Chapter 179

Night fell on the quiet alley.
A woman in jeans, a white hoodie, and a high ponytail was locked in combat with a group of thugs. She wielded a long wooden staff, her movements swift and powerful. Each strike landed with the force of a thunderclap, a blur of deadly precision.
Her opponents, who had been laughing and jeering just moments before, were now crying out in pain. Five minutes was all it took. One was clutching his head, another was doubled over, and a third had been tripped by the staff and sent flying.
Colin watched in stunned disbelief. Refusing to accept what he was seeing, he charged in himself, only to be sent crashing into a wall with a single, practiced kick.
When all her adversaries were lying on the ground, the woman stood tall, staff planted firmly on the pavement. She lifted her chin to the night sky, a figure of righteous, triumphant power.
“Wow, Penny, you’re amazing!”
“Penny, you’re a true warrior!”
“From this day forward, I am your biggest fan!”
“Penny, I love you!”
The skater kid shouted from the sidelines, his eyes shining with adoration.
The woman cast a cool, 45-degree glance in his direction and gave a slight wave, a perfect blend of pride and humility.
“It’s nothing special. Just a little self-defense training. I’m only a seventh-degree black belt.”
“Penny, you’re a legend!”
Just as they were basking in the glow of their victory, the wail of a police siren echoed from the end of the alley.
Two hours later, at the local police station.
When Theodore arrived, he found Penelope and the skater kid standing against a wall, heads bowed like two naughty schoolchildren being punished.
Nearby, a group of young men, all sporting fresh bruises and swollen faces, groaned in pain. The one at the front was so puffed up, his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him.
“Are you the parent of one of these two?” a middle-aged officer asked Theodore.
Theodore felt a surge of secondhand embarrassment and was tempted to turn around and leave.
“Hubby!”
“Bro!”
The two shouts came simultaneously. A beat later, one of them let out a confused “Huh?”
Penelope turned to the skater kid. “Who are you calling ‘bro’?”
“Your husband,” he said, blinking innocently.
“My husband is your brother? How come I didn’t know about this?”
“I’ve been my brother’s brother for twenty years. It’s a well-established fact.”
“What’s your name?”
“Norton Stapleton.”
Penelope narrowed her eyes. “You did this on purpose! You kept it from me!”
“I honestly thought you knew! Or at least suspected. I mean, we look so much alike.”
“You look nothing alike.”
“Are you insulting my beauty?”
“Are you an idiot?”
“Penny, I’m your loyal follower now! Can’t you be a little nicer?”
Penelope rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll admit, I probably should have figured it out.”
Theodore walked over, his face like a
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“So, you’re the husband of the one with the weapon, and the brother of her accomplice?” the officer asked.
Theodore crossed one leg over the other, adjusting his suit jacket. “Correct.”
The officer swallowed hard. He had
a feeling that the husband of a
woman this formidable was probably not someone to be trifled with.
“Well, your wife is quite a fighter. One against six, and she didn’t get a
scratch. But she’s an adult, and
brawling with a bunch of kids like this is, frankly, a bit much ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ.net
“My wife is a woman. Six men attacking one woman isn’t a bit much?” Theodore
countered, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose.”
“And my brother didn’t lay a hand on anyone, did he?”
“No.”
“Then he’s not an accomplice. He was a bystander.”