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Chapter 1 - Chapter One:Meet My Lawyer

Cas groaned in frustration as the cuffs snapped around his wrists and the officers shoved him into the police van. One of them patted his back with a smug laugh "You gave us quite a chase, buddy."

Cas shot him a steely glare, just as the door slammed shut. Moments later, the police convoy pulled away from the scene of the arrest.

"Breaking News! Breaking News! A suspect believed to be the notorious drug dealer and child trafficker, HENNEDY, has been caught. He was caught hiding out in a church on downtown street Rose." A reporter announced live on TV, her voice charged with camera-ready excitement.

"We will be interviewing the suspect here on GRAC National TV on the 21st of this month, April. And…" her voice trailed off as the broadcast transitioned into the television playing in Janet Dealer's living room.

Janet exhaled, as she ironed the satin top she had chosen for work that day. Brown curls cropped short, bouncing with a natural shine that framed her beautiful face.

Her eyes were almond, neither too big, nor too small, just enough to draw you in. Her small nose (like a button) and lips, plump yet modest, carried a natural brown tint. Her beautiful figure was wrapped in a gray towel. She seemed to have just stepped out from the bath and from the look on her face, she didn't appreciate the news that was airing on live TV.

She rounded up the chores and got ready for work. Slipping into beige corporate pants and the pink satin top, paired with matching pink stilettos and her glasses. Gathering a few files from her reading table, she headed for the door, locking it carefully behind her. Moments later she pulled her car out of the garage and drove off to work.

**

Cas was lost in thought, it had been Jack all along. Was his own friend the child trafficker? He had never crossed the boundaries from drugs to human trafficking.

This had all been Jack's plan: lure him to come down to Rose Town under the pretense of helping him flee the country. But when Cas arrived, there was no Jack, only a tip to the police, a bag full of drugs in the same church where Jack had arranged a meeting, and a pocket full of children's fingers stuffed into a pair of abandoned trousers. Jack boiled with rage as he remembered, the gruesome memory replayed in his mind, a crime everyone believed he committed.

He had a bad history with the police. They had caught his men twice on drug charges— nothing he couldn't post bail for. But this…this was different. HENNEDY was a very hated criminal whom the entire state had been hunting for months. A ruthless child trafficker who sold organs and body parts to the black market. A ghost in the drug trade never seen in person, yet notorious for demanding quantities so large that no dealer could refuse the sale.

Could Jack be HENNEDY? The thought gnawed at him. The police had once retrieved a child who managed to escape, and carved into the child's skin was a single brand—HENNEDY. The famous name the public gave him.

Cas had so many questions, the sting of betrayal still fresh in his mind. A police officer walked in and Cas's voice snapped immediately.

"Can I speak to my lawyer now?"

The officer took the seat opposite him, resting his hands on the interrogation table. Then he leaned forward, lowering his head to give Cas a mocking stare.

"I always suspected you, you disgusting pedophile. We just didn't have enough to prove it—but look how lucky the heavens smiled on us. Delivering the almighty Mafia three of High Town to us as the hardened criminal, HENNEDY."

The officer grinned,

"You're an enemy of the state so you do not have access to a private lawyer. The state will provide one for you." Glancing at his watch. "Should be here anytime soon." he straightened, hands in his pockets. "You're in big trouble, pretty boy."

Almost thirty minutes after they served him the terrible prison lunch, the officer from earlier returned—this time with a lady. A pretty lady.

Beautiful hips framed perfectly in high-waist beige trousers. Anyone looking from the front would wager good money that a dangerous curve was hidden behind her shapely thighs. The pink satin top looked almost carelessly chosen, yet it suited her effortlessly. Short, bouncy, curls framed her face, catching the light just enough to match the gloss on her lips—especially the upper one that drew his gaze. He wondered if she had lined them or if that tint was natural.

He called the satin top 'lazy' in his mind, if only because it kept him from imagining how her breasts were shaped.

She held his gaze as she took the seat across from him. The officer stepped out and the heavy door clicked shut.

Cas arched a brow "…And you are?"

She lowered her eyes briefly, then met his stare again, "Good afternoon, Cas. My name is Janet Dealer. I'm a court-appointed attorney, and I'll be representing you in this case."

Her eyes flickered across his vest, lingering on the fit. Cas smirked. She was checking him out—he knew he was eye candy for the ladies. He made his voice low but clear enough to pass the message, watching closely as those plump upper lips confirmed what he'd suspected—they were naturally tinted.

He reminded himself sharply: she was his lawyer not a date.

"Only my lawyer knows a good deal about me." he murmured, "We need his help."

"I know you're innocent."

The statement caught him off guard. A sudden ray of hope flared in his chest.

"What?"

Janet's tone steadied, her gaze on his

"I'll help you—but only if you promise to cooperate with me on this."

She leaned forward across the interrogation table, nearly whispering as she spoke to him. "I acquired intel on one of HENNEDY's child trafficking sites. My sister—she's a detective— has been on his case for months…" she hesitated, swallowing hard. "…she's been busy and managed to get info but before she got there, the place had been cleared out." Her gaze dropped to the table, her voice trembling "All the children gone."

Cas studied her intently. "Why are you so sure I'm innocent? Janet."

She lifted her eyes again "Because I have a suspect in mind. Someone I used to know —an old neighbor."

Cas narrowed his eyes. Bullshit, he thought. Suspecting she was lying but that was her personal business. Still, he pressed, "So why not tell the police about this suspect of yours, if you're so sure?"

Janet exhaled. "He's too perfect, not a trace of visible evidence against him."

Cas leaned in, his voice edged with challenge

"So what's your not-so-visible evidence against him then?"

Janet drew in a steady breath, her chest rising as she leaned forward. Cas's eyes flickered downward before he realized it, caught by the subtle outline of the curves hidden beneath her blouse.

"That is classified information from you for now." She snapped.

Cas reclined in his seat, his gaze locked on hers, his tone mocking.

"Janet the lawyer who's willing to ally with a suspected child trafficker. I wonder what pushed you to this point."

Janet shot him a glare. "Don't act like you know me."

Cas felt a tightness in his trousers. Her anger did things to him, and he liked it. A smile tugged at his lips before he could stop it.

"I'm no mind reader," he said leaning forward "but it seems to me that this suspect of yours is closer than you admit. The one who put me in this mess was supposed to be my friend— more than that my brother. He set me up, and I'm still trying to understand why."

Her expression softened, though her chin remained high. She fixed him with a measured stare.

"You will plead not guilty in court tomorrow. I'll handle the rest of the proceedings from there. All I want in return is…"

She lowered her gaze, her voice dipping, "I did some digging into you, Cas. You're a mafia king. Which means you've got eyes in the underworld. I need your men and your influence to get HENNEDY."

Cas studied her in silence for a long moment. "You're negotiating my freedom?"

Janet exhaled. "That's a way to put it Mr Cas but I believe we'll be helping each other."

She settled into her seat, lips pouting slightly. "And besides, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for your ex-brother."

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