Page 128 of Dirty Mechanic

Judge Holloway nods, slow and unreadable. “Anything further?”

The prosecutor adjusts his tie, smirking just enough to piss me off. “One more detail, Your Honor. According to the sworn affidavit filed by Richard Bishop, the defendant Derek Fields wielded a wrench the night of the incident. He claims Mr. Fields struck John Huntz using the wrench after Huntz surfaced near the riverbank.”

A ripple cuts through the gallery.

My spine locks. Hands clenched under the table. My first instinct is to bark back, but Cash glances at me, and I lean in.

“He’s twisting it. I had the wrench—didn’t use it. Threw it,” I whisper.

Cash straightens immediately.

“Your Honor, my client acknowledges having a wrench that night. It was in his truck; he grabbed it solely for protection in case Huntz came after them. But he never used it. Mr. Fields threw the wrench into the river specifically to avoid violence. Huntz fell, surfaced briefly, then disappeared. My client never touched him.”

The prosecutor shakes his head like we’re all full of shit. “How convenient.”

Cash’s voice sharpens like a blade. “Convenient? Or cautious? My client was protecting a woman from a man with a known history of violence and abduction. There's no forensic evidence tying Derek Fields—or any object—to Huntz’s death. No wound. No contusion. No trace of blunt force trauma.”

Judge Holloway leans forward, voice clipped. “Unless you produce the wrench, counsel, this stays speculation.”

Cash doesn’t miss a beat. “Your Honor, we’ve also filed to vacate Ms. Waters’ prior marriage under coercion. Upon reviewing her psychological profiles and sworn affidavits, it’s clear this was not a marriage. It was captivity.”

Caroline nods from behind the table, tapping the file. “And the court accepted.”

Judge Holloway flips through the documents, then lifts his eyes. “I’ve reviewed the submitted affidavits, psychological evaluations, and supporting documents. The petition to annul is granted. The prior marriage is hereby declared null and void.”

There’s no reaction from the gallery—but I feel the shift. Like the air in the room just got lighter.

The judge flips another page. “Counsel, are you moving for dismissal at this time?”

“Filed and ready,” Caroline says, standing with the kind of authority that doesn’t ask permission.

The gavel taps. A recess is called.

I finally breathe.

Behind me, I hear Emma crouch beside Misty, murmuring something I can’t make out. Misty blinks like she’s waking up from a long, underwater dream. When Cash steps forward to adjust her coat, she flinches. He doesn’t push. Just folds the edge of the blanket carefully and steps back, watching her with that quiet, calculating focus—like he’s studying a fragile thing with fire still flickering inside.

Caroline comes up beside me at the railing. I lean in.

“What happens if Rick never shows?”

Her jaw tightens. “US Marshals are already involved. He crossed state lines. We’ll get him. But Misty’s right—she needs to disappear for a while. There’s a target on her, and it’s not just emotional.”

I glance toward my sister. Her chin’s high now, but I know that posture—it’s armor. Her coat trembles at the shoulders. Light catches on the apple blossom pin at her collar, and for a second she looks like the girl she used to be—before Rick, before the secrets.

Emma hands her a bottle of water. Misty clutches it too tight, her white-knuckled grip mirrored in the tablet screen on Cash’s lap.

“Are they gonna press charges against her?” I ask.

“Cash is negotiating full immunity,” Caroline says, flipping through the file again. “Her testimony about that night—and about Rick—is too important. And the ledger she found in the rubble?” Her tone sharpens. “It’s gold. Makes Rick look like he inherited more than his father’s money.”

Cash doesn’t even glance up. “We’ve already linked Rick to at least three shell companies. Hidden assets. Fraud. It’s the kind of evidence that makes judges nervous and defense attorneys sweat. They’ll drop anything they can’t prove clean in exchange for the paper trail.”

I smirk. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Caroline lifts the file in her lap. “That ledger might be the reason we win this.”

Cash finally glances at Misty. His voice softens. “You gave us the first nail in his coffin.”