Page 57 of Heir of Illusion

My gaze snaps back to her.

She jumps up, putting space between herself and Thorne. “How do you?—”

“You did a good job cleaning the bloodstains on the floor,” he tells her. “But you didn’t throw out the rags you used to wipe it up.”

“Please,” she begs him. “I don’t want trouble.”

His face is cold. Not a single hint of compassion fills his ice-blue eyes as the room darkens again. “I told you there would be consequences for lying to me.”

My pulse quickens. Is he actually going to hurt her? I thought he was bluffing, but the fury on his face can’t be faked.

“Please,” I implore her. Reaching out, I grab her freezing hand in mine and squeeze it tight. “I won’t let anything happen to you, but you have to tell us the truth. Have you seen your husband?”

Her bottom lip trembles as her gaze flits back and forth between us.

“He was here.” Her quiet voice is barely audible. “He showed up in the middle of the night, but he wasn’t supposed to be done with his shift until morning. And his clothes were soaking wet.” Her face pales. “And the blood… There was so much of it.”

Sounds like he got dragged into the river too, onlyhewasn’t as lucky.

“Did he have a weapon with him?” Thorne demands.

She shakes her head. “Not that I saw. I think something tried to take a bite out of his leg.” Her mouth twists into a grimace. “I stitched him up as best I could, but I’m no healer.”

“What else happened?” Thorne asks.

“He kept trying to get me to go with him. Kept telling me that he had something to show me, and I needed to follow him. I told him I couldn’t leave the children, but that made him angry. That’s when he grabbed me. Hard.”

Her voice grows softer as her eyes become glassy. She rolls up her right sleeve, revealing the bracelet of bruises that decorate her wrist. “He was trying to drag me out the door, but I kept fighting him. Bess ran down the stairs. She was crying, and when he saw her, he dropped me. I expected him to apologize like he always does, but instead, he walked out. Grell left and he hasn’t been back since.”

She stares at the wall, tears streaming down her face. She appears so lost, and I’m filled with hatred again. I want to find Darby and paint the walls with his blood. Forcing myself to calm down, I place a hand on Mrs. Darby’s shoulder.

“Thank you for telling us the truth. We’ll go now.”

She nods, not looking at either of us. I pull a folded piece of paper from my pocket. Grabbing her hand, I tuck it into her palm and close her fist around it as I capture her gaze with mine.

“If you need work, go to this address tomorrow. Ask to speak with Della and tell her Ivy sent you. She’ll pay you enough to support yourself and your children.”

Squeezing the paper in her hands, her eyes fill with tears again. “Thank you, my lady.”

Uncomfortable with her gratitude, I head for the door where Thorne is waiting for me with curious eyes.

“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Darby,” I say as I exit.

“Alice.” Her quiet voice trails after us. “Please call me Alice.”

Chapter

Sixteen

The air is sticky as we leave the Darby house and all of its hauntings behind. The two guards lean against the rail on the porch, straightening when they spot us.

“Get anything from the wife?” one of them asks.

I pin him with a cold glare, and his face pales as he takes a step back.

“She’s more than just someone’s wife,” I remind him evenly. “Have some respect.”

His throat bobs as he swallows, dropping his gaze to the floor. “Yes,wraith.”

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