2 Brooklyn James Read Online Free

her unimpressed.
    She approaches the railing separating her from the witness chair, leaning onto it, her posture and gaze intense. “That’s the thing about the mob, Mr. Briggs. For all the loyalty, tradition, swagger…from an outsider’s perspective it has a certain luster, a lore if you will. It can be intimidating. Makes mice of men.” She leans in toward him. “The thing about intimidation, it’s all image, nothing but appearance. Every system has a weak link. Even Rome fell, Mr. Briggs.” She pushes off the railing and turns to a police officer in the back of the courtroom. “Bring him in.”
    Manny exchanges a concerned glance with his lawyer at the defense table as the police officer opens the door to the courtroom. Accompanied by two officers, as part of mandated witness protection measures, a visibly apprehensive man enters, his eyes darting about the courtroom, unwilling to settle on the witness stand. A shifting of bodies and muffled voices are heard throughout the interested congregation. The officers settle into a row in the back, the man positioned between them.
    The judge clears his throat purposefully, causing the curious crowd to return their attention to the front of the room. “Counselor,” he urges Brianna to continue.
    She turns back to Manny who looks around her, his icy stare fixed on the man nestled between the two officers, his eyes remain intently diverted from the witness. “Can you identify that man, Mr. Briggs?”
    Manny looks at him, pure disgust and barely contained rage evident in his expression. He begins to speak through tight lips and a clenched jaw, “Well, let’s see, he’s got pink ears, a pointy nose and beady eyes. Must be he’s sitting on his tail.” His stare never falters as he sucks air through his front teeth, clicking his tongue agitatedly off the roof of his mouth, before finishing, “Yeah, I’d say what we have here is a rat.”
    “You say rat. I say opportunist. Potato…Po tah to,” she digs. “This man,” she gestures to him tucked safely away between two officers, “Mr. Thomas ‘Tommy Boy’ Fontaine, is arguably the smartest of the bunch.”
    “We’ll see how smart he is from six feet under,” Manny spews under his breath.
    “What was that? You care to share with the courtroom, Mr. Briggs?” Brianna prods to no avail. “Mr. Fontaine can and will testify that he accompanied you and your partner, Mr. Angelo ‘G-Lo’ Tulane, to all three rape scenes. His statement matches that of the three female witnesses. You and Mr. Tulane took turns savagely raping each victim while he kept watch.” A gleam finds its way to Brianna’s eyes as she scans the spider web tattoo on Manny’s neck. She tilts her head to the side, tapping the pen in her hand against the palm of the other. “I read an interesting article the other day about the smartest animals in the world. Both the spider and the rat made the top ten list. Care to guess which came in higher in the ranks, Mr. Briggs?”
    He remains leaned back in his chair, his arms folded staunchly across his chest, eyeing her as if he would obliterate her into a puff of dust if he could. He says nothing.
    “The rat is smarter than the spider. You see, the spider is cunning and selective. They lure their prey, sometimes waiting for hours before they pounce. Very patient, the spider. They actually use trial and error to perfect the hunt.” She paces between the witness stand and the jury. “Now, the rat. The rat is keen, a fast learner, picking up on things at first try. That’s why they’re so good at solving mazes. Rats are actually social creatures, displaying signs of excitement, stress, loss…remorse.” She pauses on the word, allowing it to sink in with the jury.
    “Objection,” the defense calls. “What is the relevancy of this commentary?”
    The judge, along with the jury, is momentarily caught up in the scientific informative. Brianna takes keen advantage plowing through, “Rats also possess