The judge cracked his gavel down hard. "Defendant Mia Parker, get ahold of yourself. There'll be no outbursts in this courtroom."
The bailiffs rushed in, grabbed her by both arms, and hauled her up off the floor. But Mia had gone dead weight, boneless, throwing everything downward and fighting them for all she had. No matter how hard they pulled, they couldn't move her.
Her eyes never left me.
Those swollen, red-rimmed eyes were filled with desperate pleading, like two bottomless black holes trying to drag me into their depths.
The bailiffs finally managed to yank her off the floor by force and shove her roughly back into her seat.
Still, she wouldn't look away. Her gaze stayed locked on me like a vice.
Beneath all that obvious begging, there was a faint, calculating glimmer of hope
