What better way to turn the judge and jury against me than to get me to stop the verdict myself?
Hailey and Rylee screamed my name as they waved their arms and pushed back at the people rushing past them.
I pulled against the guards’ grasp as I rose on my toes. “Hailey!”
One guard twisted my arm behind my back.
He forced my forearm against my lower back and shoved me out of the courtroom.
“Ouch! Please, you’re hurting me!”
“Did you hear that, Steve? The entitled little princess is complaining.”
They pushed me over the threshold of the same small conference room I had been brought to earlier.
I tripped and fell forward against the table, pushing the edge into my side.
The guard named Steve grabbed me by my hair and pulled me upright before dragging me over to a straight-backed wooden chair. He stepped behind me and snatched my arms back. Cold metal clasped around my wrists as he handcuffed me then slammed me down into the chair.
The room spun, adrenaline flooded my veins as the panic squeezed my chest. I fought for every short, rapid gasp.
Both men stood close, towering over me. The one whose name I didn’t know leaned down to lift the hem of my skirt. He rubbed the fabric between his thumb and forefinger. “Don’t you just love when the pretty ones wear skirts to court?”
“My attorney will be here any second.”
They both laughed.
“Barry Finkle? That idiot is halfway back to his mommy’s basement by now.”
He let go of my skirt and grabbed the chair’s armrests.
He was so close the stench of his breath was overpowering. “After that little stunt you pulled, I wouldn’t be surprised if the judge ordered a thorough strip search.”
The other one slapped him on the shoulder. “I agree. Anyone who’s desperate enough to disrupt court like that is probably desperate enough to have smuggled a shank or weapon in. I think we should strip search her here and now to be sure.”
His hand was on my hem again, pushing it higher. I kicked out, catching him on the shin.
He retaliated by slapping me across the face. “Bitch.”
My head snapped to the right as the chair rocked up on two legs, then settled again, as my mouth filled with a metallic tang. My hair came loose from its bun, partially obscuring my view.
He took off his gun belt.
Then reached for his pants. “Time for your first lesson in prison obedience.”
I swallowed past my dry mouth, getting ready to scream even though I knew no one would hear me.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, the door burst open.
Pierce?
I hated the way my heart leapt.
It wasn’t him; it was the judge.
He was so angry he was already shouting at me in mid-sentence by the time he crossed the threshold. “...book at you. Obstruction of justice. Assault. Contempt of court. And—and—anything else I can think of.”
“I’m sorry, I?—”
