Page 68 of Wicked Enemy

Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone at the table hurried out of their seats and towards the door. Those of us by the wall waited for our seniors to leave first.

“Smith,” Chief Anderson said before Ulric could take so much as a single step towards the door. “Stay.”

Captain Smith nodded. Clasping his hands behind his back, he remained standing next to his chair while everyone else filed out the door.

I cast a worried glance between them. Anger was no longing flashed in Chief’s eyes. Instead, he just looked weary. Whatever was going to be discussed in this room was not something that he wanted to get into. I desperately wanted to stay and find out exactly what that was, but everyone else had already disappeared now, so I forced myself to follow them out the door and close it behind me.

But worry still flitted through my chest like restless butterflies, so I hung back in the corridor outside. Crossing my arms, I leaned against the wall halfway down the hall so I would be able to catch Ulric as soon as he left and ask him about what had happened, while also making sure that it wouldn’t look like I was trying to eavesdrop or anything.

Time stretched on. First one minute. Then two. When we had reached what felt like at least five minutes, the door handle was at last pushed downwards.

I straightened from the wall and let my arms drop back down to my sides right before Ulric stepped out into the corridor.

Panic shot through me.

He hadn’t seen me yet, so he didn’t know that he was being watched, and therefore wasn’t hiding his emotions the way he usually was.

My mind went completely blank as I stared at him.

Sorrow hung over his shoulders like a heavy blanket, making them droop slightly. And his eyes gleamed with unshed tears.Tears. In all my time with him, I had never once seen Captain Ulric Smith cry.

Then his brown eyes found mine, and he wiped all traces of emotion off his features. While straightening his posture, he blinked away the tears in his eyes and instead donned a smile.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were waiting for me,” he said as he moved closer.

“What happened?” I asked, still studying him intently.

He shrugged. “Politics.”

“Ulric.” I held his gaze, and when he tried to walk past me, I reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him and turning him back to face me. “What happened?”

He glanced down the hall, as if trying to decide whether to tell me now or to make me wait until he informed the entire department of whatever it was that had just happened. Then he sighed and raked a hand through his brown hair.

“I’ve been forced into retirement.”

My heart stopped. For a few seconds, all I could do was stare at him. Then the words finally registered, and I rocked back as if he had slapped me. “What?”

“Parliament is pissed about the prisoners escaping, and they wanted someone to be punished for it.” He shrugged again. “Since I’m the head of the South Side Department, this mess was technically my responsibility. Chief did what he could, but in the end, they decided that it was time for me to retire.”

“I…”

Placing his hands on my shoulders, he gave me a comforting smile. “It’s alright, kiddo. I’m starting to get old anyway.”

“But… But they can’t do this! It wasn’t your fault!” I protested. Whipping my head towards Chief’s door, I started to take a step towards it. “I’ll—”

“Eve.” Ulric squeezed my shoulders, holding me firmly in place so that I couldn’t storm down the hall. With his sad brown eyes on me, he shook his head. “There’s nothing you can do. The decision has been made. It’s already done. A new captain will be transferred here from another department tomorrow morning.”

“But…” The word sounded so pathetic and helpless in my mouth.

“Cheer up, kiddo.” He patted me on the cheek before withdrawing. “It’s not your fault.”

Oh but it was. It was all my fault.

Guilt and regret carved through my chest like hot knives. Searing my flesh and tearing my soul to pieces.

Ulric was being forced into retirement. The man who had acted like an uncle to me ever since my father was killed. The man who had encouraged me to become a constable. The man who had mentored me all throughout the application process and the testing and the training and then every day once I had at last joined the force.

And now, he was being punished because I had chosen a dark mage over him. Over my colleagues. Over my duty. My job. Everything that my father would have wanted me to stand for. I had thrown all of that away, because my stupid heart had fallen for the enemy.