Emotion thickened his voice. “Was this part of your plan to get information from me? Collect the reward at all costs even if you had to seduce the coldhearted detective? Maybe you had the Gazette follow us that day by the apothecary?”
“No! I—”
“You know what this case means to me, what it’s done to my life. I lie awake at night terrified I’ll lose someone else, that I can’t trust my instincts. Tessa,” he said my name like a plea, and I choked back a sob, “did you have to make me want you?” The pads of his fingers skimmed my neck, and his mouth hovered near my ear. “Make me need you? Make me fall in—?” He stopped, his throat working as air expanded in his lungs.
“How can you ask that?” I cupped his face, horror compressing my heart. “I wouldneverhurt you that way. You might not trust me where Argus is concerned, but trust that. Meeting you changed everything.”
“You’re right. Everything has changed.” The mask returned, his features impassive, wall firmly back in place. His near-admission echoed in my ears as he removed my hands and backed away.
I remained seated, numb. How had things become so twisted?
Derrick reached for his jacket lying over the back of the chair and withdrew a leather satchel from its pocket. It landed with a heavy thunk against the table.
“What’s that?”
“Money. Enough to pay off your debt.”
Ice spread through my limbs, and I slid off the table. This wasn’t right. The bag mocked me. I hadn’t earned the money. This was another example of someone swooping in to clean up my mistakes.
Ihatedit.
“But we haven’t caught the killer. The reward is unclaimed.”
“It’s not the official reward, it’s my money.” His tone was flat, as if he’d offered me a crust of bread and not a fortune.
My voice shook as a ball of anger wedged against my vocal cords. “I don’t want it.”
“I don’t care. Tessa, it’s over.” His mouth pressed into a firm line. “I told you what would happen if you lied to me. I meant it. You’re off the case. Take the money and be done with it.”
I inhaled sharply, a bitter denial on my tongue. “You don’t have the authority to make that decision. The prince—”
“The prince is being held at the castle on suspicion of murder. This is my call.” He thrust the satchel into my hands. “Take it. I won’t have you indebted to that criminal.” His tone lowered, becoming rough. “No matter what happens between us, I need to know you’ll be okay.”
I scoffed, wishing I could hide behind my own mask of indifference. “You can’t have it both ways. We’re supposed to be partners! I thought we were more than that. I thought…” Outrage clogged my throat. I was such an idiot. Things weren’t different. He’d turned me upside-down with his acceptance and then decided I wasn’t worth it after all. “Fine, toss me off the case, but you don’t get to throw money at the pitiful witch so you can sleep at night.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Derrick’s eyes closed as if he were reining in his patience. His jaw tightened. “Tessa, I don’t know how to trust you anymore, but I can’t lose you either. If something happened to you because of him, I would never forgive myself.”
“That’s no longer your concern.”
“The hell it is!”
My fingers clenched around the bag. I wanted to throw it, smash it against the wall, make it disappear in a puff of smoke. It was absurd. I held the answer to my prayers in my hand, and it felt hollow.
Realization came fast and filled me with certainty. I’d rather lose the shop than fail Ella. I tipped the bag so coins fell from the opening, clinking as they hit the floor. They scattered around my feet, and I shook the bag until it was empty, then crumpled it in my fist.
“Until the killer is caught, the reward is up for grabs. When I find him, I’ll be back to collect it. And just so you don’t accuse me of withholding information again, the reason I visited Argus was because Jane Porter worked for him. Jane was investigating Ironhazel, and whatever she found got her killed. One of your men picked up a ledger detailing her involvement. You can check with him to see if I’m telling the truth. In the end, it was my association with Argus that provided the clue. He never would have spoken with the agency.” I stepped over the coins and walked toward the door.
Derrick grabbed my arm. “Don’t do this, Tessa.”
“Am I free to go, or are you finally making good on your promise to arrest me?”
The silence that followed had weight to it. It was a crushing force that made my bones ache. His eyes held mine, and I almost crumbled, begged him to take me back. To trust me again. To love me, faults and all.
His gaze fell. “You’re free.”
Two simple words that pierced my heart. He wasn’t just dropping the charges, he was letting me go completely. I squared my shoulders, determined he wouldn’t see how much he’d wounded me. A witch never let anyone see her cry.
“Good luck, Detective. Maybe I’ll see you at the finish line.” I didn’t wait for a response. I didn’t even look back.
