“It was this thing Vivian said about ghosts and being invisible. You kind of had to be there. She’s probably been waiting her whole life to use ghosts in an analogy, so I have to give her credit.” I looked up at his face. “But she had a point.”
“And what was that?”
With embarrassment heating my cheeks, I bowed my head. “You see me. No one else does, but you do.”
“Tessa…”
“I know. I’m botching it. I said, you had to be there. Of course, you can see me in a literal sense, but—”
Derrick placed his hand over my mouth. I inhaled a sharp breath, my eyes growing wide. He had not just shushed me while I was attempting to bare my soul!
“Tessa, look.” He gestured toward the man with the ledger. A hooded figure approached and handed a heavy pouch to the crewman.
“That way,” the man muttered, pointing to a pile of crates. The figure turned, and the hood fell back to reveal a familiar face.
Helen Lockwood.
What was she doing here?
I met Derrick’s equally wide gaze, and he pressed a finger to his lips. With a nod, we climbed to our feet and followed her toward the crates, keeping our distance. Another man cracked the lid with a crowbar. The pungent scent of herbs mixed with the salt in the air.
“Is that all of it? Where’s the nightshade?” she asked.
He cracked another lid, revealing jars of dark berries.Nightshade. Another name for Belladonna.
Helen was Ironhazel!
My mind raced. This whole time, she’d been hiding in plain sight. I was right to be suspicious of her from the start. My instincts were good—there might be something to Vivian’s “I told you so”’s after all. They should make me a detective.
“Have it delivered here.” She handed over a slip of paper, and the man nodded then crooked his finger until she leaned closer. Whatever he whispered in her ear made her go rigid. Derrick had turned his back and was tugging on my sleeve for me to turn as well, but I was so busy planning my victory party that when Helen angled her head and looked right at me, I froze.
Blast!
She took off at a dead run, using the crowd to mask her escape. Derrick signaled his men, and we began to chase after her, losing sight altogether when she turned a corner. Frustration pumped my legs faster. We couldn’t lose her. She’d go to ground, and we’d never find her again.
I rounded the corner into a dark alley and spotted her slipping between a narrow crevice. It was too small for Derrick to fit. He grabbed my arm as I attempted to squeeze through.
“No. We stay together.”
“She’s getting away! Go around the other side, I’ll be okay.” I shook off his arm, his fingers grasping then slipping through mine.
“Damn it, Tessa!” The flat of his hand rammed the wall as I navigated through the narrow space.
“Go!”
Grating his teeth in fury, Derrick disappeared from view. His footsteps faded as he ran parallel down another alley.
I caught sight of Helen’s blonde hair and ran after her. I needed something to slow her down, or I’d never catch up. Digging deep, I channeled my magic, hoping a burst of energy would take her down or knock something into her path.
My fists shot out, sparks arcing from my fingers. I missed, but the jolt of magic hit a barrel, which exploded, sending a stake of wood into Helen’s leg. She shrieked and limped to the end of the alley, then stuttered to a stop. A wall of crates blocked her path. To her right was another alley, but she’d never make it on her injured leg. She turned to face me, lungs heaving on gulps of air. I bent at the waist, a stitch burning my side.
Man, she was fast.
Helen was pulling a knife when I looked up again. Out of options, she advanced. I rubbed my hands together to resurrect magic but nothing happened. Fists clenched, I tried anyway, splaying open my fingers to complete and utter failure.
Time for plan B.
I grappled at my waist for the vial of powder. Helen attacked. It slipped from my hand and rolled across the ground as I ducked. Her blade whistled past my face. I dropped to a knee, reaching for the knife in my boot instead. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Derrick charging from the other direction. He was too far out to stop a second attack, but at least Helen wouldn’t get away.
