Free Once You'Ve Touched the Heart by Iris Bolling

expression, but his mind was racing. We got dirty people in the DA’s office . Now all he wanted to know was who. “In exchange for what?”
    “You have to give me your word you will protect Sugie.”
    “And who the hell is Sugie?”
    “You know her as Tracy Washington, my little sister.”
    JD smiled at the nickname. Day caught the smile; he knew JD was the right person for the job.
    “What does Tracy have to do with this?” JD held his breath, not sure what the answer would be.
    “Nothing,” Day replied. “She doesn’t even know what I do or where I am and I want you to keep it that way.”
    “That will be difficult,” JD responded, relieved. “The arrest is going to have media coverage and if not, the case will.”
    “There will be no trial. I’m going to plead to whatever you bring me.”
    JD stood up and faced Day. “Why?”
    He glared at JD and stated, “My little sister is the only thing in this world that is good and pure to me. I have spent my life protecting her. Now someone in your office has put her in danger and the only way to continue to protect her is to give myself up.”
    “You do realize the best I would be able to give you with what I have is forty years, federal time,” JD stated. “You’re willing to do that without question to protect your sister?”
    “You met her, Harrison—wouldn’t you?” Day laughed. “I got into this to keep her off the street. Tracy is doing good. I can let go now. But I can’t protect her from certain people. You can.”
    “Who are you trying to protect her from, your people or mine?”
    “Now see, man, that’s what I like about you, a brother who listens. That’s why you got my respect. But, before we go any further, I need your word as a man, that you will protect Sugie, with your life if need be.”
    JD didn’t have to think about that one. Without hesitation he replied, “You have my word. I will not let anything happen to her.”
    Day turned to Tucker, who was standing near the car, and nodded. Tucker pulled an envelope from the car and handed it to Brian. Brian opened the envelope and started to read. Day turned back to JD.
    “The package your man has will be all you need to begin an investigation of the people you need to clear out. You have three people in your office that will have your back no matter what might come out: Johnson, Thompson and Langston. Everyone else is politically motivated.”
    JD looked at Day.
    Day glared at him, “No one else,” he said without flinching.
    “Why me?” JD asked.
    “I’ve watched you. You’re what they call a good guy. Then there’s Sugie. I know you’re gonna look out for her. But I didn’t choose you. The people who involved my sister picked you. You are good, take no prisoners, and I like that. But this case was given to you to pull me out. He knew you would make the connection of Sugie and me while working on this case. I believe his game plan was to find her, leak her name and whereabouts to one of the organizations we have beef with. I don’t have to tell you how they would use her to get to me. Her name was put in there purposely. There’s only one person who could have given you that name and that’s the person who is trying to bring me down,” Day explained.
    “Okay, I’ll bite—who’s trying to bring you down and why?”
    Day looked at JD. “You’ve already figured that out.” He laughed. “The why is because I killed Sugie’s father years ago and he helped me clean it up. Ever since then I would steer him in the right direction on some things to help him win cases, and he began rising in the legal system. He in turn let me run my business. Now I’m a threat to his aspirations, which I really don’t give a shit about; he leaves me the fuck alone, I leave him alone is my motto. He used you to make the connection and lead others to Sugie to weaken my power base. He knows I run a clean business; I only kill those who try to kill me. But if a fucker puts a hand on