Page 59 of Devil in Her Details

Leo had already spotted them, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“What are those?” Allie asked, striding over, surveying the spectacular display.

“A new commission piece,” Lilly said, stepping up.

“Daggers?”

“Sheaths for daggers, to be more accurate. My client is a collector.”

“This client you met in Brighton?” Allie said knowingly. “The one you spoke about?”

Lilly nodded. “The very one.”

“I don’t like this,” Leo muttered.

Lilly motioned for them to take a seat, trying very hard not to peek at the curtains and give Dagger’s position away. That would be an embarrassment she’d rather not bear. Allie had already found her in one compromising position. Another one and her friend would drag her back to London and not hesitate to inform her brother.

Carlisle was indulgent in the extreme, but this was an extreme he would never indulge. He’d take one look at Dagger Fury and lock her away.

She’d never see the likes of Brighton again.

And Lilly wasn’t ready to leave yet.

“Can I ring for some tea?” Lilly asked her friends, plopping down, and swore she could feel the burn of the panther’s stare though the curtain.

Allie shook her head. “We are leaving Brighton and wished to say goodbye, but looking at your current . . . commission . . . I think it’s best if you lay aside your work here as well for a bit. We’re planning on touring the coast. Why don’t you come with us? You’ve been through a lot lately. Would it not be good to tour with us and have some fun?”

Leo nodded. “I agree.”

Lilly paused, considering the possible benefits, the possible drawbacks. She hadn’t been open to their request before, and she didn’t want to go, but she might be able to shake off Calvington this way. He might not have seen Allie at the shop, might not have realized Allie and Leo were in Brighton. And he wouldn’t even begin to know where to run and look for her if she went touring. But then again, she’d be leaving behind her new shop.

You were always going to leave it behind.

Plus it had been thrashed.

Should she swallow her reservations and join them?

She considered her friends eager faces laced with worry, her gaze darting to the curtain and back at them.

Lilly inhaled deeply, her decision clear.

*

Hell’s bells.

Dagger could scarcely focus. Granted, focus had become a relative term since the day he’d met her. But bloody damnation. Hiding behind curtains? How many years had he crawled about this earth dealing with foes? Thirty-one? This was a first. She seemed to be offering a wealth of that for him. Firsts.

He scowled at the fabric obscuring his view.

He couldn’t even move. One twitch, one careless breath, could give him away. He could do nothing. Nothing but listen and wait. Wait for her answer. An answer she was taking her sweet time in giving. Would she go with her friends? Would she stay? Christ, his own mind was at war with the options. He couldn’t imagine how it must be for her.

“I . . .”

“Say you’ll join us,” her friend pressed.

Say you won’t.

“We have enough space,” the man added.