The Scales (The Black Land Series Book 3)

by D. Camille

  Mac kept her expression neutral. “I just hope the best candidate wins.”

  “Very PC Chief Green. You do your job well.” The Mayor commented. “Now tell me what you plan to do to bring down these officers.”

  “It’s going to be a black mark on the department whatever I do,” Mac sighed. “But I’m going to weed out every last one and then I’m going to lock them up for a very long time. This is inexcusable.”

  “I agree, just be careful. They’ve gone through great lengths to keep this from you and you don’t know what they will do once exposed,” the Mayor warned.

  “I’m watching my back all the time. I’ve identified the two detectives working the case along with two additional officers who’ve been in contact with Tremaine inside the jail. I’m hoping it doesn’t extend further than that, but I’m following all leads.”

  “Good job Chief Green. I have no doubts that you will rectify this situation, and that you will do it expediently.”

  Mac stood to her feet. “I took an oath to this city and this department. I won’t let either down.”

  Mayor Cavanaugh nodded with a smile. “Tell that handsome Head Prosecutor that I’ll see him and his father at the fundraising dinner.”

  Mac lifted a brow. “Yes ma’am, I will definitely tell the handsome Head Prosecutor and his father what you said.”

  “In fact I’m on my way to see that handsome Head Prosecutor to work on an initiative that his father wants us to create across departments,” Mac told her.

  “That Judge Williams, it’s a shame he never remarried, although losing someone you love so tragically can leave many scars,” the Mayor commented.

  Mac looked somber. “I’m sorry about your husband.”

  Losing her husband was another reason why the Mayor had decided to walk away from her job. The couple had been married for nearly forty years when he’d died suddenly of a heart attack last year.

  “Thank you Mac. If I may give you a word of advice?” she asked.

  Mac nodded. “Of course.”

  “Never let your job keep you from spending time with the one you love. Yes, our careers are important but they should be what we do, not who we are. Cherish every moment that someone holds you in their arms and whispers in your ear. Those moments you can never get back.”

  “I will remember that.”

  Mac left the Mayor’s office and drove home to wait for Brandon. She had insisted that they meet at her house to discuss the initiative because having his closet near was just too tempting for the both of them. Contemplating the Mayor’s words, she thought about Brandon. Her job was a dangerous one and nothing was guaranteed.

  Mac had not had any long term relationships, primarily due to her position as chief. Many men couldn’t handle her authority or her haphazard hours. They didn’t understand that emergencies didn’t have office hours. Her job had ultimately become her love…until now.

  Brandon had always been her go to whenever she needed anything, be it reining in the Negus to helping her get violent criminals off the city streets. He’d been her rock even though she had never examined it that way. Still today, he made sure she was fed and comforted. He loved her in a way that allowed her to be strong, yet still made her feel like a woman.

  Brandon brought out things in her that she didn’t know herself, until being with him. His cool, calm demeanor that would sometimes irritate her, now gave her a safe place to land. She loved knowing that in the midst of chaos, she could count on Brandon to remain solid and steadfast. Mac realized she needed that more than anything.

  Thinking about him made her remember something, so she dialed his number from her car. When he answered, she felt tingles.

  “Hello Mackenzie.”

  “Hello Brandon. I was calling to tell you not to bring food with you.”

  “How did you know I was bringing food?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Because you’re always bringing me food, but this time I’m feeding you.”

  “You always feed my appetites Mackenzie,” he told her in a low, sexy voice.

  “See, this is why we’re behind on this initiative. Your father is going to think we can’t do our jobs.”

  Brandon laughed. “My father set this whole thing up with the intention of putting us together, so he has to reap what he’s sown.”

  “The Mayor said to tell your handsome self, hello and that she’ll see you and your father at the fundraising dinner.”

  He smiled. “I love Mayor Cavanaugh. She’s been a great Mayor.”

  “She thinks you’ll be one too, my love.”

  Brandon paused. “I’m bringing something else for you tonight.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’ll see when I get there, my love.”

  Mac felt warm. “I’ll see you soon then counselor.”

  When Mac arrived home, she did something that she rarely did and cooked a full meal for two. Although Brandon had never mentioned anything about her cooking for him, it’s something that she wanted to do.

  Even though Mac had grown up in an upwardly mobile suburban home, she’d still had to do things like cooking and cleaning at home. While she wasn’t a prize winning chef, she could hold her own and since she liked to eat, she had no choice.

  Brandon arrived and Mac showed him inside. “I’m glad you can come through the front door now.”

  “Yes, that was going to get tired real quick.” He agreed taking her into his arms. “I missed you today.”

  Mac smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You just saw me this morning.”

  He kissed her softly. “And it’s been on my mind all day.”

  “We need to work.”

  “We are.”

  She kissed him again. “Not if you keep this up.”

  Brandon reluctantly released her. “Okay, we’ll do it your way…for now.”

  Taking his hand, she led him into the kitchen where Brandon surveyed the room. “You cooked?”

  “I can,” she told him with a shy smile. “I just don’t have a lot of time to do it often.”

  “I know that you’re a busy woman and I don’t want a chef, Mackenzie. I want a woman who can make me feel alive with one look into her beautiful eyes. A woman whose touch makes me want to defy all logic to be in her embrace. A woman who is both incredibly strong and incredibly sexy at the same time. A woman that I’ve waited thirty years for to mend my broken heart.”

  “So I really don’t care if you cook or not,” he finished.

  Mac looked into his beautiful green eyes. “This initiative is never going to get started if you say things like that to me.”

  Brandon smiled at her. “This initiative is going to be incredible and I’ll never stop saying how much you mean to me.”

  He took her hand. “This smells really good. Thank you.”

  “Let’s eat.”

  The two sat down to a quiet dinner and conversation. Brandon was delighted by Mac’s meal and told her so repeatedly causing her to blush. After taking their plates into the kitchen, they retired to Mac’s office where she had things set up for them to meet.

  Brandon held out her chair then took the one next to her before he began looking over the items on the table. Grabbing a pad and pen he turned to her.

  “Tell me your ideas first,” he offered.

  “Okay, I think we should work on diminishing non-violent offenders from returning into the system.”

  Brandon nodded. “Give me an example of what you’re thinking.”

  “Since Bill Clinton signed the Crime Bill into effect, there’s been a war on our black men going to jail for petty crimes, even no crimes at all. These men get put into the system and then there’s no way out for them. Even when they’re released, their lives are never the same and many end up back behind bars.”

  Brandon jotted some notes. “Well with prisons now being an economic gold mine for corporations outsourcing work, it benefits those people to have as many bodies available as possible,” he told
her.

  Mac shook her head. “You lock people up for no damn reason then you let billion dollar corporations pay them like seventeen cents an hour to work for them? That’s some bullshit right there,” she said adamantly.

  “I know. Every time I have to prosecute another black man for this, it kills me. When I have to send boys to prison for possession of weed! Weed!”

  “Then I watch them get more time than a murderer, a pedophile or a rapist. I agree, that’s some bullshit,” he said angrily.

  “So if we can’t keep them out in the first place, let’s at least try to keep them from not going back,” Mac suggested.

  Brandon nodded. “Maybe we can include Khalil and he could start some type of recidivism project at his Community Center? A place where these men and women can go to get information and assistance in the community.”

  “I could work on bringing lesser chargers in some cases if the offenders were enrolled in a program, and we could see if the judges would be open to more lenient sentencing,” Brandon offered.

  Mac grabbed a pad and pen too, then began writing. “I could meet with my officers and try to bring arrests down, especially in non-violent cases and cases of distress.”

  They continued to discuss and take notes for the next half hour then Brandon paused and looked at her.

  “I think that’s a good start for now,” he told her. “We can write this up and talk to my father.”

  Mac smiled at him. “I love working with you. You’re always in sync with my thoughts.”

  “You have amazing thoughts,” he complimented her.

  “Do you think we can do this?” she asked.

  Brandon sat his pad on the table. “I’m sure we won’t know if we don’t try.”

  She held his gaze and studied him for a minute.

  “I think the Mayor has a crush on you and your Daddy,” she told him.

  “I wish someone would have a crush on my father. Maybe that’s what he needs right now.”

  Mac looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know exactly, but something’s up with him. I asked and he evaded, so I’m trying to be patient.”

  “Maybe he’s going through some type of life crisis. You said he’s been on you to get married and have grandchildren,” Mac surmised.

  “I think it’s more than that.” Brandon shook his head frowning and Mac touched his face.

  “This is really bothering you,” she whispered.

  Brandon looked away. “My father is all I had in my life. I don’t even know what I would do if he was sick or something. I just wish he would tell me what’s going on.”

  Mac turned his face back to hers. “Your father is one of the strongest men I’ve ever met. Whatever it is, I’m sure he’s taking care of it and when he needs you, he’ll tell you. He wouldn’t just leave you in the dark.”

  Brandon agreed. “I needed to hear that. Thank you.”

  Mac stood and laid his head on her breasts as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I don’t think it’s easy for you to open up about your feelings.”

  “It hasn’t been.”

  Gently she stroked his face. “You can always be open with me Brandon. I’m safe.”

  He lifted his head to her and she kissed him gently, showing him that he could trust her with everything he held inside.

  “Who did you talk to when your mother died?” she asked softly.

  “No one. I had nothing to say,” he answered.

  Mac looked at him. “Did the Judge get you counseling?”

  “Of course. My father did everything he could, but I’d shutdown. It was the only way I could cope,” he confessed. “I met Rion and the other Negus at summer camp and they became my outlet.”

  “You and Rion are very close,” she observed.

  Brandon nodded. “Rion is my best friend. He knows things I’ve never told anyone else.”

  Mac lifted a brow. “He knows about the closet?” she asked in surprise.

  “Yes and he knows what happened with Patrice,” Brandon told her.

  “Will you tell me that story?” Mac asked softly.

  Holding her gaze, he said, “Yes, I think I should.”

  “Sit down please,” he instructed and she slowly complied.

  “I met Patrice in law school and we had a lot in common it seemed. We were both ace law students, both from the city and we both planned to do amazing things. Together we were going to take over the world. At that time, I was young and had just begun my sexual experimentations. Patrice was just as into it as I was and so we tried a little bit of everything.”

  “Our last year of school, Patrice was having trouble in one of her classes. I tried to tutor her, but she wasn’t getting it. She finally told me that her instructor offered her private instruction to help her pass because she needed the class to graduate.”

  Mac shook her head. “I can guess where this is going.”

  Brandon nodded. “She’d be late, missing in action and her stories never added up. Eventually, I just confronted her and she admitted that she had been sleeping with her professor. She told me there was no way she wasn’t going to graduate and that it didn’t mean anything.” He shook his head. “I don’t know who the hell she thought she was talking to.”

  “I ended it and told her I was reporting both her and the professor. We were in the midst of finals and I didn’t want to be distracted so I’d planned to wait until I’d finished my exams before dealing with her. The next thing I knew, I was being called in to the Dean’s office being accused of cheating.” He paused when Mac gasped.

  “No she didn’t!”

  “To cover their asses, Patrice and the professor had concocted this elaborate story of me not writing my own papers and that my father was assisting me in this deception. Patrice lied and said she’d witnessed my father writing my law review papers.”

  “She involved the Judge?” Mac said in shock.

  “Definitely the wrong move. Accusing me was one thing, but accusing my father was an entirely different story,” Brandon told her harshly.

  “What happened? I never heard anything about any of this.”

  Brandon shook his head. “My father swooped in and literally laid down the law. He told the University that he’d bring down their entire institution for even questioning me based on the word of a failing student who’d just aced a final exam and a shady professor who’d had a history of female students making drastic turnarounds in their grades.”

  “Once that information was presented, the University backtracked real fast,” he finished.

  Mac sat in awe. “Wow, that’s quite a story.”

  “The school apologized to me and my father. Patrice was allowed to delay graduation and re-take the class. Although, she’d tried to end my career, my father and I petitioned for her to be able to still complete her degree, since the professor had a tendency for that behavior.”

  “We both decided that we didn’t want to see a young sister lose her whole career before it even started. She went her way and I went mine and we haven’t met up again until now,” he explained.

  Mac touched his arm. “That was so nice of you and your father. I applaud you for that.”

  “However, now I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her, and if she thinks she’s going to bring up anything from the past, she’d better think again,” he warned. “I was nice before, I won’t be again.”

  “You don’t think she’d try to slander you, do you?” Mac questioned.

  “Patrice will do anything to get what she wants, so I’m prepared.”

  Moving closer, Mac cradled his face. “I’m prepared too.”

  Brandon smiled. “The chief is always ready.”

  Her eyes darkened. “Mmmm…she is right now,” Mac whispered before attaching her mouth to his.

  Returning her kiss, Brandon pulled her even closer. “I brought your mask.”

  Chapter 13

  Mac ret
urned to her office after a morning of following up on Tremaine’s information. Tonight was Brandon’s fundraising dinner and she needed to leave early to get ready. Sitting down, she went over what she’d gathered.

  Tremaine’s accusations, if proven true, would shake up her entire department. Mac didn’t care about pretenses and how things looked, she cared about presenting the truth. If that truth was ugly, then so be it.

  She began putting her files away when the phone on her desk buzzed. Frowning, she picked up the receiver.

  “Yes?”

  “Sorry to bother you Chief Green. I know you’re on your way out, but there are some officers here to see you and they say it can’t wait.”

  Mac looked concerned. “I’ll be right there.”

  She went to the door and saw three officers in the lobby. Looking them over, she greeted them. “Good morning officers.”

  “Good morning chief, may we have a word with you?”

  “Of course.” Mac showed them into her office and motioned for them to take a seat.

  “We’d rather stand,” one of them replied and Mac nodded slowly before sitting behind her desk.

  She gave the trio her full attention.

  “We’re here chief because we know that you are investigating and we want you to know that we are not the ones you’re looking for.”

  Mac nodded slowly.

  “Who am I looking for then?” she asked.

  “We’re here to tell you all that we know and to assist you in any way we can.”

  “How long has this been going on?” Mac questioned.

  An officer stepped forward. “From my understanding not long, six months or so.”

  “How many are involved?”

  Another officer answered. “Six that we know of at this time.”

  Mac contemplated their answers. “Am I holding any other young men in these cells because of those officers?”

  “Possibly,”

  “Shit!” Mac made a fist and brought it to her mouth, shaking her head.

  “When this goes down chief, and we know it’s going to go down…we want you to know that we’re on your side,” the third officer told her.

  Mac composed herself and looked at the three officers in front of her. It had taken courage to cross their fellow comrades, but they’d stood on the side of right and she applauded them for their actions.