Chapter 10 - THE TRIBUNAL OF HALSTED|
The news spread like wildfire across the local press: The "Halsted Extortion Ring" was going to trial.
For years, street gangs had terrorized small business owners on the North Side, relying on fear and silence to keep themselves out of prison. But this time was different. Someone was funding the defense, buying high-powered prosecution witnesses, and protecting victims with military-grade security.
On the morning of the preliminary hearing, the courtroom was packed with reporters, police officers, and mob enforcers.
Razer Rodriguez sat at the defense table in an orange jumpsuit, his eyes darting frantically around the room. Sitting directly across the gallery was Vincent Torino, flanked by four impeccably dressed security guards.
When Elena walked to the witness stand, her hand tight around her cane, a murmur rippled through the gallery.
Razer glared at her, leaning forward to whisper a low, silent threat under his breath: "You're dead, bitch."
Suddenly, Vincent stood up in the gallery.
He didn't say a word. He didn't make a sound. He simply looked down at Razer.
The color drained from Razer’s face instantly. He slumped back into his chair, breaking eye contact, shivering under the sheer weight of Vincent’s unspoken threat.
"State your name for the record," the judge requested.
Elena took a deep breath, looking past the prosecutors, past the reporters, straight at Vincent. He offered a single, microscopic nod of encouragement.
"My name is Elena Martinez," she said clearly, her voice echoing through the silent courtroom. "And I am here to tell you what those men did to my shop, my daughter, and my life."
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For three hours, she spoke without flinching.
By the end of the day, Razer’s high-priced defense attorney advised his client to accept a plea bargain: thirty years without parole in a maximum-security federal penitentiary.
