Chapter 874 You Canât Take Her Away!
The sight stung Brendan in the eyes like thorns. Murderous air began to pool around him like the onset of a nuclear explosion. He slammed his hand against the bars, thundering, âWhat the h*ll am I seeing!?â
The wardenâs face turned as white as a sheet. He knew all too well what this wasbullying between inmates. What he did not expect was Brendan catching it right when it happened.
His hoarse commotion woke the inmates. When they saw who it was, their minds turned blank. They had no idea that a man whose very status would equate him to a modern-day prince would deign himself to visit a dirty cell in a detainment facility!
âM-Mr. Brighthall! W-Why are you here? N-No, this is a misunderstanding! Itâs all Miss McKinnonâs idea! She found us filthy and decided to sleep in her own clean little corner instead of huddling with our grime. She said it herself! The cornerâs clean, she said!â âExactly! Sheâs the one w-whoâs ostracizing us! Thus, we chose not to force her against her wish!â
Their desperate ruckus to clean themselves off suspicion woke Deirdre. She stirred and groggily listened to their defenses for a while before looking ahead. There, she saw a familiar figure in her blurry sight.
Her heart seemed to stop beating for a second. âIs that⦠Brendan!?
âBut why is he here!? He was supposed to have left!â âShut the f*ck up!â growled Brendan, his features twisting into a horrifying grimace.
Sheer wrath had consumed his reason-he had to grit his teeth just to stop himself from being a monster. He stepped inside the cell, intending to bring Deirdre out of it.
Before he could grab her wrist, though, he saw the bruises.
âWhat the f*ck!?â He exhaled and yanked her sleeve back.
Her entire arm was filled with blue-black bruises. Against her porcelain skin, they looked even more harrowing than they already were.
The rest of the inmates panicked. âT-Thatâs-â
Any excuses they could come up with seemed futile by this point.
Brendan turned to the warden, his eyes steely. âI trust that you people know what to do about this.â
The warden felt cold sweat oozing out of his spine and nodded. âO-Of course! How dare they do this in a place of law and order, like a police station!? Weâll immediately begin an investigation to see whoâs responsible.â âInvestigation? Whoâs responsible?â
Brendan scanned the crowd and broke out a laugh.
Everyone shivered in fear.
Wordlessly, Brendan carried Deirdre into his arms and started toward the door.
âMr. Brighthall!â The warden and his colleague began to crowd around. â You canât take her out like that!â
Brendanâs eyes were as cold as icicles. âI canât? Do you have any idea how much trouble your entire station will be in if I bring this up for legal scrutiny? A pregnant woman, innocent before an official charge, was being abused while she was detained in your station under your watch. Can you really see yourself getting out of this sh*t alive?â
Everyone froze and exchanged glances.
âIf something were to happen to her, none of you, I mean not a single one of you, would be able to handle the responsibility. Iâm just bringing her to the hospital to receive the medical care she deserves. If youâre worried about my intention, then go ahead and get one of your people to tag along!â
With that, he strode back out to the hall and to the parking lot, his steps frantic but stable. The popped veins crawling around his arms were proof that he was doing his best to contain the raging beast inside him.
âB-Brendanâ¦â
Deirdre curled into herself even more. The manâs arms were strong, firmâ¦
safe. She felt the safest as she had ever been. And yet, she was worried. If word of Brendan forcibly taking her out of the detainment center got out, only more troubles would follow.
âB-Brendan, put me down⦠Iâm okay, reallyâ¦â
Brendanâs breathing became even more labored. The flames of his rage were threatening to pour out of his every pore.
He set her down on the passengerâs seat, tipped her chin up, and kissed her supple lips hard.
It hurt enough that Deirdre froze.
Brendan took a deep breath. âWhen are you finally going to learn to protect yourself, Deirdre? When are you finally going to trust me a little more?â
He was infuriated, but it was more than just because she was being bullied.
It was because she was still thinking about hiding her pain from him despite the abuse she had suffered.