Serving Time (The Valentine Law Series Book 1)

by Bailey West

  We sat in the conference room while Princeton and Deyshonda explained every detail of their operation to us.

  “Is there anyone that worked for you or your enemies who could have turned state’s evidence?”

  “No, everyone that was close to us has all been accounted for all the way down to the corner boys,” Deyshonda answered.

  “We double checked when El told us they had a witness,” Princeton responded.

  “Deyshonda, no jealous girls around the way that maybe want what you have?”

  “Of course, but none of them hoes were ever close enough to know my business like that.”

  Everyone called out ideas about who the witness could be. I looked over the list of witnesses the DA gave us while everyone asked their questions.

  “Wait, do you know who is missing from this list? Police officers. I mean they have the ones who came to serve the warrant, but if you were so busy in the streets, I’m sure they would have called at least one officer to testify to something he saw going on. Did you have any officers on your payroll?”

  “We had two but one at a time,” Princeton responded.

  Deyshonda quickly turned in her chair and faced Princeton, “Oh my god, Ro…I mean Princeton. Do you think it’s Wilkins still holding a grudge?”

  “Wilkins? What’s his first name?” Countee asked.

  “Tremaine,” Princeton fumed.

  “That muthafucka,” Deyshonda said. “It’s him isn’t it?”

  “Let me check,” Countee said as he stood and exited the room.

  “I knew I should have ended that nigga when I had the chance,” Deyshonda slapped the table.

  Countee entered the room a few minutes later.

  “It’s him. No one has heard from him in weeks. He is on a leave of absence from the job, and his family has moved. Probably preparing him for witness protection.”

  “We can find his family,” Deyshonda began.

  “No! We are not finding his family. We are going to do things the smart way. Listen to me, everyone, we are not calling audibles. We are not making plans as we go. All decisions need to be discussed. No witness tampering and definitely no family tampering. Are we clear?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Okay, I need all the information on him. Does he gamble? Did he have a paramour a.k.a. side chick? Was he the side dick?” I looked at Samuel in just enough time to catch his side eye. “I want to know everything then I want to get him on the stand and shred his ass.”

  Everyone left the conference room with a game plan. We decided that all pertinent information about the case would be discussed in person and in a secure location.

  Samuel

  “I want it to be a complete experience, a one-stop-shop for adult fun at night and family fun during the day. It will have floors of entertainment including, a driving range like Top Golf, a full go-cart track, old school and new school arcade games, laser tag rooms, trampoline rooms and indoor skydiving. It will have four different restaurants specializing in different cuisines. One restaurant will specialize in burgers, one in pizza, one in fried chicken of course and then another more upscale restaurant will focus on more high-end type foods. Ulysses is going to partner with me on that one. Each area will have a bar except for the go-cart area. There will be rooms available for receptions, corporate events, and birthday parties,” Roc explained.

  Ray, Countee, Xavier, Roc and I were out to dinner in an attempt to give ourselves a break from the case and bring some normalcy back to our lives. I know each man at this table had the trial in the front of their minds, but we were trying not to discuss it.

  “Where are you looking at building it?” Ray asked.

  “The first location is going to be in downtown Saint Louis. With the way they are revitalizing the downtown area, I am sure to make a killing,” Roc answered.

  I was listening, but my mind kept going back to what my dad said about trying things out with Averie. I would like to move in a more romantic direction with her, but I don’t want it to come off like I am just trying to get her into bed like other men have. I want to touch her and hold her hand. I want to kiss her and possessively hold her when we are in public. I don’t know how to approach her so for now, I am just leaving things the way they are, even though it’s killing me. Plus, I don’t want to mess with the chemistry we have working together on the case. She came into the conference room the other day, laid her demands on the table, and everyone fell in line. I haven’t heard one grumble or complaint about her, but I wouldn’t be receptive to it anyway.

  “What is the name of the business and what is your projected completion date?” I asked trying to clear my mind of Averie.

  “Wonderland. It was a toss-up between that and Utopia, but Wonderland is a franchise-able name.”

  “When are you looking to get started?” Countee asked.

  “Well, my goal was to get with the architect and get some bids on the construction within the next six months, but with this trial looming, I don’t know. I probably need to fall back and see how this all pans out.”

  No one spoke up and said, “it’s going to be alright,” or “no worries we got this in the bag” because none of us felt confident enough to say it. We were all worried about the outcome of the case, but I know I have the best person leading the team.

  We all sat quietly in our own thoughts.

  “Tsk,” Xavier made a noise while looking at his phone.

  “What’s up, Xavier? Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, looking for a flight to Houston for the weekend. I need to see what Daisy is talking about.”

  “She’s still making you pay for the past?”

  “This lady can hold a grudge. I messed up. I know I did but give a brother a break!”

  We all chuckled.

  “You all and your women problems; Roc is living with a certified gangsta and has a miniature gangsta daughter.”

  “Yeah Princess is something else,” Ray laughed.

  “Man, it’s like she’s been here before!” Roc laughed. “A grown woman in a little girl’s body.”

  Princess loved Countee, but the rest of us had to come correct around her.

  “Xavier has been on his hands and knees begging for another chance for years and El,” Countee started.

  “What about me?”

  “Nigga, you scared to approach Averie. Aye, y’all should have seen his chest all swollen when I was talking to Averie the first time,” he chuckled. “Once I noticed he was feeling a certain way, I kept talking to her just to get on his nerves.”

  “Whatever!” I laughed.

  “We are all wondering what’s taking you so long to ask her out,” Xavier said.

  “She’s fine as hell and bossy just like you. I like her,” Roc added.

  I looked at each man at the table. They were all waiting for my response.

  “I didn’t realize I was so obvious.” I looked at Ray.

  “It’s pretty obvious, boss,” he replied.

  “I’ve never second-guessed approaching a woman, but Averie is fragile in the sense that men who were in positions of authority used their authority to try to sleep with her. That’s not my angle, and I don’t want it to appear to be the case either. So, I'm cautious. Plus, you know I don’t have time for a relationship. I’m trying to make some big moves, and most women don’t understand my grind.”

  “El,” Ray interrupted. “I haven’t been around Averie as much as you have but, in our interactions, she seems like the type of woman who is trying to secure the bag just like you. She works just as many hours as you do so I don’t think she falls into the category you just described. You really should have a conversation about it with her and see how it goes.”

  “Speaking of, El isn’t that your girl over there,” Countee tilted his chin behind me.

  I turned around and saw Averie strutting behind the Maître D.

  “She doesn’t look fragile tonight!” Roc’s comment barely registered. I was too consumed with wh
at I was seeing.

  Averie had a fresh haircut with a part on the side. She was wearing a black dress that looked more like lingerie than a dress; a sexy, silky nightgown. It was black with thin straps, so I knew she didn’t have on a bra. Her breasts were sitting up nicely. The dress stopped above her knees, and the bottom was flouncy so when she walked, it moved like waves. It fit her body like a glove. She had on some black heels that had one strap across her toes and one around her ankle. She looked sexy as hell.

  The Maître D led her to a table where a man was already seated. The man stood as she approached the table. I could see the appreciation in his eyes as he examined her from head to toe. I was ready to gouge his eyes out for even looking at her. I dialed her number and watched as she paused before she sat down, opened her purse, took out her phone, saw me calling, put it back in her purse, then sat down. Did she just ignore my call?

  “Is that her dude?” Roc asked.

  “No, she’s single,” I replied.

  “She’s not tonight. From the way ole’ boy just looked at her, she may not be single ever again,” Roc chuckled.

  I pushed my seat back to stand up.

  “Whoa,” Roc said as he grabbed my shoulder. “Naw, man.”

  I looked at him ready to forcefully remove his hand from my shoulder if necessary.

  “Wait,” Countee said. “Let me see who this dude is.” Countee took a picture of the guy then typed away on his phone. “This will only take a minute.”

  About one minute later his phone pinged. “Alright, that is Doctor Ted Timms. He is a pediatrician and has two practices, one in Clayton and one in Illinois. He is single, divorced and no children.”

  There was no way I was going to sit here and watch some guy grin and cheese all in Averie’s face. This date was going to be over soon.

  “I’m going down to speak,” I informed the table.

  “El, be smart,” Xavier said.

  “Maybe I should go down and tell her we are up here,” Ray said.

  “Let me try to get him away from the table,” Countee offered.

  “I can send some of my old corner boys in here to handle him real quick,” Roc added.

  We all looked at him.

  “What? I’m just saying,” he shrugged and picked up his drink.

  All the men at the table had seen me when I let my temper get the best of me which is why they all offered solutions.

  “I’m going down to say hello,” I announced again then opened the door to our private dining room before any of them could stop me.

  “Averie,” I smiled as I pulled out the chair at the table next to her and sat down.

  “Samuel?” She questioned then looked from me to the clown sitting across from us.

  “Yes, I saw you over here and decided to say hello. What are you drinking? Would you like cognac or brandy?” I looked around for the waiter.

  “Samuel, I’m on a…”

  “On a what?” I asked with one eyebrow arched. I dared her to say she was on a date with this buster. I looked across the table at the good doctor who hadn’t said a word. Only a weak man would allow another man to bombard his table and his date. She understood my question and chose to rephrase what she was about to say.

  “This is Tim…”

  “Ted,” he corrected Averie. “Ted Timms.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Ted. Ted this is Samuel,” Averie said.

  “Oh, Samuel are you a family member?” I heard the doctor say, but I didn’t acknowledge his existence.

  “Hey, did I leave my tie at your place when I spent the night a few days ago?”

  She completely turned to face me and tilted her head.

  “Samuel, are you serious right now?” She smirked.

  “What?” I shrugged. “It was a long night, and I can’t remember if you took it off or if I did. I meant to look for it when we woke up, but I got distracted by you in that peach robe.”

  “Um, Averie…” the doctor said from across the table, but she didn’t acknowledge him because she’d started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” He asked.

  “Tim, I’m sorry,” she continued laughing.

  “TED!” He corrected.

  “Ted!” She said while trying not to laugh.

  Watching her laugh made me chuckle.

  Ted didn’t think it was funny.

  “I see why you’re still single,” Ted fumed as he stood from the table. “This date is over!”

  His dramatic statement made Averie laugh harder. Ted turned and left the restaurant in a huff.

  A huff…what man leaves in a huff?…clown.

  “Bye Ted,” I called behind him.

  Averie finally sobered from her laughter and wiped her eyes.

  “Samuel! Why would you do that?” She slapped my arm but was still smiling.

  “What?”

  “You had him thinking we’d slept together!”

  She’d smeared her eye makeup a little. She sat still while I used the table napkin to remove the smear. I’d watched my mother and sister do that, a million times.

  “There,” I put the napkin back on the table. “A wise man would have asked the question instead of assuming. He didn’t ask, so he didn’t know. You laughed,” I chuckled.

  “His face is what made me laugh. Did you see it? It was like a cross between a deer caught in the headlights and an angry baby,” she started laughing again. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was having dinner with the fellas,” I motioned behind me.

  She turned and waved at them. They all waved back.

  They’d left the door to the private room open. They had no confidence I could come down here and behave. They wouldn’t have been able to get to me before I knocked him out, though. I’m sure they knew that.

  “I hope you don’t mind me saying you are stunning in this dress, Ms. Patterson.”

  “I don’t mind at all. Thank you, Mr. Valentine.”

  “Why were you out with that clown?”

  “My mother set this up a couple months ago. I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if I didn’t show up. I’d already rescheduled at least twice.”

  “You can do better.”

  “I can?” She turned and looked at me.

  “Much better. Would you like to have dinner with me?”

  “Haven’t you eaten already?”

  “No, I wasn’t hungry, but now I am.”

  “I’m starving, so yes.”

  I smiled.

  “Where is that waiter?”

  Samuel

  For the next month, I sat back and watched Averie work. I offered her an office to use, but she said she felt more comfortable in the “war room,” as she called it, so she spent most of her time there. She didn’t permit many people to enter the room. She conducted meetings in the conference room.

  She and I spoke with every employee who worked on the case. She created a checklist for each employee to fill out while they re-reviewed the files they’d looked over. After another review, some of them came back with new findings which helped our case. She was intentional when it came to praising people for their work. I knew that was an area I could use some work in. The employees loved working hard for her because they knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed.

  Countee installed the cameras and assigned one of his team members to review the footage daily. I’m glad I took my father’s advice and let her lead the team. Even though I relinquished control of the case to her, she still runs all of her decisions past me.

  We frequently worked late and had dinners delivered to the office. I’d even asked Skip to bring her favorite chicken and red velvet waffles. She smiled as soon as she opened the container and didn’t stop smiling until she left for the evening.

  We’d worked hard every day in preparation for this trial. We’d found all the experts and character witnesses necessary to refute theirs. We’d even found evidence to discredit the prosecution’s “secret weapon” that they thought we didn’t know about. If
Barry hadn’t been so proud of himself, they might have gotten that one over on us.

  “You ready?”

  I looked up from my hourglass collection and saw Averie standing in the door of my office. She had a fresh hair-cut and natural make-up. She favored this tan colored lipstick that excited me every time she wore it. It drew my attention to her full lips more than the red lipstick, but I liked both. She wore a tailored cream, knee length skirt and matching jacket. Her leopard print pumps completed the outfit.

  I looked at my watch and saw we had about forty minutes before the first day of Princeton’s trial began.

  “Good morning. Yes, I am ready.”

  I put on my black suit jacket and grabbed my briefcase. I met her at the door. She adjusted my tie and slid her hands down the lapels on my jacket.

  I wanted to pull her closer and capture her lips, but I practiced self-control.

  “You look nice, Counsellor.”

  “You too, Counsellor,” I smiled. “Princeton and Deyshonda will meet us at the courthouse. Morris and Xavier are waiting downstairs.”

  I gave my opening statement to a captive audience that was the jury. Xavier and Morris did well on their selections. The prosecution pulled out every trick they had and some new ones in the hopes of winning the case against my brother. I questioned all the witnesses and cross-examined all of the prosecution's witnesses for three days. The expert witnesses Xavier found did an amazing job of disputing all the findings the DA presented. The last day of the trial, the DA called their “secret” witness whom we had already figured out was the dirty cop, Tremaine Wilkins. Countee found out through some of his sources the prosecution had offered him a deal to hide him and give him immunity on his dirty deeds as a police officer in exchange for his testimony against Princeton and Deyshonda. We’d already agreed Averie would handle Wilkins and handle him she did. By the time she finished poking holes in his stories, he wasn’t sure if he’d witnessed what he said he’d witnessed. She talked about his infidelity and the children he had that his wife knew nothing about. He was stammering and sweating buckets by the time she finished with him. Barry yelled out objections after almost every question she asked. The judge threatened him with jail time if he kept disrupting with absurd objections. After Averie drilled Wilkins with so many questions, he finally eluded to the fact he planted those drugs in Princeton’s office but specifically Deyshonda’s desk to make it appear that she was doing something on the side. He’d planned on telling Princeton about the drugs in hopes that Princeton would break things off with Deyshonda, leaving room for Wilkins to move in. I watched Averie move from the jury box to the witness stand to the middle of the room with confidence. I was transfixed, mesmerized and thoroughly impressed. I couldn’t take my eyes off her even if I tried, so I didn’t try. She was superb.