When a Man Loves a Woman (Indigo) (16 page)

Marcel cleared his throat. “Zach, perhaps if you put the word on the street that the D.A. is willing to offer a plea-bargain to Scooter, he’d come out of hiding.”

“Hell to the no,” Ray shouted. “We ain’t got time to be plotting and planning, and waiting on the D.A. to decide jack.” He lifted his brows at Marcel. “You wasn’t talkin’ about no plea bargain when Mazzei nutted up and said the wrong thing to Little Bit,” he added, referring to his nickname for Marcel’s wife. “Now was ya?”

A.J. glanced at Marcel, remembering how he’d lunged like a madman at his wife’s ex-boyfriend after he’d threatened her with physical violence in front of him. A cynical smile touched his lips because what he had in mind to find Scooter would put his older brother’s actions to shame.

K-Mart stood next to Ray and nudged him in the side. “What did Marcel do?”

Ray snorted. “If Little Bit hadn’t stopped him,
mon frère
was gonna beat his ass to death.”

Zach snatched the cell phone clipped at his waist and answered on the second ring. “Tate.” He nodded as he listened, then disconnected the call and stood. “That was my wife, and I’m going home to her.” He headed for the door, but suddenly whirled around at the graveyard silence in the room. “
You
,” he said, staring dead at A.J. “go home to ya wife and babies.” Glancing around at the other men, he issued a stern warning. “And if any of y’all get involved with this mess, I’ll lock up every single last one of ya. Ya hear me?”

Marcel escorted Zach to the front door. When he returned to the family room, he locked his gaze with A.J.’s. “Go find him,
petit frère
.”

A.J. nodded, then glanced over at K-Mart. “Remember the game of execution we tried out in medical school?”

“
We?
” K-Mart’s eyes bulged as he walked backward, colliding with the pool table. “That was your crazy idea. I only came along to watch because I didn’t think you’d have the nerve to do it.” He paused. “Doc, you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking—” He swallowed, and in a strangled voice mumbled, “Are you?”

For reasons he might never get the answer to, his woman, his family, everything he’d worked hard to bring to the community he loved had innocently become tangled in a web of corruption. A.J. offered a smile that would have run chills down the spine of the most hardened criminal.

“B-but, doc, we could lose our medical license if anyone finds out,” K-Mart stuttered.

“I know,” A.J. softly acknowledged.

“Doc…” K-Mart blew out a hard breath.

“Let me ask you this.” A.J. walked up to K-Mart and braced his feet apart. “If Chandler was in the middle of all of this would you do anything differently?”

“Same way as before, right?” K-Mart asked without hesitation.

A.J. nodded. “
Oui
.”

* * *

Later that night, A.J. sat on the side of the bed with his head down and didn’t realize Vic had entered from the bathroom until she touched his shoulders, her fingertips gently kneading the tightness in his muscles.

“Baptiste?” she whispered, kneeling behind him. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,
mon amour
,” he lied, focusing straight ahead in an effort to collect his thoughts.

“Something’s wrong. I can feel it. Come on now.”

Slowly, he scooted around to his left in order to curve his arm around her waist, and his gaze locked with hers. The only thing he could think about was how he’d fought for months to win her love and rid her of the pain she’d suffered because of a man’s betrayal. His heart said to tell her the thoughts that had dominated his mind most of the evening, but his instincts overruled them. What he needed to do to protect her and their family, he had to do alone. He drew in a breath, let half of it out, and gently pulled her closer to him.

With his hands cupped around her face, he gently moved his thumbs along her cheeks and realized he’d always loved this woman. He loved her strength, her spirit, and her courage. He silently vowed to love, honor, and cherish her until his dying day.

He stood, drawing her with him, and gradually peeled off her robe, which landed at her feet. His kiss was unhurried with a tenderness that had him reeling, and he barely heard his name tumble softly from her lips. He watched her eyes drift close as his hands glided along her arms before traveling languidly across her lush breasts, down the curves of her full hips. Her rising body heat set off his blazing desire.

“Tell me what you want, Honey,” he whispered huskily with his lips pressed in the crook of her neck.

She inched her hand between them and gently rubbed his throbbing sex. “This.”

He sucked in a deep breath to ward off an ache that had never felt so good. “Where do you want it?”

“Anywhere you put it.”

It only took a second for him to slip out of his pajama bottoms and place Vic with her back against the mattress. “Here?” he asked in a whisper, pressing his rigid flesh against her thigh. His tongue traced her lips in unhurried strokes that promised to send them both into a world of heated sensations.

She pulled the band from his ponytail, buried her fingers in his hair and whispered, “No.”

When his fingers probed at her center and slipped inside her warmth, a deep ache racked his body. “Right here?”

She nodded and lifted her hips in welcome invitation. “Right there.”

Eyes connected again, hearts merged, as man and woman moved together in slow, perfect sync as lovers countless times before them had. Yet he was certain no one had ever loved as deeply, completely, and passionately as they were doing—as they always would.

Blocking out the uncertainty of what he might discover, he concentrated instead on what he’d already found. Halting, he looked down at her, grateful for the opportunity to witness what every man should—the beauty of the woman he loved in the throes of passion with lips parted and eyes half-closed with desire.

“
Je t’aime
,” he hoarsely whispered and started his rhythm again. He increased his pace—harder, faster, and deeper than before, wanting a glorious victory with her right at his side. When he felt her body shudder beneath him, he threw back his head to thrust one last time, surrendering to a climax so powerful, his tears mingled with hers.

He’d done nothing in life so far and probably never would to deserve the love of Victoria Louise Bennett Baptiste. Resting his cheek on hers, his eyes slid closed, and all the love any man could ever imagine for one woman penetrated into her sweat-drenched skin.

So much uncertainty was before him, but one thing was for sure. When a man loved a woman, he’d risk his own life in order to save hers.

* * *

It was a little past nine when Vic finally got the girls settled in for the night. After turning on the baby monitor and easing the door to Brianna and Chloe’s nursery closed, she headed straight for Baptiste’s office.

In her heart she’d known for weeks that he was keeping something from her. The sudden late night meetings and the abrupt ending to phone calls whenever she entered the room had made her even more determined tonight to find out exactly what was going on. If there was one thing she knew about her husband, he documented everything, and she wasn’t leaving his office until she discovered what he’d been hiding from her. Seated at Baptiste’s desk, she opened the bottom drawer where he kept his diary.

“Oh, my God,” Vic whispered over and over, carefully reading every entry he’d made for the last six weeks. “How could you do this?”

Slamming the diary shut, she picked up the phone. Listening to the second ring, she mumbled, “Baptiste, whenever I see you again…I’m gonna kill you.”

Chapter 17

“Scooter,” A.J. drawled quietly, straddled across his chair backward inside his office at the health clinic. “I’m glad you finally let me meet the rest of the members on your team.”

The day after his bachelor party, A.J. hit the streets and found Tony “Scooter” Grice himself. It hadn’t been an easy task, though, gaining Scooter’s trust under the alias of Andre Rousselle, his paternal grandfather’s name. The worry of Carmen Jenkins and Lesea Goldberg discovering his identity didn’t trouble him, either. Neither had a clue as to what he looked like. He’d checked the logs Vic kept for the nurses on her staff and both Jenkins and Goldberg had only worked at the clinic twice before being fired. And on each occasion, he’d been away at a conference. Only Chanta, the clinic’s receptionist, knew of his relationship with Vic.

He’d gained Scooter’s trust by pretending to have met Valerie months earlier as a distributor for the drugs she ran for one of the most sophisticated drug operations in Oakland. With each passing day, he’d learned a great deal of information and drawn one step closer to finding out the truth as to why his clinic had been selected as a site for the distribution of illegal drugs.

“Know what, playa, you right.” A wry smile turned Scooter’s lips upward as he nodded to Carmen Jenkins and Lesea Goldberg, who stood next to him. “And the people on your side you said could help us move our merchandise, they all squared away, right?”

A.J. nodded. “As a matter of fact they’re in the other room.” He stood and jerked his head at the door. “Let’s go across the hall and meet them.”

A few moments later, A.J. Scooter, Carmen and Lesea entered. Marcel, Ray, Alex and K-Mart greeted them.

“Have a seat, Scooter.” A.J. nodded at a chair positioned next to a table with a file folder in the center.

Scooter stood in front of the chair, his eyes darting in five different directions once he noticed the set-up in the room. “What the hell kinda shit is this?”

Alex clamped his hand hard on Scooter’s shoulder and pushed down. “Sit.”

With both palms flat against the table, A.J. leaned forward. “The kind,” he hissed softly, “that’s guaranteed to make you tell me what I need to know.”

Carmen glanced around the room. “W-Who are these people?”

A.J. relaxed and straightened his body, flashing a crafty grin. “My execution team.” He walked around the room and introduced everyone, starting at his left. “This is the gentleman who’ll argue on your behalf.” He nodded at Marcel. He walked down to Ray and tilted his head toward him. “Good to see you, Your Honor.” Turning around to face Scooter, he winked. “I’m sure you’ve spent a lot of time before judges, right?” He glanced behind him at Alex. “You’ve already been introduced to Bailiff Robinson.” He had only one mission now: find out how Carmen Jenkins and Lesea Goldberg were connected to Scooter and why they’d selected his clinic for their drug operation. Shutting out everything, he moved to a chair in the corner and propped his feet atop a small desk.

Scooter turned in his seat and looked over at a smiling K-Mart who sat on top of a hospital gurney with an IV stand attached. “W-Who’s he?”

“Oh,” A.J. replied, snapping his fingers. “He’s the one in charge of executions on my team, but I don’t believe you want to meet him.” He laced his hands behind his head. “There’s only one thing I want to know. Who killed Valerie?”

“Killed?” Scooter snorted. “You got it mixed up, player. Val overdosed.”

A.J. shook his head. “That’s not what I heard. The word on the streets is that Valerie’s death from an overdose was actually murder, and you’re the murderer.”

Sweat beaded across Scooter’s forehead. “I-I ain’t heard nothing like that. I don’t know whatcha talkin’ about.”

“Oh, hell naw,
mon frère
,” Ray shouted out. “Friend’s trying to play us here.” He glanced at K-Mart. “G’on head and shoot him up!”

K-Mart lifted a syringe and slowly pushed it in until a tiny stream of liquid was released.

“Don’t you say another word, Scooter,” Carmen shouted.

A.J. cleared his throat. “Scooter, I’m waiting.”

“I ain’t tellin’ you shit,” Scooter nervously chuckled, pointing a finger to his chest. “I got rights, and the only person I talk to is my attorney.”

“Shut up,” Ray growled and abruptly stood to his feet. “Ya don’t know how to spell
right,
let alone know the meaning of it.”

“Your Honor, I object.” Marcel rose to his feet, smiling. “Could I have a moment to confer with my client?” He pulled up a chair next to Scooter and stretched his arm along the back of it. “Mr. Grice,” he uttered smoothly, running his left hand down the length of his silk tie. “I believe it would be in your best interest to cooperate fully with the court.”

Scooter snatched his head around at A.J. “Is he supposed to be some kinda lawyer?”

A.J. shook his head.

Marcel flashed a condescending smile. “I do believe I was introduced as the one who’ll argue on your behalf.”

“Argue against what?” Scooter shouted.

“
Your
death,” Marcel replied calmly.

Lesea cried out, “Scooter—”

“Don’t listen to her,” A.J. warned in a dangerously fierce tone. “Why did you kill Valerie?”

“Man, I’m tellin’ you, I don’t know whatcha talkin’ about,” Scooter stuttered.

A.J. stood and walked over to the door and opened it. A few seconds later, Lincoln, Vic’s brother walked inside. After a brief nod, they walked back over to Scooter.

Turning to Lincoln with a proffered hand, A.J. smiled. “Prosecutor Bennett, I’m happy you could join us. This is Tony Grice.” His gaze connected with Scooter’s, who was now on his feet.

Lincoln stilled and his eyes flared when he spotted the huge wet circle on the front of Scooter’s pants. Leaning slightly over toward A.J., he whispered, “Do you think this is going to work?”

A.J. nodded and whispered, “Five more minutes is all I need.” Picking up the folder on the table, he looked at Scooter and made a tsking sound. “Scooter, you made a terrible mess on the floor.”

A.J. shuffled through the folder containing every detail of the conversations he’d documented for the last six weeks. Also, he hoped that if he alleged that Scooter killed Valerie, he’d try and clear himself and possibly offer a piece of information that he normally wouldn’t have otherwise. “From what we’ve discussed, I know you and your team have operated in the big league. I think Prosecutor Bennett’s department would be very interested in learning more about how things really work, as well as why you killed Valerie. Right, Prosecutor Bennett?”

Lincoln smiled. “That’s right.”

A.J. smiled again as he continued to scan over the papers. “You’re running cocaine, crack, and I believe you told me a little money laundering is involved, too. This clinic isn’t the place you’re going to do it. Now, once again, why did you kill Valerie?”

“I-I didn’t kill, Val. Honest to God,” Scooter stammered and half rose from his seat.

Alex calmly walked over and pointed his empty Glock at Scooter’s temple. “Sit down. Court’s still in session.”

Ray was on his feet in an instant. “Man, you and your folks ain’t presented no defense. Guilty as charged. I hereby sentence you to death by lethal injection.” He glanced at K-Mart, again. “Stick him!”

“Guilty?” Scooter cried out, squirming as Marcel and Alex strapped him to the hospital gurney.

K-Mart patted Scooter’s shoulders. “This won’t take long,
if
I can find a nice big vein.” He tightened a rubber tourniquet around the upper portion of Scooter’s arm. “You’ll be gone in less than three minutes.”

A.J. pulled back a white sheet covering a tray with three syringes laying on it.

Scooter’s eyes grew wide with fear. “W-What you gonna do, man?”

A.J.’s expression was vacant. “You heard the judge. We’re going to carry out his order of execution. Now, let me explain the process to you.” He picked up a syringe and waved it in the air. “This contains sodium pentothal, a real nice drug…it will knock you out fast.” He pointed to the second syringe. “Oh, now this one might hurt a little. It’s called pancuronium, and it makes your muscles contract. But that’s okay.” He half-smiled and shifted his gaze to the third syringe. “Aaah, this one is potassium chloride. It will stop your heart in an instant and will make up for any pain you might feel.” He looked down at Scooter and fingered his moustache with his free hand. “I think this is an excellent payback for killing Valerie. Don’t you?”

“G’on head and take him out here,” Ray bellowed.

A.J. lowered the syringe, inserting the tip of the needle into the catheter attached to the I.V. “Nighty-night.”

“Wait,” Scooter shouted. “I didn’t kill Val.”

A.J. looked up with narrowed his eyes. “Somebody did.”

“I-It wasn’t me. And none of this was never suppose to go this far…I swear to God,” Scooter nervously admitted.

“Don’t bring God up in this.” A.J. sat on the side of the gurney. “Talk to me.”

Because of the restraints, Scooter could only turn his head toward A.J. “Me and Val, w-we was just running for ’em, that’s all.”

“Shut up!” Carmen ordered.

“Running for who?” A.J. asked with limited patience.

“G-Goldberg…” Scooter stammered.

A.J.’s brow lifted slightly and he focused intently on Scooter. “How’s Goldberg involved?”

“S-She da one ya want. Been heading up for a couple of years. Had a smooth gig going, too. Nobody suspected her ’cause she’s a nurse and all. Cops don’t never look at them kind. Just come down hard on a brother working the streets,” he added sarcastically.

“You aren’t in a position to be making wisecracks, Scooter,” A.J. reminded.

“I-I didn’t know nothin’ about her at first. Nobody did. Always stayed in the background. That’s how come she was able to pull it off. Know what I’m saying?”

A.J. shook his head.

Scooter swallowed the lump in his throat. “Man, that’s all I know.”

“Is that why you beat Valerie up?” A.J. asked.

“Had to. Got a call one day for me to do it. Order came down from the big boss. Plus, Val upped and called ’bout that reward.”

“What’s the name of the person heading your drug operation?” A.J. drawled.

“I-I don’t know the real name,” Scooter supplied nervously.

A.J. smiled mirthlessly. “What’s the name you know?”

Scooter hesitated.

A.J. began to slowly push down on the syringe.

“Gotti,” Scooter yelled out at the top of his lungs.

“Have you ever seen Gotti?” A.J. asked.

Before he got an answer, A.J. snatched his head up at the squeaky sound the door hinges made, indicating someone was entering the room.

* * *

Trembling with fear, Vic flung the door open and looked straight ahead. “Baptiste…”

“Scooter, this is a set-up,” Jenkins shouted as she lunged towards Vic.

Primitive instincts took over and without hesitation, A.J. dropped the syringe and dove in front of Vic the second Goldberg pulled a gun from her purse and pointed it in Vic’s direction.

A single shot rang out.

With his body shielding Vic’s, A.J. offered a silent prayer of thanks that the shot had missed its intended target.

* * *

An hour later, Vic and A.J. stood in the interrogation room with their fingers laced together, along with Zach, Agent Doreen Givens, aka Lesea Goldberg, who worked with the DEA.

Agent Givens sat at the table with her fingers hooked in front of her, shaking her head in welcomed relief and exuberance. “Well, Jenkins, you’ve certainly made the department work for our paychecks the last couple of years.” She smiled. “I didn’t ever think I’d ever crack your ring, Gotti.”

“What are you talking about?” Jenkins sarcastically asked. “You don’t have a bit of evidence against me.”

Zach flashed a smile of victory at Agent Givens. “She’s got enough to take you and Scooter down, Jenkins.”

Agent Givens leaned forward and looked directly at Jenkins. “I have to admit, Gotti, your organization was one of the best I’ve seen.”

Jenkins glared at Vic. “This is your fault.”

Vic flinched, but held her composure and remained silent when she felt A.J. give her hand a tight squeeze.

Zach turned to his officer. “Read Ms. Jenkins her—”

“Allow me, Lieutenant,” Agent Givens offered, a smile curving the corners of her lips. “I’ve waited over two years for this moment.”

Afterward, Agent Givens stepped aside to allow the uniformed Oakland police officer to escort Carmen Jenkins, alias Gotti, out of the room.

Vic released a long sigh of relief and chuckled the moment the door closed. “Zach, remind me to never get on your bad side.” Then she glanced over at Agent Givens. “How were you able to put all of this together?”

“First of all, Mrs. Baptiste,” Agent Givens said, “let me apologize for not doing anything to help you with Valerie that day she came to the clinic. It broke my heart to have to stand back and not come to her aid, but if I’d said or done anything, my cover would have been blown.”

Vic smiled. “I understand.”

Agent Givens smiled back. “But I knew she was in good hands. You’re a wonderful nurse. Our department has been investigating this ring for the last twenty-seven months. They had doctors, nurses, attorneys, just about any professional you can think of distributing drugs, and that’s the reason why it was so hard to crack. You never think people with respected careers would ever be involved in something like this. After the incident at the clinic I knew we were close to cracking this case. It was just a matter of time to see who would try and cover their tracks. In this case, it was Jenkins. She never counted on her car being involved in the hit-and-run with you and Dr. Baptiste. After that, she ordered Scooter to get rid of Valerie.” She shook her head. “I guess he does have some conscience. He told me about the hit. After Valerie stumbled into the clinic, Jenkins was shocked that her orders hadn’t been carried out, and that’s when she ordered me to kill her instead.”

“But how did Valerie know about Jenkins?” A.J. asked, still trying to piece together the maze of information.

“Brother-in-law,” Zach drawled, “Valerie didn’t know that Jenkins was Gotti. Remember that day I told ya I was working on some stuff with the DEA and couldn’t discuss it with ya?”