by Iris Bolling
James knew Vernon was up to something, but this was one time he was not going to stop him. "I'll take care of her."
#
Vernon nodded as he turned to Wade. "Clear the room."
They walked into the men's room. There were two people inside. Vernon went to the basin as they waited until one left.
He looked at the other man through the mirror as he spoke. "I have a habit of knowing my enemies whenever I go into battle," Vernon stated as he washed his hands. "You...are not my enemy. Your department is." He turned to face Bruce Murdock. "Pick one assistant you trust. Put them on notice. By eight o'clock tomorrow morning you will have another job. I'm taking him out."
"Vernon, let me talk to him. I know his strategy is not going to work."
Vernon pulled a paper towel to dry his hands. "Did you warn him before?"
Bruce sighed.
"That's what I thought." Vernon nodded to Wade.
Wade pulled out his cell and pushed a button. "It's a go."
Vernon stared at Bruce for a long time. "You're a good honest man, Bruce. I respect an opponent who plays by the rules." He turned and walked out the door.
"The number one rule is family," Wade said to Bruce as he gave him a folder. "You don't mess with the family."
Bruce looked inside the folder. He glanced through, closed it and returned it to Wade.
"That will ruin him."
Wade opened the door. "Yes...it will."
Vernon stepped out of the door right into Naverone's inquisitive eyes.
"Meeting in the men's room?"
"Where's Taylor?"
"I have her in the judge’s chambers. Jason is with her. What happened?"
"Kirkland drilled her on the Nail assault."
"How in the hell did he find out about that?"
"Singleton..." they both said in frustration.
"Damn it." Naverone turned away. "Do you know what this is going to do to her? The press is going to blow this up. Cameras went off the moment Jason walked out that door carrying her."
"Call Pendleton. They are going to have to get spin doctors to handle the media." Vernon sighed as he reached to pull Rene into his arms.
She stepped back realizing they were in the open lobby. "We can't."
Vernon exhaled, then turned away. "Where is she?"
"This way." Naverone walked down the hallway and he followed.
Crowds of media personnel were around the door. Naverone pushed her way through making a path for Vernon to enter the room.
"Daddy." Taylor ran into his arms the moment he walked through the door. "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right, Sweet Pea." He hugged her tight. "You did no harm to me. How are you?"
"I can't believe it still affects me like this." Tears filled her eyes. "I thought I had worked through it all."
"A lot has happened to you since that time." Naverone rubbed her back as she spoke to her father. "Your emotions are still raw."
"Wait until I get my hands on him." Jason banged his fist on the table.
"Hey, never damage your money maker," Vernon cautioned. "Nail will be handled. You stay clear of him. Is that understood?"
It was clear the young man wasn't feeling what Vernon was saying. The anger was there on his face. "Yeah, I hear you. Don't mean it's going to happen."
"Call Pendleton on him too." Vernon nodded at James.
James looked at his niece. "Good job. You told the truth. I'm proud of you." He smiled at her then walked out the door.
"I wish you had told me the truth," Jason commented.
Taylor wiped her face, pulled away from her father and wrapped her arms around Jason's waist. "It's going to be okay. You shouldn't get involved in this."
He stared down at her for a long moment then slowly bent to kiss her lips.
Naverone smiled.
Vernon frowned. "I'm not feeling that."
"You're jealous cause you can't do that right now."
"Damn right." Vernon smiled.
"You want to tell me about your meeting with Murdock?"
"No." He left leaving Naverone staring at his back.
Seeing his daughter breakdown on the stand tore at his heart.
"How is she?" James asked.
"Calmer."
"In case you were wondering, that little stunt that Kirkland pulled has convinced me to stomp his ass."
"Brooks minds do think alike." Vernon grinned. “We both agree, it's time to stop Kirkland?"
James raised an eyebrow. "What have you done?"
"Disposed of some crap."
James looked at the jury as the judge called the court to order. "He's digging his own grave. Check out the jury's response to him. They don't like him."
"Your Honor, may we approach?"
"Approach."
James and Kirkland approached the bench. "Your brother is not joining us?" Kirkland smirked.
James ignored him and spoke to the judge. "Your Honor, no disrespect to the court, however, I will not stand idle and allow Mr. Kirkland to cause harm to my family. What he just did to an innocent child is beyond reproach."
"I am convinced the girl was lying to protect her father. The people have a right to know the truth, Your Honor."
"Mr. Kirkland." The censure in her voice was loud and clear. "I regret allowing you some leeway. I will remind you, the Brooks family is not on trial."
"I disagree, Your Honor. It is the family secrets that led Vernon Brooks to kill his wife."
"It's not family secrets, Your Honor," James cut in. "It's family values. We value our family, our children and our privacy. That information Mr. Kirkland elicited from my niece was private which was her right to have. It is now public. She will be battling the press for months to come because of his actions. I'm requesting the court to limit Mr. Kirkland's antics to something akin to proper courtroom etiquette."
"You can't tell me how to conduct my examination."
"No, he can't," Judge Maggie spoke. "But I can, Mr. Kirkland."
"Your Honor, I object."
"That is your right, Mr. Kirkland."
“Your Honor, in light of the developments I request we recess until tomorrow morning to allow the family time to deal with this turn of events."
"Granted. Now step back."
"You're an ass, Kirkland," James said as they walked back to their respective tables.
"District Attorney Kirkland to you, Brooks."
"Not for long," James said then took his seat.
Kirkland stared at him, then sat back at the table.
"Court is in recess until nine am tomorrow morning."
James turned to Vernon. “I'm going to the hospital to talk with Ericka, she's due to testify tomorrow."
"I'll get with Adam to see where we are on the video," Wade added.
Vernon looked at the two of them. "I'll be watching the news."
James raised an eyebrow. Wade turned away, packing his briefcase. "Should I watch the news as well?"
Chapter Seventeen
“There was an interesting development in the trial of attorney Vernon Brooks. It seems his daughter, Taylor Brooks, known to the world as entertainer Lil Tay, broke down on the stand today when she revealed she was sexually assaulted by Nigel Lamonte, the rapper who goes by the name of Nail. More on this story from our court reporter Jake Thomas. What more can you tell us, Jake?"
"I can tell you there is a lot more to this story than we originally reported at noon. According to Lil Tay's camp they confirmed there was an incident, which occurred during the filming of the video for their hit song Pleasure which was played in court. According to Mrs. Kiki Pendleton, who handles Public Relations for Lil Tay since the death of her mother, the situation is being investigated. We dug deeper to see how the District Attorney's office handles this type of sexual complaint and were shocked to find this document. It is a document for a grand jury hearing on a male sex ring being conducted right here in the District of Columbia. The leading defendant...none othe
r than our own District Attorney, Neal Kirkland.”
#
"WOW, Bruce, you better get in here," Jasmine called out.
Bruce came to the door of his office. The employees in the bullpen who were still in the office were all standing listening to the news. Jasmine turned the volume up. The reaction to the news was exactly as Bruce expected. He turned, walked back in his office and closed his door.
Jasmine knocked on his door to find him at his desk working. "Bruce, the Attorney General is on line one."
Bruce sat back and exhaled. "Prepare to move into the DA's office."
Bruce picked up the phone. "Mr. Attorney General."
#
Robert Burke and his partner were walking through the doors when they heard roars coming from the office.
"What's going on?" Detective Ryan asked the Lieutenant.
"Looks like our DA is about to go down."
"What?" Robert Burke watched as the news reporter spoke. He slowly sat down at his desk in disbelief.
The Lieutenant touched him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Burke, you still have a desk here." She smiled and walked away.
#
Isaac could not believe what he was hearing. Another damn day from hell. First he had to miss court for a meeting with his father's attorneys. They had a copy of Estelle's will. He still could not figure out how in the hell they put their hands on it. But they had it. Once it was authenticated his inheritance would now be split in three ways. To make matters worse, the damn Kennedy boy was requesting access to Singleton Enterprises. He wanted to control the companies while the will was being probated. If that happened the boy would discover the millions Isaac had transferred to his offshore accounts. Now he would be damned if the clean-cut, uppity ass, DA hadn't been screwing around with boys and was about to be indicted himself. First thing in the morning Isaac knew he had to clean out his safe deposit boxes. Then just in case things went awry he would make arrangements to leave the country.
#
James had just walked into Nick's hospital room. He had been moved to a suite once released from intensive care. He was sitting up in the chair, all the tubes for medication now gone and Ericka sat next to him, both glued to the television monitor.
"Good evening. Ericka, could I have a moment to discuss your testimony tomorrow?"
"James, man, do you see this?"
"What?" James stepped in the room.
"It looks like the DA on Vernon's case is about to get a case of his own," Ericka stated as she made room for James to take a seat.
James turned to the monitor and watched the newscast. "Well, I’ll be damned."
#
The celebration was small, but Neal could taste the victory. He was finally going to bring Brooks down.
"I'm telling you, Maddie, you should have been in court today. I put a nail in Brooks’ coffin." He took a drink. "Tell her, Joelle."
"It was priceless," Joelle stated. "But now the defense gets to present their case."
"I'm not even concerned, Maddie. I gave the jury three compelling motives for Brooks. That last one, well, that clearly showed them why he did it."
Maddie smiled at his enthusiasm. "I'm happy for you, Neal, but I wouldn't celebrate just yet. James Brooks hasn't had his time with the jury."
In the background they heard the phones ringing. His secretary ran through the door. "You’d better see this, Mr. Kirkland." She grabbed the remote and turned the television on.
"Not now." He took another drink.
Maddie took the remote control. "Thank you," she said to the woman as she turned the volume up. They listened to the reporter. Maddie turned and looked between Joelle and Neal. Joelle caught the look and shook her head no to the unspoken question in Maddie's eyes.
Maddie turned back to the newscast, as the glass from Neal's hand fell to the floor.
The sound of the telephones ringing echoed in Neal's ear. He could hear people answering the lines shouting, "No comment." Other phone lines were ringing in the bullpen. "Where in the hell did they get that story?" The question came out in a whisper.
"Is there a grand jury investigation going on?" Madison asked.
"I have no idea." Neal shook his head as he listened.
"Is there any truth to the story, Neal?"
The telephones kept ringing. His personal cell, the office cell, and the telephone on Neal’s desk all sounded at once.
"Neal?" Madison stood waiting for a response.
Instead of answering the question, he yanked up his personal cell.
"Hello, Neal. I told you not to fuck with me." The caller hung up. He stared at the phone. "That damn Brooks. How would he know? How could he...."
His secretary knocked on the door and walked in. "Mr. Kirkland, the Attorney General is on line one."
Madison watched Joelle as she walked out of the office. She shook her head, picked up her coat and purse then walked out of the office.
"Maddie." Neal ran out the door calling her.
"Mr. Kirkland, the Attorney General is waiting."
Neal looked around the pen at all the eyes staring back at him. He turned and caught Bruce's eyes. He stopped and knew what the Attorney General was calling about.
"Jake Thomas reporting from the steps of City Hall. Back to you, Andrea."
"Thank you, Jake. Where does this leave the Brooks case?"
"This is a rapidly developing story," Jake replied. "Assistant District Attorney Bruce Murdock has been in the courtroom along with ADA Joelle Michaels. I honestly can't see Michaels taking on the likes of Brooks. I would put money on ADA Murdock taking over the case."
"What a turn of events. Thank you, Jake."
Vernon and Wade were sitting in the office with their feet up on the desk drinking a bottle of Remy.
"Now we can fight a fair battle," Wade stated right before Adam burst into the room.
"Do you ever go home?" Vernon asked him.
"When the job is done."
Vernon sat up. "Did you get a clean picture of Singleton?"
"No, but...I know where the vehicle stopped when it left the clinic."
"If you tell me Singleton's home I'm going to kiss you."
Adam took a step back. He turned the monitor on his computer around. "The estate of William and Estelle Singleton."
Wade took the bottle and turned it up. "Hot damn."
"It still doesn’t put the gun in Singleton's hand. But damn if I couldn't kiss you right now, Lassiter."
"I think I'll pass."
Chapter Eighteen
It was time. There was no need in delaying the inevitable. She was going to make love with Vernon Brooks this night, to relieve his stress and to take her out of her own misery. This night was all about him. She walked into the condo and dropped her bag at the door. Eight days of mail was on the floor. She picked the mail up and placed it on the counter. She was about to run upstairs to take a quick shower when her pocket vibrated.
Naverone pulled her phone out. It was a text message from Vernon. It was an address. She shrugged and took a few more steps up. The phone buzzed again. This time it was a short message. All I need is you. She smiled, then took two more steps. She giggled as the phone buzzed again. One hour. "All right." She laughed. The phone buzzed again when she reached the top of the stairs. There was no message. It was a song by Luther Vandross, If Only for One Night.
Naverone put her phone to her heart as she walked to her bedroom. On her bed was a note in Genesis’ handwriting. Grab this then hit the road. Naverone was curious, but didn't bother to open the bag. She left the condo, locked the door, jumped in her vehicle, plugged her phone in the console of her vehicle and let the song play. She laughed when the song went right into Creepin also by Luther Vandross.
She sighed and put her foot to the pedal. She had to get to this man who was seducing her with his text message playlist.
The wrought iron double gate was open when she pulled up. There was a half mile, redbrick, paved driveway that led
to the front of a traditional colonial house. Her phone buzzed. The message read, Follow the redbrick road. She laughed, as she drove through the gate. When she pulled up in front of the house, the front door opened. She smiled because it felt like coming home.
He was on pins and needles. There was no reason to wait. Tomorrow was not promised to anyone. He was going to make love with Rene Naverone on this night. He intended to give her memories that would last their lifetime. And he realized after all these months of flirting and teasing, that was what he wanted...a lifetime of memories. This night...this night was all about her.
Standing in the double door entry was Vernon Brooks in gray sweats with a matching long sleeve muscle shirt. The ensemble was sexy as hell. It showed just how fit his lean body was. She stepped out and stood in the vehicle’s open door. "Mr. Brooks, do you have on sweats?"
"I do." He leaned against the doorjamb. He watched as she walked towards him wearing his favorite jeans, boots and a leather jacket. "I wanted something sexy with easy access," he said as she stopped in front of him.
She ran her hands down the front of his sweats. His thickness filled her hand as she closed around him. "Is all of that for me?"
With his arms folded across his chest, he leaned in, capturing her lips with a smoothness only a man in love could deliver. With the ease of all the time in the world, he parted her lips with his tongue. The moment his tongue grazed across hers Vernon moaned. They had kissed before, but this was different. There was no rushing or checking over their shoulders to see if anyone was looking. The sweetness ignited a need to ravish her mouth, but they had all night and he was making memories. So he put a hand against her cheek, pulling her closer. He could feel the tension leaving her hand, as the motion against his manhood now became a caress as smooth as the kiss. His lips left hers, traveling to her neck where he nuzzled as he slowly removed the jacket from her shoulders, dropping it to the floor. His tongue trailed from her neck to her cleavage where he inhaled and kissed. His hands slowly outlined her waist as he bent to his knees. The softness of her hands held his head to her body as he pushed the bottom of her tee up to circle her navel with the tip of his tongue. He sat back on his haunches, unzipped the first boot then set it aside. He took the same care with the second then set it next to its partner. He unzipped her jeans, ran his hands inside, then around to her lace panties to cup her behind. He pushed the jeans down to the floor. He looked up into her eyes. She stepped out of them. He buried his face in the apex of her thighs. His tongue lashed out teasing her skin with its moistness. He felt the muscles in her behind tighten.