Brendan’s temper reached its boiling point. His grip around Deirdre’s wrist tightened like a clamp intended to grind human bones. Fire was burning in his eyes, and if homicide was legal, Deirdre would be dead right there and then.

“Congratulations, Deirdre. You’ve really pissed me off!”

Pain drained the color from Deirdre’s face. Before she even knew what was happening, Brendan had forcibly trawled her away despite her fumbling, staggering footsteps. He lugged her all the way to his hotel room and chucked her against the bathroom floor.

There was not enough time for the pain to subside. Deirdre had barely opened her eyes when chilling water from the showerhead above poured mercilessly over her.

The cold was biting, and Deirdre trembled. “Stop! Brendan, stop!”

“Stop? Stop?!” he scoffed. Instead of honoring her plea, he lifted her head up so he could spray even more water over her head and body. “How else am I gonna cleanse you of your filth, you wh*re? The last thing I want is sm