The courtroom on the twelfth floor of the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse carried the quiet gravity reserved for cases where someone's life had ended and another's freedom hung in the balance.
Twenty Shots sat at the defense table beside Damian. He looked calm, almost leisurely, as if the proceeding unfolding around him were merely a joke rather than a matter of life and death. It was the kind of composure that made people wonder where such confidence could possibly come from.
Across the aisle stood Assistant State's Attorney Daniel Ruiz. He shot a cold look toward Damian's table, but neither Damian nor Twenty bothered returning his glance. They treated him like air and continued whispering among themselves, almost looking amused.
"We will see who is smiling after today!" he snarled under his breath.
At precisely nine o'clock, the courtroom doors opened behind the bench.
"All rise."
