Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedications & Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
THE BATTLE WITHIN
THANK YOU
Other Books By LaShawn Vasser
A STORM IS COMING
By
LaShawn Vasser
A STORM IS COMING © 2015 LaShawn Vasser
All Rights Reserved
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
*EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT*
WARNING
This novel is considered romantic fiction with erotic elements or erotica. This is for mature audiences only. This book contains adult profane language, mild violence and strong sexual content.
Dedications & Acknowledgments
There are so many individuals who have helped me along this journey, I say to you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience, encouragement, and advice.
Chapter 1
BANG! Blood splattered against the wall as his body collapsed onto the desk. Smoke rose from the barrel of the gun and dropped onto the floor making a loud THUD.
Within moments of the sound, a call came into the Chicago Police Department. A resident thought they’d heard a gunshot coming from one of those swanky penthouse apartments along the Gold Coast area.
At two o’clock in the morning, Detective Theodore Jones arrived at the scene after the CPD discovered a male body with a single gunshot wound to the head, or what was left of his head.
The luxury apartment was crawling with police and forensics. As Detective Jones walked toward the entrance of the apartment, he asked one of the many officers standing about if they knew anything, “Any idea of what happened here?”
An officer shrugged, “No. Just a dead body with a hole in his head.”
The Detective nodded as he studied the locks on the door before entering the apartment. The habit of the job. There didn’t appear to be a forced entry.
After putting on a pair of rubber gloves, he went inside and continued to inspect the scene.
The cozy living room seemed undisturbed. The round antique wooded table and the rug with the warm colors interwoven throughout sat atop the hardwood floors. The caramel colored chair and sofa were just a few shades darker than the colors on the walls. Detective Jones swiped his fingers across the coffee table. There wasn’t a speck of dust on it.
He looked around the room and up at the lighted fixtures suspended from the ceiling. The lights gave off just enough brightness, at least to the naked eye, to give off the appearance that nothing had been moved. Nothing seemed out of place.
The detective continued to walk down the hallway, he casually checked out the other rooms before finally entering the space where the body was located. Again, everything appeared to be in order. Nothing was out of place.
It didn’t look as if the body had been moved. He was still slumped over the desk in what appeared to be the home office. He asked another random officer, “Have we identified who this body is and who owns this apartment?”
The officer looked up, “Yes. Apparently, this apartment belonged to Mr. Luciano Manchetti and his daughter...” She stopped writing on her notepad and pointed her pen towards the corpse, “…and as far as I can tell, that’s the same man with half his head blown off. We won’t know for sure until someone can identify the body. We’ve contacted next of kin, Alexandro Manchetti. He’s on his way.”
“Where’s the daughter?”
“Not here. She’s at an overnight party with friends. He was the only person in the apartment.”
Detective Jones couldn’t help but think the name was familiar, “Manchetti…why does that ring a bell?”
The officer answered, “Because the Manchetti’s have been all over the news recently. They own a lot of stuff but apparently they made some type of faulty device that may have resulted in several deaths.”
He snapped his fingers. Yeah, that was it. He’d heard all about the Manchetti lawsuits.
Squinting, Detective Jones focused in on something barely sticking out from underneath the body. What was it? He picked up a letter opener and used it to lift what remained of the head of the lifeless body.
Looking over at the officer he spoke, “Did you see this?”
She walked over as he slowly removed a blood stained slip of paper.
May 23, 2014
I can no longer deal with the pain I’ve caused. This may seem like the cowardly way out but honestly, there is just no other way. Forgive me.
Luciano Manchetti
The officer responded, “Well, I guess we’ll be able to wrap this investigation up as soon as we get the forensics back. Looks like the fool killed himself.”
Detective Jones scrunched his eyebrows together. Something didn’t feel right. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but everything was too clean, too tidy, and just entirely too neat.
Chapter 2
Lisa Lampinelli barged into Braylee Hinsdale’s high rise office ignoring her personal assistant’s protests, “Come on Braylee. I really need you to do this. It’s not often that I ask a favor, but you’re the best. ”
Braylee looked up from her desk and dropped her pen on top of the scattered papers. She rolled her shoulders, “Good morning to you too.”
Lisa ignored her sarcasm, “So, can I tell him that you’ll at least meet with him?”
“Again, good morning to you too. And, you’re supposed to say good morning, Braylee. How is your day?”
She waved her off, “I don’t need to ask because I already know how your day is going. Let me see, you got in around six o’clock, your sister Stephanie called a couple of hours later asking you for more money for her wedding, then you talked to your mom for an hour listening to her complain about…well everything. And, when you finished dealing with your family you took all of your pent up frustrations out on poor Nate. Did I miss anything?”
Embarrassed Braylee yanked several files from her drawer and dropped them on her desk, “You have five minutes because I have a meeting in ten. And…I haven’t even spoken to Nate…yet.”
Shaking her head Lisa went on, “One of these days, you’re going to have to cut the cord, especially with Stephanie. You can’t be responsible for everyone all the time. They are adults and need to
stand on their own.”
“They’re my family, Lisa. If I can help…I will always help.”
“Helping is fine. Being completely dependent on you is not.” This was a conversation they’d had many times over the years. Maybe one day Braylee would stop letting her family take advantage of her. “Anyway…back to my original question, can I tell Alexandro that you’ll meet with him?”
“Lisa, I’ve told you that I just don’t have time to focus on his case. He’s going to need someone who is one hundred percent committed and from what I’ve read…it’s going to be an uphill battle.”
She didn’t immediately respond. Standing with her delicate hands on her hips, Lisa pursed her lips and swiped a wayward strand of dirty blond hair out of her face. However, the fire in her green eyes spoke volumes.
Braylee was bracing for the wrath of Lisa. She packed a lot of power in her petite barely five-foot frame. To look at her in her Boho chic dress and bangles, you never would have known that she graduated almost at the top of their law school class.
Unlike the small circle of people in Braylee’s life, including her family, someone always seemed to want something from her. But, not Lisa. Rarely did she ever ask for much. That was the beauty of their friendship. It was based on love, support, and respect.
Braylee rolled her eyes, “Lisa, I’m sure he’s probably already retained the best counsel money can buy.”
“Well, you and I both know that can’t be true otherwise you’d be on retainer. And, isn’t that what you have Partners for? I know you’ve always been a control freak but can’t they handle some of your caseloads?”
“I have to set the example, Lisa. It’s my law firm; I can’t just…”
Lisa waved off her excuses, “Okay…okay…I’m not going to ask you to take on his case. But, can’t you at least talk to him and give him an honest opinion? His circle is small, and he’s not sure who he can trust.”
“This makes him wanting to talk to me even stranger, I don’t know this man from Adam.”
Lisa knew Braylee well. There was no way this case hadn’t piqued her interest. “He knows your reputation and because he trusts me, I convinced him that he could trust you.” She softened her voice, “They’ve gone through so much this last year. The Manchetti’s really deserve some peace.”
Braylee selected the files she needed for her meeting and put them in her briefcase then looked up. “Well, it might be awhile before they get to that place. This whole sordid affair has been on the news and the front pages of the papers for weeks.”
Lisa exhaled loudly before finally plopping down into the chair in front of Braylee’s desk.
“I knew it! I knew you’d been following along. You can’t stay away from an interesting case. And, you’re right, it’s a mess. Don’t get me wrong, this family isn’t perfect, no family is but they’re good people. I don’t believe any of the things that they are being accused of.”
Braylee stood up, “Don’t get comfortable Lisa, I told you I have a meeting. Anyway, your family has been friends with the Manchetti’s since you were five. I would expect you to say that.”
She was getting nowhere fast. Lisa needed to pull out the big guns. “Exactly. So, I would know them best right? And, all of this is really affecting my son and your god son’s legacy.”
“Are you really going to use Luca to emotionally blackmail me?”
Lisa folded her arms across her chest, “I’m going to use whatever I think will work. Luca was given shares of Manchetti stock when he was born. And, that stock is plummeting.”
Lack of sympathy was evident on Braylee’s face, “Luca has enough money from your father’s inheritance that his grandchildren won’t even get a chance to spend it all. That little bit of Manchetti stock won’t impact his future…not even a little bit.”
Lisa glared at Braylee. Moments of silence ticked by. Quiet spread throughout the room as they began their silent standoff.
Braylee rarely ever lost a stare down…except to Lisa. And, yes…she was the first to break this time too. “You are one stubborn woman. You should have been a lawyer.”
It was obvious a smile threatened to break out on her face when Braylee started to crack, “It takes one to know one. And, no thank you. I wanted some semblance of a life.”
That stung a little bit. It was unintentional, but Braylee would have loved to have had a private life like Lisa’s, but that wasn’t in the cards. “Alright…fine. I’ll take one meeting with him. Just know that I’m not making any promises other than I’ll meet with him.”
Lisa hopped up out of her chair and hugged her, “Great. I knew you’d do it. Thank you thank you thank you! I’ll talk to Nate so he can set it up.”
Braylee enunciated each word to make sure she understood, “Lisa, I’m not making any promises. I’m just going to talk to him. That’s it, and that’s all.”
Lisa was half way out of the door as she spoke over her shoulder, “Yeah, okay. Right…I know.”
That girl never listened. “What the hell was she about to get herself into?”
Chapter 3
One thing Braylee couldn’t stand were people who didn’t value her time. She’d only agreed to take this meeting as a favor. She’d known Lisa since college, and if she weren’t one of her dearest friends, she would never have agreed.
It had taken a miracle to clear her schedule. Now, here she was…and her appointment was nowhere to be found.
As Braylee sat around the mahogany conference table, it was clear that she was quickly losing her patience. Her mood did not mirror the blue skies and sunshine streaming through the panoramic windows.
Even the room’s incredible view on top of the seventy-sixth floor of Manchetti Towers held no appeal. The man had a 4D television that her assistant couldn’t resist texting her about, even though he was sitting directly across from her, a full-service bar, as well as every gadget known to man. However, it still wasn’t enough to change her quickly deteriorating mood.
The conference room wasn’t too pretentious, but one knew full well that the owner was a male.
Checking her diamond encrusted Pasha Skeleton watch for the third time, Braylee didn’t even try to hide her irritation as she continued to wait.
Her assistant, Nate Lansbury sat in one of the chocolate leather chairs with pen and notepad in hand…ready to get to work…when he wasn’t texting her.
Braylee didn’t know what she would do without Nate. He kept her on her toes that was for sure.
Yes, he was her dependable well-groomed right hand. The term metrosexual was developed just for him. She would have loved to have seen his closet because his clothes were impeccable. But, then again, she did pay him well. And, the man probably spent more time getting his hair and nails done than she did. His fade was always nice and tight. She wished she had his motivation for fitness though because Nate stayed at the gym, and it showed. He wasn’t muscular, more like very lean and…pretty. It had to be because of his cocoa skin. It always looked so soft and smooth to the touch.
Nate had been with her through all the difficult years of building her practice. And, because he'd worked with her for all of that time, he knew her like the back of his hand.
That’s why he knew if the meeting didn’t start soon…if it did start…it would start without Braylee. He could tell that little Ms. Hinsdale was about to bolt.
She’d been introduced earlier to Manchetti’s General Counsel, Giovanni LaPezzia, his Associates - Marcus Bailey and Joseph Ling, and his younger brother, Fabi Manchetti. The men were prattling on amongst themselves while they waited for Alexandro Manchetti.
It no longer even fazed Braylee that she was literally the only woman sitting at the table in a room full of powerful men.
However, when she uncrossed one long shapely leg to re-cross it, the light chatter going on around her, immediately ceased. Braylee knew it wasn’t the peep toe, platform, sling back Christian Louboutin’s they were staring at either.
Years of prac
ticed self-control kept her from rolling her eyes into the back of her head when she looked up to see several pairs of eyes staring at her…legs.
Typical; Yes, she was a woman and proud of it. She made no apologies. Braylee had worked for far too many women who tried to fit in with the big boys by acting, dressing, and talking like them. Well…to hell with that. She was all woman and proud of it.
If the people around her couldn’t deal with it, then screw them. Her level of success allowed her that luxury. And, it would be to their disadvantage to underestimate her intelligence because of how she dressed.
Inwardly, she smiled because while Braylee knew she was a confident and attractive woman now, that hadn’t always been the case. Glasses and braces had been a big part of her life. Add to it that she was a late bloomer….that made high school and part of her college experience excruciatingly lonely.
As a matter of fact, she remained tall, lanky, and flat as a board until her sophomore year of college. Then overnight, she seemed to blossom. However, it probably worked in her favor. Not having many dates during that time gave her plenty enough space to develop good study habits.
To look at her now, with her womanly curves, full breasts, and small waist you would have never guessed that she’d been the African American version of Olive Oyl.
Could she have used being a woman to her advantage? Probably. But, she wanted respect, and there was no way she was going to credit her success to laying on her back. She worked hard to take her seat at the table as one of the best, not just women lawyers, but corporate lawyers in the country. She was proud of that accomplishment.
So, although today she wore an all-white Yves Saint Laurent sheath dress with a pearled collar that stopped a couple of inches above her knees…no one should let her look fool them. It would be a mistake.
Actually, having people judge her based on her looks had become less and less of a concern as her well-earned reputation typically entered a room before she did. Nowadays, she was able to pick and choose her clients because of it.
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