Devil's Advocate: A Dark Mafia Romance (Devil's Playground Book 1) by Vivi Paige (different ereaders .TXT) 📗

deep breath and let it out slowly, closing my eyes for the briefest of moments. I didn’t want DA Miller to see me feeling rattled. Nothing like kidnapping and mob conspiracies and gunfights to get your back up, but I needed to appear in control and calm. So that was the plan.

“C’mon, Sophie,” I muttered to myself. “Get yourself together. You can do it.”

And that’s when the bailiff entered, saying those two familiar words.

“All rise.”

Everyone in court stood as the judge entered. As she sat down, so did we.

Here we go, I thought.

“Is the District Attorney ready with opening statements?”

Miller stood up, impeccable in a dark navy suit.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“You may proceed.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.”

He stepped out in front of his table, addressing the jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are all citizens of Chicago. And we know all too well that this city, for all of its history, its glorious triumphs and successes, has also long been home to organized crime. This is not a myth. This is not an urban legend. This is fact. This is real. It is a plague on our community. Drug trafficking. Racketeering. Grand larceny. And let us not forget… murder. The accused, Indro Lastra, is a well-known member of the Maloik crime family—”

“Objection, Your Honor.” I stood up swiftly. “The DA is speculating about my client’s associations and attempting to prejudice the jury.”

Judge Moreno nodded, her eyes narrowing on DA Miller. “Sustained. Mr. Miller, you will stick to the facts regarding this case, and this case alone. Is that clear?”

Miller’s face twitched a scowl. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“You may proceed.”

“The facts in this case are not in question. We will prove that Indro Lastra committed the crime of murder on the streets of our fair city. And we know that you will convict him of this heinous crime. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Miller. You may sit. Ms. Vercetti? Is the defense ready to present opening arguments?”

I stood up, straightening my blazer as I did so. Here it was. Moment of truth.

“The defense is ready, Your Honor.”

“Proceed,” she said, without even looking up at me. She was making notes as I began.

Buttoning my jacket, I stepped out in front of my table, saying a quick prayer to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. I figured it couldn’t hurt.

“Thank you, Your Honor. Good day to you all. Thank you for your service today, serving as jurists for the city of Chicago. And, let’s be honest, I’m sure most of you would have preferred to be at home today, or at your jobs, am I right? No one likes being picked for jury duty.”

That got a little chuckle from the gallery and I saw a couple of wry smiles amongst the jury.

Ok, I thought. So far, so good.

“I’ve wondered about that,” I said. “About why we don’t want to be picked for jury duty. I’m not any different. I see that little green and yellow card in the mail and I think ‘Oh man. What a drag.’ But you know what? I always show up in the end. Just like you have. Because this is what is asked of us as citizens of this city, this state, and this nation.”

I saw some heads nodding along to what I was saying. Let’s keep that rolling, I thought.

“Well, what if you were suddenly thrust into a situation where you didn’t have a choice? Where a choice was thrust upon you? Such is the case with Mr. Lastra. He didn’t want to do what he did in that dark alley. Circumstances forced his hand.”

I turned a solemn frown on the jury, folding my hands behind my back.

“We do not dispute that a violent act occurred. We do not dispute that Indro Lastra committed that act. What we do dispute is the motivation for said violent act. In this case, the so-called victim, Diego Malone, attacked my client. With force and wicked intent.”

There were some small murmurs at this. Good. So much the better.

“My client was forced to defend himself against the assault of the alleged victim, forced to commit an act that he wanted no part of! And every citizen of Chicago, every American, in fact, has the right to defend himself or herself against an assault! These charges are spurious and need to be dropped immediately!”

There was an outcry in the gallery then, people talking over each over, the DA jumping to his feet, screaming about evidence and points of law, the judge banging her gavel on the bench, demanding order.

Confusion was reigning in the courtroom. And for now, confusion was my best damn friend.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Indro

The summit meeting between the Loggias and Maloiks had been set and it was time for us to head there.

After consulting with all the capos, Don Maloik decided that the best place for the meeting was the Langham Hotel, one of the most exclusive joints in all of Chicago. I had never stayed there. It was out of my price range. I was guessing that only the Dons of families could afford to spend a night or two there. And probably not every Don either.

Which made sense, given the circumstances. Don Maloik knew that the meeting had to be at what was technically a neutral site, not controlled by either family. But Maloik knew the Langham, had stayed there, and put up foreign guests there when they came to town. He knew the chef and the concierge. It was a slight advantage, but an advantage nonetheless. And one thing I’ve learned over the years in this business, you do whatever you can to get ahead. Even if it's only by a little bit.

Don Maloik had reserved the private dining room for the meeting. We arrived early, to make sure that the Loggias saw us already set and waiting.

We had men stationed at every entrance to the hotel and had four outside the dining room door, not to mention all the men we had in the dining room proper, including me.

It