by D. Camille
She turned back to Jeremy. “Why were you there at that building?”
“I followed Lisa. I didn't trust her anymore and I wanted to get evidence on her. I thought she'd just be meeting Richard there, but then you pulled up,” he explained. “She'd parked her car a block away and Richard had met her. I followed them to the vacant shop and when you arrived, I knew something was wrong.”
“After she shot me, all I could think about was that I didn't want them to hurt you,” he told her before looking over to Rion. “I'm sorry.”
Rion came closer. “You tried to protect Tauri so I don't have any ill feelings toward you Jeremy. I hope you have a full recovery. I'm sorry all of you became involved in this.”
Jeremy nodded. “Thank you.”
“Well we're not going to tire you out,” Tauri said getting to her feet. “We just wanted to come check on you.” She moved to Rion's side and he placed an arm around her.
“Thanks for coming,” Jeremy said looking at the couple. “I'm going to testify against Lisa and Richard in exchange for immunity.”
Tauri smiled. “I know. Brandon wouldn't let me second on the case but I'm glad he's handling it personally.”
Jeremy nodded. “He was really mad. He said he's investigating every prosecutor on staff and cleaning house.”
“Yes, and he's already held a few staff meetings,” Tauri told him.
“I hate I was involved in all this and I let Brandon down,” he said sadly.
Rion spoke up. “Brandon can handle it. He'll get his office in order.”
Tauri and Rion later said their goodbyes and he drove them to her office. On the way, he turned and saw her staring out the window.
“You okay baby?” he asked.
She turned to him. “I still can't believe all of this.”
Rion took her hand and held it in his. “I know. You can't make this stuff up.”
“John Beckham won't stop.”
He held her gaze. “Not on his own.” He turned back to the road and focused on driving.
“Are you carrying your weapon?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes, I promised you I would at all times.”
“Do you feel safe with the new detail that Chief Green assigned?”
Rion brought her hand to his mouth. “I'm fine and this will all be over very soon,” he promised. “I don't want you worrying.”
“Of course I'm going to worry Orion. I love you,” she said passionately.
Turning to her he smiled and said, “I love you too goddess.”
They arrived outside her office and she turned to him again. “What are you doing today?” she questioned.
“Lion business,” he answered.
“Do I want to know what that means?” she asked suspiciously.
Rion leaned over and kissed her softly. “Have a good day. I'll pick you up later.”
“Orion...” she began before he kissed her again.
“Have a good day baby,” he repeated.
Tauri met his eyes and knew he was not going to answer her question right now. Nodding slowly she said, “Have a good day too Orion.”
He smiled before she grabbed her bag and exited the car. Orion waited until she was inside the building before pulling out his phone.
Dialing the number he waited for an answer.
“Hello?” the woman answered.
“Can you meet me now?” he asked.
She hesitated. “Yes, but we have to be careful.”
“I've learned that I can't be anything but,” he responded. “I'm on my way.”
“Okay. I'll meet you there,” she agreed.
*********
Tauri sat across from Brandon inside his office. She could see that he was not a happy man right now. Not that Brandon could ever be described as jolly, but now angry would adequately describe him.
“I'm sorry Brandon,” she said quietly and he looked up at her sharply.
“What in the world do you have to be sorry for Tauri? I owe you my apologies.” He shook his head. “I should have had a better handle on things. I suspected Jeremy and Lisa of something and I should have done my due diligence by looking further into it.”
“Now I've lost two prosecutors and a woman I was involved with is accused of trying to kill my best friend's wife and my best attorney. So no, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
Tauri looked at him. “Brandon you're the best Head Prosecutor this city has ever had. I have no idea what Jeremy, Lisa and Richard were thinking, but you know I will support you in cleaning up this office in any way that I can. I know your dedication to the city.”
Brandon gave a small smile. “Thank you Tauri.” He sighed. “Now, where are we with Rion's case since I'm your new second. I don't trust anyone else at this point.”
“We have a little over a week before jury selection begins. My plan is to try to get as many African-Americans in place as possible although that's not going to be easy. I want to try to eliminate jurors who identify with John Beckham, at least as many as I can.”
Brandon nodded. “You have all your evidence in place?”
“Yes, we have the wire taps between Orion and John Beckham from the Mayor's party. We have the driver of the car who ran into Orion. He's agreed to testify that he was hired by one of Beckham's assistants, hopefully no one gets to him before the trial.”
“I'll present the evidence compiled from the raids of the defendants' homes, including the damaging emails and communications from their computers. Then lastly, I have the delivery driver that was accosted and replaced by the assailant that showed up at Rion's apartment with the knife.”
“The assailant won't talk but we probably don't need him. It won't be hard to prove that Beckham and his group were responsible.”
Brandon listened intently and sat deep in thought for a few minutes then looked at Tauri. “Even with all that, you know that it's possible you may not win this case.”
Tauri nodded her head. “If Beckham is able to stack the jury, which I know he plans to do, I could have all the evidence in the world and it wouldn't matter.”
“I know this is personal to you now and I don't want you to beat yourself up if this thing goes south. We know the corruption that exists. Hell, it was in our own office.”
“Yes, and I know how the system values a black man's life,” she agreed.
Brandon stood. “But we're going to keep fighting it until we get it right.” He walked around the desk to her.
“Believe me Tauri, Rion will get justice...one way or another.”
*********
Henry Patterson exited the market where he was picking up a list of items for Millie. As he slowly walked to his vehicle he noticed a familiar car. He'd seen that car many times and knew without a doubt who it belonged to. He looked around in search of the owner before heading back into the store. Henry walked back through the aisles until he spotted object of his search.
Although the man wore a cap and sunglasses, Henry Patterson knew without a doubt the identity of the individual. He watched as the man held an item in his hand while speaking quietly with the woman. She was an ebony goddess with flawless dark skin. She wore large sunglasses with a headscarf that covered her head.
To the casual observer they appeared to be two people discussing a product on the shelf, but Henry could tell it was far more than that. The man reached into a cart and handed the woman a package that she transferred to another cart. The man turned to walk away and the woman stopped him with a hand on his arm. He glanced down at her and she whispered the words, “Thank you.” She slowly slid her hand down his arm before turning to her cart and leaving in another direction.
Henry turned and walked outside to wait for the man at his vehicle. He didn't have to wait very long and the man approached him with a smile.
“Hello Granddaddy.”
“Hello Orion Shaw,” Henry answered stiffly.
Rion picked up on his tone. “Is everything okay?”
“You should
tell me son.”
Rion nodded. “Why don't we get inside and talk?” He hit a button that unlocked the doors before both men climbed inside.
Henry turned to him. “Now one thing I know is that you love my baby girl and she loves you. So if you're about to tell me anything contrary to that, be prepared for me to get my hands extremely dirty today.”
Rion removed his hat and glasses placing them on the console then looked over at Henry. “I need to tell you the story of a man, a beautiful woman and a baby.”
*********
Rion surprised Tauri by taking her to out to dinner after picking her up from work. She noticed he'd changed from his earlier outfit of jeans and a dress shirt into one of his expensive suits. When they were seated, she looked around the room then back across the table at him.
“Well this is special. What's the occasion?” she asked smiling.
Rion stared into her eyes. “You're special and the occasion is that we're together.”
Tauri smiled even more. “I think I fall in love with you more every day.”
He took her hand and kissed it gently.
“How was your day?” Tauri asked him.
He shrugged. “I took care of some things.” His gaze met hers. “How was your day?”
“I met with Brandon about the case. He was trying to prepare me for the possibility of not getting a conviction.” She removed her hand from his. “He knows I hate to lose.”
“You can only do what's possible,” Rion told her.
Her eyes narrowed. “If John Beckham walks away scot free, I don't know what I'll do.”
Rion smiled at her. “I didn't bring you here to discuss John Beckham. I'm not spending this time with my beautiful wife doing anything other than showing her how much I love her.”
“Hmmm...you're going to make me hurt you tonight,” she purred.
He laughed. “You can try.”
They ordered their meals and sat having a long leisurely dinner. Rion ordered dessert and they feasted slowly feeding each other the delicacy. Tauri felt loved and pampered by the incredibly tender and sexy man sitting across from her.
“Thank you Orion for a wonderful evening,” she whispered unable to contain her smile.
“I want to put that beautiful smile on your face everyday,” he whispered.
“You do,” she said happily.
Rion stood and came around the table taking her hand and helping her to her feet. “Let's go home goddess.” He kissed her softly before leading her out to the car.
Rion and Tauri arrived home and entered the elevator. He watched her closely as the car moved up the shaft. “You want it now?” he asked after seeing the look in her eyes.
Naughtily she shook her head. “No, not now.”
“When?”
Tauri grabbed his tie when the doors opened. “Just follow my lead young god.” She walked through the doors with him following closely behind. In the bedroom, she dropped her bag before she turned to him and loosened the tie she'd been holding. Rion stood still and allowed her to remove his tie, then his shirt. She reached for his belt when her phone began to ring.
Tauri looked up at Rion. “It's the office.”
He smiled at her. “Go ahead. I'll finish what you started.” He kissed her then moved to the bed while she grabbed her phone.
“Hello?” Tauri said smiling. “Hi Brandon.”
She glanced over at Rion waiting on the bed in his boxers. Turning her attention back to Brandon she began to frown as she listened.
“What?” she asked confused. “When?”
“What happened?” she questioned.
Rion sat up against the pillows watching her closely. She turned back to Rion after she ended the call.
“What's wrong baby?” Rion asked.
Tauri lifted confused eyes to his. “John Beckham is dead. He had a heart attack tonight.”
Rion lifted a brow. “Really.”
“Yes, Brandon just told me. They found him a few hours ago,” she told him quietly.
Rion moved from the bed and came to take her into his arms. “It's okay baby.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “This is crazy.”
“It was well known that he had a heart condition,” Rion reminded her.
“Maybe because it was so hard and cold,” Tauri commented harshly.
He held her close stroking her back. “Don't get upset baby. It's simply karma.”
“Maybe this can be over now,” she whispered against his chest. “The other defendants were ready to roll on John so I don't think they'll be a problem. Beckham was really the ring leader, the others were simply following him.”
Rion kissed the top of her head. “We can move on now baby,” he assured her.
She looked up at him. “You think so? What about the team?”
“I'm still waiting to hear from the league, so we'll take that as it goes. What's most important is that you're safe and we can start raising our family,” he told her while picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. Rion laid her down then stretched out next to her placing a hand on her stomach.
“You, our baby and our future are all I'm concerned about.”
She smiled at him. “You don't know if we have a baby yet.”
He began to unbutton her blouse. “I'm about to work on that right now.”
Tauri waited while he undressed her. The stress of the trial and the threats on Orion's life could now be behind them. She felt a weight lifted from her as he caressed her body. Tauri held him close and ran her hands over his supple dark brown skin. The skin that she loved caused others to hate, but now he was safe and she prayed that he would be given his dream of owning a team. Orion believed that if you desired something and you focused on it, it would become a reality. She believed he would own a team and now her entire focus was to make that happen for this man who had walked into her office and became her entire world.
*********
Henry Patterson sat down to watch the evening news. He listened as the newscaster reported the untimely death of John Beckham, the area County Executive who had been indicted on a number of charges, including a hate crime against Rion Shaw. Millie joined Henry on the sofa and together they watched intently. The story continued, relaying that John was found in an apartment he owned in the city. It appeared he'd died of a massive heart attack and no foul play was suspected. When the report was over Henry turned to her.
“You see that Millie?” he asked.
She turned to him. “I saw it Henry.”
Henry smiled. “Hot damn! Orion Shaw!”
Millie smiled too looking at her husband. “Now that's fine, just fine.”
*********
Days later, the city was still in an uproar hearing about the death of John Beckham. Tauri faced the media from the podium outside the Courthouse and announced that plea deals had been reached with the remaining defendants on the case. She stepped back and looked out at Rion and her grandparents among the crowd of reporters and citizens.
Brandon stepped to the podium next, announcing sweeping changes that were going to occur in the Prosecutor's office and then Chief Green announced the same for the police department. Cleaning up the city started with them and they were committed to doing whatever was necessary to provide justice to the citizens.
Tauri stepped down from the podium where Rion and her grandparents were waiting for her. He kissed her and lifted her into the air spinning her around.
“Orion! What are you doing?” she said laughing.
He looked up into her face. “They called. I got the team baby!”
Tauri screamed and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh my god baby!”
She kissed him soundly until he placed her back on her feet while Henry and Millie Patterson watched the pair in excitement.
“We have to be in New York next month for the official announcement,” Rion told her.
“Nothing can keep me from being by your side,” Tauri vowed.
He l
ooked into those hazel eyes that he loved. “Thank you Tauri for standing by me...through everything.”
She touched his handsome face. “Thank you for finding me.”
They heard a commotion then turned in the direction from where it had come from. Tauri saw a man charging towards them yelling racial slurs, along with something about John Beckham. Her eyes widened as he reached into his coat and she froze momentarily.
Before she could react, she heard several shots and saw the man fall to the floor with a pistol in his hand. Tauri turned and saw both Orion and her Granddaddy with guns in their hands. Both men had unloaded rounds striking the perpetrator. More guns were quickly drawn all over the room as the police moved in on the man lying in a growing pool of blood on the floor.
Rion turned to Tauri looking into her startled eyes. Pulling her swiftly into his arms, he asked frantically. “Tauri, are you okay?”
Tauri looked up into his eyes before everything faded to black.
Epilogue
One month later...
The woman watched as Rion Shaw stood tall and handsome on her television screen. He looked a lot different than he did over a month ago in the market. Today he was dressed in a designer ensemble with an expensive watch reflecting the camera's light. They were broadcasting history as he signed the paperwork to become the first black owner of a professional baseball franchise. She smiled as she thought about the man who had changed her life.
She had been John Beckham's mistress for years. It had begun when she was working on his campaign. At the time, she hadn't known the level of his evilness or his hatred for her people. By the time it had become apparent, she'd been pregnant with his child. Not wanting his circle to know about his affinity for chocolate or his illegitimate baby, he'd taken her child and hidden it from her, saying that as long as she did as he requested the child would be safe.
She hadn't known where to turn because he was a rich and a very powerful man. He'd threatened to kill both her and the child if she ever mentioned a word, so she'd settled in to being his captive. Rion Shaw had discovered not only who she was, but also about the baby she'd not seen in years. He'd asked for her help without realizing he was the one really helping her. He was giving her back her life, and for that she would be eternally grateful to the man who had been harassed and threatened for no reason.
