Two arrogant officers pulled me into.s. a dark basement and shaved my head to completely humiliate me before my big day.
They thought I was just a helpless woman they could easily break.
But their confident smiles vanished the moment they walked into the courtroom and saw who was wearing the judge’s robe…
Cold steel pressed brutally against my jaw.
The courthouse lobby was deserted this early, the echo of my briefcase hitting the marble floor still ringing in my ears.
“I said, hands where I can see them!” Officer Vance barked, his heavy hand twisting my left arm painfully up my back until my shoulder popped.
“I am Valerie Brooks,” I said, my voice steady despite the searing pain radiating through my joint.
“I am a newly appointed federal judge for the Northern District, and you are holding my official credentials in your hand.”
Vance let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
