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CASHMERE SAVAGE

" L adies and gentlemen of the jury, as you go to deliberate, I want you to render a verdict based on evidence, not emotion.

The circumstances are truly unfortunate, but my client was not the person who pulled the trigger.

There is no forensic evidence that puts him there.

In fact, it is the exact opposite. Cell phone towers and his car's GPS placed him over two hours away at the time of the murders.

Had this evidence been in the prosecution's favor, they would have made it the focal point of their argument.

Despite his criminal history, which the opposing side has continuously brought up, my client is innocent.

He's served his time for the crimes he committed and has used his incarceration for its intended purpose—rehabilitation.

The state's case is based solely on the testimonies of two witnesses and a personal vendetta against Mr. Young.

I ask that you not further continue the injustices that have been brought upon him.

Thank you." I spoke confidently, my heels clicking the tiled floor as I walked back and forth in front of the jury box.

I was sure to look each juror in the eye as I spoke.

I wanted them to feel my conviction, my rawness.

I wanted them to believe me. When I finished, I returned to my seat, feeling like Annalise Keating.

As I sat down, Mr. Young smiled at me. It was the first smile he gave me since I started representing him.

He was cold, with a record that began when he was just twelve years old.

He was in and out of prison before he could legally drive a car, and the fact that he got lost in the prison system was honestly sad.

The sheriffs came to cuff him and take him back into the holding room until the jury was done deliberating. Greg and I stood to leave as well.

"Cash, that cross-examination and closing statement was badass.

I know he hates you even more today." Greg whispered to me as he nodded his head toward the District Attorney.

I know Hanovich hates to see me coming. He had never argued a case successfully against me, even though he tried his damnedest.

"You're a horrible person, and I hope you know that." He snarled as he leaned down and closed the space between us.

"Aw. Come work for me, and I can teach you how to be a Savage." I pouted as I taunted him. He and I had been enemies for over fifteen years. I had come into the field fierce, young, and with the gift of gab. And I've been running circles around him ever since.

"I would never dabble in immoral corruption for a dollar.

" He snapped as he turned on his heels and walked away quickly.

I ignored his comment. We always had a back-and-forth when we were on the same case.

I would have to check his temperature if he hadn't done this, so I was accustomed to it.

His issue with Mr. Young was personal because Mr. Young had supposedly been responsible for the death of the police chief, who was a very good friend of his.

He had vowed to get Mr. Young thrown away for life, that was, until I was hired to defend him.

He knew that any hope he had to win went down the drain as soon as I got on the case.

People have always asked me how I could defend heinous acts and people who I knew were guilty.

My answer was always the same: I didn't get paid to know.

I got paid to defend the evidence. Each case I took was hand-selected based on the facts of the case.

If I looked at the evidence and it could be manipulated to defend you, that's what I did.

I never asked any of my clients directly if they were guilty.

There are times when I may have felt like a client was guilty, but the evidence proved otherwise, so that's what I went with.

Feelings are why thousands of innocent men and women are currently serving sentences.

"I'm going to go grab a coffee," Greg said as he left me sitting alone as usual. It was my routine to sit and reflect on my thoughts and pray during deliberations.

I hadn't been in the room for longer than an hour before Greg peeked his head back in and said, "The verdict is in.

" My heart fell to the pit of my stomach as my nervous eyes met his, which were also unsure.

Slowly, I stood and walked toward the door.

I took a couple of deep breaths and put back on my poker face as I walked through the courtroom with my shoulders back and my head held high.

"Madam foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict?" The judge asked as he looked over his glasses at the juror who had now stood.

"Yes." She said.

"Proceed…."

"On count one, homicide in the first degree, we, the jury, find the defendant Antwon Young… not guilty."

"Count two, reckless endangerment, we, the jury, find the defendant Antwon Young… not guilty."

"Count three, shooting into an occupied dwelling, we, the jury, find the defendant Antwon Young…not guilty."

"Count four, a felon in possession of a weapon, we, the jury, find the defendant Antwon Young…guilty."

"So, say you all?" The judge asked.

The jury nodded as the foreperson sat down.

Audible gasps and cries came from the victim's family as they started screaming obscenities at me.

He and I both expected him to be found guilty of the last charge because he was caught with a gun when he was picked up.

However, that would likely be commuted to time served.

Mr. Young reached over and brought me in for a brief hug.

"Man, you're the real deal." He said as we parted, and I shook his hand.

The judge interrupted our premature celebration.

"Mr. Young, the court will grant you time served on your charge.

This is the longest time you've gone without being in a courtroom.

I hope your last stint in prison taught you something.

You've gotten away now, but please know that if I see your face again, the outcome won't be as lenient. You are free to go."

After all the specifics were finalized, Greg and I walked out of the courtroom with a police escort, got into our cars, and drove away.

After every big win, I always celebrated with my team by closing the office the next day and taking everyone out to lunch.

Tomorrow would be no different, but tonight, I would go home and binge-watch crime shows.

I had almost made it to Evansville when my phone rang.

"Cash Savage," I answered.

"Ms. Savage…" A voice on the other end boomed.

"May I ask who's speaking?" I questioned.

"Uh, Antwon. I wanted to thank you for all you have done for me and ask if I could do it over dinner," he said quickly.

"I appreciate you, Mr. Young, but the words feel just the same.

Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble.

" I answered before disconnecting the call.

I didn't give him time to respond. If I allowed him to debate me, he could persuade me, and that wasn't happening.

I was never the type to fraternize with my clients.

Business was business. I wasn't about to be the attorney on the court shows getting the taste smacked out of them.

I always established clear-cut boundaries, and that was why they respected me the way they did.

Pulling into my parking spot, I looked around before I pressed the button to quiet the engine and got out of the vehicle.

The clock read a quarter till five, and I was grateful that it was still daylight.

Most times, darkness beats me home because I work long hours at the office.

I finally had a break before I had to take on the next case.

I was excited to spend my evening in the quiet of my home, snuggled up and rubbing my feet together on the couch.

As I neared the door, I didn't even notice the bouquet of roses that were sitting off to the side, waiting for me to come home.

I scoffed as I walked past them with my heels in my hand.

The lawn maintenance would clear them for me, just as they had done the last fifty bouquets.

My soon-to-be ex-husband, Nasir Adeoye, had been working around the clock to slither his way back into my good graces, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that he would do it.

His mistress popped up to our house, big and pregnant, demanding to see him because he had tried to end things with her.

The whole ordeal had me blindsided because I had never expected my husband to betray me like that.

He was always attentive and patient and treated me like gold.

Apparently, he had enough good qualities to go around.

I filed for divorce from him the very next morning, and he had been on his hands and knees since.

We had been separated for six months, but he still covered my monthly expenses faithfully.

Yet no amount of money, apologies, or pop-ups would make me accept him and his love child back into my home.

I showered the stress of the day's events away.

As I stood underneath the steam of the shower head, I let the water cascade down my face.

My tears, now blending perfectly amongst the wetness, while I cried my heart out.

I would be a liar if I said that it didn't hurt like hell what Nas did to me.

We had been together since we were twenty-two and in college, and now, at age forty, it was hard trying to grasp that he wasn't the man I had always known him to be.

For eighteen years, I had a fairy tale, and then one day, in a matter of eighteen minutes, it was over.

But crying in the shower is where it ended.

When I dried my body and my eyes, I moved on with life.

All of my frustrations came out in my work.

I may not have had my fairytale ending, but I was a Savage, and nothing could keep a Savage down long.

Slipping into my robe, I went down the stairs of my home and grabbed the left-over hibachi that I had from yesterday.

I had a date with me, myself and Law & Order.