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We were halfway down the stairs when he touched my shoulder, stopping us both. I could see the apology on his face again, the one he wanted to give in the forest, the one I hadn’t been ready to hear. I still wasn’t sure I was ready for it, but Constable Cade’s words jangled in my mind, telling me that it was part of their training, reminding me that until a week ago, Derrick hadn’t known me and certainly couldn’t trust me.
For that matter, why had I trusted him?
Crossing my arms, I drew away, leaning on the banister because I supposed I deserved the apology, even if I wasn’t ready to accept it yet. Derrick glanced away from me, shoving his hands in the pockets of that blasted aviator jacket again. I wondered when he had changed, but that hardly seemed to matter. The man looked good in nearly anything he wore.
It was terribly unfair.
“Nora, I am sorry,” he said.
“For charming me with runes or for kissing me?”
He smirked and something flashed in his eyes that made my stomach flutter. “For charming you. I’m afraid I can’t be sorry for the kiss.”
I stared at him, a little shocked. “Can’t or won’t?”
“A little of both, I suppose,” he said, that dimple forming at the side of his mouth again. Still, his smile did not quite reach his eyes. “I admit it was a little unprofessional. And I probably should have waited until this whole mess was over to make such a move…”
“A little unprofessional?” I squawked at him. “You probably should have waited?”
He took a step down, coming to my level on the staircase and met my gaze. His mouth was tight, and I could see the struggle in his expression. “This apology will be better when I can concentrate on it. But I swear on my magic, I did not charm you during the kiss. Now, if you honestly mean to help find my mother, we should go.”
I drew up, heat blooming in my face. “Of course I mean to help find your mother.”
He nodded, his hand finding the small of my back as we resumed the trek downstairs. “Then I apologize in advance for what you’re about to see.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I had never been inside a factory before. They were a part of everyday life, peppering the landscape in Boston, bits of history standing testament to time. This one was brick and mortar, its red coloring prominent against the greenery of Allegany, and several windows were shattered. Nothing about the place looked safe and I suppressed a shiver.
As Derrick and I approached the massive structure, I drew in a breath. It stood eerily silent, seven stories high, its walls rough and crumbling in places. Up close I could see several of the ground floor windows had been boarded up, blocking all sight of the inside and everything in me wanted to run away. The quiet of the forest seemed to envelope the place and I had the eerie sense we were being watched.
Inside was cramped, not open, which I found surprising. There was the heavy smell of oil and grease, and I shuddered, memory flickering to life. This was undoubtedly where Malcolm had found me.
Our footsteps clanked against the meshed metal walkway and the door squealed as Derrick closed us in, plunging the space into gloom. I had to blink several times, my eyes adjusting to the dim glow of torchstones lining the walkway before we started the trek deeper inside.
“They kept this place off the power grid,” Derrick explained with a nod to the torchstones.
He offered his elbow to me for support, and I took it, leaning into his warmth as the chill of the place seeped into me. My little torn day dress was pitiable now, and I wished I’d taken the time to change before we made our way out here. But Janice was missing and Derrick’s need to find her was a constant growl in the back of my mind, pressing in on my senses to the point my heart fluttered.
“That makes sense,” I said, not liking how the shadowy maintenance hall seemed to swallow our voices whole. “Ms. Maureen would have noticed extra power being leeched off her grid.”
“And the power company,” Derrick said, slanting a smirk at me. “The Leslies may create turbines, but they don’t own everything. They still have to pay for the power they use as well.”
“I imagined Maureen would have worked a cheaper price for power into her deal when she sold them the designs.”
Derrick nodded. “I’m sure she did, but don’t make her more than she is, Nora. She still must pay her dues to society, same as you.”
“Except her bank account looks a lot better than mine after she’s paid her bills.”
He snorted a laugh, coming to a stop beside a closed door. It was heavy iron, like most of the place, its handle a wide, spoked wheel in need of turning. Derrick touched the wheel and looked at me, his face suddenly serious.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be an empath, Nora. If you have a way to brace yourself, now’s the time.”
The hair on my arms prickled and I hesitated, staring at the door. What bravery had carried me this far wobbled loose and slipped away. Derrick’s concern was evident, I didn’t need my empathy to know he didn’t want me going through the door. And yet, he also needed me to look, to search for any signs of his mother, and the conflict tore into us both.
I took a deep breath. “There are moments, Constable King, when I wish I’d thrown my cuckoo clock at you.”
His mouth twitched into a faint smile.
