I clench my teeth to stifle a laugh. “And why did you run through all those alphas in a straight line?”
He glances over at the paused footage. “Door. Zack want to go back to cell when alphas attack him. Me.”
I nod to him and spin. My phone vibrates, but I can’t afford the distraction just yet. “There we have it, Your Honor. And if I may have the floor for a moment, I’d like to make one more thing clear.”
I turn back to Zack. “Mr Jones, before you met your omega, your job was to fight in challenges against other alphas, is that correct?”
He cocks his head, eyes boring into me. “Yes. Zack fight a long time.”
“And when you fought, what was the outcome of those battles?”
His back straightens with instinctual alpha pride. “Zack won the challenge.”
“All of them?”
“Yes.” He nods emphatically.
“How do we know you never lost one?”
He frowns. “Lost challenge . . . means stop breathing. Kill.”
“Thank you, Mr Jones.”
“Zack,” he grumbles.
I chuckle and turn back to the judge. “Your Honor, the fight rings Zack came from pitted two alphas together in matches to thedeath. The records recovered by the OCB suggest Zack was a captive there for at least five years, which tells us something about his ability to survive. It’s clear he had a dangerous past, and that’s why we had a rehabilitative program in place, as well as additional security measures.”
I shoot my eyes toward the sweating man at the other bench. “Attorney Kline, please tell me how many of the inmates are dead?”
The man blanches. “One is at death’s door—”
I’m getting sick of this. My irritation comes to the boil, lacing my tone with a sharp edge. “As of this moment, how many are dead?”
“None,” he mutters reluctantly.
I nod. “Despite Zack’s proven ability to kill, which was not his fault, by the way, he didn’t kill a single alpha among those who attacked him. The only thing this man has done is defendhimself from the hostile environment Alpha Lodgings dragged him into. And further, I contend that this is a personal grudge to set Mr Jones up based on a vendetta.”
The judge lifts his brows in surprise. “Do you have any evidence besides the OCB investigation into the courthouse assault?”
“Yes, I do.” At least I hope I do. I turn back to Zack. “Zackary Jones, have you ever seen the man sitting at the desk over there before?” I point to the man sitting beside the Alpha Lodgings lawyer.
McKenna flinches as Zack swings around to assess him.
“Yes, Zack knows.”
“How do you know him?”
“Alpha from prison. Think called Mack-henna.”
I nod. “Zack, you’ve been in two prisons. The one you came from today is called Laversham prison. The other one you were at before was Darinian prison. Which prison do you recognize him from?” I pull out my phone and scan the text from Hale, hoping he’s sent me enough to continue my line of inquiry.
“Objection. This isn’t relevant,” Kline whines.
I cock one shoulder and throw the judge an exasperated look. “Opposing counsel cited a personal grudge between my client and Mr Fibbistachi. They seem very happy to drag personal connections into this hearing.”
The judge’s mouth twitches. “Since this is a character case, you may continue.”
I nod in gratitude and turn back to Zack. “Where did you first meet that man?”
