Vivian tapped her trim nails against the table. “Well, here’s something you don’t have to worry about—I haven’t felt any new spirits in the last few days. Ella should have already crossed over.”
“That’s the other reason I’m here.” A prickly sensation climbed the back of my neck, and I peered over my shoulder, searching the dark corners of the room. There had been a part of me that hoped Vivian might be able to communicate with Ella. Maybe I could have told her how sorry I was for the way things turned out.
“You can relax. She’s not here. If she crossed over, it’s too late, I can’t summon her. The dead hate to be disturbed. Now, if she approaches us from the other side, that’s a different story. But as I said…” Vivian licked her finger then held it up in the air, testing the temperature of the room. “See? Nothing. We’re alone.”
Disappointment knotted my insides, and I glanced at the symbols on my palm. I had thought maybe there was still a connection, and that was why the mark hadn’t faded.
“What are you going to do about Argus?”
“I missed a payment, and I’m worried he’ll send his goons after me. I sold a few of my mother’s books to cover the fines for the illegal powder, so that’s taken care of.”
“How much more do you need?” Vivian crossed the room toward a small cabinet. Inside, she retrieved a pouch full of coins, which she pressed into my hand. “Is this enough?”
“It’s a start. I’ll repay you, I swear.”
Vivian snorted. “Says the girl who borrowed from a medium to pay back a gangster. Keep it. That’s what friends are for.”
I crushed her in a hug, fighting a rush of emotion. Sometimes, it felt like she was all I had, and I hated that my problems became hers. Now, I could pay the fines and put the arrogant, witch-hating detective behind me, then focus on getting Argus off my back.
“You’re the best, Viv. You know you are.”
“Well, if you plan on listing my superior qualities, I won’t stop you. Please, continue. You haven’t even mentioned my flawless beauty or svelte figure.”
I choked on a laugh and tucked the money into my pocket, light-headed with relief. “Your ego can’t handle it.”
“Probably not.” Vivian clasped my shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Be careful, Tess. This thing with Argus, and now the detective, it’s a mess. You need to ditch both of them as soon as possible.”
“I know. That’s the plan.”
Through the windows, I could see a faint drizzle glistening on the cobblestones in the lantern light. The dark street was deserted, and it was a long walk back to the magic shop. Argus’s men were probably roaming the alleys looking for me. I’d grown used to seeing them skulking around in my peripheral vision. Still, I couldn’t risk spending any of my newfound wealth on hiring a carriage. Not when I needed every royal penny.
“Viv, you aren’t using the wig again tonight, are you?” I asked with a smile.
She wrinkled her brow. “No, why? Do you want it?” Vivian plucked the wig from its holder and watched with a grin as I arranged the head of hair artfully over my own.
“How do I look?” I posed, hunched over, one hand on my hip.
“I think I wore it better, but it should keep anyone from recognizing you.”
Perfect. Pulling the collar of my cloak up around my neck, I shuffled down the steps and into the night.
Chapter 5
Wigs were the worst.
Thick strands of hair fell into my eyes, the rest hanging in weighty clumps down my back as I hobbled blindly through the dark alley. Bile rose in my throat when a furry body darted past my feet and scampered into a gaping hole beneath a brick wall. The rancid odor of spoiled fish and salt was a pungent reminder I was near the docks, a playground for rats and larger, more dangerous creatures. Maybe I should have taken the hit and hired a carriage after all.
Someone was close by, I realized, when an icy wind tunneled through the alley, carrying the ashy scent of cigar smoke. I braved a glance over my shoulder and caught the orange flash of embers before they dissipated. The urge to run barreled through me, but I maintained my limping gait. One more step, then two. Keep it together, Tessa. I repeated the mantra until my heart slowed and my breath evened. See, nothing to it. Just a leisurely nighttime stroll through the kingdom’s unsavory back alleys.
A cat screeched from some hidden hovel. An answering howl sent the animal racing through the narrow passage. The cat had the right idea. I picked up my pace, dropping the limp when I heard the echo of footsteps ricocheting off the walls. My pulse pounded against my throat, while up ahead, a lantern cast a welcoming pool of light. I dove for the beacon of safety. Its glow grew stronger, and I reached out as if I could capture it and bring it closer.
Before I could, rough hands clamped around my forearms and hauled me backward. I clawed at my assailant, nails raking along his skin. His grip tightened, digging blunt fingers into my muscles, the pinpoints shooting pain up my arms. He pressed me into the wall. The coarse brick scraped my back, catching on the fabric of my cloak. My shoes slid on the wet cobblestones. Fingers that reeked of cigar smoke covered my mouth. I screamed anyway, the sound a muffled moan in the back of my throat.
Panic surged inside my body as the man’s vile, alcohol-soaked breath filled my nostrils.
“All alone, witch? You shouldn’t have missed a payment.”
A match scraped against stone. Sulfur scented the air, then the soft glow of a lantern expanded in the space. I squinted from the sudden light and renewed my struggle, managing a well-placed elbow in the man’s ribcage. He grunted but didn’t let go. My attacker moved to the side, and in his place, another man came into focus.
“Argus,” I whispered.
“Caught you.” He smiled, and shadows danced beneath the sharp edges of his cheekbones.
Thick ebony hair grazed the tops of his broad shoulders and curled behind his ears. He had youthful, roguish features, but the rigid set of his jaw and apathy lurking in his green eyes spoke of suffering beyond his years.
“Trying to avoid me, witch? You haven’t paid me yet. It offends me that you’re evading our agreement. I’m a businessman, not an animal.” His steely gaze flicked toward the man holding me captive. The corner of his lips hitched. “He’s the animal. Try to stay on his good side.”
“I’ll get your money,” I said between clenched teeth.
Argus lifted his shoulders. His leather coat stretched over lean muscle. “Everyone says that.”
“I need more time.”
He chuckled and looked around like there was a larger audience. “Everyone says that too. So unoriginal.” His hand moved toward my neck, and I flinched, expecting his lethal fingers to tighten into a stranglehold. Instead, they rubbed the strands of the wig that had torn loose from my head and gathered in an awkward pile on my shoulder. “Points for the disguise. I don’t see that every day. But you weren’t wearing it when you visited your friend. Did she give it to you? Did she give you anything else? Money, perhaps? Maybe I should speak to her about your missed payment…”
Anger burned my gut. “Leave her alone. She’s not involved in our deal.”
Argus pressed his lips together, impatience narrowing his gaze as it traveled down the length of my cloak and honed in on my pockets. “What a pity. I wouldn’t mind getting to know the ghost-hunter a little better.” His hand dipped into my pocket and withdrew the coins I’d received at the pawnshop along with Vivian’s share. He stuffed them into his jacket, then sent me a devilish wink. “I’m not above picking pockets. It reminds me of where I come from. This buys you more time, but now, I want your entire loan paid by the end of the month.”
“End of the month? You can’t do that!” I twisted in his goon’s hold, wincing as pain shot through my arm.
Argus laughed, and disbelief tinged his voice. “Is she serious? Does anybody read the fine print? Witch, I can do whatever I want. You signed a contract.”
A shrill whistle pierced the ni
ght, and Argus glanced over his shoulder as footsteps started to pound along the alley.
“Someone’s coming,” the thug muttered, loosening his grip on my wrists.
Pinning me with his gaze, Argus warned, “I want it all by the end of the month.”
“I told you, it’s not enough time.”
“End of the month,” he growled, moving past me and vanishing into the shadows.
Alone in the alley, I shrank against the building to make myself invisible. I was tempted to follow Argus, unsure whether I should face the advancing strangers. Better the devil you know…
Light poured into the narrow space, and the footsteps halted.
“Detective? What are you doing here?” I pushed away from the wall and moved into the inviting glow. Fear drained from my body, leaving me hollow and unsteady.
Derrick Chambers stepped in front of his patrolman. His gaze traveled over my disheveled form, lingering for a moment near my jawline. Heat flushed my cheeks as I realized the tangled strands of the wig were stuck to my chin. I tugged the offending piece from my head, leaving my drizzle-damp hair hanging past my shoulders.
As the corner of Derrick’s mouth kicked up in amusement, I finger-combed the mess back into place. So much for the disguise. What had worked for Vivian had utterly failed me. Mortified, I considered using magic to create a crater in the ground big enough to swallow me whole. The only saving grace was that behind Derrick’s frank enjoyment was a hint of concern. That softening look tightened something in my chest. I needed to squelch the emotion or I might think he cared.
My hands balled into fists. “Were you having me followed?”
“I thought I should, after our discussion yesterday. You seemed like a runner.” He eyed the wig, which resembled a ball of snarled yarn rather than a hairpiece. Out came his notebook, and the impulse to rip the pages from his fingers to see what he wrote down raged inside me. But giving in to temptation would only reveal my curiosity.
“Stay out of my business, Detective.”
He grabbed my arm as I swept past him. Pain exploded in my wrist when his hand clamped over the spot Argus’s thug had injured. At the sound of my hoarse cry, his grip gentled, and he snapped his fingers. The man holding the lantern loomed closer.
Derrick eased the sleeve of my cloak up to reveal an ugly welt and traced his thumb over the edges of the darkening bruise. The soothing touch should have calmed my tension. Instead, it ratcheted it higher, making the air thick inside my lungs. All amusement faded from his face, replaced by a rigid determination.
I couldn’t deny the flare of pleasure it gave me.
“Did you get a good look at him?” The fury in his tone tightened my throat. It would be so easy to tell him my problems. I almost believed he would solve them. I imagined him bending over my knuckles and pledging to rid the kingdom of anything in my way; a knight in shining armor fantasy that was about as real as my illusions. Derrick had followed me because my shop was one of the last places Ella visited. He didn’t trust me, and he wasn’t interested in my troubles unless they related to catching a killer.
A strained silence hung in the air while he waited for my answer. His men had backed away, leaving us on the fringes of the dim light. I tugged my arm from his grasp, feeling the loss of his touch more than I should.
“It was too dark.” As I lowered my sleeve in a jerky motion, the wig fell, landing with a wet slap against the cobblestones. “They ran off when they heard you coming. I suppose I should thank you for your good timing.”
“No thanks necessary. It’s what—”
“You do. Yeah, I remember,” I grumbled, mimicking our prior exchange.
He bent to retrieve the wig. It looked like a mangy animal in his large hands. What had I been thinking, wearing such a thing?
“I can explain the disguise.”
“I think you should.”
I fumbled for a suitable story and settled on something resembling the truth. “I went to visit a friend, and as you know, this part of town can be dangerous for a young woman at night. It was a silly idea, but I thought I’d be safer. Respect your elders and all that.”
“I see.” Except the skepticism that flashed across his face said he really didn’t. Not that I could blame him—it was a ridiculous explanation. I half-expected him to put me in cuffs for impersonating an old woman. Was that a crime? Unlikely. But knowing Derrick, there was probably a fine.
“Am I free to go?” I asked.
He hesitated as if he had more to say, then gave a swift nod. “Abrams?” Derrick barked over his shoulder. “Escort Miss Daniels back to her shop.”
“I don’t need an escort.”
He ignored my comment and edged closer, until the same woodsy scent he wore during our first encounter flooded my senses. Damn him for smelling so good while I definitely smelled like a dank alley.
Bending his head, he spoke near my ear, “I expect to see you in my office to pay your fines this week, Miss Daniels.”
He wasn’t going to let me forget those. He might have dazzled me with his concern and pleasantly scented cologne, but they were just distractions from the truth. Argus had taken all of my money and upped his deadline, which meant I needed a new plan.
“I’ll be there, Detective. I always pay my debts.” My confident smile felt plastered-on, and I had no idea how to accomplish what he asked. I retrieved the wig and brushed past him, head high, shoulders straight, wig trailing in the gravel behind me like a dejected tail.
My escort hurried to catch up. I studied the young officer Derrick had assigned. He didn’t look like he could take a bribe—not that I had much to bribe him with—but he might provide an angle that would help me deal with the stubborn detective.
Keep your friends close, and your detectives closer.
After a few blocks, I offered him my most charming smile. “So…tell me, Abrams, what’s it like working for Detective Chambers?”
***
A mile later, I had my answer. I’d also learned a valuable lesson: Don’t ask questions you won’t like the answers to. According to Abrams, Derrick was a paragon of the community. His key qualities were solving crimes, helping old ladies out of carriages, and donating to kingdom charities. The list went on and on. He came from money, his family owned a fancy estate in the country, and he’d risen through the ranks to become the youngest detective the kingdom had ever seen. If Abrams told me the man spent his weekends rescuing kittens out of trees, I’d have keeled over from rolling my eyes too hard.
“Overachiever,” I muttered, kicking stones in my path.
“What was that?” Abrams paused in his praise of the famed detective.
“He’s achieved so much,” I answered, my voice nothing but sugar.
Abrams nodded, and a tangle of curly hair fell across his face. His woolen cap struggled to contain the unruly strands. He unlatched the gate leading to my shop, and his eyebrows drew together when he spotted the busted lamppost.
“Is everything all right?”
“What, the lamppost?” I chuckled. “A delivery cart backed into it. Drivers these days, huh? Anyway, you were telling me about joining the agency…?”
“Yes, well, Detective Chambers took me under his wing. I’m only a rookie officer, but he lets me help with cases. I plan on being a detective one day.” Youthful ambition flickered in his eyes, and I felt like a heel for wishing I could knock Derrick off his pedestal.
“That’s very admirable, Abrams.” I yawned as a wave of exhaustion washed over my body, muscles and joints sore from my encounter with Argus and his henchman. It had been a rotten couple of days. Everything I’d touched had ended in disaster. Ella was dead, my money was gone, and it seemed that by the end of the month, I’d be out on the street. It was as if my failure at magic had bled into every corner of my life. My mother would be so proud.
“Thanks for walking me home. It was unnecessary, but I appreciate it all the same.”
“It was my pleasure, Miss Daniels. But I di
sagree, it was necessary. A young woman shouldn’t walk alone at night. Not after the murder.”
“You’re probably right.” I hesitated, curious to see if he’d be as free with information about the case as he had been with the detective. “Did you attend the ball? Were you there when they found her?”
Abrams tore off his cap and twisted it in his hands. “Yes. Everyone at the agency was invited.” He leaned on the gatepost and lowered his voice. “The clock struck twelve, and not ten minutes later, the courtyard doors burst open. You could hear the screams over the orchestra.”
“Who found her?”
“A young couple taking a stroll around the garden. We cordoned off the fountain and waited for Detective Chambers to arrive.”
“I thought he was already there.”
“Oh, no. He made an appearance to satisfy his superior, but he left early. If you ask me, he’s afraid of getting roped into an arranged marriage by association.” Abrams laughed softly, his fingers clenching around his cap. “I’ve never seen a room filled with so many opportunistic social climbers before.”
“Isn’t it every young woman’s dream to marry a prince?”
“It doesn’t seem to be yours, Miss Daniels.”
“Me?” I scoffed. “Hardly. They look like more trouble than they’re worth. Besides, I don’t think the royal family would let me practice magic in the great hall.”
Abrams flattened his lips to contain a grin. “Detective Chambers was right, you are different.”
“Different? I guess a witch has to take any compliment she can get.”
“I’d say it’s high praise, coming from the detective.” Abrams secured the hat on top of his head, then stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I should return to my rounds.” With his chin against his chest and his boot scuffing the dirt, he seemed embarrassed, probably realizing he’d spoken out of turn.
“Of course. Have a good night, Abrams.”
What a strange evening.
Inside my shop, I pushed the door closed and hovered near the threshold. Abrams’ unexpected reveal echoed in my mind. Derrick thought I was different, huh? What had I expected? The comment was no “you’re a ravishing beauty” or “you have a stunning intellect,” but it was something. Better than being called a fraud. I smiled as I trudged toward the kettle, a feat that seemed impossible considering my circumstances.
Spellbound After Midnight (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly Book 1) Page 4