Lawyer & Liar

by T Wells Brown

  I thought my participation with the case was over. That is, until one evening, several weeks after the shooting. I’d just gotten home after an especially long, tough day. I’d been juggling my normally hectic schedule with the court stuff and was trying to get caught up on my own work and was putting in abnormally long days. I did something that was totally normal for me, but probably unusual for most people.

  I opened my front door, called a greeting to my kitties, flipped the entry light on, dropped my purse and keys on my entry table, and walked straight through my house towards my sliding glass doors that led to my backyard. Along the way, I’d kicked off my shoes and peeled off my clothes, not caring where they landed. I’d collect them after my swim. I stepped through my sliding glass doors and without pausing dove into my pool, nude. Just as all kinds of chaos erupted behind me. As my fingers touched the water, before my body followed suit, I heard numerous blasts that sounded like loud explosions throughout my house.

  The backside of my home was dark. The only light that was on was the front entry I’d turned on as I came in through the door .

  I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

  I slipped under the water and popped back up slowly, as quietly as I could, inching my way to the closest side of the pool. The loud explosions I was now able to identify as sprays of bullets hitting and destroying all of the things in my home stopped.

  I stayed low and listened. I could hear someone running and shouting, and it was coming from the gate on the side of my house, which was also hit with several loud explosions: gunfire, and I heard what I assumed was the gate being kicked in, and more yelling.

  I sank as low as I could and stayed so quiet I was afraid to breathe. I forced myself to take small shallow breathes, and plastered myself up against the side of the pool closest to the house, just below the curved ledge. I was being very careful not to ripple the water and draw attention to myself.

  Oh Lord Almighty!

  What the heck was happening now? And why does all the crazy shit have to occur while I was at my most exhausted?

  Suddenly there were heavy and fast footsteps coming towards the back of the yard. Once again, deafening explosions erupted all around me, as whoever had come into my back yard shot into the backside of my house. The gunman stood right in front of where I was hiding in the pool.

  The entire back of my house was glass and I could hear it all come crashing down; some of it even hit the pool which made me shrink even closer to the edge.

  I liked to swim nude at night so I had not set the pool lights to a timer. Simply by the grace of God, the shooter didn’t even glance a look behind him. Once he stopped shooting, I was able to hear one of them yell in a guttural language I didn’t understand, “Anyone have eyes on the bitch? She dead?” I stopped breathing; I had no idea what they were saying but it sounded really angry.

  They had to be Russians, but it was a different dialect than I’d heard before, not that I’d heard a lot of Russian, but we had a big enough population where we lived; I caught the language here and there.

  “No way that fucking bitch is alive! Let’s get the fuck out of here, ” The guy in my back yard yelled again in the guttural language before he took off the way he’d come in, and I heard several cars squeal out.

  It wasn’t long after listening to the gunmen flee that I heard sirens.

  I stayed where I was, gripping the side of my pool. I was just fine letting the police make sure the bad guys were gone before I was even thinking of showing myself.

  Not long after the shooters peeled off, the police came crashing in. There were several Stockton City Police officers and local Harmony Grove Sheriff with their guns drawn. I watched them crash throughout the house, and check from room to room, shouting at each other when the coast was clear.

  They knew who I was, and probably knew exactly why this was happening. I felt pretty certain my home being shot up wasn’t going to make them happy. My fingers ached from gripping the side of the pool and my body was shaking from fear. I needed to get out of the pool, naked and all.

  As soon as things seemed to settle down, and I could hear someone standing close to me. I said in a small voice, “Can I get a towel?” This caused a whole new flurry of activity and I was pulled from the pool and my wet naked body covered, as soon as the police officers could find something to cover me with.

  Seems the posse of the bad guys that had been convicted didn’t take kindly to me testifying against their compadres and decided to shut me up, make an example out of me, scare others who would go against them. I didn’t know. But, Oh Lord Almighty! Were they going be surprised!

  Due to my knowledge of law enforcement, interest in technology, and larger than most bank account; not only did my car have high-end cameras and security, the security for my home was state of the art.

  So, guess what that means?

  Yep, I was able to help catch all of the bad guys who shot up my beautiful home.

  The drivers, license plates and shooters were all caught on my security cameras. Very quickly, law enforcement made the arrests.

  These particular bad guys were well known for their evil deeds and were easily identified by the gang task force. The warrants that were issued for them allowed the Stockton police to enter the homes the bad guys were held up in.

  And in every single house, each one raided, they found drugs, illegal guns, stolen property and worst even yet, a stable of girls, young girls, underage girls, drugged up and being used for sex slavery.

  They’d busted a sex trafficking syndicate.

  Apparently, these people had been on the Stockton PD’s radar for a very long time and this was the break they had been waiting for.

  Seriously bad guys.

  Worst of the worst.

  Russian Mob bad.

  Bratva .

  This was a big-time bust. Their downfall was all because these criminals thought they were above the law and decided they could kill a cop, shoot up my home, and get away with it .

  While I was super happy to hear they had made such a big bust off the info I’d given them, I also knew this upped the game on the revenge segment of the bad guys agenda and I had a target on my front, and back.

  Who knew a simple act of kindness, which was instinctual more than anything, would result in my entire life being turned upside down?

  By the way, I had three kitties. I loved my kitties; they were all rescues who came to me at different times of my life and they all came to me in a bad way. I’d nursed each one back to health, and loved them with all of my heart.

  Since I’d been raised in foster homes, I had no family, so these three fur babies were my family. I also belonged to a group called the Women of Wine Country and we were a close network of women who worked and lived in a small California wine appellation. My Women of Wine Country tribe were family too, but they wouldn’t cuddle with me when I was sick.

  Well, maybe they would, but I’d never asked.

  Two of my darlings were either not home, or had scrambled out of the house as soon as the gunshots started.

  Before I could leave, I had to locate my babies. Once clothed with more items the officers found for me, I started searching for my babies who had to be terrified. I noticed blood on the light porcelain tiles, and also saw it was smeared across the floor. With a sinking stomach, I followed the blood smear to find one of my babies, Old Tom Cat. He hadn’t made it out. He’d been hit by one of the bullets. I found him dead where he’d drug himself under my now bullet-ridden couch. How long did he lay there suffering? Waiting. Had he suffered while trusting that I would come to save him? Which I wasn’t able to do.

  I started shaking and sweating .

  This level of anger and anguish was something I’d never felt before. These monsters didn’t care who was at my house. I could’ve had children staying in my home, and they would have shot just the same. I could’ve had an elderly parent living with me, and they would have still
shot up my house. Their only goal: killing every living soul inside my home. I felt violated. I was so pissed and full of revenge they weren’t going to know what hit them.

  The Russian Mob.

  The Russian Mob better watch out!

  This crazy cat lady might be small, but now I was gunning for them! Now they didn’t know what they had in store for them! And nothing, nothing was going to stop me from seeking revenge for my poor fur baby!

  In tears, I wrapped my sweet old guy’s body up in a soft blanket and decided I would bury him the next day.

  My tiny little gray tabby, Agatha sat in the neighbor’s tree watching the scene. She came crying to me as soon as the police started to clear out. I gathered her up and searched for Tasha before setting out food and water, and leaving for the evening with a police escort to a hotel, with Agatha.

  After having a fitful night and very little sleep, I called some of my girls in my tribe. I laid everything that had happened out to three of them. I asked them to not only spread the word, but I was going to need help with …. well everything.

  Two of my wine tribe sisters, Raquel and Jenna came to the hotel I’d checked into and picked me up. Together with Agatha, we went back to my destroyed house.

  My house was uninhabitable at this point. It was going to be a very long time before I’d be able to make the proper repairs to live in it again. If I ever lived in it again. I may just sell it but wasn’t sure at this point. However, I did need to retrieve all of my legal documents, computers, any clothes that were wearable and other personal items.

  Luckily, since my home was a two-story, in the light of day I was able to see that most everything on the second story was practically untouched. There were a couple of stray bullet holes, but nothing like the devastation the downstairs had suffered, where even the plumbing had burst and flooded.

  It was like we were in two different houses; downstairs looked like a war zone and upstairs, for the most part, looked like a beautiful well cared for expensive home.

  Well, this was a relief. At least I had clothes and all my stuff upstairs was salvageable. Luckily for me, my office at home was upstairs just off my bedroom. I wandered around the upstairs for a brief moment and went back downstairs, my friends quietly trailing me, taking it all in just as I was.

  These were the ladies you wanted to call when things were at the worst. They seemed to sense I needed my headspace to get through this and they were great enough friends to be there for me while understanding what I needed.

  Love my Women of Wine Country tribe!

  I found the food and water I’d set out for Tasha untouched. This was only slightly unusual so I didn’t worry too much about it. Tasha would often spend a couple of days gone and then show back up when she was ready. I often joked she had another family she lived with and only came back home to check on me.

  Wandering through the house towards the shattered sliding doors that now had plywood propped up, I turned to my friends and asked, “Who took care of this?”

  Jenna replied, “Francesca’s husband came over at four a.m. and did what he could with the material he had in his warehouse. He said he would be back later to secure the house completely. ”

  Jenna White was a Women of Wine Country sister and one of the hardest working women I’d ever known. She was slightly overweight, graying dirty blond hair, pretty green eyes and the love of a good challenge on any issue our group came across. She was a really great tribe member and I cherished her friendship.

  “Also, he buried Old Tom Cat for you at his house out by the pond, under the huge willow tree. He wanted you to know your baby was in a place that would always belong to one of us, and you’d be able to visit him whenever you wanted,” Jenna said softly, placing her hand on my arm. “If you want him moved somewhere different, just let us know and we will take care of it. Okay, honey?”

  Catching the lump in my throat, I shook my head, my eyes filling.

  “I think that’s a wonderful place for him. I’d like to see where he was laid to rest, but I’m very thankful that Frank was so kind to make sure he was taken care of. Also, let's tell Francesca to have her hubby make the repairs too. I don’t know if I will ever live here again, or not, but it will still have to be repaired.”

  I looked around and said, “Oh God, I’ve got to call my utilities and insurance. There’s so much to do. This is going to be a very long week.”

  Francesca, another Women of Wine Country sister and her husband owned a local construction company and was my go-to for anything house related. I loved them, their two young daughters, and the commitment the couple had for our community.

  “That’s not all,” said Raquel, my best friend and a Women of Wine Country sister, who owned a local boutique winery with her husband, Antonio. She was a beautifully stunning woman of strong Italian descent; she reminded me of the pictures I grew up seeing of Sophia Loren. She even kept her hair long and full with big soft waves and curls. I’d often find her in the winery, in jeans, a tee-shirt, and her big soft hair pinned to the top of her head.

  It looked cool and sexy on her. Go figure.

  “What’s not all?” I asked when Raquel didn’t go on.

  “When Harmony Grove Sheriff asked your security system specialist to come out and pull the video for the arrest warrants, your security specialist was not pleased with what he saw when he came here. Apparently, you paid a lot for your system. It seems you’re considered VIP and they aren’t happy this happened to you while you were supposed to be under their watch.”

  I stopped walking to look at her while she kept talking.

  “So, anyway, the owner of SDI met Francesca here this morning, while Frank was boarding up your windows, and told Francesca you were getting assigned a body guard until court was over. He’s supposed to meet us here; I’m actually surprised we beat him.”

  “You didn’t,” said a deep voice from the destroyed kitchen area.

  The three of us only did what three strong, sophisticated, grown women could do. We clung to each other and screamed.

  The man standing in the kitchen doorway smiled a big white gorgeous smile.

  Oh, Lord Almighty! He was beautiful.

  He looked to be Mediterranean: dark skin, light grey eyes, strong features, tall with big wide rounded shoulders and his sleeves were tight around his biceps accenting his muscles.

  After staring at him for a few seconds, we did what any self-respecting, strong, sophisticated women would do: we sighed in unison, still clinging to each other and relaxed.

  This made the Greek God standing in my kitchen smile bigger; his eyes crinkled .

  His reaction to us made us realize we were still huddled together like little girls, so we discreetly inched away from each other.

  He watched this too.

  This guy didn’t miss a thing.

  “I’m Cabe Brown, I designed the system you have. Some of my best work from about four years ago. My systems now are far superior.”

  None of us said anything. We just stared at him.

  “Looks like you’ve caught a bit o’ trouble,” he said focusing an intense stare on me.

  With my muddled brain all I could think was that he sure was pretty. 

  Chapter 4

  Not Tasha Too

  M eeting Cabe changed everything.

  The shooting at my home led to Agatha and me getting placed under the protection of Cabe’s security company, Security Deployment International. After I testified against the Bratva who’d shot up my home and killed my beloved kitties, I took my sweet little Agatha and left the country for several years.

  I never met the CHP officer whose life I’d saved.

  I would not continue to live in the area long enough to see my home repaired, and eventually sold.

  I would never again see my beloved Tasha alive.

  Before we gals could recover from meeting the gorgeous Cabe Brown, he said, “My security team will be here shortly to pull the data and check the security tha
t’s still active and wasn’t damaged. Also, I have a safe house at our secure compound. We’d like to offer it to you until your issues are resolved.”

  “I need to find my other kitty Tasha. I’m not going where my cats can’t come.”

  “You can bring your cats. They’ll need to be contained. We have patrolling K9. Wouldn’t be good for your cats to meet them. ”

  “No…that wouldn’t be good at all.”

  After an exhaustive search for Tasha, Cabe wanted to get Agatha and me to the safe house before dark.

  “My team can keep an eye out for your cat. We’ve got traps we can set out for her too.”

  “She won’t come to anyone but me; trapping her is the only way you’ll be able to catch her. Just be careful please, she’s got to be terrified.” I was sick to my stomach and realized I hadn’t eaten yet that day. How was I supposed to relax enough to eat with all of these horrible things happening around me?

  Cabe moved us into a safe house, which was a small two-bedroom home located at his SDI compound that was swarming with alpha type commandos.

  Two extremely stressful-worrisome days later Agatha and I had quasi settled into the safe house as well as we could, but I was still frantic to hear about Tasha. We were in the secured patio off of the house. I was having coffee and Agatha was rolling in the grass when I received a call from Francesca.

  “Hey Babe,” I answered.

  “Oh honey, I have some terrible news.” The tone of her voice had me sitting up in my chair and slamming my coffee cup down on the bistro table, causing coffee to slosh from the cup.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  With a shaky voice, she told me, “Frank found Tasha.” I could hear her muffle her sob and tears began to slip from my eyes. I knew what she was going to say next. Well, not all of it but I knew it had to be bad. And it was.

  “Honey she was nailed to your front door.”

  “What? How?” My mind couldn’t wrap around the horrible words she was speaking to me.

  “She…her poor little body was in a bad way Sydney. I’m so sorry.”