by Iris Bolling
“Yeah, it is.” He replied with a smile.
“This is real, right? You’re not calling to say it was some kind of dream, are you?”
“Yes, it is real, and no, it was not a dream,” he said firmly.
Tracy sighed in that sweet voice JD loved to hear. “Okay.”
He smiled. Brian and Calvin sat there a little puzzled.
“Are you going in to the office today?” JD asked.
“I’m already in. We have the Brooks presentation this morning.”
“Oh, yeah, the one you were supposed to work on last night,” he joked. “Will you be free for dinner tonight?”
“Yeah, especially since I did not get a chance to eat last night.”
“I know. I forgot about the food, too.” He laughed. “I owe you one.”
Turning while he was laughing, JD noticed Calvin and Brian were watching him curiously. He honestly forgot they were there. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you when I wrap up here,” he said and pushed the end button on the phone. “Gentlemen,” JD said while pulling a folder from his briefcase, “we have three main targets to bring the Latin Eagles down.”
Brian grinned. “No, my brother, it’s not going that way. Who in the hell were you talking to on the phone that has you swinging from the chandelier like that?”
Calvin didn’t have to ask—he already knew. “Decided not to follow your plan?” Calvin asked, smiling.
“The plan went out the window.” JD sat down laughing. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs, still laughing. “Calvin, if there’s such a thing as heaven right here on Earth then I was there last night and if I do this right, I will spend the rest of my life there.”
“Tell me you did not hit that last night?” Calvin said.
“Hit what?” Brian asked.
“No, I’m not even pressed for that.” JD laughed. “The shit is funny.” He exhaled “It was like you said, I just want to take my time and really get to know her; you know?”
“Get to know who, damn it?” Brian demanded.
JD and Calvin replied “Tracy” at the same time.
“Come on, B, keep up, man,” Calvin said.
Brian looked at JD. “You sure that’s a wise move?” he asked. “I mean, you did just convict her brother on federal charges.”
JD exhaled. “B, I don’t know if it’s the right move for me professionally or not. But I gave her up before because of my career; I can’t let her go again, not now.”
He stood, pulled the bulletin board out and pinned three faces on the board. “As I was saying, gentlemen, these are the targets to bring down the Eagles. We have two additions to our group for this one. They should be arriving at nine.”
Mrs. Langston’s voice came on the intercom. “Mr. Harrison, Ms. Rivera and Mr. Graham are here to see you.”
“I’ll be right out,” JD replied and exited the room.
“What in the hell did I miss?” Brian asked.
“Did you think he just let Carolyn go for nothing?” Calvin asked, not really expecting an answer.
“Carolyn don’t have shit on the head job Tracy put on that man,” Brian replied. “Damn near makes me want to have some of that.”
Calvin laughed. “Yeah, man, he’s done.”
JD walked back in the office. “Gentlemen, meet Magna Rivera, specialist on Hispanic gangs from D.C. and Dan Graham from the AG’s office. They will be with us throughout the entirety of this case. Ms. Rivera; Mr. Graham; my right arm and partner Calvin Johnson; and head of security, Brian Thompson—both of whom I trust with my life.
“Let’s take a seat and get started. The wheels are in motion on this case, so let’s get caught up.” JD handed each person a file with a detailed plan of action on each target identified. “This is the plan; it’s your job to make it work.”
They began reviewing the files and worked through lunch. JD suggested they wrap up around four. That would give him a chance to catch Gavin up on the events of the day, give Ms. Rivera a chance to get settled in and give him a chance to make a trip he promised Tracy he would make.
“Brian,” JD called out as everyone was leaving the office, “let me talk to you for a minute.”
“I’ll catch up with you guys later,” Calvin said and left with the others.
“B, I need you to make arrangements for me to see Day as soon as possible. I don’t want him to get word about me and Tracy off the street. I need to tell him in person.”
“All right, man, I can do that.”
“I need another favor. I need you to take a ride with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“Blackwell.”
Brian gazed at JD. “Give me10 minutes, I’ll set it up.”
JD and Brian crossed the James River using the 14th street Bridge. As they pulled into the Blackwell area of Southside, it was easy to see the illegal activity going on. The Latin Eagles had control of a 25-block radius. All of the high-rise apartments were under gang control; no one entered or left without permission from Juan Cortez, their leader.
Brian pulled the Suburban in front of the 25th Street high-rise and turned to JD. “The white Expedition to the right and the Chevy Caprice to the left are us.” Brian was not a man to be caught off guard. He had his revolver in his hand as they got out of the car. JD entered the high-rise first, Brian directly behind him. There were several Latinos sitting on the steps and another group down the hall to the right of them.
“What’s up?” A man’s voice came from the stairs above. “Y’all in the wrong place.” Men in suits did not frequent the high-rises. They were either Social Services or cops; either way, they were not welcome.
“We are looking for Lisa Gonzalez’s parents,” JD politely stated.
“They live on the third floor. What you want with them?” A young man asked.
JD ignored the question and walked towards the steps. No one moved. He looked at the group to determine who the leader was, then glared at the man doing the talking. “I’m District Attorney Harrison. I don’t want any problems. But, like I said,” Brian put his revolver in clear view, “I am going to talk to Mrs. Gonzalez. How that comes about is up to you.” JD stepped closer to the man and asked, “What’s it going to be?”
The other group moved closer to the steps. Brian cocked his gun then pointed towards the group. “Who’s first?” he asked.
Two men with sawed-off shotguns walked in the door behind Brian to support him and flanked the doorway.
“Man, it ain’t got to be all that.” A voice came from the top of the steps. “It’s all good, let them up.”
Brian lowered his gun. The boys at the bottom of the steps got up. JD and Brian went upstairs; the armed men stayed at the doors.
“Mr. Harrison,” the man at the top of the stairs asked, “what brings you to our part of town—slumming?”
“Taking care of some business with the Gonzalez family,” JD replied.
“They don’t have nothing to say to you, man.”
“That’s cool, but I have a few things to say to them.”
“You a bold motherfucker to come down here. You know Juan is going to have your ass for this.”
JD and Brian laughed. “Juan controls you, not us,” Brian replied.
JD knocked on the door and a little girl opened it. He stooped down and smiled. “Hello, what’s your name?” A woman came up behind her. JD stood. “Mrs. Gonzalez?”
“Yes.”
“My name is JD Harrison. I’m the district attorney handling your daughter’s case. May I have a moment of your time?”
“Si, come in.” JD stepped inside. Brian guarded the door.
“Why a DA got secret service guards?” the man asked Brian.
“The man is connected like that,” Brian smirked..
“Y’all know you suppose to clear shit like this through Juan. He ain’t going to like this.”
“In case you missed the point before, we don’t give a damn what Juan likes or don’t like.”
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br /> “You can’t disrespect the man’s turf like this and don’t expect retaliation.”
Brian looked at the man. “Do I look worried to you?”
An hour later, the door to the apartment opened. JD stepped out. “Thank you for taking the time to listen, Mrs. Gonzalez. I will be in touch.”
“Thank you, Mr. Harrison. It’s good to know somebody cares.”
“You have a good evening, ma’am.”
“You, too, Mr. Harrison, and thank you.”
JD turned and left the building with Brian. Once they were in the car, the two men with the guns left the building and got into the Chevy Caprice. The Chevy pulled off, Brian next, and then the Ford.
“That’s a lot of coverage for just a DA,” one man said.
“Yeah, and they weren’t all secret service.”
“How you know that?”
“Sawed-off shotguns are illegal. Let Juan know we had visitors tonight. See how he wants it handled.”
Once all three vehicles were back in the downtown area of Richmond, Brian signaled an all clear. The other two vehicles pulled away and Brian hit Interstate 95 heading toward the federal prison in Petersburg.
“How did it go?” Brian asked.
“Pretty well. I’m glad I did this, it felt good,” JD replied.
“Well, let’s hope your next conversation goes as well.” Brian laughed. “I made arrangements for you to see Day within the hour. You up for it?”
JD smiled. “Hell no, but I have to do it.”
“No you don’t. The man is in prison and it’s not a damn thing he can do about you being with his sister.”
“It’s a matter of respect, B. If this was my sister I would expect no less.”
It was getting late, but JD had to do this before word got to Al about him and Tracy. He prayed all the way to the facility that Al would understand. He respected Al for taking the steps he did to protect Tracy. JD felt as though he owed Al at least that. Well, as far as that went, he also owed Gavin. It was because of them he was able to reconnect with Tracy. Damn, that’s twisted. All JD knew for sure was he couldn’t turn back. Even if Al did not accept his relationship with Tracy, he could not give her up, not now, not ever.
The warden met JD and Brian at the front entrance. “Mr. Harrison, you indicated this was a sensitive matter you needed to discuss with Al, so we set you up in my conference room. No one will disturb you there. A guard will be outside the door, if you need him.”
“Thank you, we will not be long,” JD replied.
“You want me in there with you?” Brian asked out of concern for his friend.
“No, thanks B, I got to do this on my own,” JD said as he entered the room.
“Harrison,” Al said as they shook hands.
“Al,” JD replied and shook hands.
“I didn’t expect to see you, much less hear from you this soon. It’s only been a couple months. What’s up, man?” Al asked.
“How are you doing in here, Al?”
“Life’s okay; it ain’t great, but I’m surviving.”
“Good. I wanted to fill you in on Gavin, but I also need to talk to you about Tracy.”
“Tracy?” Al questioned.
“Yeah,” JD said, clearing his throat, “but first Gavin.” He filled Al in on the agreement he made with Gavin to keep him off Tracy.
“I can hang with that as long as he keeps his word,” Al replied.
“He will or I’ll have to kill him myself.”
“Harrison breaking the law.” Al said laughing. “I think you better leave that one up to me.”
JD smiled. That damn propensity for violence. All right, he said to himself, stop putting this off, talk to the man.
“Thanks for the update, but that’s not why you’re here,” Al said, sitting back in the chair.
JD looked down and held his head back up as Al was talking.
“You’re not good at bullshit, Harrison. You’re a straight shooter. What gives, man? What’s got you so nervous?” Al laughed.
“You’re right.” JD smiled. “I need to talk to you about Tracy.”
Al sat up and asked, “What about Tracy? Is she all right?”
“Yes, Tracy’s fine,” JD replied with a broad smile.
“She’s all right?” Al said watching JD closely, wanting some reassurance.
“Believe me, she’s fine.”
Al noticed JD’s tone and change in facial expression when he talked about Tracy.
“I, um, wanted to tell you in person I’ve been seeing Tracy,” JD said, looking closely at Al.
“All right, so what’s the problem?” Al asked, not quite sure where JD was going.
JD stood up. He was pretty sure Al did not get his meaning. “Al, Tracy and I have been seeing a lot of each other and to be honest, I’m in love with her, I think.”
The casual atmosphere changed immediately and tension filled the air. Al abruptly stood up. “You’ve been fucking my sister, Harrison?” Al yelled.
Okay, now he understands, JD said to himself as he watched Al approach him aggressively. JD stood his ground. “No, but make no mistake; it’s going there,” JD yelled back just as forcefully.
“I trusted you with my sister and you take advantage of her. Then you got the nerve to come in here and tell me about it. Man, have you lost your damn mind?” Al yelled.
Trying to keep things calm, JD stepped back and took a deep breath. He put his hands in his pockets. “Yes, Al, I have, and it was your damn sister who took it.”
Al stood there and stared; JD’s response took him off guard. Al paced a little, and then stopped. He started walking on the opposite side of the room from JD. Al needed to think for a minute. Well, he did tell JD not to let any knuckleheads mess with her. He stopped and stared at JD. He was a good guy, clean cut, good family and an honest man. If he really loved her, he would protect her with his life. He stopped again and looked at JD. “What happened with the senator’s daughter?”
“I had to let that go before I started anything with Tracy,” JD replied as he watched Al’s thinking process.
Al looked at him. That was decent, he thought.
JD continued. “I did not set out for this to happen. But to be honest, man, it happened years before I even met you. I didn’t want this to go any further until I had a chance to talk to you about it. But know this, Al, I don’t care if you agree or not, I am going to be with her. I’m only here because Tracy loves you. That makes your reaction important to me.”
This is a bold motherfucker standing here, Al thought. He liked that. “You do know I can have your ass killed, even from in here.”
“I realize that. But it won’t change anything. I would still love her and she would still love me,” JD replied. “Either way, I’m here; do what you got to do, but I can’t let her go again, not now.”
Al sat down at the other end of the table. “Do you realize what position this will put you in? You’re a fucking DA, involved with the sister of a convicted criminal. Man, if that shit gets out, your professional career is gone.”
“That’s possible.” Both men were talking calmly now. “Al, I’m damn good at what I do.”
“Shit, you ain’t got to tell me,” Al said, “I’m in here.”
JD leaned against the back of the chair. “If they want to let me go because of my relationship with Tracy, then so be it. I will offer to walk if this becomes an issue. But there’s another angle that concerns me.”
“What’s that?”
“If this gets to your people, they may think you are working with me. That could cause problems for you.”
“You mean when, and that’s if they don’t already know,” Al said. He shook his head. “It might cause an infraction or two, but nothing I can’t handle. Does Tracy know you are here?”
“No,” JD replied.
“How do you think she will feel about you jeopardizing your career for her?”
“She would not be very happy with it,” JD responded.
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“Tracy is not stupid. She has thought this through, Harrison. She usually see things a little clearer than the average person. Don’t try to keep her out of the loop. Talk this over with her. If she tells me she wants to be with you, then I’m all right with it. But JD, let me warn you, if you hurt my little sister, DA or not, I will kill you.”
Chapter 11
The Special Services agency luncheon, which was catered by TNT Event Planning, was managed with a ease and flair. Tracy was very proud of the professional manner with which Cynthia and Rosaline handled the event. James was very pleased with the outcome. Ashley and Tracy were able to pull the employees into the scheme of things, and James added his own personal touch. He sat down and spent time talking to as many employees as he could, discussing his plans for the agency. Some employees felt comfortable enough to discuss some of their individual issues.
The employees were pleased James took the time to talk with them. Unfortunately, some things came out about upper management he would have to address immediately. James and Tracy arranged to meet later to discuss a strategy on how to deal with the major issues. To make the event as appealing as possible, invitations had been extended to family members.
“Ashley Harrison, you look better than you did in college.”
Ashley froze. She did not need to turn around to know who was there. She continued to put her papers away. “Hello, David,” she responded.
“What, I don’t get any love here?” he said with his arms spread open.
Ashley turned around to face him. “Isn’t that your wife over there?” she asked curiously.
He put his arms down. “Ashley, we are just two old friends saying hello. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Ashley knew this man meant her no good. If he could, he would take her right there in the room with his wife watching. “We’re not old friends, David. And yes, I think there is something wrong with that. I’m sure your wife would agree.”
Ashley cleared her throat to catch Tracy’s attention. Tracy looked over James’s shoulder and saw the expression on Ashley’s face and the object of her discomfort. Tracy sighed.
“What is it?” James asked as he followed Tracy’s attention path.