to such a lying piece of shit anymore? That’s total bollocks. Anyway, he can’t put a custody order on me. I’m not a child.”
Cordon smirked as the clerk of the courts opened his mouth again. “In the case of diminished responsibility and as your next of kin, I’m afraid he can. And the evidence he has provided to us is very compelling. Guards, please take Miss McQuaid into custody.”
Several guards started forward, one already pulling free a pair of restraint cuffs.
“Any man who lays a hand on her loses the hand.” Kelwin’s gravelly voice was soft but held the ring of command. It had the same effect as the bellow of a drill sergeant. The few men who had moved stopped dead, all eyes shifting from Nerys to the tall figure behind her.
He’d changed his clothes since the pirate attack so he wasn’t covered in blood anymore, but the potential for violence clung to him like a cloak, warning anyone tempted to try his patience that retribution was likely to be swift and brutal. A guard to her left—a youngster by the looks of his smooth skin and baby face—snapped his rifle up into the aim.
The clerk lifted his head and squinted at him. “And who might you be?”
Kelwin didn’t hesitate. He stepped in front of her and glared at the young guard until he lowered his rifle.
“I am War-Commander Kelwin Sayeed, Commander of the Fifth Battle-group. This is my wife, Nerys.”
Her gasp was echoed around the dock. Several of the guards took a step backwards. The thoughts going through their heads were easy to read in their expressions—it was one thing to handcuff the possibly insane daughter of a wealthy businessman, but quite another to try to take the wife of a decorated war-commander into custody. Especially when that war-commander was present.
“Lies!” Her father surged forward, face red with anger. “They were married, but it was a sham. She left him within hours and she’s been unstable since. She ran away from home less than a week later. Left the bosom of her loving family, for what? To live a dangerous life on the solar roads? I maintain that is more than enough evidence and supports my application for guardianship.”
Fury overtook her panic as her father fixed her with a steely glare. She’d angered him with her defiance and by running away, but she doubted the loss of a daughter would have seriously upset him. More likely, he’d already sold her again. And when she’d disappeared, had been forced to return some poor sap’s money. The hard look in his eyes was easy to recognize. Now she would pay, but unlike when she was a child, she doubted her punishment would be confined to being locked in her bedroom without dinner.
Like. Fuck.
“Actually I left when I found your new best-friend-forever in my bed. After you told me to ‘be nice to him’ so he’d agree to whatever deal you were trying to con him into.”
Her voice rang out clear and calm across the dock. Any tears and histrionics now would only play into Cordon’s hands. Cordon , not her father. Not anymore. She refused to think of this walking piece of crap as her father. All eyes, including Gethan’s, swung to him.
“Is this true?” The clerk’s lips pursed as he waited for Cordon’s answer.
“Not at all…the little slut had been flirting with the guy all evening. Looking the way she does, you can’t blame the man for reading into that, now can you?”
In front of her, Kelwin clenched his fists, his entire body tight with anger. Her chest constricted as she willed him to turn around, to look at her and see the truth in her eyes. He didn’t. Instead, he faced forward—a legal guardian with a proven history on the battlefield—standing between her and her father.
“I suggest you don’t talk about my wife that way. Ever.”
She couldn’t see Kelwin’s face, but her father paled, the flush of his anger draining away as fear filled his eyes for a second before he rallied.
“She’s not your
Cordon smirked as the clerk of the courts opened his mouth again. “In the case of diminished responsibility and as your next of kin, I’m afraid he can. And the evidence he has provided to us is very compelling. Guards, please take Miss McQuaid into custody.”
Several guards started forward, one already pulling free a pair of restraint cuffs.
“Any man who lays a hand on her loses the hand.” Kelwin’s gravelly voice was soft but held the ring of command. It had the same effect as the bellow of a drill sergeant. The few men who had moved stopped dead, all eyes shifting from Nerys to the tall figure behind her.
He’d changed his clothes since the pirate attack so he wasn’t covered in blood anymore, but the potential for violence clung to him like a cloak, warning anyone tempted to try his patience that retribution was likely to be swift and brutal. A guard to her left—a youngster by the looks of his smooth skin and baby face—snapped his rifle up into the aim.
The clerk lifted his head and squinted at him. “And who might you be?”
Kelwin didn’t hesitate. He stepped in front of her and glared at the young guard until he lowered his rifle.
“I am War-Commander Kelwin Sayeed, Commander of the Fifth Battle-group. This is my wife, Nerys.”
Her gasp was echoed around the dock. Several of the guards took a step backwards. The thoughts going through their heads were easy to read in their expressions—it was one thing to handcuff the possibly insane daughter of a wealthy businessman, but quite another to try to take the wife of a decorated war-commander into custody. Especially when that war-commander was present.
“Lies!” Her father surged forward, face red with anger. “They were married, but it was a sham. She left him within hours and she’s been unstable since. She ran away from home less than a week later. Left the bosom of her loving family, for what? To live a dangerous life on the solar roads? I maintain that is more than enough evidence and supports my application for guardianship.”
Fury overtook her panic as her father fixed her with a steely glare. She’d angered him with her defiance and by running away, but she doubted the loss of a daughter would have seriously upset him. More likely, he’d already sold her again. And when she’d disappeared, had been forced to return some poor sap’s money. The hard look in his eyes was easy to recognize. Now she would pay, but unlike when she was a child, she doubted her punishment would be confined to being locked in her bedroom without dinner.
Like. Fuck.
“Actually I left when I found your new best-friend-forever in my bed. After you told me to ‘be nice to him’ so he’d agree to whatever deal you were trying to con him into.”
Her voice rang out clear and calm across the dock. Any tears and histrionics now would only play into Cordon’s hands. Cordon , not her father. Not anymore. She refused to think of this walking piece of crap as her father. All eyes, including Gethan’s, swung to him.
“Is this true?” The clerk’s lips pursed as he waited for Cordon’s answer.
“Not at all…the little slut had been flirting with the guy all evening. Looking the way she does, you can’t blame the man for reading into that, now can you?”
In front of her, Kelwin clenched his fists, his entire body tight with anger. Her chest constricted as she willed him to turn around, to look at her and see the truth in her eyes. He didn’t. Instead, he faced forward—a legal guardian with a proven history on the battlefield—standing between her and her father.
“I suggest you don’t talk about my wife that way. Ever.”
She couldn’t see Kelwin’s face, but her father paled, the flush of his anger draining away as fear filled his eyes for a second before he rallied.
“She’s not your
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