Page 54 of These Witches Don't Burn
Lauren’s cheeks flush pink. “Ryan. Hi.” She brushes her hair out of her face. “I didn’t think I’d see you until tonight.”
Detective Archer smiles, his attention focused on my boss. He seems genuinely happy to see her, but I can’t stop the bad feeling that crawls across my skin like a legion of bugs. What if he’s the Witch Hunter? None of this started until he showed up in town.
“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d drop by and see if you were free for coffee.” Detective Archer—who’s apparentlyRyanto my boss—rests one hand on his belt. The movement pushes his navy suit jacket back enough to display his badge. And his gun. He glances down, eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. “Miss Walsh, I forgot you worked here.”
“I do.” I stare up at the detective who nearly had me confessing to witchcraft in an interrogation room.Exactly the sort of thing a Witch Hunter would do.Somehow, I doubt my presence here is truly the surprise he’s pretending it is.
Lauren glances between us, a smile plastered on her face. “Hannah’s a fabulous employee. She’s always on time, and she’s learned a ton since she started working for me.” Lauren continues to gush, like she’s a mother bragging about her child getting into advanced classes, which adds thorns to the blooming guilt in my chest. Finally, she takes a deep breath. “So, how do you know Hannah?”
Detective Archer shifts, his jacket falling forward to hide his weapon. He considers me a long moment before responding. “Our paths keep crossing around town.” He smiles at Lauren, and his crush would be cuter if he wasn’t such a likely suspect.
I clear my throat, interrupting the weirdly intimate staring contest they’ve got going on. “What the detective means to say is that he almost arrested me last week.”
“He what?” Lauren’s jaw practically hits the floor. Detective Archer glares at me, which only eggs me on further.
“He thinks I’m the one who tried to burn down Nolan’s house.”
“Oh, Ryan.” Lauren puts a protective hand on my shoulder. “There is no way Hannah’s involved in something like that. She’s as good as they come.”
The detective runs a hand through his hair. He heaves a sigh that goes all the way to his toes. “I can’t talk about an open case, but it’s a matter of public record that I didn’t file charges against Miss Walsh. She was only in for questioning.”
Lauren’s eyes go wide, and when she looks at the detectiveagain, there’s a hint of suspicion in the pull of her brow. “Goddess, Hannah. No wonder your aura is so subdued.”
The bell on the front counter rings. The three of us turn to look. Cal nods to the growing line in front of him, his shoulders high and tensed.
“Hannah, why don’t you help with the line? Ryan and I are going to talk in the back for a bit.” Lauren practically pushes the detective toward theSTAFF ONLYdoor, ignoring his protests. Her shoulders are set, her brows pinched together. She’s in full-on mama bear mode. I should bake her thank-you cookies. Plus a sorry-I-thought-you-were-a-Witch-Hunter cake.
I weave my way through the cramped store and take over the register, doubling the speed of the checkout line while Cal bags up purchases.
Once we’re through the line, Cal glances toward the back of the shop. “What’s the deal with you and Detective Archer?”
“He’s convinced I’m some kind of delinquent.” I lean against the counter, but then something about Cal’s question trips me up. “Wait, how do you know him?” I don’t remember mentioning his name to Cal.
Cal shrugs, though his pale skin flushes pink. “The detective’s in here a lot. I think he has a thing for our boss.”
I don’t understand the embarrassment riding high in Cal’s tone. “Do you have a crush on him or something? I thought you already had a boyfriend.”
“Eww, god, no. The detective is way too old for me.” Cal pulls out his phone and flips through his pictures. “Besides, my boyfriend is way cuter.” He shows me a photo of himself standing next to a considerably taller boy with dark hair, light brown skin, and a prominently squared chin.
“He’s cute,” I agree, “for a boy.”
Cal laughs and tucks his phone away.
“Could I ask you for a favor actually?” I glance behind me to make sure we’re alone. “If you’re as good with computers as you say you are, that is.”
“Depends.” Cal considers me, his brow knit. “You don’t want me to break into a bank or something, do you?”
“Nothing so scandalous, I promise.” I fill him in on the brick incident. “My friends and I were hoping you might be able to get access to my neighbor’s security camera and see if Nolan’s car makes an appearance around that time.”
“Couldn’t you just ask your neighbor for the tapes?”
“They’re out of town until—” The bell on the counter chimes, cutting me off.
“Excuse me? I’m looking for my best friend. Maybe you’ve seen her around somewhere?” Gemma says, and I turn around. “She’s about this tall and suffers from a chronic case of sarcasm. It’s very unsightly.”
I roll my eyes. “Hey, Gem.”
She grins. “Got a minute?”
