Free Gibson & Clarke (Failed Justice Series Book 2) by Rick Santini

My intention was to get as close to our clients—I did say our clients, didn’t I—so they will rely on us for every little thing. I know damn well the limo was bugged. That’s Sonny’s style. That’s why I couldn’t say anything to Marta back then. I told Sonny not to take a phone call from anyone he doesn’t know without calling one of us first. We’ll bill him for every call, for every suggestion. It will come to the point where he’ll be afraid to take a piss without calling us.”
    Billy and Jack were sitting in an all-night diner, having coffee. They were pretty much alone. The limo dropped them off at Billy’s hotel, and they had walked a few short blocks before they said a word to each other. Jack was a wealth of information, and he was sharing every last bit of it with Billy. If Marta was there, he would have told her the same thing.
    “Please, let Marta know I like and respect her, but she’s got a lot to learn, including keeping her emotions in check. Never let the other guy suspect what you’re thinking or plan on doing. Marta has my private cell phone. Tell her to call me tomorrow. We’ve all had a busy and most productive day. Time to call it a night. And again, thanks for putting up with all my shit. It’s an act, and you damn well know it.”
    “Right. Good night, Jack.”
    “Night, Billy.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 16.
     
     
    The tidal wave hit like a tsunami. It seemed like there was crack cocaine and heroin everywhere, especially in New York and northern New Jersey. There was no question where it was coming from. A new task force was formed, and the targets were Sonny Bananas and Xiang Yeung.
    A quiet tip from someone on the task force to Rik was all it took. Rik told Marta, Marta made a phone call on a secure line to Mr. Yeung, and as a courtesy, Black Jack contacted Sonny through a mutual acquaintance.
     
    ***
     
    Jack earned the accommodation. Marta called him, as Billy suggested, and the two of them had a long, productive, and interesting conversation. She was beginning to understand. Few things were as they appeared to be. It was really all smoke and mirrors—it was one big illusion. It was also a wakeup call. Maybe law wasn’t the honorable profession it was made out to be. Maybe they were all just charlatans. Maybe it was really all about the money.
    I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe ours is not a profession of the highest calling. Why, most of the great leaders of our country were lawyers. They were out for the good of their country, not to line their own pockets.
    Marta would not have been pleased if she could read the minds of her two new partners. She knew damn well why people became lawyers. To make money. To make lots of money. And most lawyers didn’t give a damn how they did it.
     
    ***
     
    At a small meth clinic in Manhattan, it was chaotic. The new director, a Ms. Mei Ling, had her hands full. The number of Asian women that had been affected by the flood of heroin had not been anticipated nor planned for. Husbands, boyfriends, and pimps were pushing their women to make more money so they could buy more dope. When the women refused, they suffered. They suffered physically and psychologically. Mei Ling would attest to that.
    She vowed that someday she would find the villain who caused all this suffering and kill him. He deserved to die. He deserved to die a slow, painful, soul-searching death. She had no idea who was behind it, but she too had her resources. It would be only a matter of time. When people were high, when they were messed up, they talked. They said things that should be kept secret. They mentioned a name. One name led to another, and eventually, it worked its way up the ladder.
    Mei Ling was now looking for that first important name.
    It did not take long. Toni Lee managed to run from her home when her live-in was too wasted to chase her. He had beaten her. He had beaten her bad. All because she refused to sleep with a few