Page 112 of Waste of Worth

Theo made sure of it the week before the raid.

No matter, what was done was done.

“Plead on these now, and they’ll drop the fraud, laundering, and tax evasion charges,” the public defender added, not that Dino needed him to.

He was already well aware of the deal that had been put on the table.

“If nothing else, it’ll offer you a bit of time outside prison before they build that case,” Mike said, glancing to Dino.

“Is it that they don’t have the evidence they need yet to get the verdict on those charges, or they just want to play keep-away with my freedom?” Dino asked.

Mike shrugged. “Both?”

“Fucking fantastic.”

“You can be out in a year—maybe—on good behavior.”

Dino glanced out the barred window as he said, “Yeah, I got it, Mike.”

“You ready to make that deal?”

No.

No, he was not.

It was one thing for a made man to plead no contest in court, but it was another thing for him to be found guilty, or plead guilty. It just didn’t look good for his reputation with the family. Not that being arrested looked good as it was, because that was just a whole other mess to deal with once a man was free.

Thankfully, it looked like Dino would have some time to consider all of that.

That time would be spent in a very small cell.

Dino knew he really didn’t have a choice but to take the deal that was offered—he was a small fish, to be sure, but all the original charges had been stacked against him, even the fraud, tax evasion, and laundering, and the prosecution had done just what he knew they would and argued he was a flight risk.

So there he was, denied bail on a goddamn drug and weapons charges because now they were going to drop the other charges that had actually been the point in context for his denied freedom while he awaited trial. In doing so, he was now being given a deal that would immediately put his plea in, speed up his court dates which would not offer him another bail hearing, and he’d be looking at his new jail cell within the week.

That was how fast they wanted him put away.

Dino could do nothing about it.

Fuck the people who had done this to him.

Fuck them all.

“Give me the papers,” Dino said gruffly, not wanting to stay lost in his thoughts for too long lest he let them overwhelm his apathy. Once he got angry, it seemed like lately that was all he could feel when it came on. And shit, he wanted to feed it something bad. “I’ll sign right now—get this fucking shit over with.”

“You’ll have some time out of prison before they bring the second round,” Mike said again, “and it’ll give you time to plan.”

“Also gives them time to royally screw me over more than they already have.”

Mike didn’t deny it.

“Then why sign?” his lawyer asked as he handed the papers over.

For a single second, as Dino’s hand hovered over the deal the prosecution had painstakingly detailed in twenty printed pages back and front, he hesitated in signing.

No, that wasn’t entirely truthful.

He hesitated in answering Mike’s question and answering it honestly.