Boaz

Olivia Bennett-Alexander's assistant, Josie Boyd served Sissy, Sirena and I tumblers of coffee and pastries as we sat in her conference room at her home office...

Her law practice was on the first floor , Her niece, Attorney Beverly West lived above

and Olivia and her husband ,Investigator ,Donnie Ray Alexander lived on the top floor..

I looked around and smiled at my friend and former adversary...

"This is a great set up Livy...I am so proud of the Attorney you've become....I knew the first time I went up against you in court many years ago that you were destined for bigger things....I can't believe you've been here all this time and I've never visited you." I said.

"I can't believe it either...Wowwww ,Thanks for the compliments...You've got me blushing.." she said smiling...

We had faced each other seven times in court, with her winning three and me winning four of those meetings...Ours had been a great ,yet friendly rivalry...

"I suppose you wonder why we are here?" asked Sissy....

"It's not everyday that the Assistant District Attorney and the Lieutenant of the Criminal Investigation Divison comes to visit us."laughed her husband, Donnie Ray Alexander, himself a former Homicide Detective.

''Don't let us intimidate you...We are here strictly for information and not on one of your current or former clients.."said Sirena..

"Okay...Now I'm worried." joked Olivia's niece, Beverly....

We all busted out laughing...

"What do you know about Emilio Boaz?" I asked..

Olivia smiled...

"He used to be a Public Defender....When I was one...Cute guy. ....He graduated from Law School a year before me and when I started out...He helped me a great deal...He was a very excellent trial attorney...I was his second on a few cases..." she said.

"So was I....when I started out....He taught me a lot about being a litigator...Very smooth guy..."said Beverly...

"But!" said Sirena..

"There is always a but!"laughed Donnie Ray...

"He always seemed to have a little more cash than most of us Public Defenders ."said Olivia.

"And he always seemed a little too cozy with certain clients...The uh Drug Dealing kind...No one never could prove anything.. but...there were rumors.. That he was uh in bed with some smarmy types." said Beverly...

"I understand he was in Private Practice for awhile...In Atlanta and then back here at a major firm.."I said.

"Yes..the same firm I was formerly with and then last summer...I heard that he resigned suddenly and became a Public Defender again.."said Olivia.

"That's odd." I said.

"I agree...That's a big step down for somebody like him.."said Donnie Ray...

"And yet he lives in a pretty nice condo and drives an expensive ride with his initials monogrammed on the side.."said Sirena..

 "Yes...That is odd...very odd..Something worth looking into." said Sissy.

II-

While we were talking with Olivia,Beverly and Donnie Ray...Detectives Edwin "Duke" Baylor and his partner, Detective Angie Belton-Barlow sat in a Catering Service truck with partially tinted windows..

The Truck was actually a front....Inside was three plain clothes cops , armed to the teeth and with electronic materials..

"Angie...Don't worry... Junior is one of the best at this...I trained him myself and we surveyed this spot..

Boaz is not here...He's with Top downtown and his two goons are with him...We got eyes on both of his street bosses..."said Duke..

"I know Duke...but he's been in there an awful long time.."said Angie...

"If he is..It's for a good reason....Relax...Jimmy knows what he's doing.."said Duke..

Angie surveyed the complex...

"This is a nice place....I can't imagine Emilio Boaz affording this or that car on his Public Defender's salary."said Angie..

"Me neither... Sirena and I are going to check his financials...We are going to get to know him real good in the coming weeks."said Duke.

There was a tap on the van...It was Jimmy...and his partner...

"Sorry I'm late guys..." he said.

Angie kissed him so softly and passionately that he blushed...

"I'm just so glad you're alright.." she said..

 "I'm fine Chocolate Cupcake. Especially after that kiss!" he said.

Now it was Angie's turn to blush...

"Oh hush up smarty" she said.

"Chocolate Cupcake?" laughed Duke.

"A Pet name he has for me."she shyly explained..

Duke laughed..

"I gathered.." he said.

"The place is wired for sound and video...We can watch and listen...The spyware Sharon got us is from Homeland Security, real sophisticated...But I got something else...I found ledgers...With payments to known drug dealers in the area...I took photos with my micro-camera...That's what took me so long..."said Jimmy...

Duke Looked at Angie..

"What did I tell you?  I trained him well...He's the best at this.."he said and High fived Jimmy..

"Let's get out of here...I want to make love to my wife at sometime before this day is over...I've been workin all morning long.."said Jimmy..

"Jimmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" said Angie, blushing like crazy....

"Alright team..Let's get out of here." said Duke as they pulled off..

III-

Carlotta sat in the tony Bar and drank Cranberry juice and Vodka.....She was looking good...She was wired to the hilt...

Several men sent her drinks which she had to send back politely...All but one...

It was him, Emilio Boaz...Tall, handsome, with jet black hair and a slight limp when he walked..He dressed immaculately and always wore a nice fragrance....Most women were drawn to him...Tonight he was drawn to one...Carlotta.

"Carlotta Rodriguez...Is that you?" he said smiling salaciously at her and checking her out..

"It is....Hello Emilio.." she said.

"My God...You are even more beautiful than I remember ,If that is even possible...Aye Caramba!!! You still a cop?" he asked..

"Si" she said smiling...

"Last time I saw you...You were wearing a uniform and driving around in a squad car with that white boy...Boy you used to fill that uniform out..Aye Mios Dios..."he said.

"Has it been that long Emilio?" she asked laughing..

"Yes..." he said.

"Well me and that white boy you were talking about have moved on to bigger and better things..I'm A Detective now...Homicide...So is he." she said.

"Homicide huh?..So you can wear your regular clothes huh?" he said eying her salaciously...

"Pretty much." she said..

"I bet you are driving the other detectives crazy..."he said ,still checking her out...

"Not the detectives...Just one man...My Husband.." she said.

"Your Husband?? You got married  Carlotta?" he asked ,now looking very disappointed..

"Yes...about four years ago....I'm Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace now." she said.

"He make you happy?" he asked..

"Very much so." she said.

"Any children?" he asked..

"No..Not yet..." she said...

"Damn...If I had married you...You'd have to quit your job...Me too..We'd be in bed, twenty four seven.."he remarked, just watering at the mouth as he looked at her...

She laughed...

How many guys had told her that before?

Meanwhile in a surveilience van, three blocks from the van...Tyriq shook his head..

"Is this guy for real?" he asked...

"I know Rico...They all say the same thing....He sounds just like Manny Spain, when he was talking to me.."said Angie ,who was seated beside him...

"He's going to get to the good part pretty soon, now that he knows he doesn't have a chance."said Jimmy..

"Nah Junior...Guys like him always think they got a shot..."said Duke..

"He's right Jimmy...How did everything go with the wiretaps?" asked Tyriq..

"Perfect....We have an opening into this guys world we never had before." said Jimmy...

"I doubt that he is going to do much business on his phone...or at home...but you never know.."said Duke..

"We still have teams of plain clothes guys on Him and his main man Spook...That woman, Martha Rose...She's in a condo downtown and gets a lot of late night visits from the man himself...Brooklyn Decker.."said Angie..

"We gotta get up on that other partner of his....You think she's Decker's Mistress?" asked Tyriq.

 "Either that or they discuss a lot of business in the dark from 10:30 to daybreak." said Angie..

Duke busted out laughing....

"Monkey Business." he said.

Back in the bar...Emilio was still drooling over Carlotta..

"You keep staring at me like that and you're going to go blind..."said Carlotta...

"I don't care...If I went blind and you were the last sight I had..I could die happy.."he said..

"You really are a silver tongued orator."said Carlotta....

He smiled..

"More wine?"

"Yes...Thank You." said Carlotta.

"You know...It's nice that some people from our neighborhood made it out , made something of themselves...I was worried about you for awhile...When you were engaged to Mickey Lolo....You were too good for him..He and Minolo Sentterro were a bunch of low life gangsters...Glad you became a cop...How is your sister and your cousin doing?" he asked.

"They are great, they all moved back to Puerto Rico...My Father runs a business and my sister is a lawyer like you...She's his chief counsel....Mercedes is a Homicide detective in San Juan.."said Carlotta proudly...

"WOWWWWW! How bout your best friend...Sharon?  She's a lawyer too right?" he asked..

"She is...and she's FBI...Deputy Director of the Philadelphia bureau.." said Carlotta...

"Whoaaaaa...That's major...Remember that guy...Tony Hopkins that used to run behind her like a puppy dog?" he laughed...

"That's her husband now....He's a detective too...Homicide.." said Carlotta.

"No kiddin? He got Sharon Ferrell?" he asked and laughed..

"He did.."laughed Carlotta..

"So, you uh still rock out with her?" he asked.

"All the time..That's my roadie for life."said Carlotta..

"Uh Huh...So uh...you hear things right? Like uh important cases....??" he said.

"Uhhh yeah...I do.." she said....

"You hear about this damn State Trooper..White boy got caught with two hookers and liquor and drugs in some sleaze bag hotel...??" he asked..

"It wasn't my case...but yeah...I heard about him."said Carlotta...

"He uh came up on my docket...I'm uh supposed to uh represent him.." he said..

"Those civil cases against him went away...The State paid the six people off and promptly fired him.."said Carlotta..

"Yes..I heard...but he's down for murder.." he said.

"Oh no....The girl was full of Cocaine and before his two partners were killed they told about six different versions of what happened..We weren't sure..and it looked like she fell and hit her head..We dropped charges...Somebody bailed him out yesterday...He's no longer in custody."Carlotta lied..

"WHAT?? Who bailed him out?" he said.

"I don't know...It wasn't my case." said Carlotta.

"Damn...I'm surprised I didn't know about this." he mused.

"He's not in custody.."said Carlotta...

"Well I'll be...Uh I-I mean...What a lucky guy..Shame he lost his job..."he said.

" Well after the state paid out all that money to those people,they weren't going to keep him..Plus he was kind of a knuckle head.."laughed Carlotta..

"Another drink for the lady..."said Emilio...He softly stroked Carlotta's arm...

"Carlotta...I-I've always had a thing for you.....You never gave me the chance to be the man for you I uh could have been...You think..Uh..I could call you sometimes..Maybe we could uh meet for lunch?? OR after work for drinks??" he asked..

"Emilio...I'm Married." she said.

"Yeah,I know...Your husband..uh, He a cop too?" he asked.

"Nope...He's an Attorney like you.." she said..

"Good Girl..Good Girl...Lawd Carlotta ,you are so damned hot..I'm losing my mind just lookin at you.." he said.

She smiled...

"Drink some cold water."she said..

"Maybe if you uh hear things about some important cases...You could uh give me a heads up?" he said.

"Hmmm ,Maybe...but that's not my style." she said.

"I'm not asking you to do anything...Just give me information from time to time.."he said.

"I don't think I like where this conversation is going..."she said.

"I'm sorry..I uh didn't mean anything...Uh could we uh, could we uh go back to my uh place for a little while?" he asked.

"EMILIO...I'M MARRIED!!!! DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT?" she said..

"Yeah...Yeah,you right...Damn,I'm so sorry I missed out...I would have really loved you girl." he said.

"So tell me..I heard you were a big dog at one time..Working for a big firm in Atlanta and then a big firm here....What are you doing working in the Public Defenders Office?" she asked changing the subject...She could see that he was sweating and very very aroused....

"I got tired of the corporate law..I wanted to get back to defending real people.." he said...

"I never saw you as a crusader....Guess I was wrong about you...I always thought you were extremely ambitious...all about that dollar bill." said Carlotta ,smiling.

He then whispered...

"Can you keep a secret ?" he asked..

"As long as it's nothing illegal." she joked and playfully stroked his arm...

"I uh...I uh have a a little side business...I don't want to discuss it right now..but money wise..I'm not hurting..If you ever need anything and I mean anything at all, you just ask and it's yours baby...I mean that."he said.

"I always told her she had the good good...She has these tough kingpins falling to their knees." said Angie,laughing and listening in the van...

"Girl hush, you had Manny Spain buying an expensive engagement ring for you...That cost as much as my two month salary..He couldn't even think straight when you were around."said Duke..

"Yeah,but he didn't know I was a cop...This guy knows Carlotta is a cop and listen to him, he's as lovesick as a puppy."laughed Angie..

"He's gone baby gone..." said Tyriq..

"Yeah he is.." laughed Jimmy...

Carlotta finished her drink and went in her purse...

"Close your purse...I got your drinks..."said Emilio Boaz.

"Emilio no...I've had four drinks...before you got here..."said Carlotta...

"And I got em all....Will you be back here again?" he asked..

"I might be...I like it here...Thank you for the drinks..."she said..

"Carlotta?" he asked..

"Could I kiss you ...Just once??" he asked.

"I'm Married Emilio.."she said in a sing songy voice and kissed him softly on the cheek...

"Nice Seeing you..."she said and got up...

He watched her as she walked out...His pants stood out like a tent...He was so aroused...He couldn't walk...He just sat there and hung his head down...

"Oh My godddd, she is sooo damn hot.." he said,gulping down a glass of cold water.

IV-

All in all it had been a good day...We had wire tapped Emilio's condo...we had copies of ledgers and lists of his customers and we knew the entire layout of his operation..We were that much closer to Brooklyn Decker's operation...

We all met back at the safehouse apartment complex we joking called "Copland."

Eddie C. had Hot Links and Brats on the grill cooking and had brought cole slaw and Potato salad  and Pork & Beans with him when he arrived..

Hazel was helping him fix plates for the hungry people who were also staying here...

Sissy and her detectives,Sirena, Angie,Duke,Tyriq,Carlotta and Jimmy were seated at the table, eating and drinking..

I walked in with Sharon and Hop....

"Look who's back folks?" I said...We weren't expecting them back until tomorrow..

 "Hey guys....Mr. Skokie is all locked up and safely put away with Curly Nelson and company..."said Sharon..

"Glad we didn't miss the food."said Hop....

Carlotta whispered in my ear...

"I'm back Papi and I didn't do anything you would have to worry about.." she said.

I smiled and kissed her...

"I was never worried Carlotta...It's just...you're so damned hot.. and I know what you do to me...I can imagine an old boyfriend..."I said.

"Awwww that's so sweet..."she said...She kissed me again...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.."I moaned silently...

"How bout a quickie? Would that make you feel better? After you finish eating." she whispered in my ear...

My eyes got as wide as saucers.....

"Oh My lord! Who needs to eat?" I said.

Carlotta laughed...

(CONCLUSION NEXT)