Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
EMERY
Isat next to my parents, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Serenity in the back row of the courtroom while Yumi and AUSA George Smith gave their opening arguments.
My baby was good. She was making Mill and Mook look like fucking angels when they had been damn heathens all of their lives.
I smiled as I watched her in her element, making the prosecutors look foolish.
That smile stayed on my face until her nigga, parents, and cousins crept into the courtroom.
Mr. Clark’s and my eyes met, and I could see his lips turn up slightly as I smirked at him.
My, how shit had changed.
I was once his golden ticket to The Chocolate Factory; now I was someone he frowned upon because I knew his dirty little secrets. I didn’t give a fuck, though. My only focus was getting his daughter to marry me and have my babies.
It was the end of the closing arguments, and they called their first witness to the stand.
Leyla Johnson.
The broad who was recording the video. It was sad that she didn’t know or understand the rules of being a snitch. I was pretty sure she was still out here moving freely as if she were untouchable.
“Who is that?” my father whispered to me.
“The chick at the bar that recorded the video. I saw it, and it doesn’t reveal shit.” He nodded, and our focus went back to the chick raising her right hand, taking the oath.
George approached the stand while I waited to hear what this broad had to say.
“How are you today, Ms. Johnson?”
“Pretty good.”
“That’s good. Ms. Johnson, can you tell me what happened on the night of April fifteenth?”
“I went to the bar with some friends for some drinks.”
“And what was the name of that bar?”
“Park Avenue on the Boulevard.”
“Would you say this is a popular bar?”
“Yeah. Everybody who knows somebody goes there. You have to know somebody important even to get in.”
“Can you tell me who you know, Ms. Johnson?”
“I know some of everybody, but my homegirl the one who got us in.”
“Who’s your homegirl, may I ask?”
“Terrica. She said she knew one of Mill’s workers, and he was the one who got us in.”
“Do you know this worker’s name?”
“Nah, I didn’t ask.”
“Okay. So, tell me what happened when you first arrived at the bar.”
She sat up in her seat and cleared her throat of what I was sure was the built-up cum in her loose ass throat.
“When we got inside, we went to the booth the guy had for us. We were poppin’ bottles and shit—”
“Language, Ms. Johnson,” Judge Larkin reprimanded.
“My bad. We were drinking and dancing for a minute before Terrica left the booth. I was vibing to the music and recording with our other friends that showed up when I saw them two walking into the bar.” She pointed to Mill and Mook.
“Can you state their names for the record?”
“I just know them as Mill and Mook.”
“Okay. And then what happened?”
“We continued dancing, but my eyes were on them because everybody know when they walk in the building, it’s a movement.”
“I’m sorry. Movement?”
“Like it’s going to be a big celebration.”
“Ah, gotcha. What happened after that?”
“I saw them walk up to two men who were in the VIP section across from our booth. When they see Mook and Mill, it’s like they whole energy changed. Right then, I knew it was about to be up, and sho’ nuff, Mook and Mill pulled out their guns and started dumping on them.”
“You mean these two men began shooting the victims?”
“Yup.”
I shook my head, wanting to call her ass a liar. The video didn’t even show their faces, and from the angle of her video, you could only see a side view of them walking up, with neither one of their faces shown.
“I see. Thank you, Ms. Johnson. The prosecution rests, Your Honor.” Smith went back to his table as quietness settled over the court.
“Ms. Clark. Your witness,” the judge acknowledged. Yumi stood and casually walked to the center of the room.
“Ms. Johnson, what time would you say you arrived at the bar?”
“Around like ten. The ladies were free before eleven.”
“Okay. So, you and your friends are in the club having a good time. How many drinks would you say you’ve had?”
“I’on know, shit—”
“Ms. Johnson, I’m only going to warn you one more time about your language in my courtroom.”
“My bad!” She rolled her eyes. “I’on know. I was pretty lit.”
“Lit as in inebriated.”
“Yeah, that, or whatever.”
“So, as you’re getting ‘lit’, is it possible that maybe who you saw wasn’t who you thought you saw?”
“Objection, speculation,” Smith objected.
“I’ll allow it, but tread lightly, Ms. Clark.”
“Sorry, Your Honor.”
“Answer the question, Ms. Johnson.”
“Nah, I knew what was going on around me. Like I said, I know who Mook and Mill are, so I was watching, for sure.”
“I understand, but as we all know, someone under the influence could not see something or someone who wasn’t exactly there.
You said you arrived at the bar around ten o’clock, and the situation happened between twelve and twelve-fifteen.
Isn’t it possible for you to have multiple drinks during that hour and fifteen minutes, and were too busy getting ‘lit’ to see what was going on around you? ”
“It’s possible, but I know how to hold my liquor. I saw them roll up to that VIP and blast them. Period.”
“From the angle of the video, no one can see exactly who the shooters were, so there is no way for us to determine if, in fact, the shooters were the defendants.”
“Objection! I don’t feel that it’s necessary to bring up the video footage when it’s not admissible in court, Your Honor.”
“Your Honor, the video in question shows angles of the club and is conducive to Ms. Johnson’s testimony.”
“Proceed, Ms. Clark.”
I couldn’t see the nigga’s face, but I could tell he had to be pissed by his body language.
Yumi continued her questioning with the broad still claiming she saw them do it.
After she was done, the court was adjourned.
I watched as her nigga, who looked like a black version of Screech, approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. I wanted to pop his fucking head off like the bobble head he looked like, but I kept my cool.
I knew that, in due time, Yumi and I would solidify our union.
I stood and slipped out of the courtroom with my pops and moms following close behind. We waited outside until Mill and Mook emerged with Yumi and her team following.
“You did good, sis. I knew I could count on you to come through,” Mill told her, wrapping his arms around her for a hug. I could see her family standing by with sour looks on their faces as I shook my head.
“You guys aren’t off the hook yet. Just continue with your lives as usual, but stay out of the way. And don’t do anything to give them a reason to lock you all up.”
“We got you, cuz-in-law,” Mook joked, and I smiled. Yumi’s eyes widened slightly as she looked around, making sure her family didn’t hear him. Zeke’s tired ass was staring hard with a mean-mug on his face, and I gave him the same energy.
“Excuse me for a second.” I stepped away and approached the sourpuss clan, walking right up to Zeke. “You got something you want to get off your chest, my nigga?”
He looked at me and scoffed. “Maybe I do.”
“By all means, pop yo’ shit, fam,” I challenged.
“Listen, just stay away from my cousin, a’ight?”
I chuckled. “Never.”
“But you will. I guarantee it,” Mr. Clark added, walking closer.
“Oh yeah?”
Mr. Clark nodded assuredly. “Absolutely.”
“Damn. It’s gonna suck when you have to come visit your grandkids in a couple of years,” I said, smiling at him.
“Daddy. Let’s go.” Yumi took him by the hand. Our eyes locked, and I gave her a wink.
“I see you came dressed to kill shit.” I licked my lips and scanned her attire.
The off-white skirt suit with the wine blouse underneath hugged her curves and had me ready to snatch her up out of here and take her away.
Her hair lay softly and brushed against her shoulders, and those pretty, plump lips matched her blouse.
Screech walked up behind her, staring at me.
“I remember you. You were at the restaurant last week,” he said in recognition.
“I never met you before in my life, my G.” I stared at him with a stoic expression, but inside, I was laughing my ass off.
“Let’s just go, please. Have a good day, Mr. Aldana.”
“You too, Yummy.” Yumi rushed off as her tribe followed her onto the elevator. I could hear them talking shit to her, and I chuckled. I turned and met my people at the staircase, and we all headed out.
We didn’t speak until we were outside of the courthouse and at our awaiting vehicles.
“Well, we clearly see that the prosecution has nothing. My boys will be away from this crap in no time,” Moms expressed.
“I’ll be so glad when this is over,” Aunt Serenity expressed. “You boys stay in trouble. Ever since y’all were kids.”
“It be this nigga, but y’all already know I ain’t leaving him hanging,” Mook said.
Uncle Nick shook his head. “And that’s the damn problem.”
Mill shrugged. “Aye, I don’t start shit, but you better believe I’m gon’ finish it. And we still got that ho ass nigga Layken to take care of.”
“Yeah, the meeting is tonight, so we’d better go get ready,” my pops stated.
“I’m not going to that meeting,” I told them.
“And why not? This is our only chance to get him since we know his location.”
“I got it handled. I’ll let y’all know when it’s done. Let them know that there’s no need for their input.”
Moms looked at me and frowned. “And what about this girl? She was able to get on that stand and run her mouth. She should have never made it to the parking lot.”
“She honestly fell through the cracks. I had no idea they even had another witness until Yumi showed me the video.”
“We need to go handle that bitch,” Mill seethed.
Mook shook his head. “What for? They already have her testimony on record. The Jury ain’t gon’ fall for no hearsay. For all they know, she could be making that shit up. All you see is two niggas rolling up in the spot and blasting off.”