Page 32 of Laird of Wrath

He hated feeling powerless against things he couldn’t predict or prevent, and with every step he took, he couldn’t help but curse himself more and more for it.

But that also gave him the strength he needed to run faster, to catch the man who had attacked Rhea and exact justice—or revenge.

His footsteps echoed down the street as he chased after the attacker, pushing himself to run faster and faster. The culprit was a small man, clearly suffering a life of poverty. With his long stride, Callum caught up to him quickly and tackled him to the ground.

The man fell with a thud, followed by a groan that sounded too high, too childish. Yanking the hood back, Callum revealed not the face of a man, but rather that of a young woman—or rather a girl who was probably not even of age yet.

The sight shocked him for a moment, but with all his weight on her, she couldn’t move, no matter how much she squirmed and writhed.

“Please,” she said, her big brown eyes filling with tears. “Please, mercy.”

At first, Callum didn’t respond. He only stared at her, his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenching as he wrestled with himself. She was only a girl; she was not some brigand he could simply hang for his crimes. But she had stolen a lot of gold, and she had also hurt Rhea in the process.

“Please, I have a family to feed.” Her words were barely discernible through the tremors in her voice. “I am beggin’ ye… I would never do this, but the silver… Please, forgive me, meLaird. He gave me so much silver and said I can keep everythin’ in the pouch…”

Silver? Who gave her silver?

“Did someone bribe ye?” Callum asked roughly as he stood up and grabbed her by the arm, hauling her to her feet. “Who was it?”

“I… I daenae ken,” the girl stammered. Her tears were falling freely now, sliding down her plump, youthful cheeks.

Callum couldn’t help but think that she was way too young to be doing something like this.

“I swear it, me Laird, I daenae ken who it was. He came to me well-disguised. He… he wore a low hood, and it was dark, so I didnae see his face.”

Callum narrowed his eyes on her, trying to decipher whether she was lying or not. She seemed terrified, though, and if he knew one thing about terrified people, it was that they usually only lied if they were talked into it.

The girl had good enough reason to lie to him about being bribed, but this was not the kind of excuse one could come up with in the spur of the moment. On the other hand, she also had good reason to tell him who had bribed her, which could only mean she truly didn’t know.

Hearing footsteps behind him, He turned his head to see Rhea hurrying toward him. He grunted, his grip tightening on the girl as Rhea approached, her face a mask of shock when she saw her.

“What… Is this the thief?” she asked, her gaze darting between him and the girl.

Callum grunted in confirmation as he let go of the girl. A part of him thought that she might bolt the moment she got the chance, but she only stood there, frightened and rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the dirt under her feet.

“But she’s only a wee lassie,” Rhea remarked.

Callum grunted in confirmation once more.

The girl really was just a child. And she was frightened, and probably hurt from the fall when he had used his full weight to subdue her.

“How much money did ye have in that pouch?” Callum asked Rhea.

“I… I’m nae sure,” she replied. “Either five or six pounds, total.”

It’s nae a small amount.

He turned to the girl and took a good look at her—at her matted hair, her torn clothes, the patches that mended large holes in her cloak.

“Go on, then,” he told her gruffly. “And daenae let me or any of me men catch ye stealin’ again. Do ye hear?”

“W-What?” the girl stammered, looking up at him with a confused frown.

“I said go,” Callum said.

And yet the girl remained there, as if unable to move.

Hesitantly, she held out the coin pouch to him, but he shook his head. “Go.”