Lillian’s shout startled Garrett and his team, who had just rested for half a day. The seven of them stood up almost simultaneously. “James? Arresting people?”
Lillian nodded frantically, then looked at Darnell and shouted, “He brought over twenty people, saying you’re involved in the brawl.”
“He also claimed you injured Gisselle and Hugo, and he specifically wants to take you away. My godmother is dealing with him now. She asked me to inform you.”
“She wants you to leave through the back door immediately. Judging by James’s aggressive demeanor, he is determined to have you arrested today.”
She pointed to the path outside the window as she continued, “If he catches you, given his nature, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
“That damn officer again! I’ll take him down myself.”
Garrett was furious. “He didn’t stop the fight earlier but now comes to arrest our boss afterward.”
He snorted, “Luca is also a coward. He lost and called the police for revenge. What a disgraceful leader.”
Darnell shrugged. “James is a district officer. Today’s events were definitely under his watch, and he must have received considerable benefits from the Apex. But it might not be Luca who called him to arrest me.”
“Luca witnessed my strength today. He wouldn’t foolishly think one officer could handle me.”
“I suspect James has a deal with the Apex to split the profits after taking down Woodsea. Now that I’ve disrupted their plans, he’s angry about losing his cut.”
Darnell saw through it all. “So he’s here to teach me a lesson.”
Garrett and the others nodded in agreement and then asked, “Boss, what should we do now?”
“What else can we do?”
Lillian was anxious. “You must lay low for now. Don’t confront James directly. He’s a cop with a gun.”
She reminded Darnell, “Besides, you embarrassed him last night. If he catches you today, it won’t end well.”
Garrett nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, you can’t go head-to-head with that mad dog.”
He had witnessed James’s ruthlessness before. That bastard wouldn’t hesitate to harm even children and the elderly. He’d certainly go all out against Darnell.
“I heard his brother-in-law is the deputy chief of the city bureau. We can’t afford to provoke him.”
“What do you mean we can’t provoke him? I chased Luca away. James is nothing. Let’s go meet him.”
Darnell stood tall and confident. “If we can’t handle James, how can we protect Woodsea in the future?”
Garrett and Lillian wanted to speak up, but Darnell waved them off. “Don’t worry. I can handle this.”
In truth, Darnell wasn’t just thinking of handling it. He wanted to use this opportunity to deal with James once and for all to ensure peace in Woodsea.
“Alright, Boss, if you’re so determined, we won’t persuade you to hide like a coward. We’ll go with you.”
Garrett and the others were excited. “Let’s go meet James!”
The group escorted Darnell to the square.
Before they reached it, Darnell saw a crowd gathered noisily around it. It hadn’t been long since the fight in the hall, and now Woodsea plunged into chaos once again.
In the center were two groups facing off, Noemi with about a dozen villagers on one side and James with dozens of auxiliary police on the other.
The auxiliary police held electric batons and riot shields while curious tenants watched from the perimeter. At that moment, Noemi was angrily shouting,
“James, damn your ancestors!”
She pointed at James. “When my underwear was stolen, you didn’t show up. When we needed police protection from the Apex’s attack, you didn’t show up.”
“But when it comes to checking underage individuals entering bars, enforcing parking violations, or cracking down on running red lights, you’re always the most eager one to take action on these trivial matters.”
“Woodsea finally calms down, and you’re the first to show up again.”
“And now you want to take our security consultant away? Who do you think you are?”
Seeing Noemi about to hit him, James stepped back but then angrily advanced. “Noemi, don’t think being the landlady of Woodsea makes you invincible.”
“I’m a police officer serving the people backed by powerful state agencies. I don’t need your approval.”
“Today, you must hand over Darnell. I have witnesses accusing him of fighting and injuring people. He must be punished.”
“If you obstruct law enforcement, I’ll arrest you too.”
James roared viciously, “Noemi, I know you’re influential, but I’m no pushover either.”
“I usually give you face out of courtesy. But if you insist on challenging me today, I’ll make you sorry!”
Behind James were Gisselle and Hugo with bruised faces. They were clearly victims and witnesses.
However, their expressions were uneasy as if they were coerced.
“Who dares disrespect Ms. Sotheby?”
Before Noemi could respond again, Darnell swaggered forward. “Does he think I’m dead?”
Darnell’s appearance drew everyone’s attention instantly while Gisselle gritted her teeth, stepping forward and pointing at Darnell.
“Officer Adington! It was him! He injured many people in the hall, including me!”
After saying this, she quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet Darnell’s gaze. Hugo stammered, “Y-yeah, it’s him…”
Noemi scoffed, “Losers!”
“She’s lying.”
Lillian rushed up from behind, pointing at Gisselle and Hugo. “It was her who brought people to cause trouble. We had no choice but to fight back.”
The villagers of Woodsea chimed in to support her, “That’s right! They came in to cause a scene. Consultant Halford acted bravely and drove them away for us!”
“What really happened will be clear once we get back to the station,” James said impatiently, waving his hand. “Right now, I’ve only received a report from Gisselle and Hugo, claiming that Darnell attacked them and injured them.”
“Darnell, is that true? Did you hurt them?”
His gaze landed on Darnell’s face, filled with resentment and malice. It was obvious he still remembered how Darnell had embarrassed him at the hotel.
After being ruthlessly scolded by Areli last night and being forced to apologize to Darnell, James harbored a grudge. Now that Darnell had cut off his source of income, he was determined to settle both old and new scores.
James said coldly, “Darnell, I hope you understand-confessing will lead to leniency while resisting will be met with harshness.”
Garrett and the others were momentarily stunned, then filled with anger at his twisted interpretation of the situation. Just as they were about to speak up, Darnell stopped them with a gesture, smiling faintly.
“True.”
He pointed at Gisselle and Hugo. “I did injure them.”
James’s forehead gleamed in the sunlight, looking like a bulb, shiny and bright. He scanned Darnell a few times before saying coldly, “Young man, learning to fight at such a young age, especially against women, is not good. It has a negative impact. Come on, let’s go to the police station for an investigation.”
“If you were a police officer, I would cooperate and go with you to the station,” Darnell replied lazily. “But are you a police officer? Officer Adington, did you get your badge so quickly?”
He stretched out a hand casually. “Come on, show me your credentials. I hope it’s not another disappointment like last night.”
At this, James’s face darkened completely, wishing he could draw his gun and shoot this arrogant kid in front of him.
After returning home last night, he had angrily torn his old badge in half, and he had immediately applied for a replacement this morning. But even at the fastest speed, it would take three working days to arrive.
In other words, he had an expired badge last night, and today, he didn’t have a single thing.
Seeing his predicament, Lillian immediately seized the opportunity to shout, “Officer, you need credentials to take someone away!”
Noemi and the others were also quick-witted. “Exactly! Without credentials, how do we know you’re really a cop?”
“James, have you been pretending to be a police officer all these years?”
“Pretending to be a police officer is illegal-a serious crime! Aren’t you afraid of sitting in jail for a long time, James?”
Facing their ridicule, James shouted, “I am a legitimate police officer!”
Noemi stretched out her hands. “Then show us your badge. Without one, you’re just a fraud.”
James desperately wanted to pull out his badge and slap it in Darnell’s face to humiliate him, but the truth was, he didn’t have one.
Not again with the badge! The badge had caused him trouble twice already! James was on the verge of tears.