Page 48 of Locked in Wonderland

Marcus shook his head. “You shouldn’t go around saying things don’t make sense simply because you don’t understand them. People might take offense.”

I was saved from having to respond when the bell rang again, and we repeated the entire moving process. This time, Dorian remained seated, opening his eyes just long enough for the movement to finish before closing them again.

The change in viewpoint left me facing a section of the supper club that had been behind me. I blamed that for not noticing the man standing there earlier.

Something jolted in my chest. The last time I’d seen him had been at the nightclub.

Nico.

Chapter Seventeen

Black jeans that clung to him like a second skin and a gray sleeveless top with a plunging V-neck that showed off his chest replaced the suit Nico had worn at the nightclub. Had he always been that muscular? I suppose he had. I’d met him twice before, and both times he’d worn clothes that covered him from head to toe.

His mask was split down the middle, one side black and the other silver. Tiny black feathers adorned the silver half, giving it a sleek, predatory look.

The woman he was speaking to stood uncomfortably close, as though she’d climb inside his skin if she could. Her hand drifted across his bare forearm, lingering for a fraction too long. A subtle shift in Nico’s stance forced her to either hold on and make her intentions clear or let go.

She chose the latter.

Apparently, she was willing to play the long game.

She wasn’t the only admirer. The man standing on Nico’s other side looked equally captivated, if his body language were anything to go by.

I could see why.

Dressed like this and carrying himself with that effortless confidence he’d had from the moment I first met him, Nico’s attractiveness bordered on lethal.

“Does he come here often?” I heard myself ask before my brain had approved the question.

Harlan twisted around in his seat. “Nico?” I nodded. “No.”

“Barely at all,” Marcus added. “Which means he’s after something.”

I might have asked more, but my bladder chose that moment to remind me about the tea I’d drunk. After confirming where the toilets were, I headed in that direction, trying to decide whether the fact they were on the opposite side of the club from Nico was a relief or a disappointment.

Even though the bathroom was empty, I chose a cubicle over a urinal. Wonderland offered precious few opportunities for privacy, so there was no way I wasn’t going to seize the opportunity when it arose.

I spent several minutes gathering my thoughts. It dawned on me that I hadn’t asked about Warren. Granted, I’d mentioned him in my explanation of why I was here, and neither Harlan nor Marcus had volunteered any information, but that wasn’t conclusive. Especially not in Wonderland.

A feeling of wrongness hit me once I stood. It only grew worse as I stepped back into the club. A wave of heat. It started in my stomach before spreading through my chest.

Nausea?

No.

Something else.

Something entirely unfamiliar.

I was too busy cataloging the sensation to notice the approaching man. By the time I registered him, he’d already backed me against the wall, one beefy arm braced beside my head to block any escape. I instinctively tried to duck under it. He laughed and adjusted position, cutting off the exit.

He was huge, almost Dodo sized. The thick, dark beard and the red mask covering everything above his nose hid most of his face.

“I need to get back to my table,” I said. “They’re waiting.”

He shook his head, his lips curving up into a smile. “No, you don’t. You need to come with me.”

I attempted a laugh at the sheer audacity of the statement, but it emerged as more of a strangled moan. The glint in his eye suggested that he appreciated the sound. He planted his other arm against the wall and pressed his body against mine.