Page 109 of Locked in Wonderland

The second, more obvious clue was Kellan’s barely perceptible nod to a man stationed at the back of the courtroom. His stance, broad shoulders, and immaculate suit marked him as one of the Harts’ security. He might even have been one of the men from the nightclub, though I hadn’t paid enough attention to know that for sure.

He watched Todd out of the corner of his eye.

The courtroom was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Sensing freedom was within touching distance, Todd suddenly exploded into motion. He sprinted up the last few steps and threw himself at the door.

A heartbeat later, he was through it.

The security guard followed only a few steps behind.

Less than thirty seconds later, a gunshot rang out.

Still staring at his phone, Nico flinched.

If I hadn’t been so consumed by what had just happened, I might have taken it as a sign of humanity—a sign that he wasn’t entirely like the rest of his family. Queenie and Henry certainly didn’t seem the least bit bothered by their son ordering someone’s execution.

As for Kellan...

He turned to the audience with a smile. “It’s sad when you have to put a pet down, but sometimes it’s necessary.”

Tears stung my eyes, and I blinked them back before anyone noticed. Were they for Todd? Or for myself—for what my future might hold now I was Todd’s replacement?

The more I learned about how the Hart family operated, the more Kellan’s attention felt like a death sentence. I wondered what the record was for holding his interest—and whether lasting longer was actually a blessing.

I dreaded finding out.

Chapter Thirty-four

The audience remained seated, letting the Harts leave first. That meant me as well, the two men who’d abducted me from Nico’s hauling me between them like a sack of potatoes so my feet barely touched the floor. I kept twisting around, hoping to glimpse Nico. Sometimes I thought I did, but it could just as easily have been someone else.

Two black cars waited outside the courthouse. They were the first vehicles I’d seen in Wonderland. I suspected they were the only two. God forbid the Harts ever walk anywhere.

Nico’s reappearance as we reached them lit a spark of hope inside me. It died almost immediately when he climbed into the first car with Queenie and Henry, leaving me alone in the back of the second with Kellan. The security guard who’d shot Todd sat up front.

I turned to the window, refusing to acknowledge Kellan’s stare burning a hole in the side of my face. Maybe if I ignored him, he wouldn’t speak to me. There wasn’t a single thing he could say that I wanted to hear.

The hope lasted all of five seconds.

“I know you and Nico have been having a thing.”

The words surprised me enough that I made eye contact before I could stop myself.

He laughed at my expression as he held up two crossed fingers. “Nico and I are like this. We’re brothers, after all. He often acts as my warm-up man.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Let me guess. He led you to believe something different.” He shook his head fondly. “He’s such a liar. That’s his modus operandi. He tells people what they want to hear. Makes them feel safe. Plays the rescuer. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. We’re similar in a lot of ways and very different in others.”

He stretched lazily, giving his words time to sink in. “I have to confess I won’t play Romeo like he did. I’m more upfront. More what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Some might even say more honest.”

No shit. I’d seen the cuts and bruises covering Todd’s face. I had no illusions about ending up the same way. I shifted my jaw, searching for even the smallest amount of relief from the constant ache.

“Poor baby,” Kellan crooned. “Does it hurt?” He produced a key from his pocket. “Would you like me to unlock it?”

I weighed the satisfaction of refusing against the relief it would bring and finally gave a jerky nod.

Kellan reached behind my head, pulling me forward until our foreheads were almost touching. His cologne barely concealed the smell of sweat beneath it. Every instinct I had screamed at me to pull away. I endured it instead, counting silently to distract myself. I got all the way to twenty-five.

“I think not,” he said in a bored monotone. “I have a feeling you’ll have far too much to say. Probably things I won’t want to hear. I’ll get angry. You’ll get upset. The whole thing will become a drama. I’ll get hard because I like drama. I’ll have to fuck you, and fucking in a car is sooo awkward. I’d rather our first time be... well, perhaps ‘special’ isn’t quite the right word, but I prefer to take my time.”

I jerked backward, ripping myself from his grasp without caring that I left a few hairs behind.