Chapter Three
Morning found me leaning on the seafront railing, my gaze fixed on the ghostly outline of Wonderland through the clinging sea fret.
Whatever had happened to Warren had a link to that place.
Given it had been emblazoned across the side of the van in two-foot-tall letters, I didn’t think I’d be winning any prizes for detective work.
The more I thought about it—and I’d done more thinking than sleeping last night—the more it seemed like the obvious place to start.
If the police weren’t prepared to do anything, then it was up to me to rescue him.
“You don’t want to go there.”
I turned to find a man leaning casually against the railing less than a foot away.
He was handsome in a composed, deliberate way, as though he knew just how to arrange himself to best effect.
His dark hair was neatly cut, the kind that never seemed to fall out of place, and it set off the clear blue of his eyes—eyes that showed a sharp intelligence, as if they were always measuring what they saw.
He wore an immaculately tailored suit, dark and understated.
Nothing about it called for attention, yet it was impossible not to notice.
He carried himself with an ease that suggested confidence without explanation.
In short, he was a man who made an impression.
One you weren’t likely to forget in a hurry.
He stepped closer, holding out his hand. “Nico Ravenscar.”
I shook it. “Lysander Carroll.”
The handshake was perfunctory, and I mourned the briefness of it. To disguise my reaction to him, I focused back on Wonderland. “Do you know anything about it?”
“More than most.”
That piqued my interest enough to turn back to him. “It’s a party island, right? Why would you tell me not to go there?”
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. They were nice lips. Pink. Full. Perfectly shaped. When his tongue darted out to moisten them, a rush of heat raced through me. I jerked my gaze away. Jesus! Calm down. Think about Warren.
“Tell me about the worst party you’ve ever been to?”
What an odd question. An expectant silence said he was waiting for an answer.
“Um… I don’t know. There was one in my late teens.
The beer was warm, the music was crap, and my boyfriend snogged someone else and couldn’t understand why I had a problem with it.
” I had a nagging thought that perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned being gay, but it was too late to take back now.
The wind changed direction, my nostrils filling with the scent of bergamot and cedar. He even smelled good.
“So not all parties are fun.”
“Most are,” I argued. “No one throws awful parties deliberately.”
“Do you think all the people who attended the party you mentioned agreed it was awful?”
“No. I’m sure some liked the music. Their boyfriend probably wasn’t sticking his tongue down anyone’s throat. And maybe, and this is a big maybe, there are people who like their beer warm. There are all kinds of weird people in the world.”
Nico gave a little laugh, the sound seeming to surprise him, as if he didn’t do it often. “You’re probably right.”
“Anyway, I have to go there,” I said.
“Have to?”
“My boyfriend was kidnapped yesterday,” I said. “Men bundled him into the back of a van with that place written all over it.” I jabbed a finger toward the island in case he didn’t get the connection. “Literally. It said Wonderland on the van.”
“Ah.”
I studied his neutral expression. “I tell you a man got kidnapped, and that’s all you have to say?”
Nico shrugged. “Shit happens.” He angled his body in my direction, the fabric of his suit pulling taut in a way that made me think there was a killer body hidden beneath it. Not that I cared. It was just an observation. “Sounds like a job for the police.”
“That’s what I thought. I went to the police, and they said all the right things to start with.
But then they sent someone to Warren’s building, and there was a woman living where he used to live, and all his things had gone.
Which makes absolutely no sense because it’d only been a few hours, so I don’t know how that’s possible.
The police thought I was full of shit at that point.
And it didn’t help that they couldn’t find any record of him ever existing.
I think they thought I’d taken something. ”
“Had you?”
I shot him a glare. “No! I don’t do drugs.”
“Apologies. I meant no offense.”
“Sorry. The last twenty-four hours have been crazy. There was even a point where I thought I might be going mad.” I heaved out a breath.
“I’m not, though. He was real. He lived in that flat.
And someone from Wonderland abducted him.
I don’t know why, and I don’t know how they could have covered things up so quickly, but that’s what happened.
So you see, I have to go there and I have to find him because no one else will. ”
Nico gave a slow nod. “He’s a lucky man to have you on his side. You must have been together for some time to care about him that deeply.”
My fingers curled into my palms, my nails digging in. “No. Just a couple of weeks. But when you know, you know, right?”
Noise from behind had us both turning. A waitress was assembling outdoor tables in front of a cafe. Either it was misplaced optimism, or she already knew that a bit of fog wouldn’t stop customers from sitting outside.
“Have you had breakfast?” Nico asked.
I shook my head. “I left my hotel too early.”
“Let’s have breakfast. My treat.”
My first instinct was to turn the offer down. He was, after all, a stranger. But he’d said he knew “more than most” about Wonderland, and I was hungry, so I might as well kill two birds with one stone. “Okay.” I let my gaze trail over his suit. “You’ll be incredibly overdressed, though.”
“Let me worry about that.”
We’d sat inside. Only one couple had taken up the challenge to sit outside so far, and I had a feeling they regretted it but were too stubborn to admit defeat and come in.
I’d gone for a full English while Nico had settled for poached eggs on brown toast. We both had mugs of steaming tea next to our plates.
“Nice watch,” Nico said when we were halfway through eating.
I put my fork down to place a hand over it. “Warren gave it to me on the last night we were together. He had it engraved and everything.” I took it off and showed him, Nico offering it only a cursory glance.
I was hungrier than I thought, wolfing the food down in record time, then pushing the plate away from me. “Thank you,” I said. “I needed that.”
“You’re welcome. You looked like a man so intent on achieving your goal that you’d forget to eat.”
In contrast to me virtually inhaling my breakfast, Nico was only halfway through his.
I watched as he painstakingly cut off a small geometric piece of egg and toast, brought it to his mouth, and chewed methodically.
It showed a man fully in control of his movements. At least, that was what I got from it.
“I don’t know much about Wonderland,” I said.
He finished chewing his mouthful and swallowed. “What do you want to know?”
“How to get there, for a start. I’ve never seen a boat. I looked for a timetable, but there isn’t one.”
“There’s only one ship a day. And you have to get a boat to get to the ship. Security regulations are strict,” he explained when I frowned.
“What time is the boat?” I asked, excitement at getting the information I needed bubbling over.
Even though his plate still had food on it, he carefully placed his knife and fork together to show he’d finished eating. Then he deliberately sat back in his chair and studied me. “You said you’ve only been seeing—”
“Warren,” I supplied when the pause went on too long.
He nodded. “Warren. You said what? Two weeks?” He waited for my nod. “That’s not very long.”
“Long enough,” I said defensively. “Besides, this goes way past him being my boyfriend. Someone kidnapped him.”
“So you say.”
Irritation had me sitting up straighter. “Now you sound like the police. What point are you trying to make?”
He took a sip of his tea. “Do you live around here?”
“No. I’m here for work. I’m an environmental health inspector.
” The waitress carrying a plate of food came to an abrupt halt halfway across the cafe.
“I’m not here to inspect you,” I called across.
I looked back over my shoulder at the kitchen.
“Although that reaction makes me think they’ve got something to hide. ”
“Go home. Forget about Warren. Forget about Wonderland.”
I laughed. “Have you been listening at all?”
“I’ve listened to every single word you’ve said.”
“Then you know I can’t do that. What time is the boat?” I asked again.
The pause before Nico answered stretched for an eon. “Six o’clock. Wonderland operates on more of a nocturnal schedule. Party all night. Sleep all day. That sort of thing.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “How do I get a ticket? And how much does it cost?”
“Your face is your ticket.”
“That makes no sense.”
Nico pushed his chair back and stood. He threw notes on the table that far exceeded the cost of the meal. “It makes perfect sense. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting.”
“What do you mean my face is my ticket?”
Nico kept walking without so much as a backward glance. Either he hadn’t heard me, or he’d chosen not to answer. I suspected the latter. What a strange guy. Undeniably hot, but strange.