Serving Time (The Valentine Law Series Book 1)

by Bailey West

  “Who is the star of the team?”

  “See that guy out there in the middle? That position is called center field, and his name is Wesley Phillips. He is the team’s leader, but we have a lot of stars, no pun intended.”

  “Wait, is he the one that posed on the magazine cover with the helmet?”

  Samuel contorted his face. “I mean, come on, how could I not recognize him?”

  “Sit back and watch the game, Patterson.”

  For the duration of the game, El sat next to me and explained what was happening. In the end, the Stars defeated the Seattle Mariners ten to five. It was an exciting game. It was more exciting watching how excited Samuel was and knowing the wheels in his head were turning about taking over the team.

  After the game was over, he took me down to the clubhouse to meet some of the players. He introduced me to each player and told me something professional and personal about each one. I was impressed by his knowledge of the team and the way they all respected him.

  The only player he introduced me to using my first and last name was Wesley. Everyone else he introduced me as Ms. Patterson.

  “Wesley, this is Averie. Averie this is Wesley, the center fielder of the team and my friend.”

  “Nice to meet you, Averie.”

  Wesley and Samuel were about the same height and build. Wesley’s caramel complexion and curly sandy brown hair were a magnet for women, I’m sure. He had perfectly straight and white teeth and a dimple in his chin. He was even more handsome than he was in photographs. I couldn’t speak for what his body looked like up close because he was fully clothed.

  He and Samuel discussed the game while I stood close by checking out things around me. Every so often I would tune back into the conversation and hear things about RBI’s and errors. Wesley smiled a lot and ran his fingers through his loose curls. A lot of females have tried to achieve those curls with rods but can never quite make it to his status.

  “You will recoup here or back in Ragston?” Samuel asked.

  I’d missed the preface of this conversation, so I had no idea what he needed to recoup from.

  “Ragston, with my father. The doctors are saying that I can be back on the field by the end of August, so that’s what I am hoping for.”

  “Are you sick?”

  “No ma’am. I’ve broken my thumb one time too many. I will have to get it surgically reset and a pin in the bone. I’ve put it off for too long.”

  “Oh well being close to family should help you convalesce. Unless they are like my family and drive you bananas.”

  “No, I don’t have the opportunity to spend extended periods of time with them, so it will be good. Plus, I will be home for my fifteen-year high school reunion. I would have missed it if I didn’t have to have the surgery.”

  “Alright, man. I will be checking in on you and will probably find some time to come up and check out Ragston,” El said while giving Wesley a hug.

  “For sure. Bring Averie, too. I’m sure she would enjoy it.”

  “Nice meeting you, Wesley.”

  “Same here, Averie.”

  Averie

  We landed Sunday night after having an amazing time in Charlotte. After I thought about it, that was the first trip I’d taken in a very long time. I didn’t want to leave.

  Samuel stopped by his apartment and collected clothes for Monday, then stayed the night at my place.

  I woke up before him and prepared breakfast for us. He must have smelled the food cooking and came into the kitchen to find me.

  “Good morning,” he kissed my forehead.

  “Good morning. I’m making you some of your turkey bacon, eggs and French toast. Have a seat.”

  “When did you purchase turkey bacon? I thought you didn’t like it.”

  “Actually, I did like it. It doesn’t replace pork by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a good brand. I asked Lita for the name of it before I left the Wentzville house that weekend.”

  I put his plate in front of him then sat down to eat.

  “Why are you awake so early?”

  “I’ve got some things on my mind about the firm. One of my senior litigators has a meeting with Trevor Bell of Bell Towers…”

  “And McIntyre. I know who he is.”

  “Well, when I first started the firm, and we were making waves and winning cases, he tried to buy me out, more than once. I told him I didn’t want to merge with a big firm. That was one of the reasons why I left the big firm to start my own. I didn’t want to get tangled up in the ‘good ‘ole boy’ network. I needed to know I would be recognized for my hard work and three white men would never notice the little black girl. Anyway, I kept saying no, and he kept asking. Eventually, he went away, but he’s a predator, and I don’t want to do any business with him. Now, my associate has taken this secret meeting with him, and I am going to have to bust in and break that shit up. She knows better. The kicker is she tried to have the meeting while I was out working on Roc’s case. I guess she thought the trial would take longer and I wouldn’t find out.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Liddy found out. She knows everything.”

  “What’s your move? How is the security in the building? Do you want me to have Count send someone over just in case?”

  “My move is to surprise them and get to the bottom of it. I want to kick Caroline’s ass, but I have to keep her semi close until I figure out her angle. The building security is legit. If I call them, they will come, but Bell is too smart to have a public confrontation. Thank you for offering, but I won’t need Countee. It’s business. I can handle business.”

  “I hear you, and I agree. I would like to add that if Bell gets out of pocket, I’m coming for him. I know you got it and its business, but it’s the rule of the street, you come for my lady it’s not business anymore, it’s personal.”

  “El, I…”

  “Are you about to give the speech about the knight and the horse?”

  “No, I was going to say, thank you. I’m not used to someone having my back even though you suck it hard enough to leave bruises.”

  “You saw those?”

  “No! My sisters did!” I laughed.

  “I thought about spelling out El’s but decided against it.”

  I threw my paper towel at him.

  I waited until ten minutes after the meeting began to enter the conference room. You would have thought Caroline had seen a ghost. All the blood drained from her face and she became pale almost to the point of looking blue.

  “Good morning! Sorry I am late. This meeting must have been switched on my calendar,” I fake smiled as I sat at the head of the table.

  “Ms. Patterson, I didn’t think you would be a part of this meeting,” Trevor said.

  “Well, Mr. Bell, it is my firm so why would you think I would miss it?”

  “Ms. Radcliffe told me you would be tied up with a case, so she would speak on your behalf.”

  “As gracious as that was for Ms. Radcliffe to do, I would never leave my business to a senior litigator. While I trust her courtroom acumen, she’s not ready to handle my business. So, what are we discussing?”

  “I wanted to be the first to throw my hat in the ring to bid on your firm. I know you thought you could make a go at this but let’s face it, Ms. Patterson, you’re barely making it. Your associates are losing easy cases. Your clients are walking away. This is a sinking ship. I am offering you a life jacket. Hell, I’m offering you a whole other ship.”

  I felt the heat of anger rise from my toes and become an inferno by the time it reached my mouth. I was ready to jump on the table and use every expletive I knew to kick him out of my office. I held on just to hear what he would say next.

  “I’m listening,” I said calmly, but my foot was tapping a mile a minute under the table.

  “If you were to accept my offer, you and the other ladies who work here would be absorbed into the Bell, Tower and McIntyre group. You would fall into rank
right behind the senior associates we already have, and when the time comes, in several years, you would be looked at for junior partner, then eventually a senior partner.”

  I stood to my feet because I was about to lose it.

  “Mr. Bell, you’ve given me a lot to think about. I will speak with you again.” I opened the conference room door.

  “Don’t take too long. There are sharks in those waters.”

  He walked out of the room. I watched him until he stepped on the elevators and the doors closed.

  I closed the door to the conference room and looked at Caroline.

  “Averie, I saw a pattern of loss, and I was concerned that maybe it was bad for the firm. I didn’t mean to step over you or anything. I mean, I can’t make any moves without you, it’s your firm, after all. I told you that I would handle things while you were gone, and I did to include looking after the financial stability of the firm. I ran into Trevor one night at dinner, and he told me that he had something he wanted to discuss with me about the firm. I didn’t think it would hurt to have a conversation.”

  I schooled my expression and let her ramble. I knew what she was trying to do, but I needed solid proof. Once I had solid evidence, I was coming for her and anyone who helped her.

  “I get it. No worries,” I smiled.

  Samuel

  “Then this three-foot, eleven-inch, one chromosome away from being a dwarf, prick-ass, hobbit looking, mouth breathing, sewer snake has the nerve to tell me there are a lot of sharks out there. What the fuck! I’m sorry for cursing, but this is some bullshit. I knew Caroline was a little jealous of my success but to try to take another woman down? Damn, how low will she sink?”

  I was listening to Averie tell me about her meeting with Trevor Bell. I was angry, but I tried to appear neutral even though I already knew that Trevor would be hearing from me.

  “Baby, you handled the situation perfectly. You didn’t give them any reason to suspect you knew what was going on.”

  “You think so? What I really wanted to do was drag that bitch across the table by her hair.”

  “I would have handled it the same way. You have to know what they are up to and how deep it’s gotten. The best way to do that is to keep them close and working on it.”

  “Thank you. I started this firm, so these women could make a name for themselves and not have to run behind a man to validate them or make them relevant. Now this smut is doing the opposite.”

  “Count is on his way over. He will get to the bottom of this then you can throw her out like the trash she is and tell Trevor to…what did you tell Barry to do?”

  “Choke on a dick,” she laughed.

  I knew what she said, but I needed to see her smile. I was one second away from finding Trevor and knocking him out.

  “El,” Ray said as he knocked on the doorframe of my home office. “Count is here. I’m heading out. Do you need anything before I leave?”

  “No. You have a test to study for, correct?”

  “Yes, and I have some feet to rub because I can’t take her out to dinner tonight.”

  Ray has transformed his life and is working hard toward his degree. He loves his wife. I’m proud of him.

  “Call me if you need help with studying. You will have to handle that foot rub on your own,” I laughed.

  “I will. She usually falls asleep when I massage her feet so I will have time to study. I will hit you up if I need help.”

  “Alright. Thanks for working hard today, Ray. See you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight Averie,” Ray said as he backed out the room.

  “Night, Ray.”

  A few minutes later Countee came into my office followed by Laila.

  “What’s up Count?” I asked while giving him dap.

  “Hey Laila,” I said while giving her a quick hug.

  They both spoke to Averie then chose a seat.

  “What’s going on, Averie?” Count asked.

  “As you know, I founded my own law firm. I’m sure you looked into it before I started working with Samuel.”

  Countee nodded.

  “So, I don’t need to explain the structure. One of my senior litigators scheduled a meeting with Trevor Bell from…”

  “Bell, Towers and McIntyre,” Countee finished. “Yes, I know them.”

  “She scheduled the meeting without my consent and then played coy when I busted into the meeting. Additionally, my associates went on an astonishing losing streak while I was working on Princeton’s case. I mean this losing streak was so extraordinary that it’s not possible. I believe someone leaked information to our opposing counsel in more than one case. The problem is that I can’t prove it.”

  “You believe that your senior Litigator, Caroline Radcliffe is responsible for leaking information and trying to diminish the reputation of your firm?” Laila asked.

  “Yes, and I don’t know if she is the only one. It came to my attention because my secretary told me she saw the meeting with Trevor on Caroline’s schedule. I have two more senior litigators, Ruth Berkeley and Shelly Irons. I don’t know if they are involved also. Right now, I can’t trust anyone. I need to get to the bottom of this.”

  I made a mental note of every name Averie said. Anyone involved in this is going to feel the heat from every possible direction. She may have her form of justice, but I have mine.

  “We will need a list of all your employees, so we can dig into their backgrounds and their accounts. If they are trying to sabotage you, there should be a trail of money,” Countee said while typing on his tablet.

  “We can set up the same camera system that we set up in the war room at Valentine Law,” Laila added.

  “Count, did you take care of that footage?”

  “I did,” Countee smirked.

  After Averie and I almost had sex in the war room, I contacted Countee to make sure the footage from the surveillance cameras he’d installed was erased. He made a snide remark about putting it on a drive so Averie and I could watch it later. To which I responded with threats on his life several times before he acquiesced.

  The conversation continued while I sat quietly and listened to the game plan. I didn’t like the level of stress this was putting on Averie, but I knew she could handle it. If at any point she couldn’t, I would step in and everyone associated with this would go down.

  Averie

  I sat next to El on the front row of The Encounter Worship Center. He cleared his schedule to have dinner with my parents and attend Sunday morning worship. Samuel held my hand through a lot of the service. When Pastor DeLucas took the stage, he released my hand so that he could lean forward and rest his forearms on his thighs. He gave Pastor DeLucas his undivided attention.

  “Today, I would like to talk to you about words. A word is a unit of language that is a principal carrier of meaning. We use words to communicate both orally and written. When God created the world, he used words. In Genesis we see, ‘and God said,’ then something happened. And God said let there be light. And there was light. He created tangible, living things with his words.

  God spoke words with a specific purpose. He knew when the words left his mouth, something was going to happen. Something was going to appear that was not there. Something was going to come to life. He used his words wisely.

  In the New Testament, we see another example of the use of words. Jesus used his words to curse a fig tree. He spoke the curse over the tree, the next day it was withered. He didn’t touch it physically. His words touched it. They carried enough power to accomplish their task.

  We have been given the same authority here on earth. We have the power of words although most of us have no idea how much weight our words carry.

  Think of the children whom we’ve read about or some we’ve known who have taken their own lives because people said something that hurt them. How many of us know people who are no longer friends, married or even family because of something the other person said…not something another person did, but sai
d.

  Words have power. Words can plant, build-up, encourage, uproot, tear-down and discourage. Sometimes we can do all those things in one sentence.

  We have to learn to use the right words at the right times to create the right situations. The bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Your tongue can be the difference between someone living and someone dying.

  I implore you to consider the impact your words will have on the person you have directed them to. Not only your spoken words but your written words also. Think about the things you post and re-post on social media. Sometimes all it takes is a second to consider your impact. There is a person on the other side of your anonymous comment. I say to you, think twice speak once.

  When I met my wife, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. She was a brick house, that’s what we called a woman with a nice body, back in my day. She had the perfect measurements, and I always told her how beautiful she was to me. One day, she tried on some shoes that buckled around her ankles. She put the strap on the last hole, and they were still loose around her ankle. I said, ‘you have skinny ankles.’” The women in the audience made disapproving noises. “I wish you all would have been there to stop me before I said it!” JD laughed. “I’d told this woman that she was beautiful at least fifty times a day but do you know what settled in her spirit? Her skinny ankles. Which are not actually skinny but now that I’ve said it, no matter how many times I tell her it’s not true, she won’t believe me.

  We all have to learn to be more intentional with the words we speak.”

  I had agreed to attend church with Samuel before we went to dinner at my parent’s house. I enjoyed the service. Pastor DeLucas’ message was eloquently delivered and very simple to understand. I knew I had some work to do when it came to words.

  After service, Samuel led me to the back of the church to Pastor DeLucas’ office.

  “Samuel!” The woman Pastor DeLucas introduced as his wife greeted him.

  “Lady Elisa, it’s good to see you.”