Chapter 1 #2
It was what he always wore, no matter the day, event, or hour. Our eyes locked, and just for a moment, the room fell silent. I could see a slight smile adorn his lips before Langston spoke.
“Hello, gentlemen. I’m attorney Langston Collins, and this is my colleague, attorney Yumi Clark. We’re here as representatives on your case.”
“Ladies, please have a seat,” Emil offered. We both sat at the end of the table and pulled out our case files.
“Can we offer y’all anything to drink?” Mook asked, pointing to the decanter of liquor in the center of the table.
“No, thanks. We want to begin, if that’s okay,” Langston replied.
Emery waved his hand to her to proceed.
“Okay. From reading over your guys’ file, it’s stated that Mr. Emil Aldana and Mr. Ellis Aldana run an illegal underground drug ring.
You are all being investigated by the FBI, and they also have an informant in place to testify against you all.
Ellis, a.k.a Mook, Aldana is being charged with murder.
Emil ‘Mill’ Aldana is being accused of murder, racketeering, embezzlement, and being the head of a criminal empire.
“Before we begin, I need you all to tell me the truth and not leave anything out. Are any of these allegations true?” Langston asked, sifting through the paperwork.
“They’re false. We own several businesses that have awarded us with such luxuries,” Emil stated with a smile.
Same old Mill: arrogant, smug, and sarcastic.
My eyes found Emery’s, and he was already looking at me. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since we walked into the room, which made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. I prayed he didn’t blow up my spot.
I cleared my throat and looked away from him to Emil.
“We will need to see tax information dated back to when you all acquired those businesses. As far as the other allegations, the informant is going to testify. From the information we’ve gathered, he or she says that on the night of April 15th, two gunmen entered a bar and shot and killed Alphonso Jordan and Raymon Streeter.
They identified you as the shooter,” I said to Emil.
“What proof do they have?” Emery finally spoke.
“Aside from the witness, there’s video footage recorded from a cell phone. After we review it, we can determine if it’s feasible to use it in court. We’re going to do everything that we can to get the charges dropped, but as of now, it’s not looking too good,” Langston told them.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Emery asked, looking at me. He stood from his seat and swaggered toward me.
“Uh . . . Whatever needs to be said can be said here,” I said.
“It can’t. Please come with me. It’ll be my last time asking nicely.” Although his face held a smirk, I could see the seriousness in his eyes. My heart rate picked up as I pushed away from the table.
“Mr. Aldana—” Langston started.
“Emery.”
“Emery. There’s no need for private discussions. Whatever you have to say can be said here, as she said.”
“Focus on us, Ms. Langston. We’re the ones the feds are coming for,” Emil said, pouring himself a shot of brown liquid into his glass.
“It’s fine, Langston. I’ll be back in a moment.” I stood from my seat and followed Emery out of the room and back down the long hall, down another until we reached another room. He opened the door and extended his arm for me to go ahead. I paused, now regretting being alone with him.
Please, Lord, keep my panties on my ass.
“Emery—”
“Go inside, Yumi.” The command was simple, but I couldn’t shake the bit of coldness in his voice. I stepped inside the room and then turned to give him a piece of my mind, but he was already in my face.
“You really gon’ walk in my house and act like you don’t know me, Yummy?”
My face balled. “You do know that I cannot represent your brother or cousin. It’s a conflict of interest, which I had not yet disclosed to my colleague.”
He had an amused look on his face when he said, “And I’m sure I know the reason behind that.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t what you think it is. I was put on this case.”
“Yet you didn’t tell whoever you answer to that you know the defendants. Just be honest and say you wanted to see me,” he said with that sexy smirk on his face.
You have a boyfriend, Yumi. Remember that.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re right. I did want to see you. To ask why you’re still doing this. If your brother and cousin got picked up on RICO charges, what makes you think you’re exempt from being associated with them?”
“Those charges won’t stick . . . They never have and never will.”
“Oh, really? You think you guys are untouchable?”
“No, but I’m smart. I pay people like you to make shit go away, Yummy.” He winked at me, and I shook my head, trying to keep my smile at bay.
“This is why we didn’t work. You refuse to let the streets go.”
“We didn’t work because you wouldn’t let us work. You could have been a DA and still be loved by a real nigga. Yet you chose to pursue your career and leave me in the dust. I guess the love you said you had for me wasn’t as strong as you claimed it to be.”
“Th-that’s not true. I loved you more than anything.”
“Anything except your career.” I looked away from him, and he used his finger to turn my face back toward him.
“You walked into my house on false pretenses because you know there’s still something between us.
” He rubbed his lips against mine and placed a soft peck on them.
My eyes fluttered, wishing on a star that I could maintain my ground with him.
I pushed away from him. “Yeah, distance,” I muttered and then walked around him, heading back toward the door.
I need to get out of here.
“Yumi.” He called out to me. I stopped and let out the heavy breath I was holding in and turned to face him.
“I let you run the first time because I was being groomed to take over the family businesses. I couldn’t chase you and focus on what I had going on then, but I’m letting you know now that I see you.
I’m making it my mission to be able to see you every day. ”
“We can’t. We’re two different people now, Emery.”
“We’re not. We’re both the same, just live different lives.”
“I have a boyfriend.”
“And I have bullets. His being in my way can be fixed.”
My stomach hollowed. “Emery—”
“That’s it. Let’s go back out there, shall we?”
“You can’t say shit like that and expect me to be okay with it. I haven’t seen you in twenty years, and now you want to come back into my life and claim something that isn’t yours? Make that make sense.”
“It’s going to make a lot of sense soon.
” He walked past me to the door and opened it.
“Come on. Let’s go put a plan into place to keep my family out of prison.
” For a moment, I just stood in shock, then I slowly made my way out of the door.
I should have known coming here was a bad idea.
Emery stood on his word back then, so I knew nothing had changed about him now.
I may have just opened Pandora’s box by coming here.
Shit!