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“Claire Murphy,” I said. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr.?”
“Burciaga,” he said. “Jose Burciaga.”
I gasped. I couldn’t help it. I knew this man, knew his name, knew why he sounded familiar. As he held my hand, he lifted it toward him, leaning forward and kissing my knuckles.
“A pleasure,Bella.”
His kiss shocked me. But in those moments, I was so gripped by the realization of who he was that I didn’t even think to pull my hand away.
“La Oscuridad,” I said, the word coming out hushed.
He chuckled.
“I see you’re familiar with my nickname,” he said. “Please, don’t let it bother you too much. The reasons I am calledthe darknessare… mostly hearsay and rumor. I can assure you that I’m nothing like you might’ve imagined… that is, if I am so lucky as to have a woman like you imagining me at all.”
Melissa swept her hand toward the chairs in front of her desk. “We’re not here to talk about rumors, we’re here to give you the best representation that you can ask for. And Jose, if you’d be so kind as to not put your lips on my staff, that’d be much appreciated.”
Jose nodded slowly, the smile still on his face. “My apologies for being so forward. It’s just that… ever since I was a boy, I’ve always had a hard time not acknowledging beauty when I was lucky enough to have it before me.”
“Save it for themuchachas,” Melissa said. “We’ve got more pressing matters to attend to.”
With that, he eased into a chair and I took the one next to him. I had to admit, I was nervous. Maybe he was right—that everything bad I’d heard about him, like the little detail that he was the leader of an international crime cartel, were nothing more than rumors and misunderstandings.
Not likely.
All the same, there was no doubt that this man had money and power, and perhaps more than a little blood on his hands.
Melissa leaned back in her seat, taking on a posture of authority that was unmistakable.
“Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. Jose here has been accused of extortion and corruption.”
“A most unjust situation,” he said, placing his hand on his chest. “I’m but a humble businessman, and to learn that such accusations were being levied against me… I was wounded.”
Melissa let out a quick laugh. “Jose, do I need to remind you about attorney-client privilege? You don’t need to do the legitimate businessman act here. Whatever you say stays between these four walls.”
He pursed his lips for a moment, as if not quite sure what to do or say.
“It’s true that some of my business dealings are… under the table, as you might say. But extortion? Corruption? Nonsense.”
“Regardless,” Melissa said. “The DA has a pretty damn good case against you. I’ve already given you my advice.”
Jose waved his hand through the air, making a dismissive gesture. “Plea deal.” He spat out the words as if they were the most disgusting thing he could imagine. “Not in a million years.”
“Speaking of a million years,” I said. “That’s about how much time they might be able to put you away for if you don’t take the plea.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow, as if she weren’t entirely pleased about what I’d just said.
“You might want to hear the case before you start making proclamations like that, Claire.”
Jose raised his palm to Melissa, his eyes on me. “No, I want to hear what she has to say.”
“Well, what you two are talking about reminds me ofState of Massachusetts v. Gorman.”
A small smile formed on Melissa’s face as she realized what I was talking about.
“Tell me,” Jose replied.
“The Gorman Boys were a small-time gang that moved into the city from Western Mass. Started knocking around heads as soon as they got here, trying to make a name for themselves. Didn’t take long before BPD slipped an undercover agent into their ranks and got enough dirt on the crew to make a hell of a case. DA offered them a plea, same as you.”
