Caden sat in the interrogation room, his hands casually resting on the table. The police had let him sit for what felt like hours, waiting for his lawyer to show up. But it wasn’t the wait that bothered him—it was the way the officers kept glancing at him, like they were trying to figure out if they should treat him like some dangerous criminal or a high-profile figure with too much money to get in trouble.
They’d offered him water. He hadn’t touched it. His mind was still racing, still trying to wrap itself around the mess he’d just walked into. First-degree murder. No matter how they spun it, that’s what they were calling it. And no matter how many millions he had, it wouldn’t erase that label.
The door to the interrogation room opened with a squeak, and Caden’s lawyer, a sharp, middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense attitude, stepped inside. She glanced at Caden with a barely perceptible nod, as if to remind him that he was in capable hands. Her name was Grace Willows, and she had a reputation for getting people out of trouble. At least, that’s what she told him.
The moment she sat down across from him, the officers in the room stood up, clearly eager to get things going. Caden’s gaze shifted between the two cops, both of them trying to seem intimidating, but it wasn’t doing much. He was too numb to care about their posturing.
Grace cleared her throat and turned to the cops. “Gentlemen, my client will not be answering any of your questions without legal representation present. And as of right now, I’m here. So if you want to talk, it’ll be through me.”
The officers exchanged a glance, clearly a little annoyed, but they had no choice. One of them, a tall guy with a buzz cut, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Alright, Ms. Willows. We’ll keep it simple. Mr. Ortiz, here, is facing first-degree murder charges. He’s not a stranger to the law, and from what we’ve gathered, he’s got a history of violence. What’s his story?”
Grace’s eyes flicked to Caden, who met her gaze evenly. She didn’t know everything, but she knew enough to play the game.
Caden leaned back in his chair, glancing out the small window in the door. It was a pointless distraction. The room was sterile, cold. He could hear muffled voices from the hallway but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“I don’t need to tell you anything,” he finally said, his voice calm, even though his mind was anything but. “And if you think I’m going to apologize for what happened, you’re wasting your time. You don’t get to decide who I am or why I did what I did.”
The cop with the buzz cut narrowed his eyes. “You realize we’ve got security footage of you leaving the scene, right? It’s not looking good, Ortiz.”
Caden’s lips curled into a slight smile. He leaned forward just enough to make the officers uneasy. “Oh, I’m sure you do. You’ve got the footage. But footage is just footage. It doesn’t tell the whole story, does it? If you think a little video is going to convince anyone of what you think happened, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Grace glanced at Caden before focusing on the cops. “We’ll be fighting these charges, of course. But let’s not jump to conclusions. My client has a right to remain silent, and unless you have a warrant for his arrest, he’s not obliged to talk about anything.”
The officers looked like they were ready to press him, but they knew better. They backed off slightly, though the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“Fine,” the buzz-cut cop muttered. “We’ll let the courts figure it out.” He turned to the other cop, signaling that it was time to go.
As they filed out of the room, Grace stood and walked over to the door, closing it with a quiet click behind her. She returned to the table, sitting down across from Caden once again.
The silence in the room was heavy for a moment before Caden finally spoke.
“Do you really think they’re going to let me walk on this one, Grace?”
She met his gaze directly, no signs of hesitation. “You’ve got a strong case, Caden. You’ve got money, resources, and the best legal team money can buy. They’re not going to keep you here forever, not without solid evidence. The footage alone won’t do it—they’ll need more.”
Caden looked at her, his expression unreadable. “But the thing is… they’ve got something. Something bigger than just footage. And I’m not talking about what happened that night.”
Grace leaned forward, her voice lowering. “What are you talking about?”
He hesitated, his fingers drumming lightly on the table. “I don’t know yet. But I know I’m not the only one involved here. Whoever this is… they’re not done with me.”
Grace raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying there’s more to this? A bigger picture?”
Caden nodded, his gaze distant. “I’m starting to think they’re just the beginning. But I’ll play along for now. Let them think they’ve got me cornered.”
The door opened again, but this time it wasn’t an officer—it was the warden.
“We’re taking him to his holding cell,” the warden said, looking at Caden like he was nothing more than a nuisance. “Time’s up for now.”
Grace stood up quickly, her heels clicking against the floor as she moved to Caden’s side. “We’ll get him out of here, don’t worry. We’ll be back in court soon.”
Caden didn’t say anything as they escorted him out of the room, his mind still churning over everything that had happened. The stakes were higher than he could have ever imagined. But he wasn’t about to let them break him. Not now. Not ever.
As he was escorted through the sterile hallways of the jail, his thoughts turned dark. Whoever was behind this, they weren’t finished. And Caden wasn’t going to let them win. Not without a fight.
Crisp, Clear, and Cool
