“Mr. Jefferson, two years ago, was your business raided?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Were arrests made in this raid?”
“You know there was. What’s your point?”
“Were you included in those arrests on that date?”
“Yes.”
“So, it’s safe to say you knew then about the sexual acts being performed in your club the same way you do now.”
“No, I’m trying to put an end to it by documenting and talking to y’all now,” Jerrod said. “I want to run a legit business.”
“So why not fire her if she is going against your club policy? Isn’t it true that you are still benefiting from her sleeping with clients?”
“She’s a decent worker, and in my business, that’s hard to find. I’ve given her warnings, and I videotape every inch of my club, so you can see I get no money from her sleeping with these guys.”
The DA was reaching. He had nothing, but he had to show he was still fighting.
Chapter 35
Bill
The Last Straw
We were back at the firm. I stood up from the conference table, looked out of the window, and watched Johnny’s camera crew finishing loading their equipment in the trucks. Francis, Johnny, and his entourage were seated at the conference table, laughing and celebrating as if the case were already won. However, I didn’t celebrate victories until the win was official.
“Tomorrow, we’ll put Johnny on the stand to testify, and that’ll put the nail in the coffin for her. Bill crushed her today,” Francis said to Johnny’s agent.
“I don’t think we should put him on the stand,” I told Francis. I didn’t give a shit that Johnny, his agent, and publicist were in the conference room when I said it. They all needed to hear the truth. I glared at Johnny, and I didn’t give a shit that he saw it. I’d never pretended to like him.
“I don’t like the way your boy looks at me,” Johnny said.
Francis patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t mind him. He just has his game face on. Let’s hear him out.” Francis faced me and asked, “Why not?”
“His cockiness is going to be his downfall,” I said. “Just looking at the jury’s faces when they see him at the defense table, I already know they’re not fond of him. All it takes is for Johnny to slip up and say one bad thing, and it will undo everything we did today. There’s nothing more we need to do. We gave the jury enough to get the verdict.”
“You worry too much,” Francis said. “Once we tell the jury about all of his community service and charity work, they’ll be eating out of his hand.”
Francis went back to laughing with Johnny’s people, explaining how they wanted the commercial of Johnny surrounded by minority children on heavy rotation.
Johnny stepped to me. He grabbed me by the forearm, leaned close to my ear so only I could hear him, and whispered, “After I beat this case, maybe I’ll pay your girl a visit. I’ll give her the same treatment I gave this bitch.”
I lost my temper and punched him in the jaw. “Fuck you, you son of a bitch,” I shouted.
Francis’s eyes grew wide with shock. He rushed toward me, jabbed his index finger in my chest, and said, “Are you fucking crazy? What the hell is the matter with you? You never assault a client.”
Francis turned to Johnny, who was still holding his jaw. “Are you all right, Mr. Alfieri? I apologize for this—”
“He’s fucking done,” Johnny said. “I want him gone. There’s no way he’s representing me anymore.”
Francis stuttered and stammered. “That’s no problem, sir. We’ll find you another attorney right away, Mr. Alfieri.”
Francis stomped over to me and yelled loud enough so Johnny could hear, “Clear out your fucking office. You’re fired. You better hope and pray you didn’t ruin everything and I can convince him to stick with our firm.”
Francis turned to Johnny. “Again, I’m so sorry about this. Do you want to press charges?”
“Nah, fuck him. I don’t need this shit leaking out that he sucker-punched me. It’ll hurt my reputation.”
Francis turned back to me. “You’re lucky he’s not asking to have you fucking arrested. He ought to sue your ass for assault. Get out of my fucking sight.”
The eavesdroppers around the office scattered and acted busy as I opened the door of the conference room and stormed toward my office. I heard the other associates whispering and laughing at their desks. Mrs. Wilson rushed toward me.
“Billy, what happened? Why are you so mad?” she asked.
“Walk with me to my office while we talk.”
She nodded.
“I found out that scumbag I was defending really did rape that girl. When he said after I win the case and clear him, he’d visit Ebony and give her the ‘same treatment’ he gave the stripper, I lost it and punched him in the face.”
Mrs. Wilson covered her mouth in shock, her eyes teary, and hugged me. “I’m so sorry, Billy. The bastard got what he deserved, but what are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out, but don’t hang around me. Go back to your desk. I don’t want the partners to take their aggravation for me out on you. I’m going to pack up my things.”
She nodded, kissed me on the cheek, and headed back to her desk. Ben stepped out of his office and stared at me.
“Good luck to you,” I said. “I’m no longer in the running for partner.”
I didn’t have the energy to answer his questions or watch him gloat. I kept it moving, grabbed some boxes, and got started on clearing my office. I looked at the ring I’d bought for Ebony and cursed everything I’d lost while handling this case. Now that this case was over, I hoped I could get my woman back.
Chapter 36
Ben
Understanding
Mark opened my office door and walked in without knocking. “Did you hear about your boy Billy’s meltdown?” he asked.
“What?”
“Billy punched his basketball star client in the face in front of his agent and Francis.”
“You got to be kidding me,” I said.
“Nope. Francis fired him on the spot,” Mark said. “Billy is in his office right now, clearing out his things. I just got assigned the Alfieri case. I’ve been following it. He had this case won already. Between me winning all the cases I got from you and inheriting this gem of a case from him, you guys are making me look like a superstar.”
The bastard couldn’t even try to mask the happiness in his voice. I gave him a very noticeable frown, which made him laugh.
“Look, do me a favor. Your case sounds like a dead end. Don’t go punching your client in the face now. I have a good winning streak going on, and I don’t want to ruin it. Later.” He laughed, walked out of my office, and didn’t bother shutting my door.
I walked out of my office to, to confirm with other people if the gossip he told me were true. Mrs. Wilson was in the hallway, shaking her head in tears as she released Billy from a hug. Billy looked at me and said, “Good luck to you. I’m no longer in the running for partner.”
He went to his office and started packing up boxes with his belongings.
“What’s going on?” I asked Mrs. Wilson.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“Bill just got fired by the firm. That basketball player he was representing said something sick about doing the same thing he did to that stripper to Billy’s girlfriend Ebony, and Billy punched him.”
I was in shock. I couldn’t believe Alfieri would say something like that, and after everything Billy had gone through the last couple of months with this case, prepping for this case and the death of his mom, I was surprised he’d react that way and lose his job.
While his firing increased the odds of me getting the partnership, I still felt sorry for him.
“Mrs. Wilson?”
“Yes, Mr. Turner,” she said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
“If you don’t min
d me asking, why are you so close with Bill? I see you guys chatting every morning, and you’re emotional about his firing. What’s that about?”
She gave a soft laugh. “Billy is like a son to me. I’ve known him since he was a little boy. He grew up in my neighborhood and went to school with my oldest son. They’re still best friends to this day.”
I’d heard her in passing have conversations about her neighborhood and knew she lived in Queensbridge. I knew there were next to no white people that lived in those developments, so I had to reconfirm what she was saying.
“Bill lived in Queensbridge?” I asked.
“Yes. His mom still lived there. He visited almost every day.” Mrs. Wilson smiled at me.
“I know you probably thought he was some privileged white man that thought minorities were beneath him, but he’s not. Billy is a good guy. I’ve watched him grow up, and he never changed. Once he finished law school and won a decent number of cases, I convinced Mr. Rothstein to consider him for the firm. He was impressed and took Billy in.”
“You got him his job here?”
“Yes. I’ve been here for years, and let’s just say . . . The partners owed me one.”
It all made sense now. I thought about her comment and felt like shit. She was right. I did to Bill what I assumed white people did to me: I assumed the worst. I had already pegged him as just another bigoted asshole without even knowing him. The person who really acted like minorities were beneath them ... was me. The conversation I’d just had with Mrs. Wilson had to be the longest conversation we’d had in the eight years I worked here. How many times had I walked past her or any other minority employee that wasn’t a lawyer and not even acknowledged them?
“I feel sorry for him,” I said.
“Billy’s tough. He’ll land on his feet.”
“I’m going to invite him out to lunch today. Thank you.”
“For what, Mr. Turner?” she asked, confused.
“For helping me see that I was close-minded and prejudiced toward him.”
“Well, you’re welcome. I used to be the same way toward his mom, Debbie, before I got to know her. Back then, my husband had passed away, and my youngest son, Jerami, had leukemia. Struggling to care for him was causing me to miss a lot of time at work. Paying for all my family’s bills alone on top of Jerami’s hospital bills was draining me financially. I was close to being fired, but Debbie babysat Jerami at no charge to me. On top of that, Jerami needed an expensive treatment that wasn’t covered by insurance, and I had no way of paying for it at the time. If he didn’t get that treatment, there was a big chance that he would’ve died. When things looked bleak, and I thought I was going to have to bury my son, Debbie gave me the money to save his life. She had her own health problems and debt too. For years, I’ve tried to pay her back, but she didn’t want money or anything in return.”
Mrs. Wilson nodded at the fond memory and continued. “She did it just to be nice. She helped me when I was at my lowest, and I’m forever grateful to her for that. Well, let me get back to work. We should talk like this more often, Mr. Turner.”
“I’d like that, Mrs. Wilson.”
She smiled and went back to work.
I walked to my office and stood in my doorway. Since his office was across from mine, I watched Bill finish up boxing his things. I thought about treating him to lunch since this was his last day at the firm and getting to know him personally.
The other associates shook their heads and averted their eyes as Bill walked past them, holding his stuff. Everyone was whispering about who was going to take his place. I raced up the hall to catch Bill before he left.
“Bill, wait up,” I said, lightly jogging up to him.
“Look, if you came to gloat, save it. Good luck with your case, man,” he said.
“I’m not here to heckle you. I wanted to let you know Mrs. Wilson told me what happened, and I’m sorry you got let go.”
Bill looked at me skeptically. “Thanks ...”
“I need a break from everything. Would you want to come with me to lunch? It’s on me.”
“Why are you acting nice all of a sudden? We’ve worked together for, like, eight years, and we’ve rarely ever talked.”
“Between this case, things going in my life, and talking to Mrs. Wilson today, I realized I need to stop judging people before I get to know them. I thought you were an elitist who acted like he cared for minorities but really didn’t. I was wrong, and I apologize.”
He smiled. “It’s cool. I thought you were a boujie douche bag.”
We laughed.
“I’ll take you up on that offer for lunch,” he said.
* * *
We ate at the Metro Diner. At first, we talked about our cases, but our conversation evolved. We had a lot of differences, but we also had a lot in common.
“I’ve heard the fucked-up jokes the partners say to you about not being ‘black enough,”’ he said. “I used to get it too. They used to say I talked like I’m black. A lot of people think it’s all an act, but they don’t know who I am or where I came from. I’m not pretending to be anyone else, and I’m not trying to imitate black culture. I’m just being me.”
I sat back in my chair and slowly nodded. Bill’s words mirrored how I’d always felt but never put into words.
“Seriously, I wish I never got this case. I lost my mom, I lost my job, and I probably lost my girl,” Billy said.
“Sorry again about your mom. I know how you feel, man. I’m always fighting with Becky because she feels like I’m neglecting her.”
“I’d rather have my girl feel like I’m neglecting her than to think I’m a secret racist,” he said. “Ebony felt like I betrayed her by defending a guy I knew raped a black woman. I didn’t want to defend that dickhead, but I was trying to make a better life for her and my mom. I hope I didn’t lose her too.”
I was curious to understand his relationship with his girl. “What do you love about Ebony?” I asked.
“Since day one, I always felt like we were a team. We’ve been together since we were kids.”
He leaned in close.
“Real talk: she’s the only woman I’ve had sex with, and she’s the only woman I want. To this day, I still think she’s gorgeous, but it’s more than looks with her. She’s smart, determined, and when she puts her mind to something, she can do anything. She makes me step my game up and pushes me to want to be the same way.”
The way his face lit up when he talked about her, I knew his words were genuine. Before I got to know him, I thought he was like the countless guys that dated Simone—just a white guy that loved fucking black women because it gave him a sense of power—but I was wrong. Hearing him talk about how much he loved his girl made me think about Becky.
“What about you? What do you love about your girl?” he asked.
“With Becky and me, it’s always been us against the world. Her parents hate me. My parents aren’t too fond of her, either. At times, it feels like no one wants to see us together, but we fight for each other. Truthfully, she balances me out. She still surprises me with the things she does. I couldn’t picture my life without her.”
Billy nodded. “I feel the same way about Ebony.”
We bonded over that lunch. We exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch and have a couples’ night before we went our separate ways. One thing was for sure: after talking to him, I knew exactly what I needed to do next.
Chapter 37
Bill
The Future
My lunch with Ben put everything into perspective. I was tired of fighting with Ebony, and with everything that happened today, I’d do anything I needed to have her in my life again completely. I toyed with the ring.
I went to Mrs. Williams’s house.
“Hey, Billy. How are you, baby?”
“I’m good. Is Ebony here?”
“No. She’s not here. She’s been really depressed lately, and I don’t know where she goes when she gets like that
.”
“I think I know where she is. I’ll find her.”
“I hope you two work everything out.”
“Me too.”
* * *
The sun was setting. I searched through Queensbridge Park for Ebony. She always loved this park because she used to come here with Akeem and enjoy seeing the entire city skyline in the distance and the glow of the lights at night.
I found her sitting on a park bench by the water.
“Hey,” I said.
“How did you know I’d be here?” Ebony asked.
“I’ve known you since we were kids. You and Akeem would always come here when you needed to think. What are you thinking about today?”
She didn’t answer, just stared at me in silence.
“I’m sorry about everything,” I said.
She sighed. “I’m sorry too. I had a lot of things going on. Between studying for my test and shit going on at work, your situation amplified everything that was pissing me off and stressing me out.”
“I know that feeling. Did you pass your test?”
“Yeah. I’m going to be a lieutenant.”
“See, I knew you would.”
“You always believe in me.”
“Of course. I love you.”
“So, how did your case go?” she asked. “Did you get him off?”
“I got removed from the case. I could’ve won, but I lost it when he whispered in my ear that he wanted to do the same thing he did to Sophia to you. I finally realized I couldn’t live with myself if I helped him get away with raping that girl.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m proud of you. You stuck to your morals.”
“I got fired today, Ebony.”
“Why? What about everything you wanted?”
“If I stayed there, I would be right back to handling cases I didn’t agree with, and that isn’t why I got into law. Most importantly, working there would’ve pushed you further away from me. You’re my world, and I couldn’t risk losing you.”
Ebony stood up and hugged and kissed me.
“I’m sorry. I know how hard you worked to rise in that firm. What are you going to do about everything?”
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