Page 114 of Locked in Wonderland

“I want that one.” The whine in Kellan’s voice would have been ridiculous if it weren’t so dangerous.

Henry sighed and rubbed his temples, as though the entire conversation was giving him a headache.

I held my breath.

My future rested on who won this battle of wills.

An uneasy silence settled over the room, with the four of them eyeing each other like opponents in an arena rather than the family they claimed to be.

Nico moved first. Crossing the room, he stopped beside me and grasped my shoulder. “Up.”

My heart hammered as I obeyed. Hard enough that it felt like I might pass out. I avoided looking at the Harts. It felt safer that way.

Nico’s grip shifted to my elbow, steering me toward the door. The moment felt like a powder keg about to blow at any minute.

One step.

Then another.

“You’re breaking my heart by acting like this,” Queenie called after him. “We gave you everything. A home. A good job. Power. The freedom to do whatever you wanted. Is this really how you intend to repay us for taking you in?”

The door was within reach.

“And I’m grateful for it,” Nico replied. “But all good things come to an end.” His mouth curved slightly. “Call it my rebellious teenage phase arriving a few years too late.”

Then he shoved me through the door. The reception room’s paintings looked no less ghoulish on a repeat viewing. A second later, Nico was beside me. He grabbed my arm and propelled me toward the exit at a pace that bordered on a jog.

“Don’t look at anyone,” he murmured close to my ear. “And do exactly what I say.”

I nodded.

Adrenaline had turned my limbs to jelly. Had I been capable of speaking, I would have bombarded him with questions. For that reason, perhaps it was for the best that the gag remained firmly in place.

Chapter Thirty-six

The two cars were still parked outside with the drivers standing beside them, deep in conversation. One of them idly scuffed at a familiar patch of bloodstained gravel. Nico headed straight for the vehicle he'd arrived in, his grip tightening on my arm.

A warning?

Nerves?

I couldn't tell.

“Hargreaves,” he called from a few steps away. “Something’s come up. I need to head back to town.”

Hargreaves turned with a frown. It deepened when he realized Nico wasn’t alone. “Mrs. Hart said―”

“Mrs. Hart has changed her mind.” Nico didn’t slow. “Do you need her to come out here and tell you that herself, or can we get going?”

The authoritarian tone did its job, a slight hint of color appearing on Hargreaves’ cheekbones. “No, Mr. Ravenscar. I just thought―”

“You're not paid to think.” Nico opened the rear door and shoved me unceremoniously inside. “You're paid to drive.”

The door slammed shut and a moment later Nico climbed in beside me.

Hargreaves settled behind the wheel―the simple act of fastening his seat belt agonizingly slow.

Nico stared resolutely ahead, his body language so casual and unconcerned that it could only be fake.