy with Facebook notifications, which was odd since she hadn’t posted in three days.

As soon as she grabbed her phone off the sink, her cousin Tanya, sent her a DM.

The uneasiness that settled in her gut told Raven that something was going on.

She chewed her bottom lip anxiously as she opened the message.

Her cousin had sent her a video of a gender reveal.

Raven was confused until she saw her man participating in the event.

Her heart sank into the pit of her belly when she saw him get all excited about the pink confetti flying out of the popped balloon.

He had the biggest smile on his face, and that shit made her heart shatter into a million pieces.

A sob involuntarily left her throat as her stomach caved in.

Raven’s eyes darted over to the short brown-skin woman that looked equally as happy.

She wore a flowing white dress that was snug against her belly.

Raven stood frozen almost paralyzed as she took in every detail of the video.

The outfit that Xander had on. He left the house wearing that just two days ago.

In all white. He was color coordinated with that bitch.

Just wow. Tears filled her eyes, and the shock wore off.

Raven was pissed that she was crying because crying was something that she rarely did.

Gripping the doorknob, she snatched the door open.

Xander was in their bedroom getting dressed.

He didn’t even look up when she entered the room.

Raven walked over to him as fast as her legs would carry her.

Her phone was clutched in one hand, but she used her free hand to punch Xander in the face as hard as she could.

His head flew back so hard and fast it was a wonder his neck didn’t snap.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked so aggressively that spit flew from his mouth.

Ignoring the question, Raven hit him smack in the middle of the nose. The pain made Xander’s jaw muscles flex, and his nostrils expand. “Congratulations on your daughter you bitch ass nigga!” She yelled through gritted teeth and hit him in the face again.

She hit him just as hard the third time as she did the first two times, but her words softened his reaction.

She knew. He asked Vivian not to post the shit on social media until he had spoken with Raven.

He should have known that her ass wouldn’t listen.

He was caught off guard and didn’t know what to say.

While he’d known for the past five months this day was coming, he was far from prepared.

“How could you do this to me?” Raven cried as she pounded her tiny fists into his chest. She stood a mere 5’4, but she was attacking him with everything in her.

Xander knew that him cheating had to hurt but to be having a baby with someone else after she had already miscarried twice, that was what would kill her.

She was hesitant to try again because the previous miscarriages had scarred her, but he wanted a kid, and Vivian could give him one.

Finally, he grabbed her arms and restrained her.

She wouldn’t have taken the news well either way, but the fact that she didn’t hear it from him first really made it bad. Still, he had to try.

“Raven, listen to me. I’m sorry! I didn’t know how to tell you, and that was some coward shit. I’m sorry man. I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

It felt like she was hyperventilating. Her chest heaved up and down, and tears streamed down her face.

Jerking away from him Raven walked away to compose herself.

This shit wasn’t an accident. He was smiling in that video.

Happy as hell. Living a whole ass double life while she was clueless as fuck.

Now, her relationship was over just like that, and she had to get herself together.

Raven checked the time and concluded that she had to go to work.

Her business would not suffer behind this piece of shit.

After work, she’d come back, pack her shit, and go to her mom’s house.

That’s what she would do. After wiping her tears she sucked in a few deep breaths.

“Raven, sit down so we can talk,” Xander requested in a pleading tone.

Ignoring him, she grabbed her keys and left the house. Fuck him.

Yohana stared at Zone with hatred filling her heart.

They had been together for fifteen years, and they shared a twelve-year-old son.

But if he did what people were saying he did, then he was dead to her.

Yohana didn’t want it to be true, but she knew it was.

She just had to hear it from his mouth. He had to be man enough to look her in the eyes and admit what he did.

“Did you do it? You turned informant?” she asked him with a broken heart. Yohana stared at her husband with bated breath terrified of what he was going to say.

“Baby, they were trying to give me twenty years. I had to.”

“You had to give up my uncle? The man that changed your life? You were sentenced to fourteen years, Zone. You got six years taken off your sentence, and that was worth you giving up my uncle?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

“You begged him to put you on. You wanted this life. He didn’t make you do shit and instead of taking your time like a G you folded,” she eyed him with a face full of disgust.