Chapter 5

Walking into her office at 7:55 A.M., Reilly was surprised to see Max sitting in her desk chair, casually flipping through a magazine. He looked so handsome in his navy blue three-piece tailored suit. She'd finished her summation four days ago; the sequestered jury deliberated until reaching a verdict late last night. At 9:30 pm, she'd received the call from the courthouse. Nightmares of Max behind bars plagued her until morning.

Something about this case nagged at her. She couldn't understand why the Commissioner and the District Attorney were so anxious to prosecute one of their own. Max's door-busting attitude had earned him several Medals of Honor, but now, he was standing trial for killing an unarmed man. Where were his loyal teammates, his partners who swore to watch his back? They'd left him standing accused, alone, except for Cappy, the Chief of Police.

She was confident she'd done her best, but was it enough? If the jury believed the evidence, Whipton's corrupt police department would undergo a major shakeup and Max would be a free man. If not? She refused to think about that!

It had been a difficult case. At one point, they'd almost given up on finding any leads to prove his innocence. The turning point had been finding "Dirty Harry", a 34-year-old ex-marine who walked the streets by day and haunted back alleys by night. Despite the mutual military background, he had resisted helping her and Max. Thankfully, in the end, he provided them with priceless information.

His military background plus his distrust of authorities prompted Harry to meticulously document everything. His filthy demeanor offered him freedom to roam undetected in places that an average citizen couldn't. Of course, he'd written his daily journals on any scrap of paper he could forage that day. Armed with gloves, air freshener, determination, and Max, she scoured every piece of paper, uncovering a nest of corruption within the police department.

The day her "star witness" walked into the courtroom was the highlight of the trial. Dressed in one of Max's tailored suits, she wouldn't have recognized him except for his brown eyes, furtively scanning the courtroom searching for something, anything. Today, they'd know if his testimony had been enough to sway the jury.

"Good morning, Max. Sleep okay last night?"

"Good morning, Gorgeous. Guess it's party time, huh?"

"Max, your life is hanging in the balance. How can you be so flippant?" Every nerve in her body was short-circuiting. How could he remain so cool? After all, she was the "ice princess" with the reputation of never letting them see her sweat, but she was sweating.

Rising from her chair, he towered over her. His blood ran hot every time he was near her. He wanted her but only if she wanted him the same way. He knew she never understood why he joined the army, but she'd never given him a chance to explain either. They were both stubborn and that trait had cost them their love.

"How about a kiss for good luck?" He smiled, making her face flush. It was obvious he hoped to make her his conquest, but she wasn't ready for that yet.  In the past few months, she'd softened toward him, but she wasn't ready to give her heart away.


"We've traveled that road, Max. You're still that testosterone driven male, but I've moved on."

"I don't believe it. I can feel the heat simmering in your veins every time I'm near you. Yeah, you're a mule-headed woman, but I know the wildcat under that icy exterior."

"You've been watching too many cop stories with their fairytale endings. Macho man gets the girl. It's not happening. Not with this girl." She tried to circle her desk, returning their conversation to today's verdict. "Are you ready for this?"

"Honey, I've been ready for this all my life." Seizing her in his arms, like a vise, pinning her to his chest, he whispered against her hair, "You couldn't have forgotten how good it was." Bending his head, he brushed his mouth softly across hers. His tongue teased her until her lips parted. Every kiss claimed another tiny piece of her heart. His scent, his tongue's probing, his warmth begged her to surrender to him, melt into his arms.

His manhood throbbed against her leg, urging her to accept its pleasure. Reilly struggled to regain her composure. Her legs were weak and wobbly, putty in the master's hands. He was opening Pandora's Box and she couldn't stop him. Her traitorous body refused to listen to her brain's commands.

The shrill ringing of the telephone shattered the spell and Reilly pushed him away from her. Her heart was beating wildly. She took a step backwards, putting space between them before answering the phone.

"Reilly speaking." She listened attentively to the voice on the other end and then ended the conversation. The taste of fear was foreign to her mouth, but she recognized it. She looked at Max, their eyes connected and held each other for a moment. "They're ready for us."

A sigh escaped his lips, the first sign of nervousness all morning. "Regardless of what happens in that courtroom today, you've done your job. Don't second-guess yourself, Rei. You did more than anyone else would have ever done. I'm proud of you." His hand reached out and squeezed her arm, not seductively, just offering reassurance. "Now let's go see what they have to say."

Chapter 6

Hundreds of spectators jammed into the courtroom. Reporters and camera crews clamored for positions. Max and Reilly sat at the table, neither saying a word. Smiling in Reilly's direction, the District Attorney appeared to be quite confident of the jury's verdict. She responded with a confident smile, one she wasn't sure was real.

The bailiff entered the courtroom from the judge's chambers and a silence fell over the courtroom. "All rise and remain standing." Everyone stood, stretching his or her neck, not wanting to miss anything.

The judge dressed in his ebony black robe climbed the two stairs and sat behind the podium, scanning the crowd. The bailiff continued, "Hear ye! Hear ye! The District Court of Cowley County, New Mexico is now in session with the Honorable Judge George Stanton residing. All persons having business before this court draw nigh and give attention to the Court now sitting."

The judge pounded the gavel and the bailiff announced, "Be seated."

The jury slowly filed into the courtroom, taking their seats. Reilly watched each juror as they enter the jury box, searching for any sign of their decision. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she could see Max, hands clasped loosely on the table, staring straight ahead. Her heart was starting to pound. The Ice Princess was afraid.

"Has the jury reached a unanimous decision in the case of the State of New Mexico versus Charles Saladino, otherwise known as Max Saladino?"

"Yes, your Honor, we have."

The bailiff retrieved the paper from the jury foreman, delivering it to the judge. After reading it, he lifted his eyes to look at Max before speaking, "Will the defendant rise, please."

Max and Reilly pushed their chairs away from the table and stood facing the jury. Every eye locked on Max. A whisper of expectation rippled across the courtroom and the judge pounded his gavel. "Silence in the court."

His long-time friend and avid supporter, Police Chief Cappy O'Donnell stood at the back of the room, against the wall, his face cast in stone, waiting for the verdict.

On the other side, buzzing like bees, several cops that Dirty Harry's testimony indicated were corrupt, frowned. The verdict could mean as much to them as it would to Max.

The Bailiff polled the jury, asking each individual juror by name if he or she agreed with the final verdict. Satisfied that the decision was unanimous, he continued, "Jury Foreman, how say you."

"We, the jury, find Charles "Max" Saladino, not guilty of all charges." Pandemonium broke loose in the courtroom.

Reilly felt her poker face burst into a smile. Max hugged her tight against him, whispering, "Thank you, thank you" in her ear.

The judge pounded his gavel. "Charles "Max" Saladino, you have been found innocent of all charges by a jury of your peers. This court declares the verdict of not guilty to be correct. You are free to go. Case dismissed." Cameras and flashbulbs snapped and popped everywhere. Reporters called questions from the sidelines. Reilly and Max were oblivious to it all. Tomorrow, they'd see their picture, clinging to each other, plastered on the front page of the Whipton Herald, but for now, they could only see each other.

Reilly turned to shake the District Attorney's hand, but he was charging out of the courtroom. She couldn't blame him. The entire legal system was about to suffer a mighty blow with all the corruption information they had gathered. He would have to prosecute his friends.

"Come on, Reilly. Let's go find some place to celebrate." They pushed through the clamoring crowd, escaping out a backdoor. Savvy reporters waited as they emerged into the sunlight, pushing microphones into their faces. After a few brief comments to satisfy them, they hurried to the curb, catching a taxi.