Page 24 of All Hallows Trick

“While we’re in Ford’s End,” she said, scowling from me to Tor, “there’s something I need to do.”

CHAPTER TEN

CAT

“It’s a pretty shocking bail amount,” the gruff officer at the small police station in Ford’s End told me, oblivious to the fact Tor and Madde were beside me, glamoured invisible to the mortal eye. Virgil and Miz waited outside. I could only hope they didn’t kill each other.

“It’s fine,” I said, reaching for a purse I didn’t have in a bag that I’d never taken out with me. I’d hardly been expecting to go shopping at Byron’s memorial. I could go to my room while we were on the island, but the thought of venturing into the campus proper was unappealing. My anxiety had been bad enough at the cottage. At least in Madde’s castle, there was a level of security there. At Ford, Nightmare could get to me any time she wanted.

I jumped when a cool plastic card slid into my fingers, relief scattering the first traces of panic that had begun to form.

“Forgot you Ford types have endless money,” the officer muttered when I handed over the card, my heart jumping into my ribs when I saw it was ablack card.I was well used tothrowing money around but a black card was a whole new level of wealth. And it had come from the man on my right. Jesus. What was Madde doing handing me a black card?1 “Probably why the bail’s so high. Make an example of him.”

I winced. Duncan Ford was only locked up in a cell, left to rot, because of me.

“He’s my friend,” I said to the officer defensively. I wondered if he was the one I’d spoken to on the phone when I found Caroline. His voice matched, and he looked the way I’d expected him to—late fifties, sagging around the middle, sturdy shoulders, with brown hair slowly succumbing to silver. A pair of glasses perched on his red nose; he squinted at me through them. “He’s worth anything.”

Tor glanced at me in calculated surprise—I was trying not to think about why the glamour on mortal eyes didn’t work on me—but I subtly shook my head. There was nothing between Duncan and I, only friendship. His eyes drifted over my head to Madness but he said nothing. Madde and I were… a complication.

“There,” the officer said, pushing the black card across the counter towards me with a sigh as he heaved himself out of his seat. “I’ll go fetch him.”

Why was Duncan still here? Why had no one else come to pay his bail? He was a Ford, the latest generation of the family whoownedthis island. The whole damn thing was named after them, for god’s sake. Even if his friends were shallow assholes at the academy, he should have had family show up to free him.

I chewed my bottom lip as I waited for the officer to return with Duncan. “I’ll pay you back,” I told Madde, handing back his card. Or trying to. He crossed his arms across his chest, tucked in his hands, and refused to take it. “Madde,” I sighed, thrusting the card at him. “Madness. Seriously.”

“It’s yours,” he said stubbornly.

“I can’t take that.”

When I managed to wedge the card into the fold of his arms, he retaliated by nestling it in my cleavage. I sighed and fished it out.

“Take him for all he has,” Tor suggested, gruff laughter in his voice. “If the madman wants to give you it, take it.”

“I do wanna give it to her,” Madde agreed with a heavy dose of suggestiveness, darkness stroking along my soul. “And I bet she’sso goodat taking it.”

“No fighting,” I warned before either of them could shift a muscle, pointing the card at each of Tor and then Madde in warning. I acted unaffected, like I wasn’t throbbing around the vibrator still inside me. “No. Fighting.”

Madde sulked, arms yet again crossed. Tor stuffed his hands in his leather jacket pockets, glaring at him. I fought a giddy smile when neither of them threw fists or hostile words. I hadn’t honestly expected that to work, and it was a heady feeling. I got butterflies, until Duncan rounded the corner ahead of us. My stomach plummeted. The guilt that twisted up my chest was bad enough that Madde brushed my arm and Tor angled himself towards me.

Duncan was a mess, his model-worthy hair shaved off, his clothes slouchy, rumpled, and dirty. Tiredness dragged his face down so much that for a split second I thought the officer had brought the wrong guy. But then his eyes met mine, a sapphire blue almost as bright as Madde’s eyes, the only vibrancy to him, and a long breath exhaled from Duncan. I gave him a little wave even as guilt ate at my insides like acid.

“Thanks,” he rasped, walking around the counter.

I swallowed, glancing away. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alive,” he said with a pitiful attempt at a laugh. “And I don’t have to sleep in a cell tonight, so things are looking up.”

“Duncan, why didn’t someone else come to bail you out? Your parents—”

He laughed. That answered my question even before he said, “They don’t notice anything outside their society bubble. They don’t live in England, and I doubt they’d bother coming here if they knew I was banged up.”

I noticed the officer watching us as he sat at his desk again, and I motioned for Duncan to follow me out the door, Tor and Madde invisible behind us.

“Tell me you brought a car,” Duncan said, stretching his arms above his head with a groan.

“Uh…” I gave him an apologetic look.

“Well. The walk up will get my blood flowing, I guess.”

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