Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
YUMI
Me: Baby mama. Where are you?
I sent a quick text to my best friend, Carmen, as I sat across from my parents and cousins, Zeke and Chanel, at the dinner table.
We were having our weekly Sunday dinner after church service, and I had been sitting uncomfortably since this morning.
My vagina was still throbbing deliciously, so I wondered what the fuck was going on with me.
I woke up feeling energized yet angry and regretful about what I’d done.
Having sex with Emery was the most stupid shit I could have ever done.
I blamed it on the alcohol.
I had gone overboard with the wine, and sitting across from the braided-haired, tatted-up, caramel-colored crime boss had my legs spread wide on my dining room table.
Although Liam wasn’t the upstanding boyfriend he should have been lately, that didn’t give me the right to cheat on him.
Thoughts of the ring he had stashed in the closet from MK Diamonds should have made me rethink letting Emery take me on a ride on his magic school bus.
Motherfucka knew he was carrying around more than his big ass gun that he didn’t think I would notice sitting on my counter by the microwave.
My stupid ass had been trying to stop my vagina from thumping since I woke up this morning.
BM: At the Pharm. What’s wrong, babe?
Me: When do you go on break?”
BM: I’ll be taking my next one in about an hour.
Me: Okay. I need to talk to you.
BM: Okay, toots. Meet me up here around 2:30.
Me: Okay.
“What’s up with you today, Mimi?” Ezekiel asked.
I put my phone away and tuned back into the conversation with my family.
“Huh? Nothing. Just a bit tired is all.”
“I told you; you overwork yourself too much, Boopie,” my mom countered.
“I’m not overworking myself. However, I am working on a big case that has me putting a little extra time in, but I’m fine.”
“The Aldana case?” my father asked, staring at me.
“How did you know that?”
“I was a paralegal at the firm you work in, remember? I have a few lawyer friends that still work there.”
“Wait . . . The Emil and Ellis Aldana case?” Zeke asked. I nodded. “Yumi, please tell me you dropped off that case?”
“I did at first, but my boss asked me to continue. What’s the problem?” I asked, looking between my father and Zeke.
“You know what the problem is, Mimi. You’re working with the same family I warned you to stay away from.”
I frowned. “Daddy, I’m not a child anymore. This is work, and nothing else.”
“They’re dangerous, Mimi, you know that,” Zeke replied.
“What does that have to do with me defending them? I’m there to do my job, and that’s it.”
“Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? Emil is ruthless, and he has so many enemies that, with you trying to get him off, it could put you in a bad position. Please tell your boss you can’t work on that case, Yumi. It’s too risky,” Dad said.
I sat up straight in my seat and shook my head. “I’m not telling her that. This case can make me a senior partner at the firm. That means more money, a higher position, and my name on the building. I can’t drop off the case. It’s what I’ve been working so hard for.”
“But at the risk of your own life, Mimi?” my mother asked softly. I hated when she used that baby tone with me. It used to work on me as a kid. It was how she convinced me to break up with Emery in the first place. But it wouldn’t work this time.
“Mom, stop it. And you two,” I said, pointing between my dad and cousin. “You both are only saying this because you think I’m going to get back in touch with Emery.”
“You’re the one who said it. We didn’t,” Zeke said. “I’m telling you what I know to be facts. Working so closely with them can put you at risk of being harmed. I don’t want you to end up on the five o’clock news.”
“She won’t, because I’m going to see to it that she doesn’t defend them,” my father added, further pissing me off.
“Listen. This is my career at stake here. Both you and Zeke pushed me to become what I am. I’ve defended multiple people with murder and drug charges, and neither one of you ever opened your mouths to stop me from doing it.
But because these are people that you all know, it’s now become a danger to my life? Make this shit make sense.”
“Have you lost your damn mind, Yumi Alaya?” my father asked, appalled by my word of choice.
“No. But I’m about to lose it if you all don’t stop this madness.”
“They’re just trying to look out for you, Cousin. I don’t understand why you’d want to work so closely with them after knowing what they are into and capable of,” Chanel interjected. I stared at her, trying to understand how she could turn on me when she and I were the closest.
I told Chanel and Carmen everything, and although we didn’t always agree, they agreed that how my parents coerced me to leave Emery was wrong.
She saw how Emery took care of and treated me, and would always gush over wanting a man like him. Even after knowing what he was into, she was trying to convince me to convince him to come to MSU with me.
Now, as she sat there agreeing with them, she was blowing me.
I nodded. “You know what? You guys enjoy your meal. I have to go.”
“Mimi, don’t leave. You haven’t even finished your food,” my mom attempted to get me to stay.
“I’m not hungry anymore. Love y’all.” I kissed everyone goodbye and left.
I wasn’t mad at my family for being cautious about me taking this case; I was angry that they didn’t see beyond the people I was defending.
I worked my ass off to get where I am. There was no way I’d give up on this opportunity that didn’t come around very often.
I slid inside my truck and backed out of the driveway. I saw Chanel waving me down, but I acted as if I didn’t see or hear her calling after me as I pulled away from my parents’ home.
I rode the thirty minutes to C&C Pharmaceuticals and parked in the lot. I texted Carmen that I was here, then opened Emil’s folder to try to see if I could find a loophole in this case. Over the years, he had been charged with offenses that were dismissed due to lack of evidence.
The prosecution really didn’t have anything other than the CI, the witness, and a video. We had yet to see it because they were trying to keep it under wraps until court tomorrow.
Emil and Mook told us they weren’t in the vicinity the night of the murders. They said that they had alibis to support them.
Without the video and knowing what the CI knew or the witness saw, we had to come up with a strategy to sway the jurors. I picked up my ringing phone and answered without looking at the ID, . . . too focused on reading the details of the case.
“Baby mama, I’m outside.”
“Baby mama? Nah, it’s your baby daddy slash husband.” I pulled the phone away from my ear, seeing the unknown number, but knowing the voice on the other end. I closed my eyes as memories of last night flooded my mind, and my pussy started throbbing again.
“What is it, Emery?”
“Look at you, knowing who I am,” he said with humor in his tone.
“What do you want?”
“Damn, I thought after giving you three orgasms back-to-back, you’d sound delighted to hear from me.”
“Oh, is that what I’m supposed to do? Seems like those orgasms didn’t mean a damn thing to me.”
“They meant everything.” I could hear him pulling smoke into his lungs. “You just don’t want to accept the fact that I do it better.”
“Emery, what do you want, sir?”
“To see you tonight. And don’t tell me no. You know that shit makes me act out irrationally.”
“I can’t. I have to prepare for court in the morning.”
“You can prepare at our home. Bring ya lil’ spenanight bag, and we can leave from here.”
“I’m not coming to your house, Em. Last night was a mistake.”
“Was it? If I remember correctly, you put your pussy in my face, saying you wanted to test ride my tongue.”
I bit my bottom lip, envisioning his tongue rolling, circling, and swiping away my good sense. “Well, I didn’t like the ride, so.” I shrugged as if he could see me.
Lying ass ho.
Lying through my damn teeth.
Emery chuckled. “I love the way you lie, Mrs. Aldana. Look, I know you got shit to do, so I ain’t gon’ hold you. As soon as you’re done with whatever it is that’s not important, I need you to be home before six. I have a surprise for you.” I looked over and saw Carmen coming out of the building.
“I have to go. I’ll see you at court tomorrow.”
He chuckled. “Yummy, I will come kidnap the fuck out of you if you’re not here by 5:42.”
That’s an odd time.
“Emery, please,” I begged.
“Think I’m playing, stink. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” He hung up just as Carmen approached the passenger side. I hit the locks, and she got inside.
“Hey, bestie,” she greeted, kissing my cheek.
“Hey.”
“So, what’s going on that you couldn’t wait until our girls’ night this weekend?”
“I think I just fucked up royally.”
“How?”
“First, Liam and I are at a place in our relationship where I’m getting fed up with the distance between us.
I completely understand that his job is demanding, but so is mine.
I make time for him all the time, but he can never sacrifice time for me.
So, last night we had a debate, and he has not called me or texted me since.
I don’t know. I don’t think he’s trying hard enough to secure me.
I saw the ring at his place last week, and he has yet to propose. ”
“Maybe he’s waiting on the right moment, Mimi. Don’t start being dramatic.” She laughed.
“I’m not, but I’m not trying to wait until I’m forty to get married either.”
“And I’m almost sure you won’t. Give him a break, sis. You know it’s coming, so don’t trip.”
“Yeah, but now I’m in trouble.”
“Why? What happened?”
“The Aldanas came across my desk, and now I’m defending Emil and Ellis in a murder case along with a heap of other shit. I knew defending them would put Emery back in my life, and now it seems as if I’m not going to be able to run from him this time.”
“Whoa. I haven’t heard that name in ages. If this isn’t some full-circle shit, I don’t know what is.”
“Exactly . . . Salah has Langston and me on the case, and we had to go to their house. Since seeing him that day, he has not let me breathe long enough to take in the fact that I’m even seeing his face after all these years. He . . . He broke into my house last night, Carm.”
“What?” she screeched.
“And fucked me stupid.” I slid down in my seat a little and covered my face.
“Yumi! What the hell, sis?”
“I know! I know. I was trying to avoid this happening, but it seems as if the moment he saw me again, he won’t stop seeing me again.
He keeps referencing me as his wife and was at the restaurant a few days ago while Liam and I were having dinner.
When Liam got called away, his ass sat in the chair as if we were on a date.
“When Liam came back to the table, this negro gave him a fake name and told him that he was my client. Now, he’s threatening me, saying if I’m not at his house by 5:42, he’s going to come and kidnap me. Carmen, I don’t know what to do.”
“If he’s like the Emery we used to know, then I think you may be able to get away with not showing up, and that’s a big maybe.”
I looked over at her and shook my head. “He’s worse.”
“Then your ass better be at his house by 5:42 on the dot.”
“You’re no help, bitch.”
“What do you want me to say, Yumi? Unfortunately, he’s back, but you should have been stronger than that.”
“I was inebriated!”
“And? You don’t even drink to get drunk, so you knew what would happen by letting him get close to you . . . Now, what are you going to do about Liam?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to try to make it work with him, or are you going to let Emery turn your ass every way but loose?”
“I’m not going to hurt Liam for Emery.”
“Then there’s your answer. I suggest you go to Liam’s house tonight because I have no doubt Emery is coming for your ass if you don’t show up at the time he requested.”
“You’re right. I have to hide from him.”
She laughed and looked at her watch. “This is crazy work, but I have to get back inside and eat before my break is up. Call me later so we can map out our girls’ night this weekend.”
“Oh, wait. I, um, I need a Plan B. Do you think you could bring me some out?” She looked over at me as if I were crazy.
“Mimi, you’re scaring me. Please don’t tell me you’re not on birth control yet.”
“I stopped taking them after law school because I wasn’t getting any action.
Then, when Liam and I started being exclusive, I didn’t even think of getting back on them.
Could you please give me a pill? Emery was being very reckless last night, and I have a feeling he’s not going to stop coming for me, my hand in marriage, or my damn womb. ”
She smirked at me. “And I have a feeling you’re going to continue to allow this.”
“How can I stop a grown man? Get a restraining order?”
“That works.” She shrugged.
“Go get me the pill, sis. Please?”
“Okay. And call your goddaughter. She misses you.”
“I knooow. I miss my Chloe bug too. Will she be home this weekend?”
“Unfortunately, no. Her father is taking her to some family gathering with his parents for the weekend.”
“Shoot. I’ll try to come sometime this week. And I have to tell you about Chanel’s fake ass, but I want to talk about her to her face.”
“Oh, goodness. Let me get that for you. You be careful with this Emery situation. If you’re not willing to leave Liam, then you need to put your foot down and let Em know that you mean business. He can’t force you to do shit you don’t want to do.”
“Understood.”
She nodded. “Be right back.”
“Okay.” Carmen got out of the car, and my head fell against the headrest. In my heart, I knew that no matter what I said or did, Emery Aldana wasn’t going to let up on me.
And that scared me.