My stomach twisted at the thought of seeing Emery again. I couldn’t believe he was still doing illegal shit after I begged him to leave the streets alone. Now, he had been placed back in my life by way of his brother’s criminal activities, and I knew there was no way I could defend him, even though I badly wanted to.
Langston pulledup to the large iron gates with a large “A” emblem in the center. Two guards stood on each side of the gate and headed to her car when she came to a stop.
“Name?” the guard asked Langston.
“Langston Collins Esquire, here on behalf of the Aldana family.” He spoke into a walkie-talkie while the other guard scanned her car. Once he was done, the guard at Langston’s side hit a few buttons on the keypad, and the gates opened.
“They are expecting you. Pull straight ahead.”
Langston smiled and rolled her window up. “I’m afraid to know exactly what they do for a living.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t matter since our job is to keep them out of jail,” I replied.
“You’re right, but look at this place. Jesus. My husband and I make great money, but this is some next-level shit.”
I only nodded my response because I had been here too many times to be amazed. I knew someone who could afford to build a garage filled with cars that looked like a dealership couldn’t possibly own real estate and a few businesses.
The Aldana’s home alone looked like a castle that belonged in Italy somewhere. Beyond the long driveway, the property opened to nothing but beautiful landscaping and one huge house that looked like a museum.
Langston pulled in front of the French doors, and I felt my heart drop. This was it. I was about to face a man I had been in love with, and had pleasured myself to his image many nights in my dorm room. I had to get my shit together because I didn’t want Langston to sniff out that I knew him—although he may make it obvious once he saw me.
We both grabbed our briefcases and got out of the car. As we approached the door, a woman wearing a maid’s outfit opened it and smiled.
“Good evening, ladies. Welcome to the Aldana estate. Please follow me.” Stepping through the threshold, the house was exactly how I remembered it—crisp, white walls, high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and beautiful art pieces throughout. The furniture had been updated, but I could still see the familiarity of yesteryears in this vast place.
We followed the maid down the long hall and around a corner, down another hall until we came upon two more French doors. I took a deep breath, placing my palm on my stomach as she knocked, waited, and was told to come inside. She opened both doors and extended her arm for us to go inside.
As soon as we walked in, there he was—strong, regal, even sexier than the boy I left behind. He sat at the head of the table, looking every bit of the crime boss the prosecution said he was.His brother Emil and cousin Ellis sat on opposite sides of the table with three armed guards standing against the back wall.
Signature black.
It was what he always wore, no matter the day, event, or hour. Our eyes locked, and just for a moment, the room fell silent. I could see a slight smile adorn his lips before Langston spoke.
“Hello, gentlemen. I’m attorney Langston Collins, and this is my colleague, attorney Yumi Clark. We’re here as representatives on your case.”
“Ladies, please have a seat,” Emil offered. We both sat at the end of the table and pulled out our case files.
“Can we offer y’all anything to drink?” Mook asked, pointing to the decanter of liquor in the center of the table.
“No, thanks. We want to begin, if that’s okay,” Langston replied.
Emery waved his hand to her to proceed.
“Okay. From reading over your guys’ file, it’s stated that Mr. Emil Aldana and Mr. Ellis Aldana run an illegal underground drug ring. You are all being investigated by the FBI, and they also have an informant in place to testify against you all. Ellis, a.k.a Mook, Aldana is being charged with murder. Emil ‘Mill’ Aldana is being accused of murder, racketeering, embezzlement, and being the head of a criminal empire.
“Before we begin, I need you all to tell me the truth and not leave anything out. Are any of these allegations true?” Langston asked, sifting through the paperwork.
“They’re false. We own several businesses that have awarded us with such luxuries,” Emil stated with a smile.
Same old Mill: arrogant, smug, and sarcastic.
My eyes found Emery’s, and he was already looking at me. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since we walked into the room,which made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. I prayed he didn’t blow up my spot.
I cleared my throat and looked away from him to Emil. “We will need to see tax information dated back to when you all acquired those businesses. As far as the other allegations, the informant is going to testify. From the information we’ve gathered, he or she says that on the night of April 15th, two gunmen entered a bar and shot and killed Alphonso Jordan and Raymon Streeter. They identified you as the shooter,” I said to Emil.
“What proof do they have?” Emery finally spoke.
“Aside from the witness, there’s video footage recorded from a cell phone. After we review it, we can determine if it’s feasible to use it in court. We’re going to do everything that we can to get the charges dropped, but as of now, it’s not looking too good,” Langston told them.
