Derrick rolled his eyes at my performance. I ignored him. If I’d let him keep going, we’d have gotten nowhere. Merchants didn’t give up their own.
“Thank you, Ada. You see, we’re here with a bit of a problem, and since you’re the reigning authority on medicinal herbs, we came directly to you.”
Ada preened, smoothing the ebony locks of hair tucked behind her ears. “Whatever you need.”
I motioned for Derrick to continue, sending him a wink for good measure.
“As I was saying, we need a list of anyone who supplies belladonna root.”
Ada bit her lip. “I don’t stock that here, and I can’t think of any reputable shop that does.”
“What about non-reputable ones?” Derrick asked.
Ada grew silent. She looked around the empty shop as if the jars had ears, then inched closer, her voice barely a whisper.
“There is one I know of, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
We waited, eager for her answer, but she backed away when the bell above the shop jingled.
“Welcome!”
An old lady bustled inside, complaining about her aching joints, and Ada led her to a shelf along the wall to select a cream. “I’ll be right back,” she said to the customer before making her way to the adjoining room.
Derrick groaned as another couple entered the shop. “She’ll never talk to us like this.”
“Should we come back?”
“If we leave, she might change her mind about talking altogether.”
“Then, what do we do?” I bounced nervously on my heels.
Ada reappeared and nodded toward the customers, then brushed past me, slipping a folded piece of paper into my hand. Without stopping, she continued on, ushering the customers to a large table filled with canisters.
“Let’s go.” I showed Derrick the paper concealed in my palm.
Back on the street, he led me down a quiet alley that shielded us from public view.
“What does it say?”
I unfolded the note. “It says, Flamelock Den.”
“Where’s that?” Derrick frowned, taking the note from my hands.
“You asked for the non-reputable shops,” I pointed out. “Flamelock Den isn’t really a shop, more of a hole in the wall. It’s part of what we in the biz like to call—”
“The black market,” Derrick cut me off and lifted an accusing brow.
“Very good.” I tucked my arm through his and peered into his scowling face. “I’m afraid they don’t let members of the royal agency wander around there. You’ll need someone who can get you in, and that, Detective, is why you’re lucky to have me.”
Chapter 14
“I can’t believe you talked me into this. Explain to me again why you’re forcing me to wear tweed?” Derrick grumbled as he tossed his charcoal vest and black woolen coat over the wooden dressing screen. His dress shirt followed, and I smothered a grin along with the wicked thought of him standing behind there without a shirt.
Handing the snidely referenced coat around the screen, I replied, “Because you wouldn’t let me change your clothes with a spell. I believe your exact words were, Tessa, you don’t have a good history with illusions.”
“You don’t.”
“How kind of you to remind me. Either way, it doesn’t matter. You needed to change. It’s called going undercover, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of it, but for someone who has yet to explain how she knows so much about the black market, you’re enjoying my discomfort a little too much.”
“Discomfort?” I selected a matching tweed flat cap from a rack. “I hardly think changing your outfit falls under discomfort. You’ll draw too much attention if you walk around wearing expensive wool and a starched collar, and I doubt you own anything of lower quality.”
The screen rattled where Derrick bumped into it. He muffled a curse, and I bit the side of my cheek to keep from laughing. Cursing again, this time, he poked his head around the screen.
“Something’s wrong with this shirt. It’s itchy.” He pulled the fabric away from his skin and scratched furiously at his side, eyes narrowing at the guilty press of my lips. “You did this, didn’t you? Some sort of spell?”
“Of course not. I’d never use my magic for evil. Besides, I don’t have a good history with spells. Now, come here.”
He stalked from behind the screen, frown firmly in place. I stood on my toes to place the cap on his head, admiring the way the linen clung to his muscular frame. Derrick fidgeted, unable to get comfortable, and scratched the back of his neck where the shirt collar met his skin.
Maybe I shouldn’t have cast the spell, but I couldn’t resist. His lack of confidence in my magic was irritating, so I’d made his shirt irritating. Seemed like a fair trade.
“Hold still,” I muttered, sliding my knuckles down the back of his neck and over his shoulders.
He tensed at my touch but instantly relaxed as the irritation spell faded. “I knew it.” He caught my hand. “You’re a vengeful witch.” His thumb stroked the center of my palm, and I felt the contact all the way down to my toes. “Now, tell me the truth.”
“Tweed suits you.” I tugged my hand from his and straightened the lapels on the jacket. I had to admit, he was even more handsome in the casual coat, with his shirt unbuttoned at the neckline and cap at a slight angle. In his formal suit, he looked remote and formidable, but dressed like he was now? The opposite. He looked approachable.
Derrick stared at me. “That’s one truth, but not the one I was hoping for.”
“Oh, I thought you were fishing for compliments.” I patted his chest, then turned, only for him to catch my wrist and pull me back.
“Tessa, regardless of your attempts to inflict painful spells on me, I need to know how deep your association goes with illegal activity. Is there anything I should be worried about? or anyone?” He let the question hang in the air.
The truth was on the tip of my tongue. I’m indebted to an underground kingpin and occasionally purchase illicit ingredients for my spells. But I shook my head.
“Most of what I know is secondhand, and as far as the market, I’ve only been one time.” That you know of.
He released my wrist, taking me at my word. The small act of trust made me wince and rub the twinge in my chest. I needed to stop lying, but then I’d look at Derrick and feel the fragile thread of our partnership tighten and nearly snap.
I hated lies. Hated that I had to hide the real me when I was getting glimpses of the real Derrick. He wouldn’t understand, wasn’t the type. His look of disappointment was what I feared the most, and that fear was growing stronger after each encounter, so now, the mere thought of it salted my old wounds. He needed me to be more. Ella needed me to be more too, and with my familial line of dead, judgmental witches as my witness, I’d try to be.
Even if I had to fake it.
The merchant approached and cleared his throat. “Shall I add the items to your account, Detective?” When he wrote the purchases in a ledger and calculated the cost, I choked at the sum. For casual attire, it was insanely expensive.
“Yes, and add these too.” Derrick retrieved a pair of dove-gray leather gloves from a shelf. He guessed the size and handed them to me. “And before you say anything, I won’t add the cost to your fines.”
“I can still do magic with these on,” I teased. “Your shirts aren’t safe.”
The hint of a smile played around his lips. “I don’t doubt that. Wear them anyway. Your fingers are always cold.”
I breathed through the tightness in my throat and acted like the gift hadn’t annihilated my defenses. He’d noticed how cold my fingers were, and magic was harder when my hands were freezing. Slipping them on, I let my eyes drift shut. The supple leather felt like heaven against my skin. I’d never owned anything as luxurious.
“You like them?”
I opened my eyes to find Derrick watching me with satisfaction. “Yes, very much. Than
k you, they’re lovely.” A flicker of guilt made me admit, “And I apologize for casting the irritant spell on your shirt. That was childish. Amusing, but childish.”
He thanked the merchant, then turned me by the shoulders toward the door, breath brushing against my cheek as he leaned in to whisper, “Apology accepted. But just so you know, I never get mad. I get even.”
***
“Hurry up, or we’ll be late.”
I took a shortcut through a dingy alley. The smell of decay hung in the air between the buildings, and if we saw anyone, they scurried out of the way, keeping to themselves. This part of town wasn’t exactly savory. Best to not make eye contact if you could help it. The alley emptied into a busy street, and I scanned the crowd.
“Over there. By the lamppost.”
Derrick followed my gaze. “That’s him? He’s a child.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that. Finn’s sensitive about his age. He takes care of his mother, not the other way around. On these streets, that deserves respect.”
We approached the young boy leaning against the lamppost. He had flat gray eyes, shaggy brown hair, and a curl to his lips that said bugger off. Finn straightened when he saw us, his expression narrowing on Derrick.
“It’s all right, Finn. He’s with me.”
“You workin’ with the agency now, Tess?”
“Just doing them a favor. Did you bring it?”
Finn dug into his pants’ pocket and tossed me a medallion. “Three blocks west. The abandoned warehouse.”
“Thanks, Finn.” I tousled his hair, and he cringed. Kneeling at his side, I slid a bag off my shoulder. “I stopped at the magic shop after I sent for you. This is for your mother’s headaches. Make sure she takes it with food, one teaspoon a day in a glass of water.” I pulled a jar of yellow powder from the bag, and he nodded solemnly, accepting the responsibility. “And these are for you.” I dropped a packet of peppermint candies into his outstretched palm.
Finn unwrapped one of the mints and tucked it into the side of his cheek. He grinned. The boy might not like to be called a child, but he had a child’s sweet tooth.
I looked up at Derrick. “Pay the man.”
Derrick stifled a smile and handed over ten royal coins. Finn eyed the money but didn’t take it.
“What’s wrong?”
Finn scratched the back of his neck. “Tessa said not to accept anything less than twenty.”
“She did, huh? That sounds like something she’d say.” Derrick upped the amount, and Finn pocketed the coins.
I stood and brushed the dirt from my knees. “Next time, Finn, wait for twenty-five. Now, run home and give that powder to your mother, and when you run out, come by the shop.”
Finn nodded and shot Derrick another leery glare. “If you need help with this one, Tess, you know where to find me.” He popped a peppermint into his mouth and disappeared into the crowd.
I flipped the medallion and showed it to Derrick. “This will get us inside the market. They don’t let you in without one, and even if they did, the market moves around. Finn helps some of the vendors, so he always knows the way.”
“He seems protective of you. How did you meet him?”
“His mother is sick, and he can’t afford a doctor. He came by the shop one day, and I caught him trying to steal one of my potions. I have a pretty stringent no-stealing policy. After I threatened to turn him into a crow if I ever caught him stealing again, I went to visit his mother. Ever since, I make sure she has the medicinal powder she needs, so he has one less thing to worry about. He’s a good kid.”
Derrick grinned. “That almost makes me want to forgive you for telling him to hustle more money out of me.”
“What can I say? Teach a kid to fish, and he’ll catch fish. Teach a kid to negotiate, and people will catch fish for him.”
“I don’t know whether to laugh or call you a genius.”
“Clearly, I’m a genius, Detective.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and let his fingers graze along my jaw. “What you do for Finn matters, Tessa. You have a good heart.”
I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“It is. You’re constantly surprising me.” His gaze softened, and I flushed, not sure what to do with his approval. All I knew was it did a funny thing to my insides.
We walked the three blocks west and found the abandoned warehouse, its entrance covered with a stained burlap sheet. I ducked beneath it and followed Derrick down one dark hallway, then the next. A couple of men standing guard by another door gave us the once-over, but I showed them the medallion, and they let us through.
The market lay sprawled inside the vast ruins. Bricks and mortar littered the ground along with broken beams. Thick canvas awnings were strung over the wood, creating makeshift stalls, and where the roof had caved in ages ago, midday sun caught dust motes in the air and made them glisten. Exotic animals in gilded cages squawked and pecked as we passed by, one even calling out in a strangled cry, “Give me a cracker, and I’ll tell you where the gold’s hidden.”
Derrick hesitated, but I waved my hand, dismissing the parrot. “It’s a scam. He’ll say anything for a cracker.”
I inhaled the seductive scent of spices smuggled in from foreign kingdoms as we weaved through the thin crowd. Derrick remained close. Too close. His sharp eyes missed nothing as he steered me around a transaction of daggers made with enchanted steel. A young blonde woman wearing a teal scarf over her face tossed an apple into the air, then flipped the dagger, slicing it clean through the crisp fruit.
“Enchanted steel isn’t illegal. You don’t have to give it such a wide berth.” I glanced over my shoulder in awe.
“Maybe not, but it’s damn sharp, and I don’t need a bloodied witch on my hands.”
“Come on, Detective. I’m not foolish enough to walk in between a knife demonstration.”
Derrick’s grip on my arm tightened, yanking me back as a blade whizzed past my face, nearly clipping off my nose. It sank into a post. The hilt vibrated from the force.
“Sorry! That one got away from me.” The blonde woman tossed up her hands before returning her attention to the customer.
“You were saying?” Derrick growled in my ear.
“That could have happened to anyone.”
“Unlikely.” He maintained a loose hold on my arm as we continued to walk.
Near the back was the stall called Flamelock Den, and I was miffed to find it empty. Merchandise lay strewn across a scarred table, but the merchant was nowhere in sight. Instead, a swarthy man wearing a black tunic and trousers slipped out of the shadows. Derrick tensed, and before I could say anything, the man swept up my hand and leaned over it, brushing his whiskered lips against my knuckles.
“Tessa, my love! My favorite customer.”
I squirmed out of his grip and made a slicing motion at my neck. Eyes wide, I spoke between clenched teeth, “Charlie, is it? I can hardly remember since we only met the one time.”
Understanding was quick to dawn, and Charlie rubbed the beard under his chin. “That’s right, it was the one time. You’re hard to forget, my love. And who would want to?” His praise was over-the-top and likely dished out to every skirt that walked past, but it caused Derrick to bristle. He made a sound behind me, and I could practically feel his displeasure burning a hole through my cloak. It was distracting. There was no way he believed my story about the market now. Why had I bothered to mislead him?
“Charlie, this is Derrick. He’s a Roy—” I stopped, realizing my mistake. We hadn’t discussed a suitable cover story, and I’d almost botched it. Horrified, I changed direction. “He’s a colleague.”
Charlie furrowed his bushy eyebrows. “You mean, he’s a warlock?”
A bark of nervous laughter burst from my lips. “No! What I meant was…” My mind emptied, and I grappled for words like a flustered idiot. Why had I said colleague? Anything else would have been better. Acquaintance, a buyer, a friend! I shoul
d have said friend.
“He’s a fri—”
Derrick’s arm snaked around my waist and pulled me firmly against him, cutting off my introduction. “Tessa, don’t be embarrassed.”
I froze, heart thudding violently in my chest as his head lowered. His breath ruffled my hair, firing every nerve ending. My body seemed to know his intentions before my brain, and I arched my neck as he pressed a possessive kiss against my skin.
“Tell him the truth,” he murmured. “I won’t be mad.” I never get mad. I get even.
He wasn’t wasting any time exacting his revenge for my spell. The devil actually thought he had the upper hand. And maybe he did, for a moment, as his mouth dropped to my collarbone, warm lips sending a shiver coursing through my body. He was a dead man.
A wicked grin spread across Charlie’s face. “No explanation needed.” He winked and reached under the counter, glancing covertly in both directions. “It’s obvious why you’re here. I have just the thing.” He placed a vial of blue liquid onto the table. “Since you’re a preferred one-time-only customer, I’ll give you a discount.”
All color drained from my face.
Derrick nuzzled my neck and whispered, “What’s that?” Unease tinged his voice. It should.
“Take a guess.” I turned in his arms and kept up his ruse. “Charlie thinks we want to spice things up.” Winding my hands around his neck, I watched Derrick’s eyes darken when he made the connection. My fingers lazily mussed the hairs at his nape, and I bit my lip until his gaze dropped to my mouth. “Still interested in getting your revenge this way, sweetheart?” His throat worked, and his chest expanded on a sharp inhale. I almost pitied the man.
“Up to you.” His voice was deeper than normal. Affected. It was such a shame we had to solve a murder.
“Maybe next time.” I pouted for Charlie’s benefit and disentangled myself from Derrick’s body. The things I did for ghosts. “Actually, we’re looking for something else.”
“I’m nothing if not your servant, my love.” Charlie grinned, laying the charm on thick, hoping to make a sale. Derrick sent him a deadly look and hooked his arm around my waist.
Spellbound After Midnight (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly Book 1) Page 12
