Page 29 of Merciless Obsession

“Yes, Your Honor. That whole evening is blurry.”

“The witness has clearly been threatened by Felix and his guys to change his original statement, Your Honor.”

“Objection.”

“Sustained. The jury will disregard that last statement. Counselor, move on.”

The DA pushed out a deep breath. “Is it true you told the same detectives that the other business owners who chose to sell only did so because they feared for their lives due to Felix Benson’s influence and continued threats?”

“Objection, hearsay.”

“Sustained. The jury will disregard. Watch it, Counselor.” She gave him a warning look.

One corner of my mouth lifted as I leaned back in my seat.

The morning continued with the judge calling for a recess after my counter questioning. The beginning of this trial wasn’t going how the DA wanted, which didn’t mean an automatic win, but it did give me a chance to take charge and sway the jury to our side. If the DA thought this was an easy win for them, then they were mistaken. I was about to give him the fight of his life with a smile on my face.

____

“I will say you’re worth all the money you’re charging,” Wise said, bringing his glass to his mouth.

I grinned. “And trust me, your brother isn’t making my job easy either.” My eyes locked on the dancer on stage. We were currently at my brother’s club The District, upstairs where the strip club was located. We sat in one of the round booths, close to the main stage.

Wise shook his head. “He’s always been hardheaded. If him going to jail didn’t threaten my business, I’d let him fall on his ass.” His jaw clenched.

I lowered my glass on the table and turned to face Wise. “I told you this already, if you don’t cut Felix loose or get him under control you’ll be the next one I’ll be defending. Your brother is sloppy, flashy, and too impulsive. He thinks he’s above the lawand not in a good way. He might be good at whatever he does for you, but he’s still got a lot to learn with being discreet or he’ll become your downfall.”

Wise kept his eyes on the stage. He had built his fortune on gambling, both legal and illegal. He ran the largest casino in the area and also an exclusive underground gambling ring meant for high rollers. The buy-in alone was twenty-five thousand dollars and you had to bet the minimum of ten thousand. A lot rode on Wise’s business, it wasn’t just organized crime members who played, doctors, lawyers, high profile people, politicians and law officials also joined sometimes.

“Trust me, once his case is over, I’m cutting him off.”

“You think that’ll help?”

“Either that or he gets sent down south to stay with our uncle. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am and I can’t keep cleaning up his shit. He’s not a kid anymore. It’s time for him to grow the hell up and get his shit together.”

Wise was around Nazai’s age, but from what I knew about him, his parents were both imprisoned when he was nineteen and his brother was ten. Wise had taken over guardianship after their grandma who was raising Felix passed away a couple years later.

Wise pulled his phone out and scanned the screen. “Duty calls.” He stood. “It’s been a minute since you came through The Den. You should slide through soon.” The Den was where he held his underground gambling.

“Fuck no. The last time I stepped foot in that damn place I lost damn near a hundred grand.”

Wise laughed. “At least no one can ever call you a quitter.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not an idiot either.” I waved him off.

He chuckled again. “If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll send you what you need to get in.”

I nodded and stood. The District was live like most nights. Nazai’s club was often maxed to capacity. The girls upstairs always were well sought out and could make the strongest man fold when it came to their seduction game. It was one of my favorite places to come to de-stress after court. It was full of attractive women and they always gave a show that had you wanting more.

Leaving the table I was at, I walked across the room until I got to Nazai’s private section. He was around here somewhere making sure the club was running smoothly. Out of all my brothers I was the one who spent the most time here.

“River, my brother. When did you get back?” I slapped hands with River.

River was my brother’s best friend and like an adoptive brother to us all. His dad worked for our dad. When his parents were killed, my parents took River in. He owned a high-profile security firm and worked as an enforcer when Nazai needed extra muscle on jobs before he took over The Bloodline.

“Late last night.” I took a seat next to him.

He had a job out of town, it happened with him from time to time.