Page 47 of Still Forever
"I just sent your nanny some extra bread, since y’all gotta get out more," Judah joked. "But having booty calls in the bathroom at this nice establishment? That’s some wild shit." I flushed with embarrassment at the table, caught between laughing and wanting to disappear.
“Watch your mouth, bro,” Jax warned Judah with a chuckle.
I rested my hand on Jaxon’s knee and laid my hand on his shoulder. We were in our sixth year together, in the third year of marriage, and every day still felt like the first day that I laid eyes on him at the wedding. If I could do anything over, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Jaxon
I strolled into the meeting room with my briefcase. Once I was inside, I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, which offered a panoramic view of the Legal District. Today I would be making some business negotiations, and a nigga was dressed for the job. I had come in my navy-blue suit and some Louboutin loafers, but depending on how the meeting went, I’d bring a new meaning to red bottoms. The door opened, which caused me to turn from my position and see who had entered.
“Appreciate you meeting with me today,” I said. He reached out for me to shake his hand. I took it. Then he motioned with his other hand toward the long meeting table for us to take a seat. I pulled out the chair and sat with my hands clasped in front of me. Across from me was the new Chief Judge of New York, Marck Caroll. He was the youngest in the state's history to be appointed and challenged several laws related to drug crimes, but I wasn’t here to congratulate him on his hard work.
"No problem, the Jennings name is respected in the state. I couldn’t turn down the chance to work with you," he said, adjusting his cufflinks and waiting for me to lead the meeting.
“It’s funny you should say that. I’m not here to collaborate, I’m here because I have a request.” My voice was flat; I chose to skip the friendly tone and got straight to my reason for the visit.
He looked around like he was expecting someone to join us. I could tell that he was uncomfortable by my change of demeanor. Two guards took position outside the door, but that didn’t move me either way. If I decided I wanted to take it there, they wouldn’t even be able to afford the cleaner’s fee after I left this bitch.
“How can I assist you?” He questioned, trying to mask his uneasiness.
Inside my briefcase was a folder containing everything I needed to broker this deal. I removed the documents and placed them one by one in front of Marck.
“I came to you to discuss Zohan Richardson.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not familiar.”
“His case has been aired in seven states. The police murders. Front page news? You know him.”
He cleared his throat and looked at me. Then he nodded.
“My organization has a personal interest in him, and I need him to be released.”
“I-I can’t do that, that’s a very public case. The community wants justice-”
“Public?” I chuckled. “You know what’s not public? The financial state that your family is in. You’re damn near in the red. Your lenders want returns and not excuses. The deadlines you’ve missed for repayments, the offshore accounts you’ve damn near drained. The non-profit you started and are pulling cash from to fund your lifestyle, which is illegal by the way, that’s not public, but I know.”
His eyes widened as I slid the proof of each document toward him. I could see the sweat forming over his eyebrow as he lookeddown, like the words would fade off the page. His face was now beet red, and he moved his neck side to side to loosen his collar.
He scanned each document as if he was trying to find an explanation, but then he slowly brought his eyes to me. “Look, I’m telling you, Jennings, my hands are tied. I can’t just free the man; they want to see someone held responsible.”
I sat in silence, silence that told him I was making myself perfectly clear.
“What do you want me to do?” He doubled down on his question.
“Find somebody, another scapegoat. I want Zohan to be released tonight. I also want complete immunity for all the members of my organization. If you perform your job well, I’ll provide you with a lump sum at the end of each year. Seven figures. That way, you can dig yourself out of the hole.”
He scoffed, “And you want me to believe that you’re being a humanitarian?”
“I never said I had a kind heart. I have a business to protect, I’m sure you know how that goes.” I adjusted my sleeves.
“So, you want me to break all my oaths?” He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. By now, the beads of sweat were running down his temple, and the way he kept using his thumb to spin his wedding band didn’t go unnoticed.
“You don’t have an issue breaking any of the other laws. Does the IRS know that Little Advocates Foundation is just an abandoned restaurant?” I shot back quickly.
“And if I refuse?”
“My next visit will be in a hoodie, sweats, and sneakers. And I won’t offer you a payment for shit.” I made myself clear, as I took the Glock that I had underneath my blazer and set it on top of the briefcase. I was over the back-and-forth. My calmness gave him the impression that he had a choice. But I wasn’t asking him for a fuck thing.
His eyes widened, and they darted to the door like the niggas on the other side would come in any moment to save him. The look in his eyes told me everything that I needed to know.
