Chapter 1

Sienna Cross

“You don’t win by playing fair, you win by playing dirty. He taught me that when it was already too late.”

The courtroom was freezing, but my blood was on fire, I slowly adjusted the collar of my blazer, my spine straight and chin high, I have been waiting for this day, I have been preparing for this case for more than two weeks.

My heels clicked sharply against the tile as I walked toward the prosecution table, Every eye in the room followed me,reporters, jurors and gawkers from the press, but my eyes were only on one man.

Maddox Kane.

The viper king.

He sat behind the defense table, his legs spread like a king on his throne, he had a faint smirk curving on his lips. His black shirt stretched over muscles, His tattooed neck peeked out from under the collar of the shirt, One of his hands was lazily placed on the table, the other was bandaged probably from the last time he had beat up a man to death.

Probably?

Right.

"You ready to lose, sweetheart?" he murmured as I walked passed him.

I looked at him "The only thing I am losing is my patience looking at that face of yours."

He chuckled low and dark, and it send shivers down my spine like a threat, I forced myself to focus, flipping open my case file.

Murder, trafficking an witness intimidation, shipment of illegal arms, illegal boxing, illegal drugs, he has a lot of charges on him, and If I win this case, I would be the youngest prosecutor to ever put a motorcycle club president in jail on federal charges, but if I lost…

No. I surely wasn’t going to lose.

I can't lose.

Our eyes locked, and he smirked as if reading my mind.

The DA had handed me this case like it was a gift, a shot at making history, the first young prosecutor to ever take down the Viper Kings president on murder charges, my name would be on all the headlines, I might even receive a government award.

The judge entered the room and everyone rose. And then it began.

“Miss Cross, please proceed.”

I stood up stepping into the open space between the judge and jury, taking in a deep breath I began.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” I said, my voice calm but sharp. “Today, you will hear evidence that Maddox Kane orchestrated the brutal murder of a business owner who witnessed a murder of a civilian, which was committed by him, you will hear testimonies see records, and be faced with one undeniable truth”

I turned, locking eyes with the man who was looking at me like a predator amused by its prey.

“that no one is above the law, not even a king.” I stated,Maddox slightly tilted his head… and smiled.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned into hours, I called witnesses Presented evidence and security footages, Bank records and medical reports, and everything pointed to one man.

But something was wrong.

The witnesses hesitated, and some even forgot key details, one even stopped talking mid testimony.

The defense attorney, a polished man in a thousand dollar suit looked at me like he already knew what I was going to say. Like he had my entire strategy laid bare in front of him.

While Maddox just sat there, watching and Smirking.

It was time to ask him questions, so he was brought to the witness chair, I slowly turned and walked to where he was stopping right in front of him “Mr. Kane, where were you on the night of October seventeenth?”

He leaned forward in the witness chair, folding his hands calmly in front of him, “I was at home, alone just watching news.”

I cocked an eyebrow, “No alibi?”

“Didn’t think I would need one.” he stated.

“And yet three separate witnesses saw you at the scene of the crime.”

He shrugged “Three people...who all happens to be my enemies, two of whom have criminal records and the third runs a bakery I didn’t renew a contract with, do you really think they are reliable?”

I clenched my jaw. “So you mean they are all lying.” I questioned.

“You tell me, Counselor.”he leaned in, his voice dropping just enough for only me to hear “You seem real invested in sending me to jail what’s this really about, hmm? Your job or that little crush you have hard since I walked in?”

My stomach twisted, I stepped back immediately before I did something reckless like slap that smirk off his face.

“Nothing further, Your Honor.”

The jury deliberated for more than two hours my heart beat increasing with each passing second and then the hammer fell.

Not guilty.

My heart cracked in two,I stood frozen as the jury foreman repeated it, twice. I couldn't breath my vision blurred, my head felt heavy and suddenly it feels like the world is spinning.

I heard the gasps.The murmurs from the press. But it was all background noise to the sound of my own world falling apart, my own world was falling apart right in front of me, and I can't do anything about it.

I glanced across the room and there he was again, he slowly stood up smirking, like he had known it all along, his eyes met mine and mouthed "Told you, sweetheart"

He winked at me before he started walking towards the court exit.

I didn’t move, I couldn't breath, my heart was pounding against my chest because I knew what that wink meant.