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“Who is your client?” Nick asks. “The Sidorovs?”
Maxim remains quiet.
Nick’s eyes dart to him in warning, expecting an answer.
“I’m simply following orders,” Maxim finally says.
Nick stops pacing and studies the man before him. His tattooed hand rubs the back of his neck, joining the ink from his hand to the ink of his neck.
His ominous beauty raises the hair on my arms. He’s cool and collected on the outside, but I see a dark flame forming in the brown of his eyes.
Maxim should be afraid. He should be terrified.
I am.
This isn’t what I imagined when deciding to come to Wonderland tonight.
It’s one thing hearing rumors about how ruthless Nick Hudson can be, and it’s another actually witnessing it with your own eyes.
Maxim moves to stand, and both security guards place a hand on each of his shoulders, shoving him back down to his seat.
Nick walks over to me and runs his fingertips down my bruised arm. The warmth of his touch sends chills up and down my body. “Do you see her arm, Maxim?”
I now see the first sign of fear as Maxim swallows hard.
Nick continues to run his fingers over my flesh as if he’s trying to pet the pain away. I simply sit frozen, paralyzed by the touch. “We have rules for a reason, Maxim,” he continues. “I follow rules in the dark world you and I both live in, even if I don’t like them. But in my world. In Wonderland. I expect my rules to be followed. Mine.”
Nick then makes his way to Maxim, his cane hitting hard with each step. He leans in with his face inches from Maxim’s and locks eyes.
“I apologize. I should have waited until she left the party,” Maxim says calmly, but I see beads of sweat forming on his brow.
“There’s consequences for breaking my rules,” Nick says, standing straight again and motioning to his guards to act.
His silent cues are read by his men because they both lift Maxim to standing and drag him over to a metal table on the right side of the room.
“Two fingers,” Nick says as his men slam Maxim’s hand down on the table, holding it in place by the wrist.
Maxim starts to put up a fight, but then instantly stops as he glares at Nick. “They’ll kill you for this. You know the Sidorovs. You know the rules. You touch me, you touch them.”
Nick swings his cane expertly like Fred Astaire would before a tap dancing number and gives a devilish smile. “My Wonderland. My rules.”
He approaches the table and removes the ruby from the top of his cane. Beneath the jewel is a sharp blade, a hidden weapon.
I remain in my seat even though I want to run away as fast as I can. I consider how far I can get before I’m apprehended. I’m not so much worried for me as I am for this man, Maxim. I don’t want to witness the sickness that’s about to occur. Who knows what the man had planned for me, or what the Sidorovs would do, but regardless… two fingers? I don’t want him to lose two fingers, and I definitely don’t want to watch it be done.
“They’ll make you pay. I’ll make you pay,” Maxim says, his hand splayed out on the table. He struggles with wasted effort as the security guards don’t let him budge an inch.
“I’ll take my chances,” Nick says as he lifts his cane high above his head.
“Wait,” I say, shouting as I leave my seat.
Chapter Nine
Lyriope
“You’ve been a bad girl,” Nick says the minute his guards take a cursing Maxim out the door.
“Sasha had an invite. I’m her plus one,” I practically stutter, hating how scared I sound. I want to sound as confident as Maxim did right before he lost digits, but I know I’m failing epically. I glance toward the door. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene.”
God, am I next? Will I be punished the same way Maxim was?
Nick doesn’t say anything. His silence is scarier than if he was shouting at me.
Confidence. Confidence. Confidence. I chant to my inner self.
“I’m not doing anything wrong. How is that being a bad girl?” I ask with the most intense glare I can muster, though I’m lying to myself if I say the way Nick looks at me doesn’t cause my body to quiver. But no way am I going to reveal that fact if I can help it. He won’t respect me if I beg, although I’m two seconds from falling to my knees and doing exactly that.
Will he expect two fingers from me instead? I’m shocked he even listened to me and let Maxim leave unharmed. I’m not even sure why I did it. I could claim that I’m more afraid of the Sidorov’s retaliation, but the truth is I hate violence. I believe that people are inherently good. That showing mercy is stronger than wielding a knife.
