The detective's eyes dropped to my pocket before I could hide the phone. "Miss Hart? Who just messaged you?"
"No one." The lie tasted metallic on my tongue. Jace's words were still glowing behind my eyelids—trust no one—and even if I didn't fully believe him, I wasn't about to hand his secrets to a stranger with a badge.
Detective Marlene Cross didn't blink. She stood in the doorway of the motel room, blocking my only exit, her dark coat dusted with fresh snow. Her gaze was steady and patient and absolutely certain that she could outwait me. "You looked at your phone. Your face went pale. Either you're lying or you just got very bad news. Which is it?"
"I'm just tired. It's been a long night."
"Then you won't mind showing me the message."
The command hung in the air. I thought about t
