The detective nodded. “He’s currently at the royal prison, and it might be a few hours before we can get him processed and brought over.”
“That’s too long to wait. I have a schedule to keep.” The last thing I needed was for Thomas Archer to talk her out of the deal or plant suspicions in her head that I set him up. Besides, my skin felt tight from being in town for too long. The knowing stares and staged whispers were already taking their toll.
She tossed me an irritated snarl. “Do you have time for me to write him a note? He’ll show up on your manor’s doorstep if I don’t.”
The clerk tore a sheet from her ledger and held out her pen. “You can use this if you’d like.”
Liana didn’t wait for my answer and moved toward the desk to write her letter. The clerk leaned back in her chair and continued to watch the scene unfold in amusement. It seemed we were her entertainment for the day.
Long minutes passed in which Liana chewed the corner of her lip, trying to come up with the right words. My patience ebbed, and when she finally put down the pen and folded the note in half, I expelled an irritated sigh.
“Finished, or have you changed your mind and reneged on our deal?”
She handed the letter to Detective Chambers and stalked toward me. The soles of her shoes clicked heavily against the floor. “I agreed to your terms. You’ll have your commission, and then you’ll set me free. It’s a small price to pay to save my father from a life sentence.” Brushing past me, she swept down the short corridor toward the exit.
Yeah, I should definitely watch my back.
Detective Chambers pushed away from the clerk’s desk and sauntered toward me. A smirk played around the corners of his mouth. He crossed his arms, his features sobering as he addressed me.
“One of my men will be by to check on Miss Archer’s situation. I expect to find her a satisfied employee, or I’ll have to reassess this deal. You aren’t above the law, MacKenzie, no matter how many gold coins line your pockets.”
My jaw clenched. “Miss Archer will be well taken care of and returned as soon as she completes her commission. You have my word, Detective.”
“See that she is.”
I stifled a retort, eager to be on my way.
Outside, the air had chilled and the morning sunshine had disappeared as midday ushered in ominous gray clouds. Liana stood on the top step staring intently at my carriage. She twisted her fingers nervously in the folds of her cloak, oblivious to my looming presence.
“Carriages don’t bite,” I grumbled, hurrying past her down the steps. The iron gate screeched as I thrust it open, and my driver bowed as he held the carriage door. I climbed up the step and slid along the cushioned seat, waiting for her to follow.
She didn’t.
My boot rapped against the floor for a full minute, the nervous energy sliding up my bones until I clenched my fists. Hesitantly, Liana approached the carriage. Poking her head inside, she surveyed the tight, shadowed space. Her nose scrunched as if she found my luxury vehicle distasteful.
“What’s the problem?”
She winced at my tone. “May I ride up top with the driver?”
“No.” I swung forward and grasped her arm, hauling her inside the carriage.
The moment the door closed, the vehicle rumbled into motion, and she lost her balance, falling awkwardly into my lap. Liana shrieked, tangled in her cloak and mass of long hair. Thrashing her arms, she scuttled into the seat across from me. She whipped her hair out of her eyes and gulped in a lungful of air. Her fingers gripped the seat cushion as if it were a floating ship’s plank and the only thing keeping her from sinking into the deep.
Stark shadows created by the weak glow of the lantern hanging from the ceiling played over her features, but they couldn’t hide her pinched expression or the bluish tint expanding across her cheeks. I realized with a jolt she hadn’t let out her last breath.
“Relax,” I snapped. And then, with a softer growl, “Breathe.”
Her glassy eyes found mine, and air whooshed past her lips only to be sucked back in on a rapid inhale. She was panicked. Beads of sweat formed on her brow, and when the carriage hit a rut, making the lantern swing, her eyes snapped shut.
Concern washed away my irritation. I came off the seat and knelt in front of her. This wasn’t a normal reaction to driving down the street, and I was loath to pin it on any fear of traveling with me. My hands hovered uselessly in the air, afraid my touch would send her leaping from the moving carriage.
Liana’s eyes remained closed as she fumbled for her something at her waist. The flash of steel rocked me back on my heels when she unsheathed a dagger. I tensed, ready for her to lodge it deep into my chest. Now, I was the one holding my breath.
Who knew it wasn’t my back I needed to watch, but my front?
“Liana,” I mumbled her name, voice wary.
“I’m fine. I just don’t like enclosed spaces,” she whispered, pressing the blade flat against her chest, embracing it. Her features relaxed, and even when the carriage rocked a second time, the blade seemed to have a soothing effect.
