Temptations - The Complete Series Read online

  I groaned, at first, not wanting to go and see him. Our last encounter wasn’t exactly great. But that’s when it hit me that he had said something about Slade’s case. He brought Slade up to me. That had to mean something.

  So, even though I knew that it was all a long shot, I felt that I had to talk to him.

  “I’ll go and see him,” I told Malcolm. “I’ll go and see him today.”

  “Good. By the way, how is the bar studying going?”

  “It’s not. But it’s all good. I got this.”

  “I told you that. When is it, next weekend?”

  “Yeah. In Sacramento. Two straight days of hell. Oh, joy.”

  “Well, carry on.”

  And, at that, I made an appointment to see Santino.

  I got to Santino’s restaurant, arriving at a time when I knew that it wouldn’t be busy. Well, not as busy as his lunch rush. It was 3 PM, and even though the restaurant was filled, there weren’t a lot of people waiting for a table and it seemed to be a relaxed atmosphere.

  The same hostess was there, though, even though she appeared not to remember me. “Table for one?” she asked me.

  “Yes. And please bring Santino out to my table. Tell him that Serena Roberts is here to see him.”

  She looked annoyed, but she sat me, and within ten minutes, Santino appeared at my table. “Well, if it’s not the beautiful Serena Roberts,” he said, kissing my hand. “To what do I owe this pleasure? I’m assuming that the persecutor has come to her senses?”

  “No. The deal is the same, but it’s going to be expiring soon,” I said. “But listen, I’m here for another reason as well.”

  Santino looked defeated, but he sat down across from me anyhow. “I’m listening.”

  I took a sip of my water nervously. “You said something to me about Slade Bridgewell. That maybe you had something for me on his case. A lead.”

  “Yeah, I do. What are you going to do for me if I give it to you?”

  I knew that this was coming. I was going to have to sing for my supper. Guys like Santino never bothered to give things away for nothing, especially when they’re facing a lot of time in prison, as Santino was at the moment.

  “Listen, I know your prosecutor well. If you’re able to give up somebody important in this Slade case, then I can probably get a better deal for you. Prosecutors love to get information on mobsters, information that will put one of them behind bars for a long time. If we’re able to bag a big kahuna, thanks to you, I would imagine that would be valuable information for them.”

  “I like the way that you’re talking, but I ain’t gonna sing unless there’s a better deal on the table in exchange for my testimony. I won’t roll on Joey for my case, because he’s family, but I can give you somebody else. Somebody who might be good for your guy’s case. You just gotta get me a better deal, and then we’ll talk.”

  I took a deep breath. I had no idea how all of this would even work. I wasn’t lying, of course – these federal prosecutors were always dying to nail mobsters, and, if one of them was responsible for Jordan’s death, then that would be very valuable information indeed.

  Would it be valuable enough for Santino’s prosecutor to cut him a better deal? It might. It very well might. It would be getting the feds involved in Slade’s case, and that would be a better prospect than what was happening at the state level. They would have to work out the jurisdictional issues, of course, which would be complex. But I wanted to cross that bridge when I came to it. I first wanted to see what the prosecutor might do for Santino in exchange for his tip and eventual testimony in Slade’s case.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll see what the prosecutor can do, but you have to give some kind of hint on what you’re thinking. I would imagine that this would be a huge coup for them if this tip pans out, because they’re going to be getting in the middle of the most high profile case in the country right now. Are you sure that you’re comfortable doing this?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I am. I mean, I don’t want you to think that my tip is a slam-dunk, but it does involve a rival family, so I’m not scared. Joey will protect my ass, especially since I ain’t rolling on him for my case, and nobody messes with Joey. Nobody. But I ain’t saying nothin’ until you tell me that there will be a deal for me.”

  “Of course. But you do know that any deal that this prosecutor makes on your behalf is going to be something that is contingent on how good your tip is.”

  “I know that. I can’t just pull a theory out of my ass and expect the persecutor to suddenly lie down at my feet. I’m no dummy. I know how this works.”

  I closed my eyes and felt that Santino was sincere. He really did seem like somebody who did have a piece of information about Slade’s case and Jordan’s murder.

  “Okay. Well, let me go the prosecutor and float this to her and see what she says. Hopefully, she’ll be interested enough to talk to you, and she can tell me ahead of time what she can give you if your information is sound.”

  At that, we said our goodbyes, with Santino giving me a hug. “I’m sorry about that last time at your house,” he said. “That was a dick move.”

  “Well, it was, but that’s okay. Bygones.”

  “Take care, Miss Serena, and I’ll see you soon. Hopefully, you’ll have some good information for me the next time I see you.”

  “I will. At least, I hope I will.”

  And, at that, I left. I really had no idea what the future would bring, but, for some reason, for the first time, I was actually starting to see some daylight.

  Chapter 21

  I saw Slade that evening at my home. All my furniture was in, and the place looked amazing. I had all my stuff in storage when I lived with Donny and Michael, all the stuff that I had at my brownstone in the Village in New York. It was all brought in, and Slade and I spent days unpacking and straightening everything, and I finally felt that I was home.

  Slade brought over a bottle of good scotch and we celebrated. I was also finally able to bring my girls in, and they were excited about their new place as well. All of us wanted to celebrate, and that was such an important thing to me.

  “So,” Slade said, as he poured the scotch into two glasses. “This place looks amazing.”

  As well it did. Aside from the kitchen and the bathrooms, of course, my place looked like something that you would see in a magazine. I really felt that Slade had the eye of a decorator, because he was able to help me arrange all my things in such a way that it all seemed to flow. I was impressed with how much he seemed to know about where to put the furniture, the fixtures, and all the little knick-knacks, so that the small house didn’t seem cluttered, but, rather, seemed cozy.

  We clinked our glasses and I took a sip. The scotch was smooth as silk, which told me that it was very high dollar. Indeed, I looked at the label and recognized it as being a bottle that was worth many thousands of dollars. “Such a fancy scotch for such an unfancy place,” I said with a smile.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think that this place is pretty goddamned fancy if you ask me.”

  “Now it is, thanks to you.”

  “I didn’t do much. And, by the way, I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time about buying this place without my input. It really is a great home, and you can’t beat the location, even if it is close to restaurant and bar central.”

  Indeed it was. It was walking distance to the boardwalk, which was lined with bars, restaurants and large hotels. As a result, there were crowds of people every evening on that part of the beach and boardwalk. Still, it was nice to be so close to so many things, and I wasn’t bothered by the crowds. Slade was, for obvious reasons, but even he didn’t mind going out there with me in the evenings, holding my hand and stealing kisses whenever he could.

  People inevitably stared at him and pointed, but he just shrugged it off. “I’m used to the attention, and I always have been. Well, I mean, the media has been interested in me for several years, long before all this happened. So, it’s no bi
g deal, even if the scrutiny is that much more heightened.”

  I took a deep breath, not quite knowing what to tell him about Santino and his claim that he knew something about Slade’s case. It was clear that there was no love lost between the two men, or, at least it was clear that evening that Slade kicked Santino’s ass. I had no idea what kind of reaction I was going to get when I told him. “Listen, I might have a lead on your case. I don’t know yet, though.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. Santino Bianchi has hinted that he might know who’s good for your case.” I didn’t tell him any more about it, though, because that might be violating attorney-client privilege. In fact, just telling Slade that Santino knew something might also be a violation, but telling Slade that Santino was trying to secure a better deal in exchange for his information would be at least crossing the line. I felt fairly secure though, that simply telling Slade that Santino had some information would not be privileged, because it didn’t concern Santino’s case per se.

  Slade’s face paled, and I immediately felt that I told him the wrong thing. I closed my eyes and I felt anger and jealousy coming from him. I shook off the feeling and opened my eyes. Slade was staring at his glass of scotch, not saying a word, but his hand was shaking ever-so-slightly. “I thought I told you to stay away from that goombah.”

  I bristled. “No, you never told me that, and that would be difficult to do, considering he’s my client and all.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You should have gotten yourself removed from his case when he came over to your house and tried something with you. In fact, that’s what I want you to do. I want you to remove yourself from his case. Yesterday.”

  “I will not. Listen, Slade, if this man has information on your case, then I’m going to pursue that. And you can’t tell me who can be my client and who can’t be. Besides, he’s not really my client, exactly, because I haven’t taken the bar. I can’t represent him in court just yet, so I’m just doing the preliminaries.”

  Slade shook his head. “You need to get off his case and you need to stay away from him.”

  “Why? Because he tried to kiss me? I can handle myself.”

  “Yes, because he tried to kiss you, but also because he’s a dangerous man. He burned down that deli, and his family is known to be one of the most powerful in the area. You don’t want to be involved with all of that, trust me.”

  “What is it that you think that I do? Listen, I’m a criminal defense attorney for one of the largest firms in the area. We represent mobsters. That’s one of our most lucrative areas. We also represent all manner of white collar criminals, as well as gang-bangers who can afford our fee. And, may I remind you, we also represent plenty of men and women who are accused of murder.”

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t want you being involved with that case. If you don’t think that attorneys are ever the targets of hits, then you’re naïve. What happens to you if something goes south with this? Let me guess, Santino wants to give up somebody who’s not a part of his organization. Am I right? What do you think is going to happen to you once you get that information from Santino? Answer me that.”

  “I can hold my own,” I said, although I felt doubtful even as I said that. “How is this other mobster going to find out that I know something?”

  “Again, you’re naïve if you think that this other mobster, whomever he is, isn’t going to find out what you know and what you’re about to give to the prosecutor. This Santino doesn’t have to worry about giving you this information. I’m quite sure that his family will protect him. But who will protect you?”

  “I’m taking my chances with this, and that’s that. If there is even a slight chance that this information can exonerate you…”

  “No. I’d rather go to prison than to see you in danger. I’ll take my lumps, but I don’t want you to go anywhere near that Santino guy again. Get yourself taken off that case, and don’t go and meet with him. I’m serious, Serena. You tell that man that you changed your mind about talking to the prosecutor about him in exchange for this information to you, and shut that door. I mean it.”

  I crossed my arms. I was going to talk to the prosecutor, and I was going to find out what Santino knew. Slade wasn’t going to stop me. “Let’s just change the subject.”

  “No. I won’t change the subject. I need you to tell me that you’re not going anywhere near that guy again.”

  “And then what? What? As soon as I pass the bar, I’m going to have mob clients of my very own. I’m going to have murderers, rapists, drug dealers, sex traders, you name it. You can’t just put a restriction on what kind of client I’m going to represent. They’re not all going to be handsome billionaires. Most of them are rough. That’s the name of the game, here – representing men who are not exactly the pillars of their communities. If you want me to be completely safe, then perhaps I need to get into estate planning.”

  “I know that you’re going to have rough clients, but this is something different entirely. If you’re a mob lawyer, fine. Your clients won’t put a hit on you. But you’re talking about giving up a guy who hasn’t hired you for anything, so that means that he has no loyalty to you or anyone at your firm. That’s dangerous, Serena, too dangerous. I mean it – I’d rather go to prison for life than to see you in danger.”

  Slade was evidently determined that I wasn’t going to talk to Santino, and I was just as determined that I was. I finally decided just to lie to him just to get him off my back about this.

  “Okay then, you’ve convinced me. I’ll tell Santino that I’m not interested in his information. Okay?”

  “No. You’re lying to me. Serena, I’ll find out if you do something like that. Don’t think that you can go behind my back and go ahead and talk to him about my case.”

  “I know.”

  At that, Slade narrowed his eyes. Bella and Gigi woke up from their nap and came over to the two of us and looked at us with expectant eyes. Slade slapped his lap and the two dogs got on it and licked his face. “Serena, I’m not feeling it tonight. I’m sorry, I know that you made dinner, but I have to go.”

  I nodded my head. Slade obviously did not believe me when I told him that I wouldn’t talk to Santino about this case, and I had to admit that he had good reason not to believe me. But, no matter, if this meeting with Santino led me to another suspect, one who might be good for Jordan’s murder, it would all be worth it.

  “I understand,” I said, not meeting his eyes.

  He nodded his head. “It’s come to this, hasn’t it? Serena, I don’t know what to say to you. I’m falling in love with you, but if you go behind my back and do this….” He shook his head. “Don’t do it, Serena. I’m warning you.”

  I had to admit that my eyes got wide when he confessed that he was falling in love with me. I had to admit, right at that moment, that I was increasingly feeling the same.

  That was why it was more important than ever, for me, that I talk to Santino. Slade might have said that he was willing to go down for Jordan’s murder, but I wasn’t. Perhaps he was right, and I would be putting myself in danger for talking to Santino about this.

  So be it. I was determined that I was going to do all that I could to keep Slade out of prison, and if that involved a mob snitch, it involved a mob snitch.

  Slade left without another word, and I drew a breath. My heart was pounding and I was shaking. I knew that I was risking it all by talking to Santino.

  But I didn’t care.

  Slade was going to stay out of prison, and that was that.

  Chapter 22

  The next day, I paid a visit to Santino’s prosecutor. “Serena,” the prosecutor, Hillary White said to me when I showed up at her office. “How are things?”

  “They’re fine. How are things with you?”

  She shook her head. “Just look at this stack of files I have and you tell me; life on the hamster wheel.”

  “I know how that goes. Listen, I need to talk to you about Santino Bianch
i.”

  “Yes. Listen, I’m going to start preparing for trial on his case today. We’re scheduling depositions. So, once those wheels start turning, our rather generous offer goes off the table.”

  I took a deep breath. “Santino isn’t going to give up Joey, but he apparently has information about another case that might be a huge win for this office.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I’m listening.”

  “He says that he has information on Slade Bridgewell’s case. I don’t have any more information than that, though. He wanted me to first find out if I can make a deal on his case in exchange for this information.”

  She pursed her lips. “You don’t have any idea what or who he’s talking about here? Are you sure that this would even be a federal case at all?”

  “I don’t know. I believe that it would be, because I believe that it involves another mobster. I’m so sorry; I don’t have more information than that. He didn’t tell me much. He wants a tentative deal on the table first.”

  I could tell that the wheels were turning. Hillary was human, and I knew that the prospect of getting into the middle of such a high-profile case appealed to her. “Okay. Let me talk to your guy, and I’ll find out what he knows. If it checks out, I’ll work a deal with him. I’ll offer the same deal that I was offering in exchange for his testimony against Joey Bianchi.”

  I was excited. If this all worked out, Slade might be in the clear, and Santino would be able to avoid prison. He would be on probation for five years, a probation that I doubted he could walk down, but he at least wouldn’t be put in prison for this particular crime.

  “I’ll bring him in,” I said. “Tomorrow or maybe even today.”