Chapter 20
ZOYA
Recommendation: Listen to First by KenTheMan
Getting up this morning after being put through a mattress was the hardest thing. I’ve never had dick that had me considering calling out of work when today was closing statements. I’m not going to lie and say that when I left out the door this morning, I didn’t want to knock on his door.
Last night, I didn’t want him to leave me. I know what I asked for, but what I wanted was the opposite. Lying next to him was like a cure for something I never knew I had. He kissed my forehead every so often when I moved in my sleep.
His muscular arm served as a pillow behind me as I cuddled up closer to him. Then my dumb ass had the nerve to ask him for no strings attached.
Honestly, I thought he was going to call my bluff and tell me to stop playing with him. When he agreed, then nailed me to the cross the way he did, I was fucking mad. How dare you give me good dick like that and then leave.
I ran behind him to make sure he wasn’t giving anyone else what he had given me. In his eyes, I could tell that he was tired.
Not from doing what needed to be done, but from me. He was tired of the games and still hurt from what happened in Ashbourne. I gave him no explanation and figured it could be swept under the rug.
I’d like to think that most things could be swept under the rug. That was how I had been raised. Things just happened and no one ever gave any explanation as to why it happened. It took years before my brother decided to tell us why he killed Don’s best friend and damn near killed my ex-boyfriend.
If there was one thing that Menace taught us, it was that life moved on and he did whatever he wanted because he could. So, naturally, I adapted that same attitude toward him and others.
I fucked with Sigel because I could. He couldn’t tell me what to do, and although he could kill Sigel, it was a risk I was willing to take.
With Goo, I didn’t explain about leaving because he was gonna think I was stupid. The man told me he wanted to make us parents, proceeded to release inside me, and told me he loved me and here my goofy ass was still unsure.
I had other pressing issues this morning, as I made my way through the metal detectors and saw my sister ahead of me. Kora was hardheaded and came through the regular entrance at times. I watched as she flashed her badge, walking right on through without emptying anything out of her bag.
Kora was 5’4 and always wore the highest heels she could find. I watched as her Jimmy Choo heels sounded against the marble floors. She flipped her freshly pressed hair and looked over her shoulders.
She touched her chin, her way of discreetly saying hi, and to wish me luck today. I returned the gesture by touching my eyebrow and continuing in the opposite direction. She nodded while she continued down the other hallway, with security behind her.
Menace had a plan, and we were all supposed to follow it.
We both knew we would end up on the same cases, and to avoid anyone ever finding out that Kora Case was an actual Caselli, we made up signals for one another.
It didn’t matter how little Kora was, she was a force to be reckoned with behind that bench.
As the youngest federal judge, people learned not to fuck with her. She had this innocent baby doll look on her face, but she was ruthless and could ruin your life with just a bang of a gavel.
Or a gun.
The biggest flex that the Caselli women had was that we had Menace and Landon Caselli coming behind us, and they would blow a hole in anything with just one word.
Stevie didn’t understand, or maybe she did, how powerful her words were when it came to Menace.
Same applied with Navy.
My client, Kofi Maze, was on trial for murdering an FBI agent. Kofi Maze was a billionaire, and philanthropist. He was loud with his support against police brutality. He wasn’t just some stupid man with loads of money to blow.
Kofi was going to run for governor once Governor Johnson announced his run for president. He also spoke loudly about the egg farming scandal and how many people were involved.
They couldn’t have another black man in power over the city. An agent showed up to his home, knowing the threats that had been put on his life, with a gun. Trying to gain access into his home, and he exercised his right to bear arms.
It was an open and close case to me, but there was so much politics around this case that I’ve been drained. Now today was closing arguments and hopefully we had a verdict.
Goo: Good luck today.
I smiled as I looked at his message. He was mad at me but still took time to wish me good luck.
He’s lucky I had court because I would have met him where he was at and fucked him. Angry sex was the best kind of sex if you asked me. I powered my phone off because Judge Case had a pet peeve when it came to phones being on in her courtroom.
Kora didn’t spare me because we shared the same blood with each other. She held me responsible like every other attorney that entered her courtroom. The lights flashed and the sounds of everyone screaming on the front steps of the courthouse caused me to look back.
Kofi came in with his security and went through the metal detectors. He was on house arrest and even then, they didn’t want to give him that. They fought that he was a flight risk because he had family in Trinidad.
He was drained.
I could imagine how he felt. Not knowing if this crooked ass system was going to see that you were actually the victim.
They painted a picture that the agent that was murdered was a good man.
He was a family man, a father who devoted his weekends to his children, and one who sacrificed time.
Meanwhile, my client, a child of Trinidadian immigrants, worked his way up in tech and now owned a med-tech company worth billions.
He still volunteered at the community centers in his old neighborhood, and was heavy into police reform and helping innocent men gain freedom.
Every attorney at our firm played around with his case when his assistant reached out to us. No one wanted to touch this case, and Teddy even called himself trying to give me advice on leaving the case alone.
“Hey Kofi, want to have a word in a private room?”
“We can.”
Kofi had to be reserved within the public eye. He had to watch every move he made. It was like living in a fish bowl and having the entire nation with their eyes on you. Every agency had their eyes on this case and was in support of the dead FBI agent.
Even prosecution had been trying every trick up their sleeve. The stress of my personal life along with this case had been a lot. It was no wonder I was popping anxiety pills like mints.
We found a private room to dip into. I sat my briefcase on the table and made sure the blinds were closed. This case had been all over, and even though no phones were allowed, there were pictures of Kofi floating around the internet.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m going to throw the fuck up… I could sit in prison for the rest of my life for a nigga trying to kill me.”
It was a hit, no doubt.
We knew that, however, Kora warned me not to use that in my defense. She said it would open up even more chaos if I chose to go that route. Being that she saw things on the other end, I trusted and listened to her advice.
“I’m confident.”
He snorted. “No offense, Zoya. You can be confident, but only one of us gotta turn in our designer garb to get into a jumpsuit.”
“Fair. I’ve prepared my closing statement, and I will warn you that it’s short. It’s straight to the point.”
“Always hated to beat around the bush.” He grinned.
I held my hand out. “You told me when we first met that you only had one requests.”
“To make it home to my daughter.”
“And I’m making that shit happen. I need to make sure your security is good… when this goes our way, because it will, there will be outrage and you need to be taken out the back.”
“Fuck me… what about you?”
“I’m good.”
Kofi didn’t need to know who my family was, or how I was going to get out of this courthouse when they read that not guilty plea.
Even though my sister was the judge on this case, this case was tried fairly. There wasn’t any special favors or switching the jury. I was an attorney, and the best, because of my knowledge, not because of my connections.
While Kofi headed to the courtroom, I stayed behind and took a few breaths. I paced the small area and looked up at the ceiling.
“Ain’t nobody fucking with you… you did what needed to be done. Choke that emotion down and go out there with that stone face on and bring that man home.” I said to myself, as I looked at myself through the two-way mirror.
Recommendation: Listen to Temptation by Joey Bad$$
I grabbed my briefcase and exited the room, heading straight to courtroom six. There was no legal team. Kofi trusted me, and it was a blessing and a curse. There wasn’t any team to take the fall with me if this shit went left.
Every step I took was in slow motion as I swiped my hair over my shoulder. The door was held open for me and I walked in. I happened to turn my head and almost lost my footing when I saw Goo sitting there.
He winked.
Khaos was beside him. On the other side, Capone, Kincaid, Quasim, and Quameer were seated. I concealed my smile but felt all warm and fuzzy. As I bypassed them, I saw Capri sitting with Skyler. She must have pushed whatever she had to be here.
She stood up and walked over to me, leaning to whisper in my ear. “You know you got this in the bag… my bestie not to be fucked with… show ’em.”
I nodded and went and sat next to Kofi who kept rubbing his hand across his lap. “Stop.”
He rested his hand on the table as we waited for Kora to come out. “All rise. Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Kora Case presiding,” the bailiff announced, and we all stood up.