Page 183 of The Discount Damsel

“See how tenacious it is?” Bradley’s whisper rustled the salt-crusted hair by her ear. “How ingenious? It is tiny, underestimated, and yet its will is indomitable.”

Millie swallowed, angling to face him. “So what has this got to do with me?”

“That is you.” His blue eyes burned with the fierceness of his belief. “A pretty princess in pink. You had no talent when you came to the tower, no clue either, but you didn’t let that faze you for a second.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You fought for everything, trained harder than anyone expected you to, and you never gave up. Not when I was beastly to you, not when Jax—” He swallowed thickly. “Even now, you are figuring this out. You have to figure this out, Tula, because if you can’t make it, then what hope is left for me?”

“What hope is left for you?” She straightened abruptly. “How dare you put that kind of pressure on me! My indomitable will, as you call it, is hanging on by a thread, and you put me up on some kind of pedestal?”

Bradley held up his hands, shaking his head. “No, Tula, that’s not what I⁠—”

“Stop calling me that!” Her jaw hurt from grinding her teeth. “Oh you selfish bastard, Bradley Donmarin.”

Millie whirled away, collected her things at the training pool, and stormed up the beach.

“T— Millie, wait! Where are you going?”

“Away from you!” She broke out into a run and lost herself in the sea of tourists.

That evening, when she didn’t return to their room, Dirk was beside himself. “You lost my princess!”

Bradley threw up his hands. “I didn’t lose her, she ran away.”

“Same difference! Skin my scales, what did you say to her?”

“I thought I was giving her a compliment, but she took it the wrong way.” He raked a hand through his hair.

“More like you don’t know the difference between a compliment and an insult and you destroyed her soul.”

The apprentice glared at him. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration, Dirk.”

“Tomato, potato, whatever. I’m going out to look for her.”

“I’ve searched all afternoon until the sun went down. She doesn’t want to be found.”

“Not by you anyway.”

But in the end, Dirk couldn’t find her either. He returned to The Dreary Pelican, sniffling. “I left word with Nash and Renaldo. Don’t know where Jerry lives, otherwise I would’ve asked him, too. They’ll send word if they find her.”

“Dirk, I’m sorry. Really. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” He headed for the door. “I’ll try again.”

“Don’t. It’s already past midnight and your human eyes are rubbish in the dark. If you start hollering, someone’ll call the marines on you for disturbing the peace. Millie didn’t bring any of my rubies, so it’s not like we have bail money. We just need to wait, no matter how much that sucks.”

Bradley nodded glumly and dropped down to his sleeping spot on the floor. Dirk eyed him for a long moment, noting the change in his friend. Then he whisked away to the windows and ensured the shutters were secure in their open position and the moth-eaten curtains tied back. Instead of Millie’s suitcase, he curled up on the nightstand with his jaw propped on the windowsill. Even if he fell asleep, he’d be able to smell her if she came home.

CHAPTER 76

STORM’S A-BREWIN’, THE LIBRARY’S RECORD IS IN JEOPARDY, AND THE RAIN BEGINS TO HURT

Millie woke when the tarpaulin was yanked away and an old man cried out in surprise. High above, the gulls echoed his cry into the patchy clouds.

“Jerry,” she moaned from the bottom of the boat. “Not so loud.”

“What are you doing in here, miss? But oh, looky there. Not a spot of bile to be seen.”

She eased herself upright. “I used your chum bucket.”